All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 218
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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 ...
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NewsJet2 suspends services to Spanish market
UK leisure carrier Jet2 has cancelled all services to mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands with immediate effect. Multiple Jet2 aircraft en route to Spanish resorts on 14 March have abandoned their original flightplans and instead turned around to head back to the UK. Spain is an ...
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NewsLOT and Wizz hit hard as Poland shuts air routes to foreigners
Polish flag-carrier LOT is suspending all international flights from both Poland and Hungary after the Polish government imposed border restrictions on foreign travellers. Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is also being hit hard by the measure, suspending Polish services accounting for some 20% of its capacity. The government says ...
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NewsANZ reviews schedules as government clamps down on travel
Air New Zealand is reviewing the impact of new measures from the country’s government intended to combat the spread of coronavirus. Under the directive every person entering New Zealand, excluding Pacific territories, will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days, a restriction which will be reviewed in 16 days’ time. ...
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NewsEASA to recommend spacing passengers to cut contagion risk
European regulators are preparing to advise airlines to space passengers throughout the cabin on flights which are not full, having formally directed carriers to ensure aircraft are fully disinfected after each flight from high-risk coronavirus areas. Operators should also equip aircraft with at least one universal precaution kit – used ...
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NewsPremium operator La Compagnie forced to halt all flights for weeks
Premium long-haul operator La Compagnie is suspending all its scheduled flights for nearly a month, following the transatlantic travel ban imposed by the US government. La Compagnie says it will halt all services from 18 March and maintain the suspension until 12 April. The airline operates twice-daily between Paris Orly ...
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NewsFrankfurt Main passenger numbers down 30%: operator
Frankfurt Main airport’s operator, Fraport, says passenger numbers in the first week of March dropped by 30% in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. The figure for the German hub had declined by 4% during February, although there was an accelerating negative trend towards the end of the month with ...
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NewsSlovakian international airports shut down to counter outbreak
Bratislava and two other Slovakian international airports – Kosice and Poprad – have closed to all operations at least for two weeks, in response to the coronavirus situation. The capital airport is served by several carriers including Ryanair, Wizz Air, Pobeda, and Flydubai. Bratislava’s operating company says the closure took ...
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In depthWhy restarting Max production is just the start of Boeing's delivery challenges
Between its huge order backlog and the fact that its customers’ only alternative, Airbus, is booked solid for years, restarting Max production is just the first hurdle for Boeing
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NewsNorwegian seeks to funnel US passengers through London
Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian is attempting to adapt to the transatlantic travel ban by routing customers through its UK base at London Gatwick. But it is unclear how effective this strategy will be given the extent of the US government’s restrictions. Norwegian says its aim is to re-route “as many ...
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NewsIndustrial dispute notice heaps pressure on El Al
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is facing industrial action from its personnel towards the end of this month, heaping pressure on the airline as it battles to deal with the coronavirus impact. The airline says it received, on 12 March, formal notification of a labour dispute and possible strike from 27 ...
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NewsFragile Fastjet aims for Zimbabwe carrier sale in April
African operator Fastjet Group expects to meet all preconditions, by the end of March, for divesting its Zimbabwean division and complete the transaction in April. It says participants of an investor consortium led by Solenta Aviation Holdings remain “committed” to the acquisition of Fastjet Zimbabwe under previously-agreed terms. Fastjet Group ...
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NewsEl Al bracing for heavy impact from Israeli coronavirus policies
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is unable to estimate the impact of new government requirements that people returning to Israel from anywhere in the world must enter 14-day quarantine. The requirement will have a “material adverse effect” on El Al’s operations, the airline says. “But at this stage [we are] unable ...
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NewsAirbus worker at Spanish plant treated for coronavirus
Airbus has advised a number of workers at its Spanish Getafe plant to take quarantine precautions after a coronavirus diagnosis for one of the facility’s employees. The airframer says it has advised a 14-day self-quarantine for those who have been in direct contact with the worker, who is receiving medical ...
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NewsEU leaders condemn Trump’s transatlantic travel ban
European Union leaders have condemned the US government’s sudden 30-day transatlantic travel ban, set to be introduced on 13 March. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen says the coronavirus crisis is “not limited to any continent” and combating the threat “requires co-operation” rather than one-sided action. “The ...
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NewsRushed taxi led BA A319 to depart with wrong take-off data
Pilots of a British Airways Airbus A319 believe a rushed departure from an unintended London Heathrow intersection contributed to a failure to update take-off calculations. The aircraft (G-EUOG) took off from runway 27L’s intersection N4E on 2 October last year, despite the pilots’ having calculated performance for an N2W intersection ...