All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 168
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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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NewsParis CDG passenger numbers sneak ahead of London Heathrow’s
Under the exceptional circumstances of the air transport crisis, Paris Charles de Gaulle airport has overtaken London Heathrow as the primary European hub. Charles de Gaulle handled almost 19.3 million passengers in the first nine months of 2020, according to figures from operator Groupe ADP, down 66.8%. London Heathrow’s total ...
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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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NewsTurkish Airlines agrees amended delivery schedule for Airbus orders
Turkish Airlines has undertaken a restructuring of its fleet plans, agreeing with Airbus to reschedule a number of deliveries. The carrier adds that it has “adapted the overall outstanding orders”, taking into account operational and financial positions, to ensure a “solid basis” for the airline’s future. Turkish Airlines has not ...
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NewsIcelandair to withdraw and part-out batch of 757-200s
Icelandair Group is planning to retire four Boeing 757-200s over the next few weeks, which will be placed with part-out schemes. The company says some of the components will be cannibalised for its remaining 757s while others will be sold. Icelandair Group says the retirement is part of its broader ...
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NewsEasyJet enters leaseback agreements for nine more A320s
UK budget carrier EasyJet has agreed several sale-and-leaseback arrangements, covering nine aircraft and generating nearly $400 million to enhance its liquidity. The airline has sealed a transaction involving five Airbus A320s with Irish-based Wilmington Trust SP Services. EasyJet says this agreement, centred on leases averaging 117 months, will generate proceeds ...
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NewsIcelandair uses Boeing compensation to offset new 737 Max expenditure
Icelandair Group is expecting to take delivery of three more Boeing 737 Max jets in the first half of 2021, and has reclassified part of the compensation received for the Max grounding as reduced capital expenditure on them. The company has not disclosed the scale of the compensation settlement reached ...
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NewsRussian budget proposal cuts near-term subsidy for CR929
Russia’s government is proposing heavily reduced near-term budget allocations for the joint Russian-Chinese long-haul aircraft project, as part of a broad review of state aviation strategy funding. United Aircraft and Chinese aerospace firm Comac have been working to develop the CRAIC CR929, a 280-seat twin-engined widebody jet. The legislative proposal ...
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NewsBA heritage-livery 747-400 to become cinema and conference venue
One of the British Airways Boeing 747-400s painted in a retro livery for the airline’s centenary is to be preserved as a cinema and conference venue. The aircraft (G-CIVB) carried the Negus & Negus colour scheme initially adopted by the airline following its emergence in 1974 from the merger of ...
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NewsAeroflot Group details shareholding shifts after capital increase
Aeroflot Group has disclosed that the Russian state’s share in the airline company has reached 57.34% as a result of its capital increase. The Russian government had been prepared to maintain at least its previous 51.2% shareholding in the company during the share issue. Aeroflot Group had also been 3.5%-owned ...
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NewsA321 brushed past glider during descent into Class E airspace
German investigators have attributed a serious airprox incident, in which a Lufthansa Airbus A321 crew failed to see a glider, to a decision allowing the jet to descend into Class E airspace during its approach to Hamburg. The encounter occurred north-east of Hamburg, on 23 July last year, as the ...
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NewsAmerican Eagle ERJ-145 damaged in Bahamas excursion
Investigators in the Bahamas are probing a runway excursion involving an American Eagle service from Miami which badly damaged the aircraft. The Embraer ERJ-145 – identified as N674RJ – had landed on runway 06 at Grand Bahama airport following the short 100nm flight from Miami on 24 October. It arrived ...
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NewsIsraeli-Sudanese agreement to enable shorter flights: Netanyahu
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has referenced further airspace efficiencies as a benefit of the new agreement to normalise relations with Sudan. Netanyahu had previously indicated that the Israeli government had made political contact with Sudanese counterparts in the past couple of years. “The skies of Sudan are open to ...
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NewsMinistry proposes diverting Il-96-400M subsidy to fund other programmes
Russia’s ministry of transport is tabling a legislative proposal to withdraw subsidies intended for the Ilyushin Il-96-400M programme and redirect them to support other areas of the domestic aircraft industry. The draft legislation follows a meeting on the Russian air transport industry held in May and a presidential directive in ...
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NewsRed Wings introduces Superjet fleet to establish Ekaterinburg hub
Russian carrier Red Wings is aiming to build a regional hub at Ekaterinburg’s Koltsovo airport using a fleet of Sukhoi Superjet 100s. Moscow-based Red Wings leased a Superjet from GTLK on 2 September, and another pair in the first few days of October. It says the aircraft are being used ...
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NewsQatar takes first long-haul jets in months with delivery of A350-1000s
Airbus has delivered three A350-1000s to Qatar Airways, its first handover of long-haul aircraft to the Middle Eastern carrier for eight months. Qatar received its last long-haul jet from the airframer, an A350-1000, on 27 February – giving it 15 of the larger A350 variant. It had already completed deliveries ...
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NewsIsraeli-Gulf flights to expand with Bahrain air services pact
Israel’s government has sealed an air services agreement with the kingdom of Bahrain, complementing its recent similar pact with the United Arab Emirates. The agreement will allow operators from each side to carry out up to 14 weekly services between the Bahraini capital, Manama, and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport. ...
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NewsEx-British Airways 747-400 to be preserved as UK film set
One of British Airways’ recently-retired Boeing 747-400s is to be preserved as a film set at an airfield 40km south of London Heathrow. The aircraft (G-CIVW), manufactured in 1998, was parked in March having served its entire commercial life with the UK operator. It will be transferred on 22 October ...
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NewsGlobal 5000 maintenance revision aims to avert roll-control reversal
Canada’s safety regulator has drawn attention to new maintenance instructions intended to avoid possible misinstallation of roll-control systems for Bombardier Global 5000 and 6000 business jets. Incorrect installation of the system has the potential to cause spoilers to deploy in directions opposite to a roll command. Transport Canada states that ...
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NewsIAG cuts fourth-quarter capacity levels again
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG has cut its expectations for fourth-quarter capacity, estimating that it will be 70% down on the previous year. IAG had already lowered its capacity forecast for the quarter to 60% down – from a previous 46% down – in early September. But the company ...