All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 264
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NewsFrankfurt Main passenger numbers down 30%: operator
Frankfurt Main airport’s operator, Fraport, says passenger numbers in the first week of March dropped by 30% in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. The figure for the German hub had declined by 4% during February, although there was an accelerating negative trend towards the end of the month with ...
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NewsSlovakian international airports shut down to counter outbreak
Bratislava and two other Slovakian international airports – Kosice and Poprad – have closed to all operations at least for two weeks, in response to the coronavirus situation. The capital airport is served by several carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Pobeda, and Flydubai. Bratislava’s operating company says the closure took ...
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In depthWhy restarting Max production is just the start of Boeing's delivery challenges
Between its huge order backlog and the fact that its customers’ only alternative, Airbus, is booked solid for years, restarting Max production is just the first hurdle for Boeing
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NewsNorwegian seeks to funnel US passengers through London
Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian is attempting to adapt to the transatlantic travel ban by routing customers through its UK base at London Gatwick. But it is unclear how effective this strategy will be given the extent of the US government’s restrictions. Norwegian says its aim is to re-route “as many ...
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NewsIndustrial dispute notice heaps pressure on El Al
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is facing industrial action from its personnel towards the end of this month, heaping pressure on the airline as it battles to deal with the coronavirus impact. The airline says it received, on 12 March, formal notification of a labour dispute and possible strike from 27 ...
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NewsFragile Fastjet aims for Zimbabwe carrier sale in April
African operator Fastjet Group expects to meet all preconditions, by the end of March, for divesting its Zimbabwean division and complete the transaction in April. It says participants of an investor consortium led by Solenta Aviation Holdings remain “committed” to the acquisition of Fastjet Zimbabwe under previously-agreed terms. Fastjet Group ...
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NewsEl Al bracing for heavy impact from Israeli coronavirus policies
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is unable to estimate the impact of new government requirements that people returning to Israel from anywhere in the world must enter 14-day quarantine. The requirement will have a “material adverse effect” on El Al’s operations, the airline says. “But at this stage [we are] unable ...
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NewsAirbus worker at Spanish plant treated for coronavirus
Airbus has advised a number of workers at its Spanish Getafe plant to take quarantine precautions after a coronavirus diagnosis for one of the facility’s employees. The airframer says it has advised a 14-day self-quarantine for those who have been in direct contact with the worker, who is receiving medical ...
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NewsEU leaders condemn Trump’s transatlantic travel ban
European Union leaders have condemned the US government’s sudden 30-day transatlantic travel ban, set to be introduced on 13 March. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says the coronavirus crisis is “not limited to any continent” and combating the threat “requires co-operation” rather than one-sided action. “The ...
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NewsRushed taxi led BA A319 to depart with wrong take-off data
Pilots of a British Airways Airbus A319 believe a rushed departure from an unintended London Heathrow intersection contributed to a failure to update take-off calculations. The aircraft (G-EUOG) took off from runway 27L’s intersection N4E on 2 October last year, despite the pilots’ having calculated performance for an N2W intersection ...
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NewsA220 crew missed low-thrust indications during laboured take-off
Investigators probing a Swiss Airbus A220 low-thrust incident during departure at Porto found that the pilots only belatedly realised that the autothrottle had not engaged before the take-off roll. Swiss investigation authority SUST found the A220-300, bound for Geneva, had conducted a de-rated rolling take-off from intersection C of runway ...
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NewsEuropean aviation stocks punished after US travel ban
European airline and aerospace stocks have been hammered in early trading after the US government imposed a drastic ban on transatlantic travel. Air France-KLM and Norwegian shares sank by close to 20% as the markets opened on 12 March, while shares in other major operators including IAG, Lufthansa and SAS ...
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NewsKuwait’s government to halt all air services indefinitely
Kuwait’s government has disclosed that all flights to and from the emirate will be suspended from 13 March. The suspension over the coronavirus outbreak will remain in effect “until further notice”, the government has declared. Only Kuwaiti citizens and their immediate relatives will be permitted to fly into the Gulf ...
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NewsConviction for Pan Am 747 bombing over Lockerbie set for appeal
Scottish judicial authorities have referred the case of the Pan Am Boeing 747-100 bombing over Lockerbie to a court of appeal, 19 years after the only conviction for the attack was secured. The bombing on 21 December 1988 resulted in 259 fatalities from the aircraft, operating flight PA103 to New ...
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NewsAir Baltic to cut staff as coronavirus ends positive run
Latvia’s Air Baltic is to cut its workforce by up to 250 personnel in a measure to stave off the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Air Baltic, which employs around 1,600 staff, says it will “temporarily” reduce the workforce – mainly by cutting crew. It says it ...
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NewsSouthwest uncertain over growth once 737 Max deliveries resume
Almost one year after the Boeing 737 Max was grounded, Southwest Airlines chief Gary Kelly has alluded to a fringe financial benefit from the Max situation as the budget carrier braces for the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Kelly says the severity of the decline has been “breathtaking”, with the ...
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NewsCarriers not necessarily exempt from coronavirus payouts: UK CAA
UK regulators are warning that European airlines might not be completely exempt from passenger compensation payments relating to the coronavirus outbreak, although much of the disruption is likely to fall under ‘extraordinary circumstance’ immunity. The Civil Aviation Authority has outlined its interpretation of European Union compensation rules in light of ...
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NewsEuropean Commission plans moratorium on 'use it or lose it' slot rule
European regulators are set to release airlines from slot-use obligations to ease pressure on carriers as they cut capacity to cope with coronavirus outbreak effects. The European Commission says it will put forward “targeted legislation” which will “temporarily alleviate” airlines from the need to follow slot usage rules. Transport commissioner ...
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NewsBA takes back Flybe’s Heathrow remedy slots
British Airways has reacquired London Heathrow slots from defunct UK regional carrier Flybe which had originally been divested to satisfy competition regulators. Flybe had been serving several routes from Heathrow before the airline ceased operations in early March. Documentation from UK airport co-ordinator ACL states that slots for 12 daily ...
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NewsUnintentional missile hit on MH17 ‘irrelevant’ to murder charge: prosecutor
Dutch prosecutors have taken into account that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 might have been unintentionally shot down, mistaken for a military aircraft, but stress that this does not alter the criminal charges directed at the suspects. In his opening statement to the trial – in absentia – of four suspects ...