News from FlightGlobal – Page 494
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NewsSpirit Airlines reports Q3 loss, anticipates more end-of-year travel
Spirit Airlines reports lower third-quarter results and is preparing for a significant upturn as leisure travellers look to the end-of-year holidays to begin to alleviate their pent-up demand for cheap, safe travel to visit family and friends.
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NewsRossiya sets up pilot corps to prepare for Superjet 100 operations
Russian carrier Rossiya has established a new flight unit which will second pilots from parent Aeroflot Group to operate Sukhoi Superjet 100s on its network. Rossiya uses a mix of Boeing 747s and 777s for its long-haul services, as well as Boeing 737s and Airbus A320-family jets for short-haul operations. ...
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NewsGovernment defends public funding of SAA rescue plan
South Africa’s government has defended its R10.5 billion ($640 million) funding of South African Airways’ rescue plan, insisting that the financing will help finalise the restructuring and assist the selection of a strategic equity partner. It is dismissing criticism of the plan from the Democratic Alliance, its political opposition, claiming ...
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NewsAirbus delivers first A330-800s with handover to Kuwait Airways
Airbus has delivered its first A330-800s, both aircraft being handed over to Middle Eastern operator Kuwait Airways. The -800 is the smaller of the two A330neo family members. Kuwait Airways had ordered eight of the twinjets, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, in late 2018 as part of a deal ...
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NewsEU targets common protocol for Covid testing of travellers
The European Commission is preparing common passenger testing, quarantine and tracking practices for member states to help ensure safe travel as it battles the Covid-19 pandemic. “Free movement within the EU and the border-free Schengen area are prized achievements of European integration – the Commission is working to ensure that ...
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NewsAirbus acknowledges ‘white-tails’ among inventory of stored aircraft
Airbus has acknowledged that its inventory of undelivered aircraft includes a number of ‘white-tails’, but stresses that the proportion is relatively small. The airframer put the undelivered total at 135 by the end of September, down from 145 at the end of June, although it has not specified the extent ...
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NewsAirbus shifts timeline for potential A320neo ramp-up to third quarter 2021
Airbus has shifted the timeframe for a potential ramp-up of single-aisle production to the beginning of the third quarter of 2021. Speaking during a third-quarter briefing, Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury said the airframer had “pushed to the right” the possible starting point to raise production – from the second ...
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NewsAirbus cuts undelivered aircraft to 135 as production converges
Airbus has reduced to about 135 the number of aircraft it has been unable to deliver as a result of the air transport crisis. The airframer insists it has managed, over the third quarter, to achieve convergence between production and deliveries. Airbus recorded €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion) in charges over ...
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NewsAllegiant Q3 results up as the airline is “flirting with break-even”
Allegiant Travel Company, the parent of ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air, is “flirting with break-even” as point-to-point leisure travel rebounds faster than other parts of the aviation industry after it came to a near-standstill earlier this year.
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NewsKLM Cityhopper seeks EASA backing for virtual-reality pilot training
KLM’s regional Cityhopper division is exploring whether it can obtain European safety authority certification for virtual-reality pilot training. The regional operator is interested in pursuing European Union Aviation Safety Agency approval for the training, which will initially complement its regular training programmes. Cityhopper says the virtual-reality scheme could then start ...
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NewsSouth Africans urged to boycott SAA over government bailout
South African citizens are being urged to boycott flag-carrier South African Airways by an anti-maladministration organisation which focuses on the country’s state-owned enterprises. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has sharply criticised the South African finance ministry’s bailout of SAA in its mid-term budget, after months of uncertainty over the sourcing ...
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NewsRyanair to suspend service from all Irish airports except Dublin
Ryanair will temporarily cease operations from all Irish airports except Dublin for a one-month period, blaming government “mismanagement” and a “complete collapse in travel demand”.
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NewsPoor communication led Finnair flight attendant to fall from mobile stairs
Finnish investigators have determined that poor communication regarding signals to ground vehicles led a flight attendant to fall from a mobile staircase as it pulled away from a Finnair Airbus A320. The flight attendant was seriously injured in the 3.5m fall at Helsinki Vantaa airport on 13 January. Finland’s Safety ...
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NewsMax absence has propped up 737-800 values and utilisation rates: Ascend
Although the grounding of the 737 Max has been a disaster for Boeing, its absence has had the effect of propping up utilisation levals and values for the earlier-generation 737-800.
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NewsSouthwest’s O’Hare service to take flight on Valentine’s Day
Southwest Airlines will commence operating flights for its new Chicago O’Hare service on 14 February, with 20 total departures to Nashville, Baltimore/Washington International, Denver, Dallas Love Field and Phoenix.
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NewsFinance minister castigated as state bails out SAA
South African Airways is to be allocated R10.5 billion ($642 million) to implement its business rescue plan, the country’s finance minister has disclosed in a speech to parliament. Tito Mboweni outlined the funding in a medium-term budget policy statement on 28 October. He said that R10.5 billion would be assigned ...
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NewsFinnair ratchets up long-term savings as nine-month loss reaches €450m
Finnair is again hiking its target for permanent cost savings from 2022, raising it to €140 million ($165 million) from the previous level of €100 million. It had already increased the target in August, lifting it from the original figure of €80 million. The Nordic carrier disclosed the change as ...
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NewsAAPA calls on governments to do more for air travel
While there have been “positive” steps taken to establish travel bubbles and essential travel ‘green lanes’ in the Asia-Pacific region, more can be done to better coordinate an air travel recovery amid the coronavirus crisis. Releasing its traffic data for September, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) doubled ...
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NewsPandemic speeds retirement of older, high-maintenance aircraft
The coronavirus travel downturn is accelerating the retirement of aircraft that are older, less fuel-efficient, and higher maintenance, including Boeing 777 aircraft, Airbus A330 and A380 aircraft, as airline capacity may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, if at all. Airlines will have to reduce costs by selling or ...
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NewsTaiwan’s Starlux launches new routes to Bangkok, Osaka, Tokyo
Taiwanese carrier Starlux has announced three new destinations in Thailand and Japan to bolster its fledgling operation. Starlux started flying in January with three routes from Taipei Taoyuan, to Macau, Da Nang and Penang. Source: Wikimedia Commons A Starlux A321neo in February 2020 It was due to ...