Latest Airlines news – Page 260
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NewsGovernment puts R10bn aside for SAA in medium term
South Africa’s government has provisionally set aside R3.8 billion ($212 million) for troubled flag-carrier South African Airways and another R164 million for SA Express in the current fiscal year. Department of public enterprises deputy director general Kgathatso Tlhakudi gave the figure during a 20 May presentation before the parliamentary portfolio ...
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NewsMajor lessors now hold substantial interests in Norwegian
Chinese-linked interests will hold significant shareholdings in Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian following a debt-to-equity conversion scheme established to shore up the company’s financial position. Norwegian’s new share capital amounts to nearly 3.07 billion shares following the conversion scheme. Leasing firm BOC Aviation – which is Singapore-based, but ultimately controlled by ...
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NewsMalaysia Airlines details maintenance plan amid pandemic grounding
As Malaysia Airlines parks nearly half of its fleet in long-term storage amid the coronavirus outbreak, its engineering unit has switched up its usual operations. For instance, various representatives from divisions within the unit — such as technical services, quality assurance, and maintenance control — have come together to ...
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NewsRescuers believe Comair has ‘reasonable’ chance of survival
South African carrier Comair’s business rescue practitioners believe there is a reasonable chance of the Johannesburg-based airline’s being saved. The airline’s board opted to enter business rescue on 4 May. Practitioners Shaun Collyer and Richard Ferguson met with creditors and employees on 19 May to outline the carrier’s position. They ...
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NewsEasyJet cybersecurity breach affects 9 million customers
UK budget carrier EasyJet is contacting customers after a serious cybersecurity breach which resulted in access to the personal information of 9 million travellers. Credit card details of just over 2,200 customers were accessed, the airline admits, and it has taken action to contact all of them to offer support. ...
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NewsPressured Utair cuts losses but coronavirus impact looms
Russian carrier Utair halved its pre-tax losses in the first quarter, despite initial effects from the coronavirus crisis, but the impact on the second quarter has yet to become clear. The financially-pressured carrier’s passenger numbers in April were down by nearly 90%. Utair disclosed in early March that it was ...
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NewsSwiss to adapt fourth 777 for cargo-only flights
Swiss plans to modify a fourth Boeing 777 for cargo-only flights as the Lufthansa subsidiary grows its intercontinental freight network. Under a new schedule effective since 15 May, Hong Kong, New York JFK and Mumbai have become new destinations served with multiple weekly frequencies, Swiss says. Previously, it operated cargo ...
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NewsRussian authority recommends flights operate half-empty
Russia’s federal consumer rights protection authority is recommending that aircraft should not carry more than half their total passenger capacity during the restoration of air traffic. The authority, Rospotrebnadzor, states that, during check-in, passengers should not be seated in “close proximity” to one another – including seats immediately in front ...
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NewsThai Airways quashes bankruptcy rumours
Thai Airways International indicates that reform plans are still underway and dismisses recent bankruptcy rumours. “[Thai] has clarified that it has no intention to file for bankruptcy, responding to rumours [that] appeared in the news and online about the consensus of its board of directors meeting on 15 May 2020 ...
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NewsSAA rescuers given deadline to deliver business plan
South African Airways’ rescue practitioners have been instructed to produce a formal business plan for airline within 25 days, after a parliamentary standing committee expressed dissatisfaction with a draft publication. The standing committee on public accounts is also seeking a full schedule of fees from the practitioners, their advisers, and ...
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NewsRyanair Group expects €200m first-quarter loss
Ryanair Group is forecasting a loss of more than €200 million for the first quarter, double the figure it estimated at the beginning of May, with a smaller loss in the second. The company is forecasting that it will transport fewer than 80 million passengers for the fiscal year 2020-21 ...
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NewsRyanair threatens closure of Lauda’s Vienna base
Ryanair Group is warning that it will close the Lauda Airbus A320 base at Vienna at the end of the month if there is no agreement on cost reductions. It says the Lauda division “underperformed” during the fiscal year to 31 March 2020 as a result of competition from Lufthansa ...
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NewsChinese carriers see mixed domestic traffic recovery in April
After being hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak at the start of the year, China’s three largest carriers saw some degree of recovery in domestic traffic for April — even while their international networks continue to suffer steep declines.
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NewsVirgin Australia draws up shortlist of buyers
Virgin Australia has drawn up a shortlist of potential buyers from the first round of bids that closed on 15 May. “We are delighted by the strength of each of those on the shortlist, with parties selected being well-funded and possessing deep aviation experience,” Deloitte lead administrator Vaughan Strawbridge said ...
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NewsGaruda to refocus on cargo while ending London and Nagoya flights
Garuda Indonesia intends to give air freight a greater emphasis this year, targeting a 10% rise in cargo revenue, and will end its flights to London and Nagoya. In an investor presentation on its full-year 2019 results, the airline says it aims to both to transport higher-margin goods and to ...
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NewsAsiana moves up planned maintenance amid crisis
South Korea’s Asiana Airlines is bringing forward maintenance schedules, while it hunkers down during the Covid-19 crisis. As a result of aircraft groundings, the carrier was able to advance planned maintenance by about 17% in preparation for the return of air travel, it says in a discussion of its first-quarter ...
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NewsPilots’ union complains of unsanitary cockpits, health risk for flight crew
Airlines are not sufficiently protecting crews from risks related to coronavirus or providing clear health guidance, endangering staff despite public claims to the contrary, according to the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA).
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NewsSAA practitioners spent R10bn during five-month rescue effort
South African Airways’ business rescue practitioners spent R9.9 billion ($532 million) in the five months after they were called upon to try to save the loss-making airline. Testifying by video link to a parliamentary committee on 15 May, practitioner Siviwe Dongwana stated that the sum was used between 5 December ...
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NewsOutbreak interrupts El Al 747-400 powerplant sale
El Al is renegotiating the sale of a batch of Boeing 747-400 engines after the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak interrupted the original agreement. The Israeli flag-carrier withdrew its 747-400 fleet from service last year. All the aircraft were fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines. It reached an ...
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NewsKorean Air reports $46 million first-quarter loss
Korean Air reported a W56.6 billion ($46 million) operating loss for the first quarter of 2020 and says the “relatively mild loss” was mitigated by lower operating costs.