Passenger numbers up for Ural Airlines as codeshare deal with Belavia starts

Photo Ural Airlines

Ural Airlines saw passenger numbers increase over the first seven months of this year to 4,943,434, a rise of 16 percent over 2017 figures. 

The airline operated some 34,460 flights during the first half of the year,  almost half of which - 15,203 were on international routes. The carrier also had a busy July, transporting 1,002,962 passengers on 6,328 flights during the month.  Of those 440,310 were on 2,716 international flights.

Turkish Airlines gets first 737-Max 8 as profits rise to USD 258 million

The national airline of Turkey, Turkish Airlines has recently taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 8 from a massive order of 40 Max 8s, 10 Max 9s and 20 737-800s.

The airline also posted a 30 percent increase in revenue for the first half of the year over the same period last year.  The carrier achieved a record USD 6 billion following a remarkable growth performance in 2017. Turkish Airlines also managed to increase both passenger and cargo revenue in the first half of 2018. 

During the first half of the year, Turkish Airlines managed to increase net operating profit up from USD 17 million to USD 258 million, due to the increasing demand and unit revenues despite the increasing fuel prices.

First A320neo arrives for Gulf Air

The Arabian Gulf region has a new exotic mechanical bird in its skies from today as the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Gulf Air took delivery of its first A320neo today. 

CFM LEAP-1A engines power the technologically advanced passenger jet which made its maiden journey from Toulouse to Bahrain, landing at the Bahrain International Airport at 16:00 local time.

The aircraft is the first of the 29 A320neo Family of aircraft ordered during the 2016 Bahrain International Airshow and makes Gulf Air the first Middle Eastern national carrier to fly the A320neo.

There are 28 other Airbus aircraft in the Gulf Air fleet and the latest addition will blend in perfectly with the current operations, thanks to Airbus’ overall fleet commonality. Gulf Air will also benefit from low operating costs, optimum fuel efficiency and seamless, best-in-class passenger comfort of any single aisle aircraft.

Is this the best business jet in the world?

Forget your Cessna Citation, your Honda Jet or your Gulfstream G550, this business jet is head and shoulders above those and countless others on the market. There is little doubt this business jet it is the height of airborne luxury, that affords more space per 76 passengers than any other aircraft in the sky.  It's got the plushest of leather seats, the plumpest of king size beds, a fourteen place dining table, an office that rivals that of Air Force One, a bathroom that is as big as our office - in fact, its got 10 of them! It's also got a number of staterooms or lounges, comes complete with the latest entertainment system from Panasonic to ensure you'll never be bored in your flying palace. 

This business jet also has its own mini-hospital should you get a scrape or a headache or something a little more serious. There are three galleys and work areas giving the 18 strong crew plenty of space to cater for your every whim. 

Unlike most business jet's this one has four engines and a range of more than 9000 miles. It is just a couple of inches over  250 feet long and 63½ feet high and cruises along at over 900 kilometres an hour. It is a Boeing 747-8 BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) its commercial counterparts regularly carry more than 400 people, so this much much bigger than most business jets you'll see at the airport. 

This particular aircraft, registration VQ-BSK, came off the production line in 2012, then was fitted with one of the most luxurious cabins imaginable, complete with handmade carpets and a secret safe room for a couple of years by plane-maker Boeing. Finally, in 2015 it entered service transporting Very Very Important People and since it was new, it's only done around 200 flights and less than 437 flying hours, so hardly used at all. 

One of the main reasons this aircraft has had so little air time in the last three or so years is that it's one careful owner has been Amiri Flight, the private VVIP airline that operates exclusively for the Royal Family and high ranked government staff of the State of Qatar. So the list of passengers permitted to fly in this business jet is rather small and very exclusive, plus Amiri Flight has a large fleet consisting of 3 A319-100s, 3 A320-200s, 2 A330-200s, 1 A310-300, 1 A340-200, 1 A340-300, 1 A340-500 and 1 Boeing 747-8 BBJ. 

Hijacker of MS181 handed back over to Egyptian authorities

The Egyptian man who hijacked an EgyptAir aircraft with a fake suicide explosives belt in March 2016 has been handed back to Egyptian authorities according to Egypt's state prosecutor.

The prosecutor confirmed in a statement that Seif Eldin Mustafa was handed over to an Egyptian Interpol team in Nicosia after Cairo provided assurances that he would face legal proceedings that conform to international standards.

Seif Eldin Mustafa boarded the EgyptAir Airbus A320 on 29th March 2016 that was ccheduled for a normal domestic flight from Alexandria to Cairo flight with 55 passengers on board. However, it proved to be anything but an ordinary journey as Mustafa complete with a 'suicide' explosive belt took control and demanded to be flown to Cyprus.   

easyJet flight to Gibraltar diverts to Porto due to drunk and rowdy passenger

A drunk and rowdy passenger, in his early twenties, on an easyJet flight from Manchester to Gibraltar became so disruptive that the crew diverted the aircraft to Porto in Portugal on Sunday morning 

Upon arrival at Porto, the police met the aircraft and the rowdy drunk man was taken off the aircraft, along with two friends travelling with him. The aircraft then took off again heading for Gibraltar after taking on some fuel, landing some 90 minutes behind schedule. 

The late inbound arrival of the aircraft also meant that passengers on the Gibraltar to Manchester flight were also delayed by around two hours. 

An easyJet spokesperson said that "easyJet's crew are trained to assess and evaluate all incidents. Whilst such incidents are rare, we take them very seriously do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard and always push for prosecution." 

But is that enough?

TruJet to lease Jet Airways ATR's?

The financially troubled Jet Airways of India is conducting negotiations with local Indian regional airline, TruJet, to sublease out almost half of its ATR fleet.

The move will drastically hit Jet Airways competitive place in the domestic market but the airline is struggling to cut costs and shore up losses. In a briefing to the financial community, Jet Airways management said, it continues to “evaluate all possible alternatives to ensure optimum utilization of its fleet”. Many in the Indian aviation industry have believed that Jet Airways had been looking to curtail some of its domestic operations and either wet or dry lease out some or all of the ATR aircraft for some time. 

They currently have around 18 of the ATR turboprops which are used on small short routes competing with the likes of SpiceJet and IndiGo. It is hoped that by sub-leasing some of the ATR72s  out the Jet Airways will be able to focus more on lucrative international operations. 

Senthil Raja, of TruJet, confirmed the carrier was in talks with Jet Airways to take seven ATR72-500 aircraft on a  five-year “wet lease” type deal. If all goes ahead, he expects TruJet would receive the aircraft by the end of October.

Ryanair offload 13 year old autistic girl for being unaccompanied whilst travelling with family

The low-fare-high-fee budget carrier Ryanair has been accused of heartlessly stranding an autistic 13-year-old in Portugal for hours for being an unaccompanied minor, despite travelling with her relations. 

The airline had allowed Daisy Maddock, 13, to fly out to Faro on 10th August with her aunties, uncles, cousins and godmother without any problems. The young teenager was supposed to her mother, Michelle Maddock, but the 32 year-old was unable to fly as she had suffered a bleed on her brain shortly before the trip to celebrate her mother's 60th birthday.

Michelle had contacted Ryanair to explain the situation and confirm that Daisy still wanted to go and the Irish airlines' staff said it was fine, the child needed a letter explaining the situation, with copies of both parents passports. Her aunts and uncles were travelling on the same flights, under different bookings. 

Primera Air's Airbus A321neo

'We embrace tomorrow' That's the saying from Primera Air as they welcome the latest addition to their fleet, the Airbus A321neo.

The Airbus A321neo is a massive step forward for the airline and the cutting-edge quality and design, enhanced new engine option (hence the neo), cabin customization flexibility combined with the innovative seat design will prove a winner on the transatlantic routes. 

Primera tells us the Airbus A321neo is a true industry-leading airliner with unprecedented fuel efficiency thanks to its wing Sharklets and state-of-the-art engines. 

airBaltic to launch Riga - Stuttgart service

The expanding and well respected Latvian airline airBaltic has announcesd one of its first destinations for the summer season of 2019 earlier this week. The airline says it will start a service between Riga and Stuttgart from 31st March next year.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic said, “Stuttgart is already our sixth destination in Germany, and we are confident the direct connection will be appreciated among business and leisure travellers alike. As one of the centres of the German car industry and natural landscapes, Stuttgart offers a lot to its visitors.”

Last A320neo for SriLankan Airlines

The flag carrier of Sri Lanka took delivery of the last new Airbus A321neo to join its fleet last month. SriLankan Airlines now has six Airbus neo aircraft and 27 aircraft in total in its fleet with the newest acquisition.

SriLankan Airlines welcomed the aircraft with special religious observances and ceremonies at the airlines engineering hangar in Katunayake to bestow blessings on the new jet before it embarks on its life as a commercial airliner.

Oman Air launch new sleepwear and amenities kits

Something new is in the air for passengers of Oman Air, as the national carrier of Oman makes premium comfort amenities available for all on selected flights in time for Eid Al Adha.

Oman Air has launched a sale of sleepwear, an exclusive amenities kit, and other Oman Air branded merchandise on a selected number of routes to mark the festive season. The new amenities, which have been carefully researched and developed, will be available on all long-haul flights to and from Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

The elegant Business Class Amouage amenity kit, designed especially for Oman Air, contains a set of luxurious travel essentials including hand and body moisturiser, face cream, a sleeping eyeshade and shaving razor as well as a Colgate dental kit with mouthwash.

Thomas Cook drop Boston service in S19

The UK's holiday airline, Thomas Cook Airlines will be calling a halt to some of its long-haul operations from Manchester next year.

The airline currently serves Boston three times a week during the summer from Manchester but is going to drop the seasonal route from Summer next year. The airline will still operate to  13 destinations in the USA, the Caribbean and Mexico from Manchester, London Gatwick and Glasgow during the summer season 2019.

The airline will also strengthen its core long-haul fleet with an Airbus A330, the new aircraft will have fully refurbished premium and economy cabins, seatback in-flight entertainment and USB charging points. Based at Manchester airport, it increases the Thomas Cook Group Airline fleet of A330-200s to eight and the group airline total long-haul fleet to 27.

Swoop introduces a new route and its 4th aircraft

The WestJet ultra-low-cost airline, Swoop entered its fourth aircraft into service this week with the launch of a seasonal summer route between Abbotsford International Airport and Winnipeg Richardson International Airport. 

The route will be served on a daily basis until the Labour Day holiday and then it will reduce to five times a week until the end of the summer season.  “We have received our fourth aircraft in perfect time to offer this daily service for end-of-summer vacations and to aid students who are relocating to attend post-secondary in the fall,” said Karen McIsaac, Senior Advisor of Communications at Swoop. “It’s a highlight for us to see the results of our low fares connecting friends and families in different provinces, such as on this sold-out flight today.”

“The Abbotsford International Airport continues to expand flight options for passengers in our region,” said Mayor Henry Braun. “I’m pleased by the launch of Swoop’s summer service to Winnipeg and welcome more travellers to Abbotsford.”

Well done CP England team

Earlier this week British holiday airline Jet2 flew Cerebral Palsy Sport’s Team, CP England, back to the UK after the CPISRA Cerebral Palsy World Games.The team competed at the Games, which took place in San Cugat, Barcelona between 6th -12th August and they enjoyed a hugely successful week, topping the medal table and winning more than 100 medals in the process.

A number of athletes, swimmers, and RaceRunners from the team flew from Barcelona to Manchester after the games, to find out more Cerebral Palsy Sport, you can follow them on Twitter via @CPSport  

Aeroflot takes delivery of its 46th and 47th Sukhoi Superjet 100

The World's most recognised brand and the leading Russian airline, Aeroflot is celebrating the arrival of two new brand new Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) aircraft.

With the addition of these latest examples, Aeroflot now has 47 Sukhoi Superjet 100s that are deployed on its domestic short-haul passenger routes.

The airline has named the 46th SSJ100 registration RA-89114 after Valery Pavlovich Chkalov, Soviet test pilot and hero of the Soviet Union who could fly more than 30 different aircraft.

The 47th SSJ100, registration RA-89109 is adorned with the name of the famous Russian painter, war artist Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin.

The Russian-built Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft are configured with 12 seats in business class and 75 seats in economy class. These new SSJ100s will start operating on Aeroflot routes in the coming weeks. The airline will expand its fleet of SSJ 100 aircraft, with a further three new SSJ100 planes, to form a fleet of 50.

Stand up for what's right....the spirit of Australia

The leading Australian airline, Qantas has joined with some of its partners, including sports teams, Olympians and Paralympians, and leaders in the arts to produce a new video celebrating the importance of diversity to national life, reflecting the Australian spirit

The 60-second video opens with actor and Qantas Ambassador Hugh Jackman on Maroubra Beach, talking about the Australian spirit and “standing up for a fair go” and moves forward with the impressive rendition of Caravan of Love from Singer Bernard Fanning.

The video features a range of talented Australians including, the Qantas Wallabies, and Matildas and Socceroos. Paralympian Curtis McGrath, Olympic swimmer Bronte Campbell swimming with Paralympian Ellie Cole, Qantas staff celebrating Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, which the airline has supported for over 25 years and many others. 

Tulip arrives at her new home base........13th Dreamliner for KLM

The 13th Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today, and she's got the name of Tulip!

Tulip, registration PH-BHP arrived from planemaker Boeing's Seattle plant this morning and was welcomed to its new home base by staff and spotters.  KLM’s Dreamliners are all named after flowers or flowering plants, which are a very popular a typical Dutch export which fits perfectly with the airline. Some of the 787s in KLM's fleet carry names such as Orchid, Sunflower, Carnation, Lavender and Marguerite. The 13th Dreamliner is called tulip, which is perhaps the most famous flower export of The Netherlands. 

Tulip is the third Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to arrive on Dutch soil,  so far in 2018 with two others arriving in January and April.  The latest Dreamliner is the last Boeing 787-9 to arrive for the time being. Expectations are that in June 2019, KLM will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-10. The Dutch airline has already added seven new Embraers to its fleet as part of its fleet renewal programme and to support its regional expansion plans. 

Three flights affected in a day of hoax bomb threats.

A spate of hoax bomb threats in Peru and Chile on Thursday caused at least three aircraft to either make emergency landings or return to their starting airports in Chile and Peru.

A LATAM  flight from Peru’s capital of Lima to Santiago in Chile was safely evacuated after making an unscheduled landing in the southern Peruvian city of Pisco because of a hoax bomb threat. 

Two aircraft operated by Chile-based Sky Airlines heading to Rosario, Argentina, and the northern Chilean city of Calama were forced to return to Santiago without incident following phoned-in threats.

Chile’s civil aviation agency said all three planes had been inspected and there were no explosives found on any of them  Victor Villalobos Collao, director of Chile’s civilian aviation authority, said in total, the authorities had received a total of 11 threats and had to carry out “a procedure” with respect to nine of them. No explosives had been found at any location after the area or aircraft had been searched. 

Chilean police have since arrested a 29-year-old man over these hoax bomb threats according to a police spokesperson speaking a little earlier today. Advising that, a specialist organized crime unit arrested the man in the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta. “The police managed to trace the phone calls that were made warning of explosives on different planes,” the spokesperson said

The man who has not yet been named was due to appear before a court in Santiago on Friday on the charge of making threats of explosives contrary to national security legislation. 

Air France-KLM shares down as Ben Smith named as new CEO

As expected by the recent announcement that Benjamin Smith has been appointed as the new CEO of Air France-KLM, has angered unions are accusing the group of handing control to a foreigner and not protecting Air France’s interests.  Shares in the big European airline group shares fell on Friday and are expected to fall further next week. Also, having a negative impact on the stock market is news that KLM's Dutch pilots are threatening to strike over working conditions. 

Air France-KLM shares fell some 4 percent during early trading and were among the worst-performing stocks on the Paris SBF120 index. Leading analysts say the fall is directly attributed to the unhappiness of the unions over the appointment of Ben Smith.

Five new routes for Oman's budget airline

SalamAir, the low-cost carrier based at Muscat, Oman is introducing five new routes, starting tomorrow 17th August.

The airline is launching direct flights to Khartoum, Kathmandu, Najaf and Dhaka,  which the carrier hopes will take its development one stage further.  With the addition of these new routes, SalamAir, Oman’s first budget airline is expected to carry over one million passengers before the end of 2018.

Captain Mohamed Ahmed, CEO of SalamAir said, “Our strategy is to provide affordable travel across our expanding network. The launch of our new destinations is yet another milestone in SalamAir’s young history. It allows us to continue providing our guests with exciting travel possibilities and budget-friendly rates.”

“Supported by our new aircraft order, SalamAir will continue to expand its network of destinations to meet the growing demand for budget travel in the Sultanate and region. We are offering our guests a convenient, flexible and reliable experience to a growing range of exciting destinations.” He said.

Xiamen aircraft has runway excursion in Manila

Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating flight  8667 has skidded off the runway at Manila airport according to local media reports.

The Xiamen aircraft was operating a flight from Xiamen to Manila and missed its first approach to the airport, landing on the second attempt and skidding off the runway at 2355 local time.

The aircraft, registration B-5498 is less than ten years old and was landing during a thunderstorm according to local reports.

According to local media, the 737-800 skidded off the end of the runway, during which one of the engines detached from the wing and part of the undercarriage was ripped off.  Xiamen Airlines says all 165 passengers on flight MF8667 have evacuated safely after the emergency incident, there are reports of minor injuries sustained by some during the evacuation. 

Benjamin Smith resigns from Air Canada to become ceo of Air France-KLM

Earlier today, Air Canada announced that Benjamin Smith, President, Airlines and Chief Operating Officer, has told the carrier he will resign his position to take effect at the end of this month.

Air Canada say that Ben is to accept a role as the chief executive officer at a 'European-based global airline', although it stopped short of naming it.  "We wish Ben well in his future endeavours and congratulate him on his appointment. On behalf of our Board of Directors, our executive team and our 30,000 employees, I thank Ben for his significant contributions in many various roles at Air Canada over the past two decades," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada.   

LATAM starts new route to Santiago from Cuzco

Liz Chirinos, Deputy Minister of Tourism, with Manuel van Oordt, GM, LATAM Airlines

LATAM Airlines has launched a new flight from launched flights from Cuzco, Peru’s seventh most populous city to the capital of Chile, Santiago, this week.

The flight started yesterday and is being operated by one of the carriers Airbus A319's configured with 144 seats. The Santiago route becomes the carriers first international route from Cuzco, although it offers seven domestic destinations. 

LATAM will offer three non-stop flights per week between the two cities, which may be increased in future should demand require it. According to recent research, an estimated 61,100 people travelled indirectly between Cuzco and Santiago during 2017, with most people changing planes in Lima. 

Its jail time for bomb hoax librarian

Jacob Meir Abdellak, a forty-seven year-old Librarian was running late for his Norwegian Air Shuttle flight from London Gatwick on Friday 11th May this year. He knew he wouldn't make the airport on time, so he made a call, threaterning that there was a bomb onboard the Los Angeles bound jet.

The call was made at 0547, less than ten minutes before the flight was due to depart, subsequently, police and security officials had to evacuate the aircraft and rescreen all the passengers, luggage and the aircraft itself. Such a vast security operation would take some time and the flight was delayed by ninety minutes. 

Mr Abdellak then attempted to use the 90-minute delay to check-in and take the US-bound flight, however airline staff said this wasn't possible and it was then that Abdellak became abusive. He was, however, rebooked for a flight later in May.

United prangs two aircraft in Chicago

An investigation is underway as to how two United Airlines aircraft could collide on the tarmac of  Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

UA645 was departing from gate C30 ready to fly to Portland when the left wingtip of the Airbus struck the wing of another aircraft, a Boeing 737 registration N13720, that was being prepared to operate UA2746 bound for Cleveland, at around 1620 yesterday afternoon.  Its reported that both aircraft were damaged in the incident 

United issued the following statement yesterday, “Prior to its departure on Wednesday afternoon for Portland, Oregon, United flight 645’s wingtip came into contact with the wingtip of another aircraft parked at a nearby gate. There were no customers on board the parked aircraft at the time of the incident and no reported injuries on either aircraft.  We assisted our customers and operated the flight to Portland with a different aircraft. The flight departed at 6:32 p.m. yesterday.”

More new flights from Frontier Airlines.

The US low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is expanding its route network yet again, the airline recently announced a number of new services from  Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina set to start in November this year and operated by one of the carriers Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline is introducing three international routes and two domestic services. 

The Mexican holiday playground of Cancun is the first of the three new services from Raleigh and will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The current schedule for the new flights will see a departure time of 0600 to land in Cancun at 0926 local time. The return is planned to return at 1021 from the sunny report, landing in North Carolina at 1328.

Montego Bay will start on 17th November this winter and is currently scheduled to operate twice each week, flying on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Provisional timings for this new service indicate it will leave Raleigh at 0600 and arrive Montego Bay at 0905.  The return sector departs some fifty-five minutes later at 1000 with an arrival time at Raleigh of 1310. 

Strange odour forces Frontier flight to divert

A mystery odour on Frontier Airlines flight 1674 to Philadelphia yesterday caused the crew to divert to Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina because the smell was making passengers sick.

The flight from Orlando had 230 passengers and 7 crew members aboard when the mysterious odour began to take effect on some of the passengers and cabin crew, making them nauseous. The crew decided to divert the aircraft to Raleigh-Durham. 

According to a spokesperson for  Frontier Airlines, eight people complained of feeling sick from the smell, three of them were taken to a local hospital to be checked out. The spokesperson advised that "Safety and security of our crew and guests is our number one priority," which is why the crew diverted the flight. It has been reported that a member of the cabin crew was one of those receiving treatment, although this has not yet been confirmed by the airline.

The fire service at Raleigh-Durham met the Airbus A321 aircraft and did an inspection both inside and out, but no cause for the strange and mysterious odour could be found. An investigation is ongoing. 

Radioactive alert closes Budapest Airport for three hours on Wednesday

Photo REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

A radioactive alert caused a terminal at Ferenc Liszt Airport in Budapest Airport to be closed for three hours on Wednesday night. Officials advise that terminal 2B at the airport was shut down between 1930 and 2230 to facilitate a fast investigation into an overheated container carrying a radioactive isotope.

Firemen were seen entering the cargo compartment of a Turkish Airlines aircraft that was parked on the tarmac of Budapest Airport, in Hungary, during the incident that closed the airport. A spokesperson for the Hungarian Disaster Management Authority advised that "Material damaging to health did not get into the environment," adding that "Passengers are perfectly safe."

According to local media reports, the isotope was iridium which had been ordered by a Hungarian company from a firm based in the Russian city of Dimitrovgrad. The container carrying the isotope arrived in Budapest on a Turkish Airlines flight on Wednesday evening from Istanbul.

The passengers and crew of the flight on which the container was carried, nor the passengers and staff at the airport were in any danger according to information from the Disaster Management Authority.  Turkish Airlines has not yet responded to requests for comment. 

US aviation professionals call for long term reauthorisation of the FAA

The US organization representing many of the country's main airlines, Airlines for America (A4A), has joined forces with nearly 30 other key commercial and business aviation associations in sending a letter to the US Senate.

Together this conglomeration of aviation industry professionals are urging the Senate to swiftly consider a long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA's current authority is all set to expire on 30th September this year.

"Every day, the U.S. airline industry delivers safe and affordable air transportation options to millions of travelers, businesses, and shippers around the world, while supporting nearly 11 million jobs and driving $1.5 trillion in economic activity," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Adopting a long-term reauthorization bill will provide stability for the FAA to uphold the highest levels of safety we have today, while providing the certainty that employers need to continue creating new jobs, investing in crucial infrastructure and new technology, and encouraging innovation that will move the industry forward."

Some of the other organisations signing the letter include Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Regional Airline Association (RAA), Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) and Cargo Airline Association (CAA). 

Two new routes from Eilat for WizzAir

Wizz Air, is one of Europe's fastest growing airlines and continues its expansion in Israel, with the launch of two new routes,  Budapest – Eilat (Ovda) and Sofia – Eilat (Ovda). 

These new low-fare services will start operating during November 2018, along with 5 other winter routes from Eilat: London, Vienna, Bucharest, Riga and Warsaw. 

The Budapest – Eilat route operates on Mondays and Fridays and starts of 9th November, with launch fares from €19.99. The Sofia – Eilat route will fly on Tuesdays and Saturdays with effect from 10th November and the launch fares for this route starts off at €19.99.

There's a plushy arrival on Emirates flights

The Dubai based Emirates has introduced new toys from the Emirates Fly with Me collection and Lonely Planet Kids activity kit bags for children travelling in all classes. The new range of toys will come in the top four favourite characters, as voted by customers and fans in a social media competition held last year.

Of the 17 characters Emirates introduced on board in the last three years, the top four characters chosen for the new products are Lewis the Lion, Peek U the Panda, Ernie the Penguin, and Savanna the Elephant. The new collection will be on board all flights and across all classes from this month and so how cute they are too.

Delta and Kenya Airways strike codeshare deal

Delta Air Lines and Kenya Airways expand connectivity between U.S. and Africa.

The US mega-carrier, Delta Air Lines has entered into a codeshare partnership deal with Kenya Airways on flights to and from Kenya Airways' hub at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.  

The deal will see Delta's 'DL' code be placed on Kenya Airways' flights from Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Accra to Nairobi, which will enhance connectivity and provide customers with a one-stop seamless travel experience from the United States. In addition, Delta will place its code on Kenya Airways' services to more than 10 key cities across Africa, including: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Maputo, Mozambique; Johannesburg, South Africa and Djibouti City, Djibouti.

American Airlines A321 turns back for engine issue

An American Airlines flight AA1668 from Charlotte to Chicago had to turn back earlier today following an engine malfunction that caused sparks to fly according to passengers on the flight.

The Airbus A321-231 registration N981UY took off on Wednesday morning on a routine flight to Chicago's O'Hare airport, "As we took off from Charlotte, there was a rattling and shaking on the plane,” Jesse Batson a passenger on the flight told local media, “It was a very bumpy take-off.”

Batson went on to say that the passenger seated next to him at the window as well as others on the flight spotted sparks from the engine on the right side of the aircraft. He then recalled how the pilot used the PA system to advise the passengers there had been a stall in the number 2 engine, it still continued to run but the flight was going to return to Charlotte as a precaution.

EL AL gets retrojet painted Dreamliner as losses mount

The Israeli airline El Al saw its sixth Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrive at its home base of  Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on the 14th, resplendent in a retro livery. 

The twinjet, registration 4X-EDF arrived at around 08:50 local time on 14th August, following a flight from Boeing in Seattle. The paint job on the 'retrojet' dates from the sixties when it appeared on the airlines Boeing 707's and has been applied to this, the latest aircraft to join the El Al fleet to help commemorate the carrier’s 70th anniversary.

Belize will be 50th international destination for Aeromexico

Aeromexico has announced that it's 50th international destination will be the city of Belize when the carrier starts a twice-weekly winter service ion November this year.

The flights will operate on Saturdays and Sundays and will run every week from 7th November until 28th April next year. The flights are scheduled to leave Mexico City at 0830 with an arrival time of 1030 at Belize. The return flight sector leaves at 1200 and gets back into Mexico City at 1415, local time. 

Aeromexico’s Chief Revenue Officer, Anko van der Werff said “At Aeromexico, we are very happy to announce this new route that has also become the airline’s 50th international destination, which will help us expand our global connectivity network. This achievement is another sign that we are working to offer better products to our customers, removing barriers between countries, regions, and

people.”

Ryanair to face court action over refusal to pay EU261 compensation claims

According to news agency Reuters, the German passenger rights firm, Flightright will be taking low-cost-high-fee airline Ryanair to court over its decision not to pay compensation to passengers affected by recent strikes.

The airline has been bullish towards customers seeking compensation under EU regulations telling them they are not entitled to it,  a spokesperson saying, "Under EU261 legislation, no compensation is payable when the union is acting unreasonably and totally beyond the airline's control. If this was within our control, there would be no cancellations,"

Boeing 737 MAX 8 for Lion Air

Lion Air has taken delivery of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Seattle, via CMIG Aviation Capital leasing company.

The Lion Air Group has an in-service fleet of 299 aircraft and flies from bases in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia under 5 different brand identities. As a group, it serves more than 200 destinations in over 20 countries, most of which are the Chinese Belt-and-Road regions. The addition of 737 MAX 8, fitted with CFM-LEAP-1B engines, will allow the company to pursue its growth plans. 

Edward Sirait, Lion Air Group CEO, said, "We are delighted to have CMIG as a lessor to the Lion Group and we look forward to expanding and strengthening this business partnership. As the largest domestic operator in Indonesia, safety and reliability are our top priorities. The 737 MAX has built upon our current 737's industry-leading reliability and is providing us with the highest level of air safety for our passengers."

Alaska Air release its July numbers

This week Alaska Air Group Inc. reported its year to date and July operational results, with demonstrated a 7.6 percent increase in traffic on a 6.8 percent increase in capacity compared to July 2017. As a group, the company achieved a load factor increase of 0.7 points to 87.7 percent.

Revenue was also up by 6.9 percent.