Latest Airlines news – Page 249
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NewsIsrael-UAE to talk direct flights but airspace issues remain
Normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates opens the possibility of flights between the two countries – although a timeframe has yet to emerge and other complexities remain unresolved. The UAE and Israeli governments have jointly stated that tourism and “direct flights” will be among the ...
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NewsWizz Air UK to launch leisure routes from new northern base
Wizz Air’s UK division is to establish its second base in the country, opting to station an Airbus A320 at the northern Doncaster Sheffield airport. The airline intends to open another seven routes – adding to 10 it already serves from the airport – and broaden its network to new ...
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NewsHong Kong airport resumes transit for passengers from mainland
Hong Kong International Airport will allow passengers arriving from mainland China to transit during the period 15 August to 15 October. “On the other hand, transfer/transit services to destinations in mainland China will remain unavailable at HKIA,” says the airport. It did not give a reason for the resumption and ...
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NewsFrench pilots strongly back Transavia’s domestic evolution
Air France-KLM Group has secured a vital agreement with pilots which will enable the budget operation Transavia to conduct domestic services in France. French pilot union SNPL has strongly backed the agreement, with members voting over 90% in favour after a turnout of nearly 83%. Air France-KLM says the vote ...
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NewsNordica cleared to take €30m Estonian support package
Estonian operator Nordica has secured approval for a €30 million financial support package which will comprise a share capital increase and a loan with subsidised interest. Nordica is a capacity provider operating regional jets for carriers in northern and eastern Europe, but has been facing the possibility of insolvency before ...
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NewsCathay appears to switch more A350-1000s to -900s
Cathay Pacific appears to have converted a pair of Airbus A350-1000s to the smaller -900 variant, the Hong Kong-based carrier’s half-year accounts indicate. Airbus’s backlog figures to the end of July show Cathay had ordered 46 A350s, a mix of 26 A350-900s and 20 of the larger -1000s. It has ...
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NewsFastjet Group to delist and convert to private company
African budget operator Fastjet Group expects to re-register as a private company by mid-September after shareholders overwhelmingly approved a delisting from the stock exchange. The company will “proceed with the cancellation of trading” of its ordinary shares on the London AIM exchange on 24 August. Shareholders voted on 12 August ...
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NewsAzul restructures lease payments to ease debt pressure
Brazilian carrier Azul has restructured its payment schedule with aircraft leasing firms which will including cutting operating lease outgoings by more than three-quarters over the last nine months of 2020. Its arrangements mean it will benefit from working capital relief amounting to R$3.2 billion ($595 million) by the end of ...
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NewsIcelandair cuts back 737 Max order as part of final settlement
Icelandair Group is cutting four Boeing 737 Max jets from its order commitment and revising deliveries of the remaining six as part of a final settlement with the airframer over Max disruption. The company has detailed the settlement after concluding a series of agreements with creditors and stakeholders essential for ...
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NewsOver 6,000 SIA staff have taken unpaid leave since March
More than 6,000 Singapore Airlines Group employees, including ground staff, pilots and cabin crew have taken varying days of unpaid leave since they were first offered to do so in March. Singapore Airlines tells Cirium that the leave starts from a minimum of seven days and that more than 1,700 ...
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NewsArkia poised to resume services after funding agreement with owners
Israeli leisure carrier Arkia’s backers have agreed to inject additional funds into the airline to enable it to restore operations. The agreement comes some five month after the airline halted almost all activity and furloughed over 500 personnel. Israeli trade union organisation Histadrut says the Nakash brothers, who own the ...
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NewsGreater Bay Airlines applies for AOC in Hong Kong
A new carrier hoping to set up in Hong Kong, Greater Bay Airlines, has applied for an air operator’s certificate. The AOC application was submitted in July and is being processed, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department says in a statement to Cirium, without giving further details. If successful, the airline ...
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NewsWizz explains diversity rationale behind cabin crew-to-pilot initiative
While the air transport downturn is triggering pilot reductions at multiple airlines, budget carrier Wizz Air is persisting with a new training scheme for cabin crew who want to pursue a career in the cockpit. Wizz plans to start its first course around November-December, with a target of 20 cabin ...
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NewsSenior air force figure takes over as head of Iran Air
Former deputy Iranian air force operations commander Alireza Barkhor has been named as the new chief of flag-carrier Iran Air. The Iranian transport ministry has confirmed Barkhor’s appointment. He previously held several senior military roles including commanding Isfahan’s Shahid Babaei air base. Barkhor succeeds Touraj Dehghani Zanganeh who is to ...
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NewsKorean Air delivers profitable second-quarter with freight focus
Korean Air’s focus on cargo operations appears to have paid off, as it reports a profitable second quarter that outperformed the year-ago period. The airline saw revenue decline 44% year-on-year to W1.69 trillion ($1.4 billion), as the Covid-19 pandemic led to a sharp decline in passenger demand. Despite that, it ...
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NewsRehabilitation crucial to Nok Air’s survival
When Thailand’s flag carrier filed for business rehabilitation in May, the airline’s creditors strapped in for what is looking to be a long and possibly wild ride. Thai Airways International’s rehabilitation could take years, lawyers familiar with the process told Cirium at the time, adding that the carrier’s complex 98-strong ...
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NewsAeroflot seeks shareholder approval to hike share capital
Aeroflot’s board has met to consider increasing the company’s authorised share capital as part of measures to improve its financial stability. Its authorised capital comprises just over 1.11 billion shares, of which 51.2% is owned by the Russian government. In addition to these placed shares, Aeroflot is authorised to issue ...
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NewsLufthansa Group warns of compulsory job losses
Lufthansa Group is warning of compulsory job losses affecting mainline and Eurowings pilots, adding that the situation with ground staff is also uncertain. While there is a preliminary agreement with mainline cabin crew through the UFO union, over 60 days of negotiations with pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit have yet to ...
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NewsLufthansa Group chief resists asset ‘fire-sale’
Lufthansa Group will not rush into a disposal of assets, but expects to focus more on its core operations as it progresses towards recovery from the air transport crisis. It is already in the process of selling the European operation of its catering division LSG and group chief Carsten Spohr ...
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NewsLufthansa: Freight demand allows zero-passenger break-even on some routes
Lufthansa Cargo was among the few air transport operations to improve its performance over the course of the coronavirus crisis, as demand for freight capacity surged. First-half freight sales rose to €1.3 billion. The logistics division achieved a €299 million ($354 million) profit at adjusted EBIT level over the second ...