- Triton (Sweden) is to acquire the tour operating activities of
Corendon Holiday Group (Netherlands) via its portfolio company
Sunweb Group (Netherlands). The terms of the transaction are not
disclosed. - US airlines say the once regulators approve the B737 MAX for
flight, each aircraft will likely require between 100 and 150 hours
of preparation before flying. - US diplomats have warned that airliners flying over the Persian
Gulf may risk being “misidentified” amid tensions between the US
and Iran. - The US government suspended all flights to Venezuela with
immediate effect, due to safety concerns. - In the USA, Amazon is building a primary hub at Cincinnati-
Northern Kentucky Airport at cost of $1.46bn to service 100+
Prime Air aircraft. - Vanuatu Prime Minister Charlot Salwai said that he expected to
conclude an Air Service Agreement with China during an
upcoming visit. - The Yakutia government says its needs 23 Il-114-300s until 2020
for the modernization of the regional fleet. The aircraft will
replace its fleet of An-24s.
Airline News
9 Air [AY/JYH] [China] launched a service from Guangzhou to
Sihanoukville on 08Jul19.ACC Aviation [UK] has chartered a B787-8, B787-9, and an A350-900
from Ethiopian Airlines for sport charters in the EU.Adria Airways [JP/ADR] [Slovenia] is in talks with various potential
strategic partners, as the carrier cannot survive on scheduled flights
on its own, says CEO Holger Kowarsch. Owner 4K Invest (Germany) will
stay on.
The carrier’s 2018 auditing firm is under the spotlight on suspicion
that Adria’s financial statements do not accurately reflect its financial
state.
Adria Airways plans to reach a fleet of 40-50 aircraft around 2030,
while expanding its hub at Ljubljana in the meantime. It also plans to
revive the hub-and-spoke model.
Adria Airways strongly rejects all claims on requesting state aid,
and emphasises that the meeting with the government was held with
aim of improving cooperation and expectations.
The airline has filed a complaint with the EU against Air Serbia over
what it sees as illegal state aid from the Serbian government to its
national carrier.
Adria Airways says flight operations will return to normal from July
2019 following numerous delays, cancellations and the merging of
flights due to technical and operational reasons.Aer Lingus [EI/EIN] [Eire] has been awarded 4-star status by Skytrax.
Aer Lingus is planning A321LR services on the Dublin – London
Heathrow route from 01Nov19.
27Oct19 onwards Shannon SNN Boston BOS Daily32Q (x757)
15Aug19 onwards
(x 02Aug19 onwards)Dublin DUB Hartford BDL Daily32Q12Mar20 onwards Shannon SNN New York JFK Daily32Q
Aer Lingus has updated its scheduled Airbus A321neo LR services
from Dublin to include additional routes. The planned A321neo LR
service to/from Dublin as follows:- Dublin – Hartford: eff 02Aug19 (Previously delayed to mid-August
2019) - Dublin – Newark eff 13Feb20 (until 10Mar20)
- Dublin – Philadelphia eff 01Nov19
- Dublin – Washington Dulles eff 29Oct19
Aercaribe [ACL] [Colombia] is seeking a foreign air carrier permit,
authorising it to engage in charter foreign air transportation of
property and mail between the US and any point or points. Initial
operations include charters with three B737-400Fs.of the B737 MAX and raised questions about the international
influence of the US aviation authority.- IATA has announced that Lufthansa Group (Germany) chief
executive, Carsten Spohr, has assumed his duties as chairman of
the IATA board of governors. - IATA is working with key stakeholders in Poland to establish an
Airport Consultative Committee which will facilitate consultation with
the global airline community on the development of the Solidarity
Transport Hub Poland, a new airport planned in Central Europe. - IATA has released data for global air freight markets showing that
FTKs fell 4.7% in April 2019, while AFTKs grew by 2.6% year-on-
year in April 2019. - IATA says airline industry earnings in 2019 are expected to fall
21% to US$28 billion with global trade tensions and rising costs
denting the outlook for collective profits. - IATA is to host a meeting for airlines and regulators in Montreal to
exchange views on steps needed for a safe and coordinated return
to service of B737 MAX aircraft. - India and the UAE are in talks on the renegotiation of the bilateral
air service agreement. - India has decided to lift curbs on all 11 entry and exit points for
flights along its border with Pakistan, with Pakistan to reciprocate
as airspace between the two countries is reopened. - In India, Kochi International will be closed for daytime operations
19Jan20 to late Mar20 for runway repairs, etc. - India’s bankruptcy court, the National Company Law Tribunal, has
accepted an insolvency petition against Jet Airways filed by its
creditors as they attempt to recover some of their dues. - India’s Enforcement Directorate has petitioned a court, seeking
the arrest of former Airbus India chief Kiran Rao under the
Prevention of Money Laundering Act, over a US$1.1 billion deal to
supply 43 aircraft to erstwhile Indian Airlines in 2005. - The Indian Finance Ministry is preparing a fresh proposal for the
sale of Air India, incorporating issues like crude oil prices and
exchange rate volatility, flagged by auditors in 2018 as possible
reasons of the government failing to attract bidders for the carrier. - The Indian government may offload its 100% equity share of Air
India in an attempt to woo potential bidders, after no bidders
came forward from its recent EOI. It plans to liberalise the terms
and conditions for Air India, thus allowing a potential buyer to go
for a stake sale of the airline immediately after acquiring it. The
revised norms would also enable merger or reverse merger of Air
India with any existing business of the buyer. - India’s investigations into Jet Airways (India) and its founder Naresh
Goyal could derail plans of the Hinduja Group (India), Etihad (UAE),
and Mubadala (UAE) to invest in the grounded Indian carrier. - The India’s ministry of corporate affairs has issued a look-out
circular against the former CEO of Jet Airways Vinay Dube in
connection with the financial irregularities in the running of the
grounded airline. - India’s new civil aviation minister said he is confident that airline
capacity shortage problems following the grounding of Jet
Airways (India) will be solved. - A Mexican court has ordered a new provisional suspension of the
construction of the airport in St. Lucia pending safety studies,
while forcing federal authorities to preserve the works already
carried out at the Mexico International airport in Texcoco. The
suspension was ordered by President Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador, and remains until the government proves that has
environmental authorisation. - Mexico says the planned sale price of the former presidential VIP
B787 will start at US$150 million. - Mexico’s DGAC carried out an extraordinary audit of Aeromar due to
questions surrounding the carrier’s financial state. The official results
of the airline audit was expected to take approximately 10 days. - Mozambique and Zimbabwe have signed a bilateral agreement on
air transport which makes the links between the two countries
easier. - Peru may create a new state airline to serve remote areas of the
country, via a subsidizsed service. - Portuguese cabin crew union have called for strikes at airlines in
Portugal during July and August 2019 if terms are not met. - The Sardinian regional government is mulling the establishment
of a new regional airline to align with the interests of the island
and provide continued connectivity.