News from FlightGlobal – Page 492
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NewsAir Canada Rouge relaunches with Cancun flight
Air Canada Rouge on 2 November flew passengers from Toronto to Cancun, Mexico, marking the first time it has operated since the start of the coronavirus pandemic travel downturn in March.
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NewsWet-lease operator Hi Fly to axe A380 in favour of A330s
Portuguese operator Hi Fly is ending its Airbus A380 services, just two-and-a-half years after taking on the type to explore its potential for the wet-lease market. Hi Fly acquired a former A380, MSN6, in mid-2018. The aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines and configured with 471 seats, had been ...
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NewsRyanair and Wizz traffic down 70% in October
Traffic data released this morning from European low-cost carriers Ryanair and Wizz Air for October shows passenger levels running 70% down on prior-year levels as travel restrictions across Europe took further hold.
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NewsLast Avro RJ leaves CityJet fleet
Irish wet-lease operator CityJet has withdrawn the last of its BAE Systems Avro RJ85 regional jets, ending a 27-year association with the type and its predecessor, the BAe146. The operator’s final RJ85, registration EI-RJF, left Dublin on 2 November bound for Reykjavik. The aircraft was en-route to the USA where ...
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NewsAirlines split into ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’: BOC Aviation chief
The Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry is splitting both airlines and lessors into “haves” and “have-nots”, the chief executive of lessor BOC Aviation has said. “Obviously there are shades of grey in between, but in terms of people’s viability, obviously government support has been very important this time ...
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NewsChina Southern to form 777F cargo unit
China Southern Airlines has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for approval to establish a cargo subsidiary. To be based in Guangzhou, the new carrier, known as China Southern Airlines Cargo, will be wholly-owned by China Southern. Neither the CAAC nor China Southern gave any indication of ...
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NewsAmerican expands pre-flight testing programme
American Airlines has expanded its pre-flight coronavirus testing programme, hoping to inspire customers’ confidence to return to air travel.
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NewsRyanair’s O’Leary plots aggressive post-Covid strategy
Ryanair will exit the coronavirus crisis leaner, more competitive and ready for expansion, group chief executive Michael O’Leary has vowed. The low-cost carrier is using the crisis to “rapidly restructure our cost base”, he explained during a 2 November half-year results call. All of the major expense items – wages, ...
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NewsATSG turns Q3 profit as it steps up 767 freighter deployments
Air Transport Services Group made an operating profit of $74 million in the third quarter, up 80% year on year, as it deployed seven Boeing 767 freighters to leasing customers to capitalise on the demand for cargo aircraft amid the pandemic. The US lessor and operator generated $404 million in ...
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NewsCapacity concerns forgotten as embattled Berlin Brandenburg finally opens
One of the ironies of Berlin Brandenburg airport’s much-delayed opening is that the onset of the air transport crisis has brought an excess of capacity to a hub which, at one point, was thought to have a shortage. Combined passenger numbers for Tegel and Schoenefeld airport for the first eight ...
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NewsCO2 emissions fail to fall in line with flight cuts, Dutch researchers find
Dutch researchers believe that an increase in long-distance cargo flights, combined with steeper reductions in short-haul passenger services than for long-haul operations, are responsible for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions failing to fall in line with the overall drop in flights.
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NewsKLM pilots outline concerns after government freezes rescue loan
KLM pilots have requested talks with the Dutch finance ministry after the government suspended a rescue loan to the airline over its failure to meet the attached labour conditions. Pilot union VNV had held off from signing a commitment clause intended to ensure that labour agreements could be extended for ...
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NewsRyanair looks beyond hard winter towards 737 Max arrival
Ryanair envisions taking delivery of 30 Boeing 737 Max jets before the peak of summer 2021, but is expecting to face heavy losses over the upcoming winter season. It is not prepared to forecast full-year performance but states that it is expecting “higher losses” over the second half to 31 ...
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NewsIndonesia plans to merge Garuda Indonesia with tourism companies
The Indonesian government has outlined plans to merge nine state-owned tourism companies, including flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, in a move to maximise operational efficiencies. The country’s state-owned enterprises ministry states that the nine entities will be merged under a single holding company. Source: Airbus Indonesia has outlined plans ...
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NewsDutch government suspends rescue loan to KLM
KLM’s proposed restructuring plan has been rejected by the Dutch government, over the failure to secure crucial union commitments, and the airline will not be permitted to make further draws on the loans put forward to support the carrier. The Dutch finance ministry has informed parliament that the first draw ...
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NewsKLM urges pilots to sign crucial pact necessary to secure ‘survival’ loan
KLM has urged pilot and cabin crew representatives to join other unions in committing to labour contributions, in order to secure a €3.4 billion ($4 billion) state-backed loan. The Dutch carrier says the cockpit union VNV has not signed a commitment clause, while the FNV union – representing cabin and ...
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NewsChina Southern first among ‘Big Three’ to return to profitability since pandemic began
China Southern Airlines became the first of China’s three largest carriers to report a quarterly operating profit since the coronavirus outbreak began, breaking its loss-making streak in the first half of the year. Its compatriots Air China and China Eastern Airlines, while still in the red for the three ...
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NewsEl Al chief Usishkin to step down in January
Israeli flag-carrier El Al’s chief executive, Gonen Usishkin, is to step down from his position in January next year, three months after a board shake-up by the airline’s new controlling shareholder. Usishkin was named as the airline’s head in early 2018. He oversaw the transformation of El Al’s fleet, as ...
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NewsCargo pilots’ union blasts UPS for inadequate coronavirus protections
The head of the Independent Pilots Association, the union representing pilots at international cargo carrier UPS Airlines, says that the coronavirus could have a “significant impact” on the airline’s operations and sharply criticises the company for neglecting to keep cockpit crew safe from the highly-contagious virus.
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NewsDomestic demand bolsters Aeroflot revenue
Russian carrier Aeroflot saw quarter-on-quarter rises in passenger demand and revenue during the three months ended 30 September, underpinned by strong domestic demand. Although third-quarter revenue was down 67% on last year’s, at Rb55.2 billion ($695 million), the carrier notes that load factors and yields were at “comparable levels”. Still, ...