Emirates steps up offerings for Holy Month of Ramadan

Reflecting the spirit of togetherness and generosity during the Holy Month of Ramadan, Emirates will be serving thousands of meal boxes for fasting passengers both onboard and at boarding gates, screening an array of religious content and popular TV shows on ice, and offering traditional Ramadan dishes in the lounges.

Ramadan refreshments in the lounges

At the Emirates lounges in Dubai International Airport (DXB), traditional Arabic sweets, dates and coffee will be offered during Ramadan. Meals available in First and Business Class lounges will include a selection of hot and cold Arabic mezze, lentil soup, main courses of Arabic mixed grill with tahina, chicken kabsa served with dakous and raita, and desserts of kunafa pistachio cream, basboussa saffron, walnut kathayef ashta and ice cream flavours of Arabic coffee and dates or baklawa, alongside a host of traditional Arabic sweets and pastries. Emirates lounges are also equipped with dedicated prayer rooms and ablution facilities to ensure a peaceful environment for worship. 

Emirates Iftar boxes at Boarding Gates

For fasting customers at select Emirates Boarding Gates during iftar time, complimentary iftar boxes to help break the fast - containing water, laban, a banana, and dates.

Captain announcements of Iftar time

To ensure the highest levels of accuracy for fasting Muslim passengers, Emirates uses a unique tool to calculate the correct timings for imsak (the time to commence fasting) and iftar while in-flight, based on the times of the sunrise and sunset of the location the flight is passing by using the aircraft’s longitude, latitude, and altitude. When the sun sets, passengers will be officially informed of the iftar time by the captain.

Emirates Ramadan Meal Boxes onboard

From the 11 March, customers breaking their fast across all cabin classes to select destinations will be offered nutritionally balanced Ramadan meal boxes. Iftar meals will be served in bespoke boxes, designed by Emirates to represent the rich Emirati heritage of the Al Sadu weavers. This traditional community weaving practised by Bedouin women of the UAE who handmade accessories in distinctive geometric patterns, reflects the community aspect of the Holy Month.

Etihad Airways shares the spirit of Ramadan with special offerings

         Etihad Airways is marking the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, both in-flight and on the ground to immerse passengers in the spirit of Ramadan and enhance their travel experience during this holy time.

Starting from the 10 March, passengers across all cabin classes to selected Etihad destinations can expect a variety of amenities tailored to welcome guests during the holy month. Specially curated Iftar meals and dedicated prayer facilities will be available in Etihad’s premium lounges and onboard flights.

Turky Al Hammadi, Head of Product and Hospitality, at Etihad Airways, said: “Ramadan holds a special place in our hearts, it’s a time to reflect and to spread kindness. We are committed to sharing these Ramadan values across all touchpoints of our guests' journey, starting from our lounges to onboard experiences.

“For our Iftar menu this year, our culinary team has carefully crafted special Ramadan dishes that aim to evoke heartwarming traditions, blending traditional Emirati flavours with a modern twist. Our commitment to premium and sustainable ingredients is reflected in our choice of locally sourced suppliers, ensuring our guests enjoy high-quality, tasty dishes that also support the local economy and have a lesser impact on the environment.

“Our Iftar menu contains dishes like the lamb bukhari with smoked cardamom yoghurt, pulled chicken machbous pinza with chaami cheese and pickled onion, and warm umm ali dessert and olive oil and date cake. Our menus are designed to ensure that our guests savour the richness of traditional Ramadan meals while also maintaining nutritional balance.”

"Furthermore, we offer Etihad Guest members the opportunity to donate their miles, allowing them to spread kindness and support communities around the world. We have seen the generosity of our guests with over 250 million miles donated to a range of causes through the Etihad Guest programme to date. It's initiatives like these that truly embody the spirit of generosity and compassion that Ramadan represents."

 

Ramadan food and beverage menu in the Etihad lounges

Aer Lingus delivers profits of €225m in 2023

Aer Lingus recorded an operating profit of €225 million for the full year 2023, an increase of €168 million in 2022. 

The positive financial performance in 2023 reflected strong demand for leisure travel on both short-haul and long-haul routes. In 2023, Aer Lingus served 10.7 million passengers, operated its largest-ever North American network and added more routes and capacity to European destinations from Ireland. Business travel in 2023 lagged pre-Covid levels but is showing some signs of recovery in early 2024. The financial performance in 2023 is not yet at 2019 levels of profitability and margin due to higher operating costs. 

Advancing its sustainability programme, Aer Lingus took delivery of two Airbus 320 neo aircraft in 2023. The aircraft delivers the lowest emissions per seat on the company’s short-haul network. Aer Lingus also procured its first supply of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in 2023, 750 tonnes at London Heathrow and has an ambition to use 10% SAF by 2030. The airline committed over €306 million in 2023 to investment in new fleet, customer experience, technology and other operational areas and welcomed almost 900 new people into the airline.

Aer Lingus’s CEO, Lynne Embleton said, “These results put Aer Lingus on the right trajectory for the future. We have a compelling growth strategy for Aer Lingus that will be good for the company, our employees, our customers and for Ireland. However, achieving it is dependent on having the right cost base and productivity levels and not being constrained by the unnecessary passenger cap issue. These challenges will need to be resolved by a collaborative and sensible approach by all stakeholders that delivers the right outcomes”.

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Growing passenger numbers at East Midlands Airport

February saw almost 700,000 more customers choosing East Midlands Airport for trips abroad than last year, signalling one of the best Easter and summer seasons ahead for the popular travel hub.

Latest figures show that more than 3.8m people have travelled through EMA this financial year – a 22% increase on last year. The growing number of people picking EMA for an effortless start to their low-cost holidays increasingly includes travellers from further afield including South Yorkshire, West Midlands, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire.

The new figures are released as the airport gears up for the Easter break from the end of this month, which will be immediately followed by the start of the summer season. The signs are good for this period to be the best since the pandemic, with bookings for the fortnight from Good Friday currently showing more than 188,000 passengers expected to fly through EMA.

Two of the main airlines serving EMA, Tui and Jet 2, are each adding an extra aircraft to those based at the airport, meaning the aircraft stands will be at capacity this summer. Tui has added a new route to Naples for this summer, while Eastern Airways will start flying to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, offering EMA customers the chance to make onward journeys around the world with Air France.

And from Easter, passengers will also benefit from some of the first improvements that have been carried out as part of a £120m investment programme at EMA. This includes upgraded toilets, a refreshed Castle Rock bar, new seating, better customer wi-fi throughout the terminal and new trolleys.

Helsinki Airport named as the best airport in Europe

Passengers have selected Finland’s Helsinki Airport as the best airport in Europe in terms of customer experience in the 15–25 million passenger size category. The ASQ Award (Airport Service Quality) given to airport company Finavia is based on an annual international survey involving 400 airports in 95 countries.

“We are extremely grateful for this award and proud that our work for a first-class customer experience is recognised internationally. We have succeeded in raising the level of customer satisfaction at Helsinki Airport over the long term, and the ASQ survey result for 2023 is the best in the airport’s history,” says Finavia’s CEO Kimmo Mäki.

Customer experience was at the heart of the most extensive development programme in the history of Helsinki Airport, which resulted in the airport being completely revamped. Finavia successfully completed the ten-year development last year, when, among other things, the amount of liquids allowed through security control was increased to two litres, a total of 26 shops, restaurants and cafés opened at the airport, and baggage logistics was modernised with new equipment and facilities.

Both pilots fall asleep for 28 minutes on Batik Air plane.

Authorities in Indonesia are investigating how two pilots flying an Airbus A320 of Batik Air both fell asleep for around 28 minutes during a flight between Sulawesi to the capital Jakarta.

According to local media, both male pilots have been suspended from duty while the investigation takes place. One of the pilots had previously reported being tired due to looking after his newborn twins. However, medical tests that were carried out prior to the flight indicated that both pilots were fit to fly, with their blood pressure and heart rates showing within normal range and alcohol tests coming back negative.

The transport ministry's initial report indicates the captain told the co-pilot to take control of the aircraft approximately thirty minutes after take off, saying he needed to rest. The co-pilot confirmed he'd taken control. However, it would appear the co-pilot also fell asleep as well and the aircraft had started to drift off course. 

Air traffic control at Jakarta had tried contacting the crew in the aircraft but got no response from the cockpit. That radio silence lasted around 28 minutes until the captain woke and found his first officer had also drifted off to sleep.

Batik Air said it "operates with adequate rest policy" advising that it was "committed to implement all safety recommendations".

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Make SAF, not electricity from household waste, urges boss of UK’s largest airports group

The UK risks missing out on a significant opportunity to reduce its carbon footprint by continuing to incinerate household waste, rather than use it to make Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), according to a new study released this month by MAG.

Every year, around 8.5m tonnes of household rubbish are burned to make electricity when items cannot be recycled or re-used, according to transport sustainability experts ICF. A further 7.3m tonnes are burned with no energy recovery at all.

Instead of being incinerated to make electricity, the same waste could be used to produce SAF at new refineries across the UK – giving airports a direct supply and creating tens of thousands of new green jobs. 

The research from ICF reveals that the reduction in carbon emissions from using bin bag waste to make SAF would be at least five times greater than that achieved by incinerating the same waste to generate electricity. 

It shows that SAF made from waste emits 89% less carbon than burning conventional jet fuel. This means that using waste to make SAF results in a much bigger reduction in carbon emissions than incinerating it to make electricity - because nearly 50% of all UK electricity already comes from renewable sources. 

The emissions saving of generating energy from waste is expected to get smaller and smaller – eventually reaching zero - as the UK works towards all its electricity coming from renewable sources by 2035. 

Using household waste to make Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) instead of burning it to make electricity would help cut UK carbon emissions

Research reveals the reduction in carbon emissions would be at least five times greater if rubbish was used to make SAF

Sending bin bag waste to make green jet fuel could help build a SAF industry in the UK, creating up to 60,000 jobs

SWISS names one of its aircraft after the Nendaz region

To mark its 20th anniversary in 2022, SWISS has been naming 20 of its aircraft after various Swiss tourist areas and resorts. Nendaz in Canton Valais was one of the top three winners in the corresponding competition. The naming ceremony was held in the SWISS hangar at Geneva Airport today, with representatives of Nendaz Tourism and Valais/Wallis Promotion in attendance.

To mark the 20th anniversary of its foundation, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) launched a unique competition last year to select 20 standout Swiss tourist areas or resorts and honour them by bestowing their names on 20 of its Airbus A220 aircraft. Following a keen contest that put a strong emphasis on creativity, originality, authenticity and the location’s links with SWISS, the Valais region of Nendaz and its creative video entry secured one of the three top places, which also earned the winning entrants their own official aircraft naming ceremony.

As a result, SWISS Airbus A220-300 HB-JCN was formally named Nendaz today in SWISS’s hangar at Geneva Airport. The naming was performed by Cheesy the Nendaz mascot, with the VIPs in attendance including Annick Loos, Head of Marketing at Nendaz Tourism, Christian Schwab, Director Products & Markets at Valais/Wallis Promotion and Romain Vetter, SWISS’s Head of Western Switzerland.

“I am delighted that, with this naming today, we can pay such a tangible tribute to the wonderful Nendaz region,” said Romain Vetter at the event. “And we are looking forward to helping spread the Nendaz name throughout our European network.”

On the Geneva-based SWISS route network, Airbus A220 Nendaz is most likely to be operated on services to London, Frankfurt, Vienna, Dublin and Athens.

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Avia Solutions Group concluded acquisition of Skytrans Airlines, expanding to 12 AOCs worldwide

Avia Solutions Group, the world's largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider with a fleet of 199 aircraft, has finalized the acquisition of the Australian airline Skytrans. The airline, which holds a fleet of 13 regional aircraft, specializes in Regular Public Transport (RPT) as well as charter operations.

With the acquisition of Skytrans, the group secures an Australian Air Operator Certificate (AOC), paving the way for both passenger and cargo flight operations. The move will, moreover, allow the group to access the lucrative domestic aviation market in Australia, which, according to projections published in the Australian Aviation Network review of 2023, is set to exceed pre-COVID levels in 2024.

This development is part of the group's growth strategy within the Asia-Pacific region. Expansion in the region provides valuable leverage to counterbalance the reduced seasonal demand in Europe by shifting aircraft between counter-seasonal regions. The obtained AOC brings the total number of air operator certificates held by the group to 12.

"This acquisition is part of our larger strategy, which is aimed at limiting the impact of seasonality, whilst giving us access to new growing markets in Asia-Pacific and further afield. By the end of the year, we aim to establish or acquire 7 additional airlines, with countries like Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia firmly on our radar," says Jonas Janukenas, CEO of Avia Solutions Group.

China Eastern Airlines carries nearly 16.5 million passengers during Spring Festival

The 2024 Spring Festival travel rush that lasted some 40 days came to an end on March 5. China Eastern Airlines, along with its subsidiaries Shanghai Airlines and China United Airlines, operated a total of 106,800 passenger flights, transporting nearly 16.5 million passengers, with an average load factor exceeding 82%.

According to statistics released by China Eastern Airlines, the airline carried an average of more than 412,400 passengers on a daily basis during the Spring Festival travel rush, with the peak period occurring from Feb. 14 to 16, during which the daily passenger volume exceeded 480,000 for each of those three days.

As the largest home based airline in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines facilitated over 44,000 arriving and departing flights at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport during the Spring Festival travel rush. The airline served over 6.85 million passengers, including more than 530,000 transit passengers and over 4,000 unaccompanied minors.

BBN Airlines Indonesia Secures Additional AOC, Boosts Passenger Flight Operations

BBN Airlines Indonesia, a part of Avia Solutions Group, the world's largest ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) provider, has recently obtained an additional Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for commercial passenger flights from the Indonesia DGCA. This certification reaffirms the airline's readiness to operate aircraft for commercial purposes, solidifying the company's commitment to meeting the needs of the Indonesian public by providing safe, reliable, and efficient air travel services.

Martynas Grigas, Chairman of BBN Airlines Indonesia, stated, “With the issuance of this AOC, BBN Airlines Indonesia aims to bring more capacity to the region, and deliver a high standard of safety and service in the air travel experience.”

According to Martynas, this certification marks the initial step for BBN Airlines Indonesia to meet the substantial demand for flights, particularly during major holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and the holiday season in Indonesia.

Air Canada and CAE Announce 2024 Judy Cameron Scholarship Winners

• The two global aviation companies continue to foster the next generation of women in aviation 
• Eight women awarded Judy Cameron scholarships as program celebrates fifth anniversary 

Earlier this month on International Women's Day, Air Canada and CAE are proud to announce the eight winners of the 2024 Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships. The two Montreal-based global aviation companies have again joined forces, to award scholarships to eight women from across Canada who are pursuing careers as commercial pilots or aircraft maintenance engineers. The four CAE recipients training to become commercial pilots will become CAE Women in Flight program ambassadors and play a key role in encouraging more women to pursue careers in aviation.

The Captain Judy Cameron Scholarship, now in its fifth year, was established in honour of Air Canada's first female pilot. Scholarships are awarded annually by Air Canada and CAE in conjunction with the Northern Lights Aero Foundation, to foster the next generation of women in aviation.

"Air Canada takes great pride in its leadership role in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the aviation industry. Women are well represented across all levels and branches of our airline," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Public Affairs at Air Canada. "The Judy Cameron Scholarship actively works to support and empower the next generation of women pursuing non-traditional aviation STEM careers. Congratulations to this year's winners."

"CAE is proud to be a leader in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in aviation. Initiatives like CAE's Women in Flight Program and the Captain Judy Cameron Scholarships are critical to attracting and supporting more women in making their dream of a career in aviation a reality," said Marie-Christine Cloutier, CAE's Vice President, Civil Aviation Performance, Strategy and Marketing. "CAE's Aviation Talent Forecast anticipates a global need for more than 1.3 million new aviation professionals by 2032, and attracting underrepresented groups, like women, will help keep the industry aloft and allow it to thrive."

"I'm incredibly excited that the Northern Lights Aero Foundation received a record number of applications for the Captain Judy Cameron scholarships this year. Kudos to Air Canada for initiating and building momentum for the program over the past five years, and to CAE for joining the effort in 2022 to encourage more women in their aviation careers," said Judy Cameron, Boeing 777 Captain at Air Canada (retired) and Director of the Northern Lights Aero Foundation. "Past recipients have become flight instructors, maintenance engineers, and commercial pilots across Canada. This year's recipients will inspire and support other women in their aviation journeys. Congratulations to the eight recipients and to Air Canada and CAE for generously funding the scholarships."

Airbus Helicopters and SKYCO Leasing sign for six H175 helicopters

Airbus Helicopters and SKYCO International Financial Leasing Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise belonging to China's Guangdong Province, have signed a contract for six H175 helicopters.

Entrusted by the Guangdong Provincial Government, SKYCO Leasing is in charge of leading the aviation industry development in the province. The versatile H175 helicopters acquired by SKYCO Leasing will be deployed by the Guangdong Government for search and rescue, emergency medical services, disaster relief and other public services missions in China.

“This cooperation goes far beyond the purchase of helicopters. It is an unmistakable sign of Guangdong Province's willingness to lead the development of the helicopter market in the southern region of China. We are proud that the Guangdong Provincial Government has chosen Airbus Helicopters to carry out this ambitious cooperation project together,” said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters.

On top of the helicopter purchase, the parties have agreed on the reinforcement of Airbus Helicopters’ footprint in China Guangdong Province and the Greater Bay Area in close collaboration with SKYCO Leasing. This includes the joint development of support and services activities and an industrial cooperation setup to lay a solid foundation for the development of general aviation by promoting the reform to open low-altitude airspace. The partnership will also explore an effective business model adapted to the Chinese aviation market that will contribute to regional economic growth.

In service since 2015, Airbus' H175 belongs to the super-medium class of helicopters, combining long-range and payload with smooth flight qualities, making it the optimal solution for a wide range of onshore and offshore mission profiles, including disaster relief, search & rescue and other public services, as well as crew change and private and business aviation. The 55 H175s currently in service have accumulated more than 210,000 flight hours, of which 184,000 in the energy sector.

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Sierra Space Dream Chaser® Spaceplane Successfully Completes First Phase of Pre-Flight Testing

Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company and emerging defence tech prime building a platform in space to benefit and protect life on Earth announced today the successful completion of the initial phase of environmental testing on the revolutionary Dream Chaser® spaceplane, Tenacity®, at NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.

Over the past month, the Sierra Space Dream Chaser and its cargo companion, Shooting Star™, underwent rigorous vibration testing while stacked in launch configuration inside the Mechanical Vibration Facility at the NASA complex. In readiness for launch from Kennedy Space Center, the tests exposed the vehicles to the intense conditions of launch vibrations using the world’s most powerful spacecraft shaker table. See video here.

“We are coming out of years of development, years of hard work and years of resolving tough engineering challenges that come from revolutionary new ways of doing things,” said Sierra Space CEO Tom Vice. “This phase of development illustrates how Dream Chaser and the Shooting Star cargo module will handle the mechanical rigours of launch. This is the year that we transition from development and enter orbital operations – it is the year that changes how we connect space and earth.”

SkyWest named one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity” and “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women” by Newsweek

SkyWest, is pleased to be named one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity” and “America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women” by Newsweek in 2024. SkyWest was the only regional airline to be recognized on either list. The more than 500 employers on Newsweek’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity 2024 list were chosen based on an independent survey of over 220,000 U.S. employees at over 1.5 million companies in their U.S. operations. The Greatest Workplaces for Women 2024 were chosen based on a survey of over 142,000 women at over 848,000 companies in the U.S.

“A fundamental part of SkyWest’s culture is to hire the best, regardless of classification, and to help them build successful careers,” said Chip Childs, President & CEO of SkyWest. “Every employee brings unique skills and experiences to our company, and those differences only make us better at achieving our collective commitment to excellence. We’re humbled and honoured to be named a Great Workplace for Diversity and a Great Workplace for Women by Newsweek.”

Newsweek’s selections were based on surveys of over 220,000 U.S. employees, and 142,000 women from companies employing at least 1,000 people in their U.S. operations. SkyWest was also named a Forbes Best Employer in 2021, 2022 and is a Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award recipient for 2020 and 2021.

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EarthCARE goes west for launch..........climate monitoring satellite leaves Europe

The Airbus-built EarthCARE (Earth Clouds, Aerosols and Radiation Explorer) spacecraft has left Munich, Germany, and is now on its way aboard an aircraft to its launch site in Vandenberg, California. EarthCARE is planned to be launched in May on a Falcon 9 rocket.

EarthCARE is the most complex Earth Explorer mission in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) FutureEO programme. This new satellite mission will quantify and reduce the uncertainty about the role that clouds and aerosols (tiny atmospheric particles) play in heating and cooling Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to our better understanding of climate change. The spacecraft was developed, built and tested with the involvement of experts from 15 European countries as well as Japan and Canada.

Marc Steckling, Head of Earth Observation, Science and Exploration at Airbus said: “As the world’s climate continues to change at a faster and faster rate, scientists need ever more sophisticated space assets to enable better analysis. EarthCARE will help fill in the gaps by providing unprecedented measurements so that meteorologists and climatologists can better understand how energy is transmitted within the atmosphere.”

A joint undertaking between ESA and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), EarthCARE will examine the role clouds and aerosols play in reflecting solar radiation back into space and also in trapping infrared radiation emitted from the Earth’s surface.

CityAirbus NextGen makes its debut

                                           Airbus has presented its full electric CityAirbus NextGen prototype to the public, ahead of its maiden flight later this year. The two-tonne class CityAirbus, with a wing span of approximately 12 metres, is being developed to fly with a 80 km range and to reach a cruise speed of 120 km/h, making it perfectly suited for operations in major cities for a variety of missions. 

The unveiling coincided with the opening of the new CityAirbus test centre in Donauwörth, which will be dedicated to testing systems for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs). The centre, which is part of Airbus’ ongoing and long-term investment in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), began its operations with the CityAirbus NextGen’s power-on in December 2023 and it will be now used for the remaining tests required before the prototype’s maiden flight later in the year. These tests cover the electric motors with their eight rotors as well as the aircraft’s other systems such as flight controls and avionics.

Air Canada introduces 100+ new rotating seasonal recipes, irresistible snacks and beverages delivered to every cabin with care and class

One of the leading North American airlines has just announced a comprehensive upgrade of its award-winning menus for all customers, with 100+ new rotating seasonal recipes showcasing bigger, bolder flavours alongside craveable new snacks and beverages. 

Air Canada's new menu additions join the largest in-flight bar offering from any North American airline, as Air Canada continues to invest in adding even more comfort and convenience to the travel experience, with more to come throughout 2024. Air Canada also remains the only North American airline to offer hot, fresh kids' meals to purchase through its North American Bistro program, highlighting its commitment to family travel.

We're incredibly proud to introduce these delicious new dining options, featuring homegrown Canadian products and ingredients reflecting the diversity of Canada and our customers' tastes and preferences," said Scott O'Leary, Vice President, Loyalty & Product at Air Canada. "The thought and care we've brought to elevating our menus, and bringing fresh new flavours for all, is one of the many ways we're investing in every aspect of our customers' journey to make travel even better."

The airline's new and upgraded culinary program spotlights the influence of Air Canada's long-standing award-winning culinary partners Chef David Hawksworth, Chef Vikram Vij, and Chef Jérôme Ferrer in showcasing flavours, textures and fresh, quality ingredients that sing at cruising altitude, which are complemented by wine selections from award-winning Air Canada sommelier Véronique Rivest.

Raising the Bar for Economy Dining

International Economy travellers can excite their taste buds with new global flavours like red Thai chicken and rice, chicken cacciatore with roast potatoes and bell peppers. This adds to Chef Ferrer's classic pesto penne on flights from Canada, and on longer flights that serve a hot breakfast, a new pancake and 100% pure Canadian maple syrup breakfast offering. On flights from Europe, travellers will enjoy new Monty's Bakehouse savoury pastries, including coconut chicken and potato sour cream and chive. These refreshed recipes also add to regional appetizers like soba noodles, chaat, hummus and vegetables, and more, recently introduced on all international routes.

Air Canada's upgraded Bistro menu, rolling out through spring 2024, boasts the most extensive selection of fresh buy-on-board options from any North American airline, with a hearty peppercorn roast beef sandwich, tasty cheeseburger sliders, and fresh new vegan options like Mediterranean hummus wraps. This is alongside a selection of alcoholic beverages unrivalled by any Canadian airline, including new premium crafted and Canadian-owned Tequila Tromba (all cabins in all markets, including Bistro) and iconic Campari (all premium cabins and Bistro).

Engine-uity reigns at American’s Tulsa maintenance base

With thousands of parts, many moving at extremely high speeds in an extremely hot environment, modern turbofan engines are a miracle of engineering. But after thousands of arrivals, departures and flight hours, heavy maintenance is required to keep fan blades spinning and customers and team members moving safely in the air. That’s where American’s Base Maintenance facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes in.

Located in the geographic center of the mainland United States, American’s Tech Ops – Tulsa maintenance base has been the backbone of American’s maintenance, repair and overhaul work since 1946. It’s the world’s largest commercial aircraft maintenance base, employing nearly 5,000 team members, including more than 3,200 licensed aviation maintenance technicians and overhaul support mechanics. Each year, more than 800 of the airline’s aircraft visit the base, where the team works around the clock to maintain everything from seats to avionics and complete regularly scheduled maintenance work.

Tucked away in a non-descript building in the middle of the 246-acre base is American’s engine shop, known as American Airlines Engine Repair Overhaul or AAERO. The AAERO team is the best in the business when it comes to overhauling an engine, which means taking it apart completely and rebuilding it. Engines typically require an overhaul after 20,000 flight hours or 7,000 takeoffs and landings. This year, American’s engine shop is on track to increase engine overhaul throughput by nearly 60% over last year, or 150 engines annually, outperforming industry peers by a wide margin. That means fewer aircraft out of service and an even more reliable operation.

“The most important thing to me is the passenger, “said Kevin Harris, Technical Crew Chief for the CFM56 engine, which powers a majority of American’s Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 family aircraft. “Their safety is our number one goal. That engine, to me, is at the heart of keeping them safe.”

The Tech Ops – Tulsa facility was recently awarded $22 million from the State of Oklahoma to make enhancements at the base. The funds are in addition to a $31.6 million engine shop capital investment and ongoing $350 million improvement project made by American. As a result of these investments and added throughput, American is in the process of adding more than 300 new jobs a Tech Ops – Tulsa.

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Xwing gains U.S. Army xTech SBIR autonomy contract

Building on success of recent Air Force autonomous cargo missions, Xwing will demonstrate its mission-ready autonomy technology to support Army modernization efforts.

Xwing, a leading defense and aviation autonomy technology startup, today announced that it was advanced as a winner of a Phase I SBIR from the Army xTech SBIR Autonomy program. In the coming months, Xwing will showcase its ability to conduct autonomous airlift and logistics missions during live operational demonstrations for Army stakeholders.

In a recent announcement, Nicole Fox, the Army’s SBIR Program’s portfolio manager for autonomy and contested logistics, sustainment, science and technology stated, “To support mobility and navigation across multiple terrains, it’s important we develop and employ ground and aerial robotic autonomous systems throughout the Army. Solutions developed via the competition – and through follow-on SBIR contracts – will support Soldier safety and efficiency in contested environments.”

Bringing innovative autonomy solutions to solve mission capability gaps for Defense customers is familiar territory for the company. Xwing is a key partner of the Air Force’s AFWERX Autonomy Prime program. Last month, Xwing was awarded a Military Approval to fly autonomous cargo missions during the Air Force’s AGILE FLAG 24-1. As part of this Agile Combat Employment (ACE) exercise, Xwing flew over 2,800 autonomous flight miles through public and military airspace, delivering essential cargo to 8 different military and civilian airports across California.

Manchester Airport and Royal Jordanian Airlines celebrate inaugural flight to Amman

The inaugural Royal Jordanian Airlines flight from Manchester Airport to Amman took off on Wednesday, 6 March.

The new service will operate three times weekly from thew UK’s global gateway in the North to the Jordanian capital on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays using the Airbus A319 aircraft.

This is a brand-new route for Manchester Airport and adds to the over 200 destinations served from the UK’s biggest airport outside London.

Manchester Airport Chief Commercial Officer Stephen Turner said:  “We are proud to connect the people of the North to an ever-growing network of more than 200 destinations all over the world - and adding Amaan to the list is very exciting.

Amaan is a fantastic city in its own right with ancient ruins from a range of cultures, a bustling downtown with great shopping and food, and some incredible museums and galleries – but it also opens up the rest of the country and the Levantine region.

Jordan has something for everyone; Petra is one of the seven wonders of the world, Aqaba is one of the best spots for Red Sea diving and the Wadi Rum Desert is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We’re not only looking forward to seeing people jetting off to Jordan, but also to welcoming passengers from the area to Manchester so they can experience everything the North has to offer.”

At almost 2,500 miles, the new route is Royal Jordanian’s longest European flight. It takes around 5h 45m.  

Speaking when the route was announced last year, Royal Jordanian Airlines’ chief commercial officer Karim Makhlouf said:   “Our new route to Manchester will make it easier than ever for tourists from UK to discover Jordan’s incredible wonders.  Promoting and driving tourism to the Kingdom is a key focus of our new corporate strategy – as is our emphasis on further developing Amman as the primary gateway to the Levant by offering improved connectivity to our broader network.”

Your travel planning isn’t complete without learning the language—or at least some essential phrases. Fully immerse yourself in the language, or use Phrasebook to learn travel essentials—the choice is yours!

Finnair Traffic Performance in February 2024

A two-day political strike at the beginning of February had a negative impact on passenger traffic numbers, cargo figures improved year-on-year

In February, Finnair carried 804,700 passengers. This was 2.3% less than in February 2023, even though there was one day more in February 2024 due to the leap year. The decrease was mainly caused by a political strike during the first two days of the month which forced Finnair to cancel c. 550 flights.

The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in February by 3.4% year-on-year despite the political strike. If wet lease outs are included, capacity increased by 3.6%. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), decreased by 0.8%. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) declined by 3.1% points to 72.1%. The distance-based reported traffic figures do not take into account longer routings caused by the airspace closure as they are based on Great-Circle distance in accordance with the industry practice.

flyExclusive Adds First Challenger 350 to Fractional Fleet

flyExclusive, a provider of premium private jet charter experiences, has added the first Challenger 350 super-midsize aircraft to its fractional program.

The jet, which has a 3200 nautical-mile range, is the first of what could be as many as 20 Challenger 350s that the company could add to its fleet within the next two years.

“With the addition of the Challenger 350 to our fractional fleet, customers will have the chance to own a jet that boasts a cross-country, nonstop range in the largest cabin in the super-midsize category,” CEO and founder Jim Segrave said. “This is a beautiful jet that our customers will love. It’s fast, and it’s spacious. Whether you want to stand up and walk on the flat floor during the flight, get work done as you fly non-stop cross country or enjoy a meal prepared in a full galley, you can do it on our Challenger 350s.”

The aircraft cabin is comparable to a Gulfstream G-IVSP and has space for eight passengers and 106 cubic feet of baggage. flyExclusive will sell shares in the jets in 50-, 75-, 100-, 150- and 200-hour increments.

The arrival of the aircraft signals the next phase of the company’s strategic focus on modernizing its fleet and expanding its fractional program. In February, the company appointed industry veteran Drake Sneed as SVP of Fractional Sales. In December, the company listed on NYSE American.

United introduces three new international destinations....

United is the only U.S. airline to offer non-stop flights to Marrakesh, Morocco and Cebu, Philippines and will fly non-stop to Medellin, Colombia for the first time in its history

The U.S. mega-carrier United Airlines is expanding its leading global route network, adding new non-stop flights between New York/Newark-Marrakesh, Morocco; Tokyo/Narita-Cebu, Philippines and Houston-Medellin, Colombia. United will also increase flying to popular destinations across the globe including Hong Kong; Seoul, South Korea and Porto, Portugal. Additionally, the airline will add four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai as the Chinese and U.S. governments recently agreed to increase flights between the two countries*.

United now has the largest and most diversified international route network among U.S. airlines, offering non-stop service to 134 international destinations across 67 countries. United offers flights to more destinations across the Atlantic and Pacific than all U.S. carriers combined.

In addition to flying to the most popular international destinations, United has been a trailblazer in introducing its customers to off-the-beaten-path locales around the globe – including flights to nine destinations that no other carriers serve from the mainland U.S., like Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Christchurch, New Zealand; Dubrovnik, Croatia and more.

"We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad," said Patrick Quayle, United's Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, "With our leading global network and elevated inflight experience, United has become the airline of choice for discerning customers looking for experiences they can't have with any other carrier."

Tickets for United's new Shanghai and Cebu flights are on sale now on the United app and on United.com; Marrakesh and Medellin will be available later this year.

New York/Newark-Marrakesh, Morocco

Jet2holidays named as Headline Sponsor of Leeds Pride

Jet2holidays has been announced as the headline sponsor of Leeds Pride 2024.

The package holiday specialist, which is headquartered in Leeds and employs thousands of people across Leeds and Yorkshire, will proudly sponsor Yorkshire’s biggest celebration of LGBTQ+ life.

Leeds Pride 2024 promises to be the biggest and best pride celebration to date and takes place on Sunday 21st July 2024.

The sponsorship will see Jet2holidays host a range of exciting activities in the build-up to Leeds Pride 2024, as well as on the day itself. This includes heavyweight promotion as well as a Jet2holidays float on the day, holiday giveaways, competitions, exclusive access and much more.

The announcement strengthens Jet2holidays involvement with Leeds Pride after the company was announced as one of the sponsors in 2023.

A spokesperson for Jet2holidays said: “Jet2holidays is very proud to be the headline sponsor of Leeds Pride 2024. This wonderful event celebrates the diversity in our amazing city, and as a major employer across the region, as well as a company that takes so many people on their well-deserved holidays, we believe this is a great way to demonstrate our continued support for the LGBTQ+ community. We are looking forward to celebrating with everyone on the day and we have a host of exciting activities planned.”

Alfie Bailey, Director, of Leeds Pride 2024 said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jet2holidays as our main sponsor for Leeds Pride 2024. Their support not only amplifies the reach of our message but also reflects their dedication to embracing diversity and championing LGBTQ+ rights. Together, we aim to create a memorable and impactful celebration for all.”