All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 148
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NewsSAS seals renegotiated fleet leases with more lessors
Scandinavian operator SAS has secured additional agreements with lessors to change the terms of lease contracts as part of its restructuring programme. SAS is operating under US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and the court is overseeing progress with the carrier’s ‘SAS Forward’ re-organisation initiative. The restructuring crucially requires amendments to ...
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NewsWizz returns conflict-stranded Airbus to service and awaits return of others
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has returned to service one of the four Airbus jets stranded in Ukraine as a result of the conflict. The rescued aircraft, an A320, was retrieved from the city of Lviv on 13 September, and flown to Katowice in Poland. Wizz says “no significant ...
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NewsWizz Air seeks to offset choppy currency impact as operations stabilise
Budget carrier Wizz Air has shifted towards euro-denominated lease contracts as part of a strategy to counter the effects of economic conditions. The airline has turned in a first-half operating loss of €63.8 million ($63 million) for the six months to 30 September. But a net foreign-exchange losses amounting to ...
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NewsGovernment pays arrears and takes over fleet loan after Kenya Airways default
Kenya’s government has stepped in to pay Kenya Airways debts after the airline defaulted on a loan agreement for aircraft and engine acquisitions. The government is also set to take over the loan in the current 2022-23 fiscal year, according to the country’s treasury. In an annual public debt management ...
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NewsKuwait Airways looks to acquire freighters as fleet modernisation advances
Kuwait Airways is looking to take advantage of increasing cargo demand with the acquisition of dedicated freighters for its fleet. Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Arab Air Carriers Organization conference in Abu Dhabi, chief executive Maen Razouqi said he believed the airline could support up to five freighters. “We don’t ...
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NewsFinal flights scheduled as Doncaster Sheffield airport nears closure
Attempts to prevent the closure of the UK’s Doncaster Sheffield airport appear to have failed, with the final passenger service set to arrive from Hurghada on 4 November, and a positioning flight departing for Manchester just after midnight on 5 November. Leisure carrier TUI, the airport’s remaining based airline, will ...
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NewsViva A320neo low-fuel probe indicates less than 300kg in tanks on landing
Colombian investigators have disclosed that an Airbus A320neo landed with less than 300kg of fuel on board following two diversions on a service from Cali. The aircraft, operated by Viva Air, had departed Cali for the northern city of Riohacha on 17 October. This sector is some 530nm in length ...
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NewsUS orders 737 Classic spoiler sensor check to avert split-throttle risk
Operators of certain older ‘Classic’ Boeing 737 variants are being instructed to conduct tests to check for potential spoiler sensor failure, which could escape detection by the autothrottle computer. According to the US FAA, a review of system logic on the variants – from the 737-300 to the -500 – ...
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NewsA350 reconfiguration reclaims interior cabin length as well as width
Airbus has gained close to a metre in cabin length by reconfiguring the A350’s interior, including shifting the rear pressure bulkhead further aft and moving the cockpit wall forward. Its updated configuration also includes widening the cabin by 2in either side, through re-sculpting the central fuselage sidewalls, taking the width ...
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NewsFinnair chief warns of ‘long journey’ to restore company’s financial strength
Finnair Group has turned in its first quarterly comparable operating profit for nearly three years, although it still generated a net loss for the period. The company attributes the performance – a comparable operating result of €35.2 million ($35 million) in the quarter to 30 September – to “pent-up demand” ...
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NewsAirbus expects A321XLR service entry in second quarter of 2024
Airbus has flown all three of its A321XLR test aircraft, but expects entry into service will not take place until the second quarter of 2024. The airframer had previously indicated that its introduction would take place in early 2024, as a result of a delay in the certification campaign to ...
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NewsYemenia seeks to double fleet as it rebuilds shattered network
Arabian operator Yemenia is still trying to restore its network after years of civil war in the Middle Eastern state, and resumption of flights earlier this year. Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Arab Air Carriers Organization conference in Abu Dhabi, Yemenia chair Nasser Mahmoud said the airline wanted to expand ...
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NewsArab carriers urge governments to avoid repeating ‘draconian’ pandemic response
Arab airlines are urging governments to revise their approach to a potential future pandemic, including recognising that a rapid implementation of closing borders did not mitigate the spread of Covid-19. Speaking during a briefing at the Arab Air Carriers Organization conference in Abu Dhabi, secretary general Abdul Wahab Teffaha highlighted ...
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NewsAACO chief: Future Israeli ties possible if momentum for peace reaches regional level
Arab Air Carriers Organization secretary general Abdul Wahab Teffaha is not ruling out possible future ties with Israeli entities, if the recent momentum of improved Arab-Israeli relationships eventually leads to recognition at a higher regional level. Normalised diplomatic relations between Israel and a number of Arab countries have been achieved ...
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NewsNesma aims for fleet expansion after Egyptian investment
Egyptian carrier Nesma Airlines is looking to expand its fleet next year, having consolidated its operation under a single air operator’s certificate. The airline was operating with Egyptian and Saudi Arabian licences but has been brought under Egyptian investment, chief executive Karim Baky told FlightGlobal at the Arab Air Carriers ...
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NewsRoyal Jordanian modernises but cost pressures push back break-even target
Royal Jordanian Airlines expects its break-even target to be pushed back at least to 2024 as a result of the continuing pressures on the air transport industry. Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Arab Air Carriers Organization conference in Abu Dhabi, Royal Jordanian chief executive Samer Majali said the carrier had ...
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AnalysisBrexit EASA licence issue puts crews on countdown
When the UK opted to leave the EU, the complex process of ‘Brexit’ disentanglement included controversially unhitching its aviation regulatory functions from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and re-establishing the Civil Aviation Authority as a separate oversight organisation.
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NewsTAP to withdraw White-operated ATRs in favour of Portugalia E-Jets
Portuguese flag-carrier TAP is rejigging its regional aircraft composition, ditching some of its wet-leased ATRs in favour of Embraer jets from its Portugalia arm. Conditions attached to the airline’s restructuring programme limit its fleet size to a maximum of 99 aircraft. The carrier has also had to surrender slots. This ...
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NewsUK Civil Aviation Authority preparing to seek new chief executive
UK Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Richard Moriarty is stepping down from his post as head of the regulator next spring. The authority is preparing to start searching for a successor to Moriarty, who has served in several roles in more than a decade at the organisation. He was appointed ...
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NewsIcelandair seeks proposals for fleet replacement beyond 2024
Icelandair Group is fleet-planning for modernisation beyond 2024, with requests for proposals to Boeing and Airbus, as well as engine manufacturers. The company says it is aiming to secure “efficiently” a delivery stream of aircraft throughout the current decade, and support replacement of the Boeing 757 fleet along with expansion. ...