News from FlightGlobal – Page 505
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NewsFranchise partner Airlink steps in to retain four axed SAA routes
Airlink is to continue operating in its own right four of the routes being axed by its franchise partner South African Airways at the end of the month.
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NewsCaptain perceived ‘thermals’ before ill-fated Emirates 777 go-around
Investigators have disclosed that an Emirates Boeing 777-300 captain perceived the aircraft had encountered a thermal updraught, and would not be able to land in the touchdown zone at Dubai, before an ill-fated go-around attempt resulted in the jet’s crashing on the runway. While it had already explained why the ...
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NewsMalaysian prime minster weighs in on AirAsia-Airbus probe
Malaysia’s prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has weighed in on bribery allegations around AirAsia Group’s aircraft orders from Airbus. “Usually when the [Malaysian] government buys equipment, we would often ask [the manufacturer] for an offset. Meaning, if we were to buy an aircraft, we would ask for an offset,” Mahathir told ...
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NewsWeak cargo halves Korean Air’s full-year profit
Korean Air’s full-year operating profit declined by 56.4% due to a sharp decline in cargo revenues, against a weak economic backdrop. Operating revenues were down by 2.8% to W12.3 trillion ($10.4 billion), dragged lower by a 15% decline in cargo revenues. This was partially offset by a marginal increase in ...
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NewsFinnair relaxed over coronavirus financial impact
Finnair is optimistic that the coronavirus outbreak in China is likely to have only a small impact on its first-quarter financial performance, even if mainland China flight cancellations continue until the end of March. The airline says the direct impact is “relatively limited” but it has refrained from forecasting full-year ...
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NewsVirgin Australia bows out of Hong Kong market
Virgin Australia has decided to drop Hong Kong services, citing the ongoing civil unrest and the recent coronavirus outbreak. Following a “comprehensive review of the route”, the carrier will cease service on Sydney-Hong Kong from 2 March, after the previously announced suspension of Melbourne-Hong Kong from 11 February. Cirium schedules ...
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NewsIATA: Passenger growth ‘slower but steady’ in 2019
Global airline passenger demand grew 4.2% in 2019, newly released data from IATA shows, but this was below a long-term growth rate of around 5.5%. It was the weakest reading for revenue passenger-kilometre growth since 2009, and a decline from 7.3% in 2018. Nonetheless, it significantly outpaced the rise in ...
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NewsAvianca directs cancellations at A321neo fleet
Colombian carrier Avianca has cancelled or converted much of its Airbus A321neo order, switching some to the smaller A320neo variant. The change, listed in Airbus’s latest backlog revision, follows a previous cancellation of 62 A320neos by Avianca’s parent company Synergy Aerospace. Synergy wiped out its A320neo orders in December 2019 ...
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NewsFAA sees close alignment with international regulators on Max design changes
US administration’s chief expects solid approach to certification but less sure on timing of return-to-flight globally
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NewsFAA chief outlines possible rethink of derivative airliner certification
Admnistrator Steve Dickson explains how 737 Max review could impact approval of major aircraft variants
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NewsLufthansa appears to trim A350 orders
German flag-carrier Lufthansa appears to have trimmed its Airbus A350-900 order, cutting two aircraft from its commitment. Lufthansa ordered 25 A350-900s in 2013 and supplemented this agreement last year with a deal for another 20. But Airbus’s latest backlog revision, covering January 2020, indicates the carrier has reduced its order ...
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NewsFirmed Air Lease and Spirit orders give Airbus a strong start to 2020
Airbus has made a strong start to 2020 in terms of order activity, recording gross bookings for nearly 300 aircraft in the first month of the year. The airframer logged 103 orders from US lessor Air Lease – including 52 A321neos and 50 A220s, plus a single A350-900. It also ...
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NewsSAA slashes network as it strives for profitability
South African Airways is cutting around half of its long-haul routes and almost all of its domestic network, the flag carrier’s “business rescue practitioners” have disclosed as they seek to transform it into a sustainable and profitable business.
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NewsSA Express objects as court orders business rescue
South African operator SA Express has been ordered to enter into business rescue, two months after a similar decision was made for flag-carrier South African Airways. SA Express operates a route network in southern Africa using a fleet of Bombardier CRJs and Q400s. While the business rescue has been instructed ...
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NewsATR stall inquiry details poor airmanship during unstable approach
Spanish investigators have detailed the poor airmanship by the crew of a Swiftair ATR 72-500 in the aftermath of a stall incident, as it proceeded to conduct an unstable approach and landing at Madrid. Investigation authority CIAIAC found that the turboprop stalled after the crew pushed the aircraft beyond its ...
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NewsThree fatalities confirmed in Pegasus 737 overrun accident
Three fatalities have been confirmed as a result of the overrun and break-up of a Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737-800 during its landing roll at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport. Initial indications had suggested all those on board had survived the 5 February accident, during which the aircraft failed to stop on ...
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NewsVietnamese conglomerate nixes Vinpearl Air startup
Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup has abandoned plans to establish an airline known as Vinpearl Air, citing a desire to focus on its core strengths and a potential oversupply in the aviation market.
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NewsKorean Air offloads non-core assets and pledges transparency
Korean Air is selling non-core assets in a bid to “improve its financial position and increase its corporate transparency”. This includes real estate in downtown Seoul and a 100% owned leisure company that operates a resort in Incheon, just outside Seoul. Plans for the assets in question had to be ...
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NewsNew Delhi approves Alliance Air to operate India-Sri Lanka flights
Air India’s regional unit Alliance Air has been granted “special dispensation” by the Indian government to operate between India and Sri Lanka. A notice from the civil aviation ministry states that the exemption would stay in place until the carrier has a minimum of 20 aircraft, or has about 20% ...
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NewsJAL signs codeshare pacts with MIAT Mongolian and Royal Brunei
Japan Airlines is extending its reach into Mongolia and Brunei through codesharing pacts with their respective flag carriers. JAL says the codeshare with MIAT Mongolian Airlines would cover that carrier’s flights from Ulaanbaatar to Tokyo Narita and Osaka Kansai, starting 31 March. Cirium schedules data show that MIAT flies five ...