The US warns of sanctions to anyone who helps or allows Iranian airline to land

In a move reminiscent of a dictatorship rather than a global nation, the US is warning of sanctions against any company or country that assist in any way an Iranian airline or allow it into their country, including its allies in Europe.

The US Government has instigated sanctions on a travel and ticketing agency in Malaysia that has been providing ticketing and reservations services for Iranian carrier Mahan Air for over five years. The company, Mahan Travel and Tourism, has now had all its property, interests and investments in the USA's jurisdiction blocked. And, according to the US Treasury, that jurisdiction is pretty vast and "this is only just the start, this action against is a warning shot, There is definitely more to come." warned Marshall Billingslea of the US Treasury.

Mahan Air has a mixed fleet of mostly Airbus aircraft, including A340's and A300's and operates many routes, including over 40 international destinations this year. The US Treasury released a route map of what it says are places Mahan Air has served including destinations in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Germany, India, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. 

"All of them are of great concern to us," Marshall Billingslea told select media organisations, asserting that routes into Europe were "highly problematic"

According to Marshal Billingslea, the US is determined that Mahan Air flights into countries allied with the USA will be "terminated" which they will do either by economic means or through action by governments or airports. The US could and would impose sanctions on European countries, airports, suppliers and government, "Any company that continues to transact with Mahan [Air] is doing so at great financial risk," the Marshal briefed trade publication FlightGlobal. Warning that the US government knows the airports, the fuel, maintenance, cargo and catering services that are used by Mahan Air and all are at risk of sanctions and similar blocks to those imposed on the Malaysian travel services provider. "Companies, particularly Western companies operating in NATO nations, need to protect themselves and shut down their business ties" Bilingslea warned. 

The US Government says that Mahan Air has carried personnel and supplies for groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.  The airline has also transported personnel and weapons to Syria claims the US Treasury, yet has so far refused to provide or share its intelligence and any independent corroborating evidence.  

Kuwait Airways to launch Milan service

Kuwait Airways are all ready to launch a new route to Italy's second most populous city of Milan from 29th October this year.

The airline will operate the route three times a week on Monday's, Thursday's and Saturday's with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

The schedule for the new Milan flight will see the A330 depart Kuwait at 0840 to arrive Milan Malpensa at 1240, the return flight departs at 1400 to land back at its home base at 2125. 

Milan is known around the world as one of the globes leading fashion cities,  it is perhaps the Italian leader in terms of fashion, but there is so much more to the city than just the odd frock!   

Wizz Air announces a new destination from Vienna.

Wizz Air, one of Europe’s fastest growing airlines and the leading low-cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, announces a new route from Vienna to Eilat in Israel. Tickets are on sale now, with fares from just 29.99 euro. 

Starting operations on 17 of November 2018 the new service to Eilat will be the first direct connection from Vienna and will be operated twice a week during the winter season. Eilat is Israel’s most southern city, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea. The city’s beaches, coral reefs, nightlife and desert landscapes make Eilat a popular destination for international tourists – especially during Winter time.

Sorina Ratz, Acting Head of Corporate Communications at Wizz Air said: “Continuing our investment in Austria, we are pleased to announce for our Austrian customers a new and unique destination, with fares as low as 29.99 EUR* to the sunny resort of Eilat, Israel. Furthermore, today we are also announcing for our Austrian passengers the early commencement of our services to Catania Lisbon, Nice and Kutaisi. We remain committed to our Austrian customers and we are looking forward to bring even more opportunities and provide truly affordable air travel.”

In addition to the new route, responding to the increasing demand for Wizz Air services the carrier is bringing forward start dates on other routes from Vienna. Catania (Italy) moves forward to 25 Nov, Lisbon will now start 25 Nov, Nice will start 26 Nov and Kutaisi in Georgia will begin 11 Oct.

Emirates is offering its passengers flying to and through Dubai exceptional summer experiences across the city

Travellers who are yet to decide on summer plans can take advantage of attractive holiday packages to Dubai by simply flying with Emirates. Upon booking, passengers can avail exclusive rates at world-class hotels, enjoy outstanding entertainment and experience theme parks across Dubai, including tickets to some of the city’s world-class shows and attractions*. 

Air Canada Foundation Netted More Than $1,000,000 to Help Canadian Children's Charities

Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada,
Kaleb, Kaleb’s mom and Justin at the lemonade stand at the
Air Canada Foundation’s seventh annual golf tournament.
(CNW Group/Air Canada Foundation)

The Air Canada Foundation's seventh annual golf tournament netted over $1,000,000 in support of organizations focused on the health and well-being of children in Canada.  The tournament took place Monday, July 9 at the Saint Raphaël Golf Club in Ile-Bizard, Quebec, and featured close to 350 attendees from around the world. It included a full day of golf followed by a cocktail-style dinner, as well as silent and live auctions of items donated by tournament partners and Air Canada Foundation supporters.

"The overwhelming generosity of Air Canada's partners and friends has once again made the Air Canada Foundation's golf tournament a huge success with over $1 million raised," said Priscille LeBlanc, Chair of the Air Canada Foundation. "We also appreciate the tireless work of Air Canada employee volunteers who helped organize and facilitate the event, which was once again a sellout, allowing the majority of the funds raised to directly benefit children in need. On behalf of all the children and their families whose lives are touched by the Foundation, I thank our loyal sponsors, participants and volunteers for their on-going generosity and support."

Two young boys – Justin and Kaleb – who benefited from the support provided by the Air Canada Foundation played an important role during the day by manning the highly coveted lemonade stand. They helped raise a record amount of $11,713.50 for the Foundation as they enticed golfers with their refreshing lemonade on a sunny day.

The Air Canada Foundation was proud to welcome AMADEUS as Presenting Partner of this year's event, which was supported by more than 100 Canadian, American and international corporations and organizations.

Finnair launches off-airport baggage collection and check-in service in London with AirPortr

The popular European airline Finnair will begin offering a new baggage collection and check-in service from London Heathrow to enhance its customer experience in partnership with leading airport baggage innovators, AirPortr.

The digital ancillary service is designed to enhance the customer experience for the airline’s London-based travellers, enabling them to arrange the collection of their baggage from the doorstep of their home or hotel, which is delivered and checked-in to their flight on their behalf.

For Finnair customers who have checked in online, baggage can be collected at their London location up to a few hours prior to departure. The cost for this service starts at £30 for 1 bag if you want a 1 hour collection window, or if you have more bags and are more flexible with your time, you can select an option for AirPortr to come and get the bags anytime during a three hour slot and they will take up to 4 bags for £40.    

Finnair customers will be able to book the AirPortr service online at www.airportr.com/finnair and through Finnair.com, Finnair’s pre-departure e-mails and Manage Booking section. This means all customers can now head straight through airport security when departing, enjoying hassle-free boarding and a smoother, more enjoyable journey – next seeing their baggage at their destination airport.

Lufthansa's month of June saw passenger numbers up by 11.8 percent

Good results from the German carrier, Lufthansa for the month of June 2018 have been released by the airline.  An amazing 13.3 million people travelled on Lufthansa Group flights during June this year, an 11.8 percent increase compared to the same month last year.

The available seat kilometres were up 8.3 percent over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by 9.3 percent. The seat load factor increased by 0.8 percentage points compared to June 2017 to 83.5 percent.

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group carried a total of 66.9 million passengers in the first half of 2018 - more than ever before. A seat load factor of 79.8 percent was achieved. This is also a historic high for the first half of the year.

JetBlue's order for 60 A220-300 aircraft confirmed.

JetBlue has confirmed today it has ordered 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which is the renamed Bombardier CSeries CS300 today, powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) PW1500G engines

The airline expects to start taking delivery of the fuel-efficient and technologically advanced regional passenger jet from 2020 and will be used to replace the carriers Embraer 190 aircraft. JetBlue also has placed an option for an additional 60 aircraft starting in 2025. 

JetBlue decided to make the order for the Airbus A220-300 after an intensive review to ensure the best financial performance and maximum flexibility of the airline’s fleet, while also providing its industry-leading customer experience.

The airline is also converting its order for 25 A320neos to the A321neo and adjusting the delivery schedule. “We are evolving our fleet for the future of JetBlue, and the A220-300’s impressive range and economics offer us flexibility and support our key financial and operating priorities,” said Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue. “As we approach our 20th anniversary, the A220, combined with our A321 and restyled A320 fleet, will help ensure we deliver the best onboard experience to customers and meet our long-term financial targets as we continue disciplined growth into the future.”

Classic plane comes down in South Africa

One person has died and more than 20 injured in the crash of a classic Rovos Air Convair 340, registration  ZS-BRV, just after takeoff from Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria, today.

The aircraft had only recently been repainted in a classic Martinair livery to make it all ready for its journey to a new home, the Aviodrome museum Lelystad, in the Netherlands and was undergoing a test flight. The aircraft was built in 1954 and had recently undergone a major renovation and restoration.

It had been due to embark on a long series of flights on a journey to its new home in Lelystad that would have seen it fly via east Africa, through Egypt, Croatia, Austria and finally to the Netherlands.

The Dutch museum said it was "hugely shocked" to learn of a plane crash, which saw the aircraft come down just after take off. Smoke appeared to come from one of the engines and the aircraft failed to climb after leaving the ground. 

The South African Civil Aviation Authority has said it had investigators at the scene to look into the causes of the crash and would issue a statement in due course.

KLM airline Martinair issued the following statement, "Martinair has been informed that a Convair aircraft has crashed in South Africa. The aircraft was painted in Martin’s Air Charter (retro) livery but is not operated nor owned by Martinair.

The Convair aircraft was destined for the Dutch aircraft museum Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport in The Netherlands, which is also the owner of the aircraft. Martinair wishes to send it’s sympathy to the passengers and crew and all others involved in this accident."

Goodbye CSeries CS100 and CS300 and hello Airbus A220's

Airbus has revealed possibly the worst kept secret in the aviation world for the last few weeks, the new name for what was the Bombardier CSeries aircraft CS100 and CS300.  From now on, following the sell-off of the CSeries programme to Airbus, the aircraft will be known as the A220-100 and A220-300.

The European giant manufacturer held a special ceremony at its Henri-Ziegler Delivery Centre, near Toulouse, today, to show off the new paint job on a CS300, opps, I mean A220-300.  The event was witnessed by Airbus employees and some specially invited members of the media. 

The A220 family has now been born and marks the end of the Bombardier's new jet commercial aircraft operations, the Canadian company is now just concentrating updating its CRJ series of aircraft. The strategic limited partnership that handed over control of the CSeries to Airbus is made up of 50,01%  Airbus, approximatively 34% by Bombardier and 16% by Investissement Québec. 

Icelandair Group lowers net profit predictions for 2018

The premier full-service airline from Iceland, Icelandair has this week lowered its projected net profit predictions for 2018.

The Icelandair Group says that conditions are less favourable than it expected earlier this year and as such is predicting its net profit would be lower than prteviously suggested , somewhere in the range of  US$120-140 million. 

Icelandair said that it is apparent that performance in the second quarter will fall short of its  projections, citing disruptions in its flight schedule, delays in commissioning new aircraft, adverse weather conditions and other negative factors, had increased costs whilst not m,aking as much money.  

Air France - KLM June results

The Air France - KLM group released its June2018 figures on Monday and passenger numbers were up despite the numerous strikes and employee dissatisfaction at Air France. The group saw the number of passengers rise by 2.9 percent, traffic was up 3.5 percent whilst load factor increased by 1.5 percent when compared to the same period last year.

American Airlines score top marks on 2018 Disability Equality Index

Mega US carrier American Airlines has received the top score of 100 on the 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI) and was also named among the “2018 DEI Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the third year in a row. The DEI is a joint initiative between the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

KLM traffic June 2018

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines released its June figures on Monday and the airline welcomed 3.6% more passengers in June this year, with capacity up 2.2% in available seat kilometres. Consequently, load factor for June rose to a record 90.5%.

Up by 1 million passengers to 16.6 million in first half of 2018

Looking at the first six months of 2018, we see that our revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) are up 5.4%, with capacity up 4.2% compared to the first half of last year. This resulted in a 1% increase in load factor during the first half of the year, in which KLM welcomed 16.6 million passengers, up from 15.6 million in the first half of 2017.

KLM Cargo kept its traffic virtually stable during the first half of the year while reducing capacity by 1.9%, which led to a 1.2% increase in load factor to 66.3%.

Transavia saw its load factor rise by 2.9% in the first half of 2018, with traffic up 3.3% and capacity down slightly.

Pieter Elbers, the KLM President & CEO said, "The traffic figures confirm that all our hard work has paid off. During the first half of 2018, we achieved record growth of 1 million passengers, compared to the same period last year. If we compare our figures to those achieved four years ago, in the first six months of 2014, we see that we welcomed 3.3 million more passengers than we did back then. That’s an impressive difference and an achievement everyone at KLM may be proud of."

Ethiopia and Eritrea declare end of war and resumption of air services

Eritrea is back on the schedule for Ethiopia’s state-owned airlines according to local media reports. The flights to Eritrea’s capital Asmara will resume next week, following the restoration of diplomatic ties and trade links after talks on Monday between the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Ethiopia’s new prime minister reached out an olive branch to Eritrea, to resume diplomatic and trade arrangements and agreements that had been in disarray since a war between the two nations started in 1998.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (left) and Eritrean Prime Minister Isaias Afwerki
sign a statement declaring an end of war on July 9, 2018.

Allegiant pilots vote to strike

Pilots at Allegiant Air, the ultra-low-cost-carrier in the US and one of the most profitable airlines in the US—voted with 93.5 percent support to authorize a strike should it become necessary.

The vote comes in response to Allegiant's years-long refusal to live up to its commitments and fix a sham scheduling system that has negatively impacted the lives of many pilots and their families.

Saudi order for 777X says Boeing.

Boeing sources are briefing the media that Saudi Arabian Airlines is about to make a large order for the Boeing 777X aircraft.

The unofficial briefing didn't stipulate the number of 777X jet's Saudi Arabian Airlines would order, although it is understood to be 20 confirmed frames and a few more possible options.

If the briefing is true and Boeing has secured an order for the 777X from Saudia, it is likely to be from the 80 surplice frames from the Iran Air order that the sanctions reimposed on that nation by President Trump, had halted.

There have been no comments from Saudi Arabian Airlines on the issue. 

The June numbers for Aeromexico

Aeromexico reported its June 2018 operational results earlier this week.

• Grupo Aeromexico transported 1 million 861 thousand passengers in June; a 5.5% year-on-year increase. International passenger numbers increased by 10.5%, while domestic passenger numbers increased by 2.9%.
• Demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs), increased by 8.1%, year-on-year. Aeromexico's capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs), increased by 7.7% year-on-year.
• Aeromexico's June load factor was 82.9%, an increase of 0.3 p.p. compared to June 2017.

The Southwest Airlines Shark Week Fleet

Southwest honours fifth consecutive Shark Week partnership with  Discovery Channel by showcasing shark species with custom 30th anniversary insignia on five aircraft

Southwest Airlines in partnership with Discovery Channel launched a Shark Week Fleet this morning with five aircraft entering the Southwest® network of 99 destinations and operating more than 4,000 daily flights. The five aircraft celebrate the 30th anniversary of Shark Week, one of the most popular and longest-running televised events in history. Each aircraft proudly displays custom artwork featuring a species of shark often showcased in a Shark Week episode. The Great White Shark and Hammerhead Shark aircraft launched from the carrier's home base of Dallas Love Field (DAL); the Tiger Shark aircraft launched from Chicago (Midway) (MDW); the Bull Shark aircraft launched from Houston (Hobby) (HOU); and the Mako Shark aircraft launched from Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).

WestJet's June Results

Photo: WestJet

WestJet has released its June 2018 traffic results today and the airline managed a load factor of 83.6 percent in June, showing an increase of  0.7 percent over the same period last year.

The airline also disclosed that revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 8.5 per cent year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 7.5 per cent over the same period. WestJet welcomed an additional 120,000 guests in June, a year-over-year increase of 6.0 per cent.

New app from British Airways for Executive Club members.

British Airways has launched a brand new shiny app for members of its Executive Club so they can discover new ways to spend and collect Avios and check balances. The app won't allow flight booking or seat selection so Exec Club members will still need the usual British Airways app as well. 

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways' Director of Brand and Customer Experience, said: “We want to offer members more choice in how they interact with the British Airways Executive Club. The app is a great way that members can manage their balance and stay up-to-date with the latest ways to collect and spend Avios anywhere in the world. And with handy tools like the ability to see how many Avios are needed to book reward flights, we hope it’ll help members make the most of their balances.”

The app can be downloaded for free through the App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded members will need their Executive Club details to log in. Over the coming months, more features are planned to be added to the app to further enhance the benefits to members.

Boeing at Farnborough 2018

The mighty American planemaker Boeing has released its plans for its Farnborough Air Show excursion today and it is looking more to the future than it is the presence.

The world-renowned air show at Farnborough is just a few days away now (July 16-22) and Boeing is going to be there in a big way.  The company is bringing its, so far little-wanted 737 MAX 7, which is scheduled to do some flying displays on 16th-19th and the flying display continues with a Biman Bangladesh 787-8.

On the ground, the manufacturer will display an Air Italy 737 MAX 8, a Qatar Airways 777-300ER, CargoLogicAir and Qatar Airways 747-8 Freighters, and a Royal Air Maroc 767 Boeing Converted Freighter, which will be at the Cargo Village from July 16-18. 

The US Department of Defense is scheduled to display several Boeing platforms, including the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter, the F-15E Strike Eagle and the C-17 Globemaster military transport aircraft.

Icelandair's June Figures

Iceland's full-service friendly airline, Icelandair released its June figures earlyer this week which showed a reduction on the number of passengers it carried on international flights over the same period last year.

480,000 people flew with the carrier in June, which was a 2% reduction over 2017's June. The capacity measured in available seat kilometres (ASK) increased by 2%.  The number of available seats (AS) decreased by 4%.  The difference is more capacity to North America between years resulting in 6% higher average stage length in kilometres between years.   

The airline's load factor was 84.4% compared to 85.7% in June last year, despite a vast increase in competition from its low-cost rivals.  The number of passengers travelling from Iceland increased significantly between years, but passengers on the tourist market to Iceland and on the N-Atlantic market decreased compared to last year.

The number of passengers on domestic and regional flights were around 29 thousand, decreasing by 13% compared to June last year. Flights to Belfast, Aberdeen and between Keflavik and Akureyri stopped mid of May, explaining the reduction in the number of passengers.  The load factor was 69.6% increasing by 2.8 ppt from June last year. Sold block hours in charter flights increased by 21% between years, as a result of new long-term assignments. Freight decreased by 5%. 

Emirates show off the refitted Boeing 777-200LR

Emirates Engineering has successfully completed the reconfiguration of the second Boeing 777-200LR aircraft in its fleet. The conversion of the aircraft from three to two cabin classes was executed fully in-house at the Emirates Engineering hangars in Dubai. 

The reconfigured aircraft also features new, wider Business class seats in a 2-2-2 format, a new social area in business class, as well as a fully refreshed Economy class is designed to give customers a superior in-flight experience.

The whole event was captured on a time-lapse camera.

Nearly 37,400 new aircraft valued at US$5.8 trillion required over 20 years claims Airbus

Airbus thinks the world’s passenger fleet will more than double to 48,000 aircraft in 20 years with traffic growing at a rate of 4.4% per year, which the European plane maker says will mean airlines will need another 37,390 new passenger and freighter aircraft.

The Airbus Global Market Forecast 2018-2037 predicts emerging countries will account for over 60% of economic growth, with trips per capita to multiply 2.5 times for these nations. Combined with evolving airline business models and continuing liberalisation in the airline sector will lead to an increased resilience to regional slowdowns.

KLM to suspend direct flights to Tehran

For commercial reasons, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has decided to suspend its direct flights to Tehran, Iran, at least for the time being. as of 24 September.

The airline has said that because of the negative results and the bleak financial outlook for the Tehran operation, it will halt the direct route with effect from 22 September this year.  Whilst the airline says the suspension of service is a temporary measure, it will not give a date for the possible resumption of services. 

The last flight will depart from Amsterdam on 22 September 2018 and the last return sector will land in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport the next day.  The airline assures passengers with tickets for a flight from Amsterdam to Tehran or vice-versa on or after 24 September that they will be transferred to the most suitable alternative or financially compensated.

Fire in the cockpit - caused EgyptAir crash in 2016

Fire in the cockpit, that's the probable cause of the crash of EgyptAir flight MS804 in 2016, according to the French investigation team from the BEA. 

The French civil aviation accident bureau said that onboard recorders suggested that the blaze had spread rapidly through the aircraft.  At a press briefing on Friday, the BEA said: "the most likely hypothesis is that a fire broke out in the cockpit while the aeroplane was flying at its cruise altitude and that the fire spread rapidly resulting in the loss of control of the aeroplane".

The investigator's say that the flight crew could be heard discussing a fire on the cockpit voice recorder and that systems on board had detected smoke inside the aircraft. Sixty-six passengers and crew died when the flight from Paris to Cairo came down over the eastern Mediterranean.

The findings and from the BEA directly contradicts an earlier statement from Egyptian officials that had claimed explosives had been found on victims' remains, which in turn suggested the aircraft had been brought down by a bomb.  They said at the time that it was likely to have been a terrorist incident, especially as it came just seven months after a Russian plane was brought down by a bomb over the Sinai peninsula. 

The BEA and the rest of the world now have to wait for the Egyptian investigators to issue their final report into the incident to learn fully the differences in information processed and the conclusions each nation has come to. 

Vietjet Air launches Cam Ranh/Nha Trang – Da Nang route

Starting late September this year Vietjet Air will launch a new domestic air service between Cam Ranh/Nha Trang and Da Nang.  The service will be flown by an Airbus A321 leaving at 1145 local time and arriving Da Nag at 1245. The return of the daily service will leave at 1320 from Da Nang with an arrival scheduled for 1420 in Cam Ranh/Nha Trang.

Fiji Airways becomes the 100th airline to to serve Tokyo's Narita Airport with new direct flight

Fiji Airways has launched direct flights to Japan with a service from Nadi International Airport to Tokyo's Narita International Airport.

With the launch of the services on 3rd July, Fiji Airways became the 100th airline to serve Narita Airport.

At Nadi International Airport departure gate, an inaugural ceremony was held in celebration of the launch of the new direct route, where passengers were given a taste of Japan with a sushi and green tea station. Onboard each passenger received commemorative gifts and a special inaugural flight dining experience.

Fiji’s National Airline Managing Director and CEO Andre Viljoen said the three-times-weekly flights make Fiji and the South Pacific more accessible to Japanese tourists than ever before.  “We are excited to share with Japan the untouched beauty of our 333 islands. Fiji’s unparalleled hospitality and warmth offers Japanese tourists a unique, culturally immersive experience – much more than just another beach getaway. Our flights have been designed to ensure guests get the most of their time in Fiji. The flight from Narita arrives into Nadi in the morning, with convenient domestic connections on our subsidiary Fiji Link to major tourism spots like Savusavu and Taveuni. Additionally, guests can also easily do boat transfers after arrival to the many wonderful resorts in the beautiful Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups,” 

Ethiopian Airlines takes delivery of its first 737 Max 8 aircraft

Ethiopian Airlines has received its first 737 MAX aircraft this week from the American manufacturer, Boeing. "We are glad to include the Boeing 737 MAX 8, the latest in Boeing's single-aisle series, in our young and modern fleet of over 100 aircraft with an average age of less than five years," said Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr Tewolde GebreMariam. 

"The Boeing 737 MAX 8 features the new Boeing sky interior, highlighted by modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness ultimately boosting our customers' experience. Since it is more fuel efficient than the current 737-NG, it has less carbon emission to the environment. As a customer-centric airline with a high adaptability to emerging technologies, Ethiopian has been pioneering latest-technology aircraft into Africa throughout its 72-year history. In line with the airline's growth targets under Vision 2025, we will keep on investing in further expansion of our fleet in acquiring the latest aircraft the industry has to offer."

BA cabin crew member gets £13,000 after a spider bite

Terry O’Driscoll, a British Airways flight attendant claimed he was bitten by a venomous spider on a flight from Heathrow to Denver has won  £13,000 in damages following a court case that concluded recently.

O’Driscoll, says he felt a nip to his finger whilst getting out of the bunk in the crew rest area on the flight to the US and whilst he told no-one of the bite and no spider was located, he still won the court case after suing the airline for damages, alleging they failed to keep him safe at work.

Despite the possibility that the cabin crew member could have been bitten anywhere and even if it was on the flight, passengers often bring on bugs and nasties with them, the court still found in his favour and the flyer is quids in.

A British Airways spokesperson said aircraft are regularly checked “we always ensure our crew are able to rest in a safe and clean environment” it was also reviewing the judgment. 

Top paying routes for airlines...... The Top Ten

Top 10 Revenue Routes

Have you ever looked at the departures board at an airport and wondered what route out of the hundreds served makes the most money for an airline?

Now, we need to wonder no more as OAG has done the researched and crunched the numbers and have produced a list of the top ten most money making air routes in the world.

Globally one route breaks the billion-dollar threshold and for the airline, it amounts to about 6 percent of its total annual revenue, it is the London Heathrow New York JFK route for British Airways. According to the OAG calculations, the route makes £18,563 / US$24,639 an hour for BA.

Here is the top ten list and some you might find a little surprising, although perhaps learning that Emirates earn more money per hour on its Heathrow - Dubai route than any other airline on any other route may not be a shocker!

LAM cancelled flights because it couldn't pay for fuel.

The entire board of LAM, the national airline of Mozambique has been sacked following the cancellation of flights earlier this week that left hundreds of passengers stranded, including Mozambique's Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario. 

The airline has been struggling for some time and cancelled the flight's blaming its dire financial situation and the inability to pay for fuel to keep its aircraft in the air. The airline owes BP over $3million for fuel which turned off the supply to the airline for non-payment. However, the airline disputes this and said BP was stockpiling fuel, either way, the airline is now working with Puma Energy, on a prepayment basis. 

Flying resumed on Friday and it is understood that a full normal schedule would operate over the weekend, however, the long-term future for the carrier looks very uncertain.  In it most recent accounts, LAM reported a loss of $67.5 million.

IAG's June results

The International Airlines Group, owners of British Airways, Iberia, Lvele and Vueling announced it's latest results last week.  The group traffic in June, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased by 9.1 percent versus June 2017; Group capacity measured in available seat kilometres rose by 5.4 percent.

Rebranding BMI say hello to flybmi

The British airline BMI has rebranded itself as 'flybmi' and as part of that image change is a revamp of its website, to flybmi.com.

The airline says it wants to offer a more customer friendly platform, optimised for mobile usage and a  visually rich layout. The site is supposed to appeal to both the business and leisure markets, with improved functionality, refined navigation and a fresh look and feel.

At the heart of the website is a completely new booking engine developed by 2e Systems, one of the leading travel e-commerce solutions providers, based in Germany. The booking engine enables customers to move through the booking flow, comparing the pricing across flight times and dates, offering the full suite of flybmi’s range of retail products and also provides customers the ability to pay for their travel with various payment forms and currencies, irrespective of their point of origin.

Best airline in Europe for business ........ Lufthansa

The Business Traveller Awards were held this week in Frankfurt, Germany.  Every year, readers of the renowned German business travel magazine Business Traveller evaluate various companies from the travel industry in a survey conducted by an independent market research institute.

The top three places in the category or “Best airline for business travellers on German and European routes” were taken by Lufthansa Group airlines. For the fifth year in a row, SWISS defended its first place in this category, followed by Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines in second and third place respectively. 

A total of four awards for Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS at this year’s Business Traveller Awards  “The Lufthansa Group Airlines are aligning their product development towards current and future customer needs. We individualize and digitize the customer experience along the entire travel chain and thus redefine our premium claim. The fact that SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa occupy the first three places in Europe shows that customers appreciate these investments just as much as the outstanding service provided by our employees,” says Dr Andreas Otto, Chief Commercial Officer Austrian Airlines and Head of Product management of all premium airlines of the Lufthansa Group. "Thanks to our excellent network, business travellers can reach around 300 destinations worldwide quickly and efficiently via our four hubs.

Alaska Airlines launches nonstop service between San Jose and New York JFK

Alaska Airlines is starting a new service today between Mineta San Jose International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport

With the addition of the new service, Alaska now operates 15 flights a day to JFK from six West Coast gateways including Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco; San Jose; and Seattle. The new route builds on Alaska Airlines' largest network growth in the company's 85-year history and solidifies Alaska as the leading airline of nonstop flights from the West Coast.

Emirates introduce its first service to Chile and ramp up capacity for Hajj

One of the world's top airlines, Emirates has launched a new a new flight to Santiago International Airport in Chile today, the first destination in the country for the Dubai based mega carrier.

The airline also says it will ramp up services between Jeddah and Medina between 6th to 31st August this year in support of pilgrims during the annual Hajj. Emirates have already scheduled an additional 33 flights for that period they say.

The new Santiago flight will depart Dubai on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, leaving at 09:05 and operates via Sao Paulo, Brazil, arriving there at 17:00, before departing again at 18:30 and arriving into Santiago at 21:40 on the same day. The return is scheduled to depart Santiago on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 01:10 local time, touching down in Sao Paulo at 05:55, and from there it will leave at 07:45 and head for Dubai where it will arrive at 05:15 the next day. 

The flights are operated by a Boeing 777-200LR flight and of course, as is traditional for the first and lasts, the inaugural flight was greeted by a water cannon salute but the airport first service in both Sao Paulo and Santiago.  

WestJet top level changes

There are changes at the top of the Canadian airline, WestJet, starting from the end of the month with the retirement of Bob Cummings, Executive Vice-President, Strategy and Guest Services. Cam Kenyon, Executive Vice-President, Operations is leaving WestJet to return to the United States effective August 31, 2018. Charles Duncan, Executive Vice-President, and President, WestJet Encore has been appointed Executive Vice-President and Chief Strategy Officer, effective August 1, 2018.

Virgin Atlantic cutting staff at Crawley HQ

Virgin  Atlantic is to axe staff at its Crawley head office as it plans to close the call centre there and concentrate on one contact centre in Swansea.

The airline has already told staff that 155 of them would lose their jobs as the carrier, majority owned by US carrier, Delta Air Lines, seeks to cut costs.  The airline introduced a  "period of consultation" as it is legally obliged to do, in order for staff to learn of what options they had, however, according to trade journal TTG, some staff have already been made redundant, whilst some others have elected to take voluntary redundancy.  

A Virgin spokesperson offered no apology to the staff affected or even thanked them for their service to the company, saying. “We’re committed to providing our customers with the most personalised service of any UK airline, and currently have two contact centres based in Crawley and Swansea. The way our customers engage with us is changing, and in order to continue to offer unrivalled service to our customers, we plan to bring our contact centres together at a single site in Swansea."

Wizz Air launches new route from Birmingham and releases June figures.

The increasingly popular and fast-growing low-cost airline Wizz Air, has announced in the last couple of days the introduction of a new route from Birmingham Airport to Cluj International Airport in Romania.

Fares on the new route start at just £17.99 and are on sale now and the service will start on 16th December 2018. With historic sites and buildings, a booming tech economy, a thriving nightlife scene, festivals of every variety and easy access to the Carpathian Mountains with their stunning natural attractions, there’s something for everyone in the vibrant city of Cluj. Passengers from Birmingham can now take advantage of WIZZ’s genuinely low ticket prices and great onboard service.

Cardiff Airport welcomes more Thomas Cook flights over Easter 2019

Cardiff Airport's managers have welcomed news that UK holiday airline Thomas Cook are going to be adding Easter 2019 flights from the Welsh airport for the first time.  

With 11 flights a week from April 3, 2019 until the end of the month, Thomas Cook Airlines has added over 15,000 seats to destinations including Turkey, Majorca, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Cyprus and a new route to Enfidha in Tunisia. Tickets are now on sale via www.thomascookairlines.com

Thomas Cook Airlines now flies to 12 sun and beach destinations from Cardiff and has over 120,000 seats on sale throughout 2019 (Easter and Summer).

LOT increases Dreamliner services over the winter 18/19 season

LOT Polish Airlines has said it will increase capacity on its Krakow - Chicago route from 28th October by introducing a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the service.  The 787-9 replaces a Boeing 787-8 and departs Krakow at 1625, landing in Chicago at O'Hare airport at 1950, the return departs at 2135 to land back in Poland at lunchtime on the next day,1335.

The airline also advises that it will be extending Boeing 787-9 operations on services from Warsaw into the winter 18/19 season, the routes are Warsaw to Chicago O’Hare, operating 6 times a week, 

Warsaw to Newark, NJ where the Dreamline will operate 1 of the 3 weekly rotations and 5 of the 7 weekly rotations the airline flies into New York's JFK airport. The airline will also be putting the 787-9 on some of the rotations to Seoul's Incheon airport and Toronto Pearson airport. 

Route cancellations at Austrian Airlines after route restructure

Austrian Airlines has recently announced a restructuring to its route network that will see the cancellation of a number of services.

The flights from Vienna to Hong Kong, Havana and Colombo will all stop at the end of October this year and the airline will also cut the Vienna and Linz service, with the last day of operations scheduled to be 27th October.

Isfahan and Shiraz in Iran will end in the middle of September, while the airline promises to carry on flying to the Iranian capital city Teheran, at least until the end of the winter 18/19 season.  

Austrian will also cut down the year-round Vienna - Miami route to a seasonal operation, only flying during the summer months. The carrier says it will contact passengers booked after the end of October to re-accommodate them on other flights.