All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 167
-
NewsWet-lease operator Hi Fly to axe A380 in favour of A330s
Portuguese operator Hi Fly is ending its Airbus A380 services, just two-and-a-half years after taking on the type to explore its potential for the wet-lease market. Hi Fly acquired a former A380, MSN6, in mid-2018. The aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and configured with 471 seats, had been ...
-
NewsPoorly-maintained Air Namibia scissor-lift collapsed while overloaded
Investigators in Namibia have concluded that poor maintenance of a scissor-lift passenger assistance vehicle, and possibly its overloading, resulted in its collapsing during disembarkation of an Air Namibia aircraft at Windhoek. The vehicle was offloading people from flight SW708, which had arrived from Cape Town on 13 December last year. ...
-
NewsCapacity concerns forgotten as embattled Berlin Brandenburg finally opens
One of the ironies of Berlin Brandenburg airport’s much-delayed opening is that the onset of the air transport crisis has brought an excess of capacity to a hub which, at one point, was thought to have a shortage. Combined passenger numbers for Tegel and Schoenefeld airport for the first eight ...
-
NewsKLM pilots outline concerns after government freezes rescue loan
KLM pilots have requested talks with the Dutch finance ministry after the government suspended a rescue loan to the airline over its failure to meet the attached labour conditions. Pilot union VNV had held off from signing a commitment clause intended to ensure that labour agreements could be extended for ...
-
NewsRyanair looks beyond hard winter towards 737 Max arrival
Ryanair envisions taking delivery of 30 Boeing 737 Max jets before the peak of summer 2021, but is expecting to face heavy losses over the upcoming winter season. It is not prepared to forecast full-year performance but states that it is expecting “higher losses” over the second half to 31 ...
-
NewsDutch government suspends rescue loan to KLM
KLM’s proposed restructuring plan has been rejected by the Dutch government, over the failure to secure crucial union commitments, and the airline will not be permitted to make further draws on the loans put forward to support the carrier. The Dutch finance ministry has informed parliament that the first draw ...
-
NewsKLM urges pilots to sign crucial pact necessary to secure ‘survival’ loan
KLM has urged pilot and cabin crew representatives to join other unions in committing to labour contributions, in order to secure a €3.4 billion ($4 billion) state-backed loan. The Dutch carrier says the cockpit union VNV has not signed a commitment clause, while the FNV union – representing cabin and ...
-
NewsEl Al chief Usishkin to step down in January
Israeli flag-carrier El Al’s chief executive, Gonen Usishkin, is to step down from his position in January next year, three months after a board shake-up by the airline’s new controlling shareholder. Usishkin was named as the airline’s head in early 2018. He oversaw the transformation of El Al’s fleet, as ...
-
NewsIAG looks to seal restructuring agreement with BA cargo operation
IAG is turning to attention to securing personnel agreements with British Airways’ freight-handling operation, in order to round off its cost-saving and restructuring measures. Chief executive Luis Gallego, speaking during a third-quarter briefing, said that the company had achieved substantial savings at the UK flag-carrier but “still has to close ...
-
NewsBritish Airways parent IAG takes €275m charge for staff cuts
IAG has recorded exceptional charges of €275 million ($321 million) in the third quarter relating to staff restructuring at British Airways and Aer Lingus. The parent company says the restructuring corresponds to a reduction of 10,000 in employee numbers, of whom over 9,000 had left by the end of September. ...
-
In depthHow Atlas freighter crash revived scrutiny of pilot performance tracking
When investigators delivered their scathing verdict on the loss of Giant 3591, the Atlas Air Boeing 767-300F that disintegrated after diving into a lake on approach to Houston on 23 February 2019, the language barely contained their frustration over the missed opportunities to prevent the accident.
-
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. ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...