All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 199
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NewsPressured SA Express suspends services until further notice
South African regional carrier SA Express is suspending operations until further notice, in response to various pressures on the airline. While it mentions the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, SA Express indicates this is only one consideration behind its decision, attributing the suspension to “adverse recent developments”. The airline had ...
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NewsBrussels Airlines to shut down for a month
Brussels Airlines has become the latest carrier to shut down services in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, suspending all scheduled flights for a month. It says the services will be gradually wound down and then halted on 21 March and will not restart until 20 April. “We need to ...
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NewsSwiss bolsters senior management to face coronavirus fallout
Swiss has shored up its management teams in order to provide greater corporate stability as the Lufthansa Group carrier deals with the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak. It has installed Markus Binkert as its chief financial officer – a position which had been left vacant – and appointed Thomas Frick ...
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NewsAlitalia to be renationalised under broad emergency decree
Italy’s government has indicated that it will renationalise struggling flag-carrier Alitalia as part of a broad set of emergency measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The government says, in a decree published on 16 March, that the epidemic is being formally recognised as a “natural disaster and exceptional event”. ...
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NewsFourth MC-21 flown to Moscow test centre
Russian airframer Irkut has flown its fourth flight-test MC-21-300 to Moscow to participate in the certification campaign for the twinjet. The aircraft, fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1400G engines, was ferried with a crew of two pilots to the Gromov institute at Zhukhovsky airfield. It has been fitted with a ...
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NewsOutbreak halts talks on London Southend stake sale
London Southend airport operator Stobart Group has disclosed that it has been negotiating sale of a minority share in the airport, but that discussions have been suspended as a result of the coronavirus uncertainty. The discussions had signalled a value for the airport of £700-800 million, says the company, referring ...
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NewsAirbus halting French and Spanish production for four days
Airbus is to halt production across its French and Spanish facilities for four days to give the company time to implement strict hygiene measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The airframer says the decision follows introduction of new procedures in both countries intended to contain the illness. Airbus says ...
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NewsEU plans 30-day travel ban and state aid framework
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled proposals for a 30-day restriction of travel to the European Union, as well as development of a framework for state aid to affected businesses. Von der Leyen says EU member states have been taking measures intended to reduce pressure on the ...
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NewsWet-lease operator EuroAtlantic to take 787s
Portuguese wet-lease specialist EuroAtlantic Airways has signed for a pair of Boeing 787-8s, becoming the first operator of the type in the country. The carrier is taking the twinjets from AerCap, the leasing firm states. It says the two used aircraft will be delivered to EuroAtlantic in the spring of ...
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NewsStartled 747 excursion crew delayed cutting power after engine stall
Dutch investigators have concluded that a Boeing 747-400ERF crew was startled by an engine compressor stall during the take-off roll, and consequently failed to reduce thrust in time to prevent a runway excursion. The Turkish-registered MyCargo Airlines aircraft had been operating from Maastricht, bound for Jeddah, on behalf of Saudia ...
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NewsIAG not seeking state aid as Virgin appeals for government credit
IAG has not approached governments for state aid to assist the company through the coronavirus crisis, chief executive Willie Walsh has disclosed. Speaking during a 16 March briefing, Walsh said the company had not followed other individual carriers in seeking financial assistance from governments. “Governments would expect airlines to look ...
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NewsIAG looks at recruiting passenger jets to serve critical freight lines
IAG is considering recruiting some of its passenger aircraft for air freight operations, to ensure that essential cargo supplies are maintained as the coronavirus crisis persists. Chief executive Willie Walsh, speaking during a 16 March briefing, said that governments “need to appreciate” that there is a strong cargo demand, and ...
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NewsIAG to accelerate retirement of older BA and Iberia aircraft
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG is considering accelerating the retirement of older aircraft in the fleet – including some Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A340-600s – as part of the capacity-reduction measures being introduced to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking during a 16 March briefing, IAG chief executive Willie ...
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NewsTUI seeks state guarantees as travel market collapses
Leisure group TUI is applying for state-aid guarantees to support its business until it can restore normal operations, after suspending most of its travel operations. TUI says it is halting the “vast majority” of its package travel, cruise and hotel activities to assist with the efforts to counter the coronavirus ...
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NewsIAG delays management changes as it braces for 75% capacity cut
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG’s management team is to remain in place for the time being, to help steer the company through the coronavirus crisis, as it prepares to cut capacity by 75% for April and May. IAG chief Willie Walsh is delaying his retirement, and his successor – ...
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NewsFinnair to slash 90% of capacity as it warns of heavy losses
Finnair has followed neighbouring Nordic carrier SAS in making dramatic operational cuts, slashing 90% of its normal capacity from the beginning of April. The Finnish flag-carrier says the cuts – in response to a substantial fall in demand following the coronavirus outbreak – will be maintained “until the situation improves”, ...
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NewsIcelandair expects 25% cut in summer capacity
Icelandair Group is expecting a summer season capacity cut of at least 25% on the previous forecasts, and is working with unions to secure salary reductions. The airline operates a business model based on transatlantic connections via Reykjavik, and has been hit by US-European travel restrictions linked to the coronavirus ...
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NewsEBACE business aviation show axed over Swiss restrictions
Business aviation exhibition EBACE 2020 has been cancelled as a consequence of the coronavirus situation, more than two months ahead of its scheduled opening date. The event was due to take place in Geneva from 26-28 May. Source: BillyPix Both the European Business Aviation Association and the ...
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NewsSAS halts most services over 'non-existent' air market
Scandinavian operator SAS is to suspend most of its operations, after declaring the demand for international air travel to be “essentially non-existent”. It will temporarily reduce its workforce by 90% – some 10,000 personnel – while the crisis situation persists. SAS says the traffic will be restored when “there are ...
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NewsAlitalia orders passengers to wear masks on busy flights
Alitalia is to enforce the wearing of protective masks on board flights if load factors mean passengers cannot be adequately spaced. The Italian flag-carrier has imposed the measure with immediate effect, part of the effort to combat the coronavirus outbreak which has affected Italy particularly badly. Alitalia is having to ...