News from FlightGlobal – Page 549
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NewsDemand for air travel to remain low until 2023: S&P
Airlines face a prolonged uphill climb before air travel demand recovers to pre-pandemic levels, as passenger numbers are likely to remain below last year’s levels until 2023, S&P Global Ratings has suggested in a new report. The ratings agency forecasts a “swoosh-shaped” recovery in which, after plummeting up to 55% ...
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NewsWake-vortex crash probe baffled by tight separation decision
Investigators have not been able to explain why the captain of a Diamond Aircraft DA62 calibration flight repeatedly breached minimum separation distances from commercial traffic at Dubai before a fatal wake-turbulence accident. Analysis of the accident sequence indicates the UK Flight Calibration Services DA62, conducting approaches to runway 30L, had ...
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NewsLufthansa board approves revision to financial aid conditions
Lufthansa Group’s executive board has accepted European Commission commitments in order to secure a financial package negotiated with a federal German stabilisation fund. But the supervisory board must still back the commitments, after it previously withheld approval. The company claims the scope of the conditions “has been reduced” compared with ...
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NewsMD-82 almost stalled at low level after go-around thrust overlooked
Bulgarian investigators have revealed that a Boeing MD-82 almost stalled while nose-high at low level, after the crew did not engage go-around thrust during a missed approach at Tarbes-Lourdes airport. The Bulgarian Air Charter aircraft descended to about 40ft while still nearly 500m from the runway, flying close to the ...
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NewsIATA criticises South American governments for lack of aviation support
Airline trade group IATA has criticised Latin American governments for essentially leaving their airlines out to dry as the coronavirus devastates the industry in the region, questioning when the sector will return to its previous strength or even if individual carriers can survive the pandemic at all.
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NewsAdient Aerospace upbeat as it unveils new single-aisle business-class seat
Despite the immediate impact of the coronavirus on air transport, seating manufacturer Adient Aerospace – part owned by Boeing – is pressing ahead with the launch of a new lie-flat business-class seat for single-aisle jets.
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NewsSAA rescuers request time to consult on government proposals
South African Airways’ rescue practitioners are seeking an extension to the deadline for publishing a business plan for the troubled flag-carrier. Under South African legislation a business plan is normally required within 25 days of a company entering business rescue, but extensions can be granted if necessary. SAA, however, has ...
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NewsNorway to extend airline loan guarantee scheme
Norway’s government plans to extend its state loan guarantee scheme for airlines until the end of October saying the crisis is lasting longer than envisaged when the programme was intially launched.
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NewsANA Holdings undertakes $3.3 billion debt financing
All Nippon Airways’ parent company has decided to undertake a fresh round of debt financing from the Development Bank of Japan, amounting to Y350 billion ($3.3 billion). The agreement is subject to a 29 June borrowing deadline and the debt financing will be repaid over the long term, “determined by ...
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NewsKuwait Airways to lay off 1,500 staff
Kuwait Airways is to shed 1,500 foreign personnel in response to the problems presented by the coronavirus crisis. The flag-carrier states that the “difficult decision” follows the “great hardships that the company is facing” as a result of the impact on the air transport sector. As a result of the ...
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NewsUIA expects to restore long-haul hub services next year
Ukraine International Airlines is to put 14 aircraft into operation once it starts restoring services, as it expects government restrictions to lift on 15 June. But chief executive Yevhenii Dykhne says it has “stopped employing” around 900 personnel following a “substantial decline” in the airline’s operations. “We aim at sustaining ...
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NewsChallenges ahead in Thai Airways business rehabilitation
The 60-year-old Thai Airways International, now in court-supervised business rehabilitation, carries the burden of legacy issues, a history of failed restructuring and transformations, and being ill-equipped to tackle industry challenges.
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NewsSAS pushes A320neo deliveries to 2024
SAS has agreed with Airbus to delay delivery of four A320neos and is in talks with the airframer on further deferrals as the Scandinavian carrier prepares for a slow recovery in traffic after the coronavirus crisis.
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NewsBullish Wizz to open Milan and Larnaca bases in July
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air has given a further indication of its expansive approach to the post-crisis environment by detailing plans to open bases at Milan Malpensa and the Cypriot resort of Larnaca.
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NewsEuropean carriers take tentative steps to restoring networks
Several European operators have announced more tentative steps to restoring their networks, including the resumption of services by Lufthansa Group operators Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines in June. Austrian Airlines, which suspended flights on 19 March, has today announced it will resume scheduled flights to mostly European cities in mid-June. ...
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NewsNorwegian clings to restructuring hopes as Q1 losses widen
Norwegian’s first-quarter losses have widened significantly to NKr3.28 billion ($331 million) and the company remains in “hibernation mode”, in the hope that its recent financial restructuring and state-aid lifeline will enable it to have a future.
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NewsEasyJet to axe up to 30% of jobs as it cuts fleet
EasyJet is to begin consultations on proposals to cut staff levels by up to 30% as it expects to reduce its fleet by 51 through a mix of deferrals and returning leased aircraft by the end of 2021. In a trading update released today the UK budget carrier says it ...
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NewsSAS to defer Airbus deliveries as it overhauls business plan
Scandinavia’s SAS is to defer and review future Airbus deliveries and those from lessors, as part of its response to the coronavirus crisis, as it continues to pursue additional funding. The airline is drawing up a revised business plan which aims to bring SKr4 billion ($417 million) in improvements by ...
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NewsThai Airways appoints planners for business rehabilitation
Thai Airways International has appointed five people, including one of its former presidents, to jointly hold the position of plan preparer during its business rehabilitation process. The carrier’s chairman Chaiyapruk Didyasarin and acting president Chakkrit Parapuntakul have been appointed, along with three newly appointed board members: former president Piyasvasti Amranand, ...
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NewsLessor Avation pulls the plug on sale process
Avation is ending its formal sale process as the Covid-19 pandemic brings unprecedented disruption to the aviation industry that is still ongoing. The Singapore-based lessor says in a 27 May statement that over the past “several weeks”, Covid-19 has “continued to disrupt business activities, particularly air travel, on an unprecedented ...