All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 148
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NewsBA Gatwick strategy draws Ryanair scorn but analysts’ encouragement
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary has scorned British Airways’ proposals to establish a lower-cost short-haul subsidiary at London Gatwick, but the idea is being viewed favourably by analysts at banking group HSBC. BA’s short-haul operation at Gatwick has been on hold, as a consequence of the air transport crisis, but the ...
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NewsDeutsche Aircraft reinforces Heggemann ties with D328eco wing pact
Deutsche Aircraft is handing the high-profile wing production work for its D328eco modernised regional turboprop to German-based partner Heggemann – the firm which is already supplying landing-gear for the programme. Heggemann will manufacture the wing box and powerplant support structure for the twin-engined aircraft. Deutsche Aircraft is promoting the D328eco ...
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NewsKabul airport resumption subject to delicate talks with Taliban: Qatari minister
Qatar’s government is still discussing the prospects for restoring operations at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai international airport, with a clear timeline yet to evolve. Turkish support could be enlisted to help run the airport but the situation remains uncertain. Speaking at a briefing in Doha on 2 September, Qatari foreign minister ...
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NewsEastern Airlines unveils plan to modify early 777s as express freighters
US operator Eastern Airlines has unveiled an ambitious plan to expand into the cargo sector through a new conversion programme for Boeing 777s. While details of the programme are still emerging the carrier says the plan involves modifying the twinjet type into a Class E express freighter aimed at the ...
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NewsRyanair still needs UK-licensed pilots: O’Leary
Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary insists the airline is still interested in recruiting UK-licensed cockpit crews, although he suggests the value of a UK licence has deteriorated in the wake of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. UK cockpit union BALPA recently urged the government to restore mutual recognition of ...
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NewsBrand name unveiled for Air Arabia’s new Armenian budget carrier
Armenia’s newly-created national budget carrier is to be branded Fly Arna, following an open canvassing of the country’s citizens for suggestions. Fly Arna is being established by the Armenian National Interests Fund through a joint venture with Middle Eastern low-cost operator Air Arabia Group. Its name is an acronym for ...
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NewsBudget carrier Pobeda profits from Russian domestic upturn
Russian budget carrier Pobeda proved profitable over the first half of this year, riding the sharp recovery in the country’s domestic travel market. Passenger numbers more than doubled to 6.4 million in the first six months compared with 2020, and July 2021 passenger figures were 46% higher than the pre-crisis ...
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NewsEmirates advances deliveries of final A380s
Emirates is to advance the delivery schedule for its last three Airbus A380s, intending to take the final aircraft in November this year. It will give the Dubai-based carrier a total of 118 A380s, accounting for almost half the entire customer fleet of 251 aircraft. Airbus puts the in-service fleet ...
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NewsIcelandair trims winter capacity outlook as restrictions stifle demand
Icelandair has reined-in its capacity forecast for the winter season, as a result of continuing constraints on demand caused by travel restrictions. The airline says it expects to operate 65% of its production for the winter schedule, measured against 2019 levels. It had previously estimated that it would reach a ...
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News'Gap' between Ryanair and Boeing on Max 10 price: O'Leary
Budget carrier Ryanair is discussing potential acquisition of the Boeing 737 Max 10 variant, although chief executive Michael O’Leary says negotiations over price are making slow progress. Ryanair started bringing in a high-density version of the Max 8 – known as the Max 8-200 – in June, expanding its fleet ...
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NewsOrange2Fly A320 stall-protection activated after idle-thrust handover
Greek investigators have disclosed that the crew of an Airbus A320 allowed the aircraft’s airspeed to decay to the point where its automatic stall-protection system activated on approach to Muscat. Operating for Oman’s SalamAir, the Greek-registered Orange2Fly A320 (SX-ODS) had been arriving from Dubai on 28 January 2019. Although the ...
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NewsNew Italian operator ITA seeks authorisation to serve US gateways
New Italian national airline Italia Trasporto Aereo is formally seeking authorisation to open transatlantic services to several US cities. The carrier, owned by the Italian ministry of economy and finance, is set to succeed the struggling Alitalia which has spent several years in administration. ITA says its initial services will ...
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NewsEASA extends permitted operating timeframe for temporary freighters
European safety regulators have extended the approval for passenger aircraft to serve as temporary freighters until at least the end of July next year. Several carriers opted to modify cabin interiors to transport cargo to enable passenger aircraft, which would otherwise have been parked, to continue earning revenues during the ...
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NewsAir Canada 787 involved in second Hong Kong approach deviation incident
Canadian investigators have disclosed another deviation incident involving a Boeing 787 flight on approach to Hong Kong. The aircraft, an Air Canada 787-9, was conducting a service from Toronto to Hong Kong on 8 July. On final approach – while operating in visual meteorological conditions – the aircraft “deviated below ...
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NewsAir Baltic encouraged by summer upturn and reduced first-half loss
Air Baltic has turned in a first-half net loss of €61.5 million ($72.3 million) but is encouraged by the upturn in bookings over the summer season. The airline’s revenues were down by 40% – to €50 million – against the interim last year, as the six-month passenger figure sank. But ...
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News'Locked-up' wheels probed after aborted Edelweiss A320 take-off
Swiss investigators are probing an incident in which several main wheels of an Edelweiss Airbus A320 locked up shortly after the aircraft commenced its take-off roll from Zurich. The twinjet (HB-JJL) had been travelling at about 80kt when – according to French investigation authority BEA, citing preliminary data from Swiss ...
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NewsNew Wizz Air UK chief to guide budget carrier from adversity to diversity
Prising an airline from the grip of the pandemic is quite the in-tray task for a newly-appointed managing director. But Wizz Air UK’s new leader, Marion Geoffroy, who brings her long experience as an aviation lawyer to the role she assumes from former head and fellow lawyer Owain Jones, believes ...
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NewsRossiya fleet reaches triple figures with Superjet expansion
Russian carrier Rossiya has taken its fleet into triple figures after introducing 42 Sukhoi Superjet 100s to its operation, as part of an Aeroflot Group network restructuring. It says its fleet has expanded to 100 aircraft as a result of the transfer of Superjets, and it intends to have 66 ...
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NewsVortex generators analysed in Russian overwing-engine design proposal
Russian researchers are refining the wing design for a proposed short-haul aircraft with overwing-mounted engines, to increase laminar flow. Initial models of the experimental aircraft design underwent windtunnel tests in 2017. But the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute has constructed a large-scale semi-model – featuring the left wing and engine, and left ...
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NewsIsraeli finance ministry outlines loan offer to support struggling airlines
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is among airlines being offered an additional line of financial support by the country’s government, following a series of discussions with the finance ministry. The ministry states that it is taking the steps given the “prolongation” of the pandemic crisis and its “consequences for Israeli airlines”. ...