All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 122
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NewsRussian firm looks to shift carriers onto domestic booking platform
Russian state technology firm Rostec’s joint venture with Sirena-Travel is preparing to enable Russian carriers to transfer to a domestic reservations system, to protect against possible problems with foreign booking platforms. The venture, RT-Transcom, is carrying out preparations under a state order in order to “protect the industry”. It says ...
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NewsRussian presidential decree orders aircraft lease payments in roubles
Russian president Vladimir Putin has issued a decree setting out measures for fulfilling aircraft and engine lease payments, stating that they will be met in Russian currency. The decree on “temporary procedures” to meet obligations to certain foreign creditors was signed on 1 April. Hundreds of aircraft leased to Russian ...
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NewsSAS commercial chief steps down for post in education sector
SAS is losing another senior executive in the space of two weeks, with the decision by chief commercial officer Karl Sandlund to step down. He is set to leave SAS by the beginning of October. His resignation comes two weeks after that of chief financial officer Magnus Ornberg. Sandlund has ...
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NewsRyanair expects full-year loss towards deeper end of guided range
Budget carrier Ryanair is expecting a full-year net loss of €350-400 million ($385-440 million), prior to exceptional items. This is towards the higher end of the previously-guided loss range of €250-450 million for the airline, whose financial year closed on 31 March. Ryanair says its full-year passenger numbers recovered to ...
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NewsPobeda parks large part of fleet and concentrates Moscow network on Vnukovo
Aeroflot Group’s budget carrier Pobeda is to cut back its operations, putting 40% of its fleet into storage and trimming its network in response to the constraints on Russian air transport. It will maintain services with 25 Boeing 737s but park 16 others. The airline will also suspend the transfer ...
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NewsITA reaches Airbus lease agreement with AerCap
Italian operator ITA Airways has reached a formal lease agreement for 12 Airbus aircraft, including a pair of A330neos, with AerCap. The agreement covers 10 A320neos in addition to the two long-haul twinjets. AerCap says the aircraft are scheduled for delivery to the new airline – which commenced operations last ...
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NewsFraport withdraws from Chinese airport market with Xi’an divestment
German airport operator Fraport is withdrawing from the Chinese market, having been unable to build on its involvement with Xi’an Xianyang airport. The company is selling its entire 24.5% shareholding in the airport operator, ending a 14-year partnership which has run since the company acquired the stake in 2008. Fraport ...
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NewsMC-21 serial production delay forces Russia to look at fuel subsidy for older types
Russia’s government is expecting serial production of the Irkut MC-21 to be pushed back by up to two years, and has outlined optimistic plans to ramp-up output of older, and less fuel-efficient, aircraft types in the interim. During a briefing that followed a presidential meeting on the state of the ...
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NewsSAS runs into early friction during negotiations with pilots
Scandinavian operator SAS’s negotiations with cockpit crew representatives over its latest transformation plan have already encountered friction, with pilot union Svensk Pilotforening walking out of talks barely after they began. SAS has initiated a long-term plan, ‘SAS Forward’, in a bid to generate SKr7.5 billion ($800 million) in cost ...
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NewsIAG fortifies Gatwick with BA Euroflyer and Vueling expansion
IAG is reinforcing its presence at London Gatwick with the restoration of British Airways short-haul operations, while Spanish division Vueling is opening new services with slots on loan from the flag-carrier. British Airways is establishing a new subsidiary, BA Euroflyer, which will operate short-haul services from Gatwick later this year. ...
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NewsSeparate Qatari airspace plan advances despite challenges
ICAO Council representatives have agreed to proceed with plans to establish a specific airspace for Qatar, setting out a phased approach to creating a Doha flight information region. It will end the long-standing arrangement whereby Bahrain controls airspace over Qatar, one which began to fracture after Bahrain participated in a ...
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NewsHead of Dutch rail Rintel set for return to KLM as new chief executive
KLM has selected the head of Dutch rail firm NS, Marjan Rintel, as its new chief executive – meaning she will return to lead the carrier for which she worked for 15 years. She will succeed Pieter Elbers who is standing down in the first half of this year. KLM ...
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NewsASL follow-on deal for 737-800 converted freighters set to double fleet
ASL Aviation Holdings is ordering up to 20 more Boeing 737-800 converted freighters, to be modified by the US airframer. The aircraft will be allocated to ASL’s airlines in Ireland, France and Belgium as well as joint-venture operations in Asia. Conversion work will commence in the second quarter of next ...
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NewsSAS recruits ex-Finnair finance chief
Scandinavian operator SAS has named Erno Hilden, formerly with Finnair, as the company’s new chief financial officer. He will succeed Magnus Ornberg who is stepping down from the position this spring. Hilden had served as chief financial officer of Finnair until 2015, and had also been the airline’s chief operating ...
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NewsAerCap could list first-quarter impairment against leased fleet in Russia
Leasing giant AerCap is expecting to recognise an impairment on aircraft leased to Russian airlines which the company has been unable to retrieve. It says this impairment could be made as early as the first quarter of this year, but it stresses that it has “not determined the amount”. While ...
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NewsAir France-KLM and other carriers lose legal bid to cut cargo cartel fines
Air France-KLM and a number of other operators have lost a legal bid to challenge fines imposed on them by the European Commission over participation in a pricing cartel for the airfreight market. But the European Union General Court ruling also partly annuls the Commission’s decision concerning several other airlines, ...
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NewsEASA refines fuel-carriage rules to take advantage of better risk analysis
Aircraft operators will be permitted to reduce the amount of fuel they carry during flight operations, under new rules put forward by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. Carriage of fuel beyond that specifically required for the trip from origin to destination is governed by regulations over contingencies, such as ...
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NewsKenya Airways cuts full-year operating losses by 75%
Kenya Airways slashed full-year operating losses to KSh6.8 billion ($59 million) during 2021, a reduction of 75%. It generated just over KSh70 billion in revenues over the 12 months to 31 December. But passenger numbers of 2.2 million were still 57% down on the pre-crisis figure in 2019, and capacity ...
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NewsRossiya shifts leased aircraft to Russian registry
Aeroflot Group carrier Rossiya is claiming to have completed transfer of operational aircraft in its fleet to the Russian registry. Rossiya says 125 of its aircraft are listed on the register. “In order to minimise the risks of disruption of the flight programme during flights to foreign countries on these ...
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NewsKazakh authority proposes airline divestments to increase competition
Kazakhstan’s government is proposing to increase competition in the air transport sector by selling shares in airlines which are part of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign fund. The country’s Agency for the Protection and Development of Competition points out that airlines with state participation – including Air Astana, its budget operation FlyArystan ...