All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 208
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NewsRolls-Royce to cut 9,000 jobs largely in civil aerospace
Rolls-Royce is expecting to have to axe around 9,000 personnel – about 17% of its global workforce – in the aftermath of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Its civil aerospace division will be “predominantly” affected, it says, following the severe deterioration of the air transport market. “We ...
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NewsRescuers believe Comair has ‘reasonable’ chance of survival
South African carrier Comair’s business rescue practitioners believe there is a reasonable chance of the Johannesburg-based airline’s being saved. The airline’s board opted to enter business rescue on 4 May. Practitioners Shaun Collyer and Richard Ferguson met with creditors and employees on 19 May to outline the carrier’s position. They ...
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NewsSouth African CAA postpones replacing lost calibration jet
South Africa’s civil aviation regulator has been forced to defer ICAO audits, and postpone replacement of its lost flight-calibration aircraft, as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak. The Civil Aviation Authority told a parliamentary transport portfolio committee on 18 May that it had drawn up three scenarios for the development ...
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NewsRussian government lays out proposals to lift domestic civil aerospace
Russia’s government is proposing subsidise the operation of domestically-built aircraft, to reduce operating costs, and provide state guarantees to lessors to support the country’s civil aviation industry. President Vladimir Putin told senior politicians and airline industry leaders, via video conference on 13 May, that the proposal, running over 2020-21, would ...
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NewsEasyJet cybersecurity breach affects 9 million customers
UK budget carrier EasyJet is contacting customers after a serious cybersecurity breach which resulted in access to the personal information of 9 million travellers. Credit card details of just over 2,200 customers were accessed, the airline admits, and it has taken action to contact all of them to offer support. ...
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NewsPressured Utair cuts losses but coronavirus impact looms
Russian carrier Utair halved its pre-tax losses in the first quarter, despite initial effects from the coronavirus crisis, but the impact on the second quarter has yet to become clear. The financially-pressured carrier’s passenger numbers in April were down by nearly 90%. Utair disclosed in early March that it was ...
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NewsRussian authority recommends flights operate half-empty
Russia’s federal consumer rights protection authority is recommending that aircraft should not carry more than half their total passenger capacity during the restoration of air traffic. The authority, Rospotrebnadzor, states that, during check-in, passengers should not be seated in “close proximity” to one another – including seats immediately in front ...
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NewsSAA rescuers given deadline to deliver business plan
South African Airways’ rescue practitioners have been instructed to produce a formal business plan for airline within 25 days, after a parliamentary standing committee expressed dissatisfaction with a draft publication. The standing committee on public accounts is also seeking a full schedule of fees from the practitioners, their advisers, and ...
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NewsRyanair Group expects €200m first-quarter loss
Ryanair Group is forecasting a loss of more than €200 million for the first quarter, double the figure it estimated at the beginning of May, with a smaller loss in the second. The company is forecasting that it will transport fewer than 80 million passengers for the fiscal year 2020-21 ...
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NewsRyanair threatens closure of Lauda’s Vienna base
Ryanair Group is warning that it will close the Lauda Airbus A320 base at Vienna at the end of the month if there is no agreement on cost reductions. It says the Lauda division “underperformed” during the fiscal year to 31 March 2020 as a result of competition from Lufthansa ...
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NewsSAA practitioners spent R10bn during five-month rescue effort
South African Airways’ business rescue practitioners spent R9.9 billion ($532 million) in the five months after they were called upon to try to save the loss-making airline. Testifying by video link to a parliamentary committee on 15 May, practitioner Siviwe Dongwana stated that the sum was used between 5 December ...
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NewsOutbreak interrupts El Al 747-400 powerplant sale
El Al is renegotiating the sale of a batch of Boeing 747-400 engines after the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak interrupted the original agreement. The Israeli flag-carrier withdrew its 747-400 fleet from service last year. All the aircraft were fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW4056 engines. It reached an ...
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NewsEl Al awaiting final 787 as it cancels 737 leases
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has yet to take delivery of its final Boeing 787, while the airline shuffles its current fleet as part of efforts to reduce cash burn. The carrier’s rejig includes cancelling a lease for two more Boeing 737-800s, it has disclosed in a newly-released full-year financial statement. ...
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NewsEl Al still discussing loan with carrier's survival at stake
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has warned that the survival of the airline is uncertain as it seeks to secure urgent funding to cope with the coronavirus crisis. In its belated full-year financial statement, El Al says a loan is “essential” and that the are “significant doubts” about the continued existence ...
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NewsPIA 777 taxied without all-clear from ground crew
UK investigators have determined that a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777-200LR incorrectly assumed that ground-support equipment had been removed before commencing to taxi, striking the towbar which was still in front of the jet. The tug and towbar had been disconnected from the aircraft (AP-BGZ), which was preparing to depart ...
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NewsBA A321 low-thrust take-off traced to temperature entry error
British Airways has highlighted to crews the importance of avoiding distraction while conducting take-off calculations, after a low-thrust incident involving an Airbus A321’s departure from Glasgow. The aircraft, bound for London Heathrow on 24 November last year, was being prepared for a full-length take-off from runway 05. As part of ...
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NewsRussian government grants subsidies to coronavirus-hit airlines
Russia’s government is allocating Rb23.4 billion ($317 million) to the country’s carriers to provide financial support as the coronavirus crisis begins to affect their operations substantially. Passenger traffic among Russian airlines was down by 93% in April. Aeroflot, Rossiya and Ural Airlines passengers numbers fell by 92-95%, while Utair’s and ...
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NewsEASA to set out ‘safety protocol’ for restoration of air transport
Europe’s aviation safety authority is to set out, in the next few weeks, technical operational guidelines to enable the air transport industry to adopt a co-ordinated approach to restoring airline travel.
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NewsCarriers should enhance voucher appeal to relieve refund pressure: EU
European Union regulators have laid out guidelines intended to reduce the pressure on airlines to refund passengers for flights cancelled through the coronavirus crisis, by enhancing the appeal of voucher schemes. The European Commission’s executive vice-president, Margrethe Vestager, stated during a briefing on travel and tourism strategies on 13 May ...
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NewsTUI Group to ‘right-size’ airlines as cuts affect 8,000 staff
Leisure giant TUI Group is aiming to cut or avoid recruiting around 8,000 personnel as it looks to overhaul its global activities in response to the coronavirus crisis. TUI Group says it will “right-size” its airlines and its order book, as well as divest non-profitable businesses. It is intending to ...