All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 3
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News
Fraport prepares to divest St Petersburg airport stake to Middle Eastern firm
German airports operator Fraport is expecting to finalise within days a transaction cementing its withdrawal from St Petersburg Pulkovo airport. Fraport was part of the Northern Capital Gateway consortium – owned by Cypriot-based Thalita Trading – which had a 30-year concession to run the Russian hub from 2010. But Russia’s ...
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Swiss doubles its A350 commitment
Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss is bringing five more Airbus A350-900s into its fleet, doubling its commitment to the long-haul twinjet.
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Rolls-Royce finally secures certification for A350-900’s enhanced-performance engine
Rolls-Royce is finally expecting to put an enhanced-performance Trent XWB engine into service on the Airbus A350-900 next year, after securing European certification.
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Pilot deliberately crashed Cessna 208 while returning from parachute drop
French investigators believe a Cessna 208 pilot, under psychological pressure, deliberately flew the aircraft into a mountain ridge while returning to Gap-Tallard airport after a parachute drop. The pilot, the only occupant, did not survive the October 2023 collision with the ridge, which rises to some 1,400m in the French ...
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South African Airways rejigs schedule ahead of pilot strike
South African Airways has amended its schedule following the decision by cockpit crews to embark on industrial action from 5 December. It has published timetable changes for services between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, as well as the Namibian capital Windhoek and Port Louis in Mauritius. SAA ...
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TAP to open new US routes from Lisbon and Porto
Portuguese Star Alliance carrier TAP is to open two new transatlantic services next year, operating to Los Angeles and Boston. It also intends to connect the Azores archipelago with San Francisco. TAP will serve Los Angeles from Lisbon using 298-seat Airbus A330-900s, initially flying the route three-times weekly from 16 ...
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Saudia and Air France-KLM to explore 787 engine MRO venture under co-operation pact
Middle Eastern carrier Saudia is entering a maintenance partnership with Air France-KLM which will focus on engine work. The two sides will explore a joint venture for GE Aerospace GEnx engines which power Boeing 787s. Under the pact Saudia envisions awarding at least 50% of GE Aerospace GE90 work to ...
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TUI Airways seals lease of additional 737 Max 8s
TUI Airways is continuing to replenish its single-aisle fleet through a lease agreement for 14 Boeing 737 Max 8s. The lease has been disclosed by Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to run over the course of 2025-26. UK-based TUI Airways already has some 20 737 ...
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SAA pilots threaten strike over salary demands despite carrier’s fragile finances
South African Airways is warning that it is not financially strong enough to support a salary demand from pilots, who have threatened to strike from 5 December. The carrier has been negotiating with the SAA Pilots Association, but claims the association’s initial request for a 30% wage increase – subsequently ...
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Spanish IAG long-haul carrier Level secures air operator’s certificate
IAG’s Spanish long-haul carrier Level has secured its own air operator’s certificate, enabling it to embark on developing its network from Barcelona. It will fly under the designator code ‘LL’ and the callsign ‘Dali’ – a cultural reference to Catalonian artist Salvador Dali. Level states that granting of the AOC ...
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US and French specialists to develop A319 as aerial firefighting tanker
US-based aerial firefighting specialist Neptune Aviation is looking to the Airbus A319 as a complement to its British Aerospace 146 tanker fleet. The company – located at Missoula airport in Montana – has commenced the process to modify the twinjet type and expects to introduce it in 2027. Neptune is ...
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Icelandair takes first Airbus with delivery of A321LR
Icelandair has taken delivery of a long-range Airbus A321LR, the first model from the airframer in the carrier’s fleet. The twinjet – powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines – is one of several to be leased from SMBC Aviation Capital. Three will arrive before summer next year. Icelandair is ...
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EasyJet placing eight aircraft at Italian hubs as part of Lufthansa-ITA remedy
UK budget carrier EasyJet plans to station eight aircraft in Italian hubs as part of the remedy measures for the Lufthansa-ITA Airways tie-up. Lufthansa Group’s plan to take a shareholding in ITA has been cleared by European Commission regulators after remedial proposals were accepted. EasyJet has been confirmed – along ...
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Danish government to take controlling share of Copenhagen airport operator
Denmark’s government is to take a controlling share of the Kobenhavns Lufthavne, the operator of Copenhagen airport. The Danish finance ministry says it has entered a “political agreement” with several political parties regarding the acquisition. It has entered a conditional purchase deal with Danish pensions firm ATP to purchase just ...
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Inquiry flags on-demand flight risks as PA-46 hard-lands after multiple approaches
French investigators are seeking tighter regulations to ensure safety for passengers who pay for on-demand flights outside of commercial air transport operations. Investigation authority BEA is urging action from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency after a Piper PA-46 stalled and landed hard, badly damaging the aircraft, during a fourth ...
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Aeroflot claims A330 wet-lease is first such agreement since Russian rule change
Aeroflot is claiming to be the first Russian carrier to introduce aircraft under wet-lease, following a change in the country’s air transport regulations. The airline has reached a preliminary agreement to take three Airbus A330s operated by Moscow-based Ifly. Ifly uses both A330-200s and -300s. Aeroflot says the Ifly wet-lease ...
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Lufthansa-ITA tie-up cleared after three operators approved for competitive remedies
Lufthansa Group’s acquisition of a share in Italian carrier ITA Airways has been cleared by European competition regulators, following acceptance of remedy-taking candidates. ITA states that it “welcomes the final approval” of the transaction which involves transferring a stake held by the Italian ministry of economy and finance to the ...
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PIA ban lifted after EASA satisfied by Pakistani regulator’s safety efforts
European safety regulators have lifted the suspension of Pakistan International Airlines’ third-country operator authorisation, enabling the carrier to resume flights to European Union destinations. PIA’s authorisation was rescinded by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in mid-2020, over concerns regarding its safety-management system. EASA’s suspension followed a fatal accident involving ...
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Air Greenland A330-800 becomes first long-haul arrival at Nuuk
Air Greenland’s Airbus A330-800 has become the first long-haul aircraft to touch down on the newly-extended runway at the Greenlandic capital Nuuk. The aircraft, operating flight GL781 from Copenhagen on 28 November, landed on runway 04 which has been lengthened to 2,200m. Prior to the arrival, Air Greenland also conducted ...
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Norse Atlantic’s founding shareholder injects $15 million in new funding
Norse Atlantic Airways has obtained around $15 million in new capital through a combined equity and loan transaction by its founding shareholder. It disclosed the support as it posted a third-quarter operating profit of $4.6 million, but a net loss of $6.3 million – a contrast to last year’s narrow ...