News from FlightGlobal – Page 465
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NewsEmirates Group expects at least 18-month crisis recovery
Middle Eastern operator Emirates Group is expecting that recovery from the coronavirus crisis will take at least 18 months, as it braces for a “huge impact” on its 2020-21 performance. The Dubai-based company’s passenger operations were suspended a few days before the close of its financial year on 31 March, ...
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NewsFuture alliance among considerations for revived Alitalia: minister
Alitalia will need to evaluate carefully future transatlantic alliances as part of its strategy when the restructured company emerges from the air transport crisis, Italy’s economic development minister states. Minister Stefano Patuanelli says the reshaped carrier’s business plan needs to “focus strongly” on long-haul transport, with “new” transatlantic alliances among ...
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NewsLufthansa Group to double active fleet as it starts to re-open network
Lufthansa Group is to double the number of aircraft in service to 160 from the beginning of June as it starts to re-open its network. The company says that passengers will be able to access over 100 destinations. It states that the repatriation schedule, which has involved 80 aircraft, is ...
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NewsSouthwest to generate $815m from selling, leasing back 20 737s
Southwest Airlines has signed agreements to sell and lease back 20 Boeing 737s in a transaction expected to generate $815 million in proceeds for Southwest.
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NewsSAA defies shutdown as unions claim labour court victory
South African Airways is to continue conducting services for the time being, defying the 8 May date for cessation of operations given by the airline’s business rescue practitioners Unions are claiming a Labour Court victory after they brought a case to halt a retrenchment process for the carrier’s personnel. SAA ...
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NewsCircumstances of fatal Austin runway incident remain obscure
Circumstances of the fatal runway incident at Austin-Bergstrom airport which involved an arriving Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 have yet to become clear, with air-ground communications providing little further detail on the sequence of events. The airport’s operator has described the area in which the 7 May incident took place as ...
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NewsJetBlue will delay London plans
Low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways says there will be a “timing impact” to its plans to launch transatlantic flying as a result of the coronavirus crisis. With regard to the airline’s decision to launch flights to London in 2021, chief executive Robin Hayes told analysts on an earnings call today: “You ...
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NewsNo further exposure to Virgin Australia, says SIA Group
Singapore Airlines Group says its financial exposure to Virgin Australia is limited and it is not obliged to inject capital. “On the recent announcement of Virgin Australia entering into voluntary administration, the SIA Group has no requirement or obligation to provide capital to Virgin Australia,” it said today in a ...
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NewsSIA Group flags ‘material’ final-quarter loss; renegotiates deliveries
The Singapore Airlines Group expects a “material” quarterly operating loss from the “severe impact” of the coronavirus outbreak, as it seeks to readjust aircraft deliveries and defer payments to its suppliers. However, it will still be in the black for the full financial year ended 31 March, thanks to “the ...
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NewsKorean Air to restart some international flights in June
Korean Air is reopening flights to international destinations in North America, Europe and Asia in June, as it prepares for Covid-19-related travel restrictions to ease. South Korea’s biggest airline said on May 7 that it will operate 32 of its 110 international routes in June, equivalent to 146 flights per ...
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NewsBA and American offer London slots to ease transatlantic pact concerns
Oneworld alliance carriers British Airways and American Airlines have offered slots at London Heathrow or Gatwick to address competition concerns on transatlantic services arising from their joint business arrangement. The measures have been put forward ahead of the expiry, after 10 years, of a binding commitment made in 2010 when ...
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NewsAirbus delivered nearly 100 fewer aircraft over first four months
Airbus delivered just 14 aircraft during April as the full effects of the coronavirus crisis on its production operation became evident, a total down by 80% on the 70 deliveries achieved in the same month last year. The airframer registered only a single order – for nine A320neo-family jets from ...
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NewsLufthansa in talks over state role in €9bn rescue package
German carrier Lufthansa is continuing negotiations for a €9 billion stabilisation package from the German government’s Federal Economic Stabilisation Fund (WSF) as it bids.
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NewsSAA on brink as government scrambles to defer ‘drop dead’ date
South Africa’s government is urgently trying to extend the period of operations for South African Airways after the carrier’s business rescue practitioners warned that 8 May would amount to a “drop dead” day when all flights would cease. The country’s public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan, outlined to a parliamentary committee ...
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NewsAir France-KLM targets 60% capacity recovery by year-end
Air France-KLM expects to operate 20% of previously planned capacity during the third quarter but raise the level to 60% by year-end.
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NewsMango 737 ground-collision crew opted against safer taxi route
South African investigators have stated that Johannesburg airport ground control should have instructed pilots of a Mango Boeing 737-800 to deviate from a taxiway, rather than give them the option, before the aircraft struck a taxiing Comair jet. But the inquiry into the incident, on 19 April last year, makes ...
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NewsAir Europa deal still makes sense but work to do to complete: Walsh
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh believes its planned acquisition of Spanish carrier Air Europa still makes strategic sense but notes work is still ongoing regarding pricing and competition issues before a decision on completion can be made. The Iberia and Vueling parent in early November outlined its plan to acquire ...
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NewsIAG scales back planned deliveries to 75 over next three years
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG now expects to take delivery of 75 aircraft over the next three years as it reduces its fleet requirements in line with expectations that passenger demand will not return to pre-crisis levels before 2023. The new fleet plan marks a reduction of 68 on ...
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NewsWalsh to step down in September as IAG eyes ‘meaningful’ return in July
IAG chief executive Willie Walsh will step down in September as the British Airways and Iberia parent aims for a “meaningful” return of services in July. Walsh, who has led the group since is inception, was originally due to step down in March but delayed the move as the coronavirus ...
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NewsUnited outlines workforce reduction measures as union battle flares
United Airlines continues to reduce its workforce, disclosing plans to lay off broad swaths of office staff, warning of pilot furloughs and, facing union backlash, pitching a new voluntary leave programme.