News from FlightGlobal – Page 474
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NewsConcerns cargo belly-space shortage may persist after lockdowns lifted
The air freight sector is struggling to find aircraft to move medical equipment and other urgent supplies – often from Asia to the West – as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
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NewsFinnair converts A350 passenger cabins for freight transport
Finnair is the latest airline to temporarily transform passenger cabins into freight carriages, disclosing plans to fill two of its Airbus A350s with cargo to boost capacity between Europe and Asia. Until now, Finnair has only transported freight in the belly of its passenger A350s. However, the airline has unveiled ...
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NewsThailand bans all international passenger flights until 30 April
Thailand has banned all international passenger aircraft from landing in the country until 30 April, extending two earlier bans that began on 4 April and were expected to end on 18 April. Exceptions to the ban will only apply to state or military aircraft, emergency landings, aircraft making technical stops, ...
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NewsCAAC warns that air traffic return will be slow
While some capacity has been restored for Mainland China flights, it is likely to remain low for the foreseeable future. In its monthly update, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) states that “the volume of flights…may continue to to operate at low levels in the future”, as the ...
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NewsVirgin Australia extends trading suspension amid financing talks
Virgin Australia has requested for a trading suspension following a trading halt, while it continues to work out funding options. Australia’s second-largest carrier requested a trading halt on 14 April, due to end this morning, to discuss financing and restructuring alternatives. The airline is now requesting a suspension for seven ...
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NewsVietJet mounts freighter flights with passenger jets
Vietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet Air has begun flying passenger freighter flights, as it gradually begins resuming domestic passenger service. The airline states in an update that it is operating about 10 cargo flights daily, with services to points within Vietnam and to Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia. ...
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NewsAlaska to collect nearly $1bn in payroll support
Alaska Air Group, the parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, will accept $992 million in payroll support and plans to apply for $1.1 billion in loans to support short-term liquidity under the provisions of the federal CARES Act. The Seattle-based company on 14 April said it had agreed with ...
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NewsUnited secures $5 billion in payroll support
United Airlines says it will receive $5 billion in payroll support from the CARES act, designed to assist airlines in managing through the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsProsecutor to consider case against Superjet crash captain
Russia’s prosecutor general is to consider the case of an Aeroflot captain indicted over last year’s fatal Sukhoi Superjet 100 landing accident at Moscow Sheremetyevo. The federal Investigative Committee says it has completed its criminal probe into the 5 May 2019 accident during which the aircraft returned to the airport ...
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NewsDelta secures $5.4 billion in CARES Act payroll support
US carrier Delta Air Lines will receive $5.4 billion in emergency funding through the CARES Act’s payroll support programme.
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NewsEmirates passengers undergo coronavirus blood tests before boarding
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates has carried out blood tests on passengers to assess whether they are affected by coronavirus, ahead of a service to Tunisia. The airline is claiming that it is the first operator to perform rapid tests for the disease on passengers prior to departure. Emirates has not ...
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NewsCondor looking at options after PGL pulls out of acquisition
German leisure carrier Condor is looking at different optons for its future ownership as talks continue with LOT’s parent Polish Aviation Group (PGL) on conditions attached to it withdrawing from its proposed acquisition of the airline.
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NewsIndian low-cost carriers outline post-lockdown plans
Some Indian low-cost carriers have outlined post-lockdown operation plans after the country’s civil aviation authority extended a ban on flights in a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The country’s civil aviation authority said on 14 April that all domestic and international scheduled airline operations will remain suspended ...
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NewsAsia-Pacific carriers extend capacity cuts
Air New Zealand and South Korea’s major airlines will keep their international schedules pared down, according to updates from the carriers. Air New Zealand is extending its minimal schedule, which has 95% of its capacity cut, through to the end of June, it said on 11 April. It is maintaining ...
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NewsChina Southern beefs up Beijing Daxing capacity
China Southern Airlines aims to move its entire Beijing operations to the capital city’s new Daxing International airport by March 2021. In an update, China Southern states that from 12 April to 2 May, it will move an additional 50% of its flights from Beijing Capital to Beijing Daxing. ...
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NewsFinnair and Juneyao deepen ties despite ‘challenging times’
Finnair has affirmed its commitment to the Chinese market amid “immensely challenging times” with the signing of a letter of intent with Shanghai’s Juneyao Air. The airlines plan to establish a joint venture on the Helsinki-Shanghai route, on which the two carriers have already been codesharing since last June. This, ...
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NewsGol cancels 34 Boeing 737 Max orders
Brazil’s low-cost carrier Gol says it has reached an agreement with Boeing on cash compensation for the more-than-year-long 737 Max grounding, and the termination of 34 forward orders for the company.
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NewsSouthwest and American announce government aid deal
Two US passenger carriers say they have reached deals with the government on the amount of emergency financial aid promised to the industry as part of the $2 trillion CARES Act, as airlines realign their networks to face the realities of the sharp drop-off in travel demand since the coronavirus pandemic began.
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NewsAn-225 flypast marks Warsaw arrival as it ferries coronavirus supplies
Antonov’s outsize An-225 transport has ferried nearly 1,000cb m of supplies from China to the Polish capital Warsaw, the six-engined freighter’s first commercial operation since undergoing a modernisation programme. The aircraft was chartered by the UK’s Chapman Freeborn, based at London Gatwick, as part of the relief effort to provide ...
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NewsBA's first A350 damaged in ground shunt with Emirates 777
British Airways’ first Airbus A350-1000 has been damaged in a ground accident which also involved an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER at Dubai. Images circulating on social media indicate that the trailing edge of the A350’s left-hand horizontal stabiliser struck – or was struck by – the left-hand elevators of the 777. ...