Bombardier to sack 5000 staff and sells the Q400 programme.

The Canadian firm Bombardier has confirmed that it will fire 5000 staff globally and sell the Q400 programme, as well as the de Havilland trademarks as it tries to streamline the company to stave off bankruptcy. 

The firm has already agreed on the sale of the entire Q Series aircraft programme and the de Havilland trademarks to Viking Air a wholly owned subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital Corporation for approximately $300 million.  David Curtis, CEO of Longview Aviation Capital Corp said "The Dash 8 turboprop is the perfect complement to our existing portfolio of specialised aircraft including the Twin Otter and the Canadair CL 215 and 415 series of water bombers. "We see enormous value in the de Havilland Dash 8 programme, with these aircraft in demand and in use all around the world." 

As part of the agreement, Longview will also receive all assets and intellectual property and Type Certificates associated with the Dash 8 programme and the firm will take on the responsibility for the worldwide product support business, which covers over 1,000 aircraft currently in service or scheduled for production.  Longview says it will continue to independently operate the programme at the original de Havilland manufacturing site located at Downsview, Ontario, Canada at least for the present time. Bombardier also sold off Downsview earlier in the year and Viking and others can only stay on the site until 2021, so the long-term future remains unclear.

Two new Paris routes for Hainan Airlines........Starting next month the airline will fly from Chongqing and Shenzhen to the French capital

One of the fastest growing airlines in the Asia region,

Hainan Airlines has announced that it will begin nonstop services on routes Chongqing and Shenzhen to Paris, starting on the 19th and 21st December.

These two new services will be the second and third Hainan Airlines direct flight between mainland China and Paris and mark a major development for the airline. The Chongqing-Paris route will be operated on an Airbus A330 widebody aircraft scheduled for two round-trip flights per week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays. While the airline will schedule a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Shenzhen-Paris route with two round-trip flights each week, on Wednesdays and Fridays.

WestJet saw revenue increase and loads decrease in October

Today WestJet announced October 2018 traffic results with a load factor of 80.9 per cent, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points year over year. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 7.4 per cent year over year, while capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 8.5 per cent over the same period. WestJet welcomed an additional 86,000 guests in October, a year over year increase of 4.4 per cent. Year to date traffic growth continues to outpace capacity additions.

"Our year over year traffic growth remains strong as we welcomed a record 2.1 million guests into our network in October," Ed Sims, WestJet President & CEO. "As we move into the busy winter season, I want to thank every individual WestJetter for continuing to provide our guests with an award-winning service experience."

Swooper fare offering coming from a Canadian airline tomorrow.

It seems like the low-cost Canadian carrier Swoop is getting desperate for sales with the introduction of a very limited time sales period for some discounted fares. 

From tomorrow the budget carrier from WestJet will have a new feature on its website that has been designed to stimulate sales. Swoop are calling this new deal FlyDay Fares and these are time-limited special offer fares that will only be available between 1100 and l500  3:00 p.m. MST each Friday. The markets offered for this little period of sale will vary from week-to-week, presumably, whichever route hasn't been selling well over the preceding week. 

Karen McIsaac, Senior Advisor of Communications at Swoop believes "FlyDay Fares are a fun way to play with spontaneous travel. Let the weekly sale determine which city you will explore next or check back every Friday for a sale-fare on that certain trip you've been planning. The weekends just got a little more Swooper."

Swooper! 

(Image Swoop)

British Airways to increase Inverness flights

The UK's British Airways has confirmed this week that it will significantly expand its service between its home base of London Heathrow and the vibrant and beautiful Scottish city of Inverness by operating two daily return services from Monday to Friday and three return services at weekends from summer 2019.

The airline reinstated the route during 2016, and the new enhanced schedule will see an aircraft being parked ay Inverness overnight and it will also mean that passengers can travel down to London, do a full day at work and then fly back to Inverness. 

Hawaiian sees revenues rise during October.

Hawaiian Airlines carried over 971,000 passengers during last month, a record for the carrier it reported this week.  The airline also increased flights which had a slightly negative impact on its load factors across the fleet, down to 85.6%

The airline recently announced it would be starting a direct service from Honolulu to Boston from 4th April.  The service will operate five days a week on a 278-seat Airbus A330 widebody aircraft, which features a spacious first-class cabin that has 18 lie-flat leather seats that transform into 180-degree beds at a roomy 20.5 inches wide and 76 inches long, in a 2-2-2 configuration. The aircraft also has  68 Extra Comfort main cabin seats, which offer a 36-inch seat pitch for extra leg room, and priority boarding.

Southwest Airlines Co has reported a slight drop in load factors for the month of October as it published its latest results.

The October 2018 load factor was 84.5% compared with 85.8% in October 2017, the Company flew 11.3 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) during last month, which is up 6% from the same month last year.  Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 7.7 % to 13.4 billion in October 2018. 

 The airline has also recently introduced new routes and schedules from a number of cities, including in California, where, by the end of the month the airline will offer up to 98 departures a day to more than two dozen destinations across the United States and Mexico.

Major expansion from Edinburg for Scotland's airline Loganair

Scotland’s regional airline, Loganair recently announced a major expansion programme at Edinburgh Airport for its summer 2019 schedule. Named last month as European Regional Airline of the Year, Loganair will introduce not one, not two, not three, but four new routes from Edinburgh.

The carrier will launch regular year-round services to the Norwegian cities of Bergen and Stavanger; to the island of Islay; and a seasonal link between Edinburgh and Guernsey. The news has been welcomed by the Aviation Director at Edinburgh Airport Jonathan Rayner, who said: “Expanding Loganair’s presence at Scotland’s busiest airport is great news for passengers as it provides greater choice and travel options, something we are always keen to add at Edinburgh Airport. This expansion will also provide the opportunity to build business links in Norway as well as appeal to those looking for a leisurely break and we’re excited to see these routes develop.”

Stavanger will become Loganair’s second destination in Norway with four flights each week from Edinburgh, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.  Flights from Edinburgh to Bergen – the Gateway to the Fjords – will operate three times each week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Both Bergen and Stavanger will be operated by the airline’s newly acquired 37-seat Embraer 135 jet, the latest addition to its fleet of 30 aircraft.  Jasper Spruit, Avinor’s Vice President of Traffic Development said: “It’s fantastic to see Loganair going from strength-to-strength in the all-important market between Norway and Scotland, which includes the airline’s first operations to Stavanger. For the Norwegian regions, good connectivity is extremely important for trade and business.”

WestJet staff build five new homes for families in Dominican Republic.

Annual humanitarian trip brings 50 WestJet staff members

to Puerto Plata community

In nine days, 50 staff from the Canadian airline WestJet immersed themselves in the local community of La Union in Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic, not for a holiday, but to take part in the eighth WestJet Live Different Builds. On this annual humanitarian trip, WestJet staff, nicknamed WestJetters by the company, were able to build new homes for five families living in extreme poverty.

Since WestJet's first humanitarian trip in April 2012, more than 400 of the company's staff have volunteered their time to build 38 new homes for deserving families. The 'WestJetters' extra fundraising efforts have also contributed to many significant community enhancement projects. This year, WestJetter participants raised over $17,000 of extra funds that, when topped up to $22,000 by WestJet, were used to create engineer-designed paved pathways throughout La Union, improving walkability, water dispersion and the overall health and safety of the community.

"WestJet's caring culture has always extended beyond our aircraft and we're incredibly proud of the WestJetters who volunteer their time and talents to make this important annual trip possible," said Richard Bartrem, WestJet Vice-President Marketing Communications. "By working together with Live Different and the La Union community, we are able to enrich the lives of deserving families in the WestJet world."

Ryanair sacked the six 'sleeping' staff

The budget airline Ryanair has sacked the six cabin crew members who were pictured 'sleeping' on the floor of the airline Malaga crew room / office after flights on 14th October were cancelled due to storms.

The image was shared widely on social media at the time and Ryanair's Peter Bellew countered by saying all the hotels in Malaga were full and the crew were soon moved into the VIP lounge.  However, upon checking, we found there were plenty of hotel rooms available in Malaga on that night and the VIP lounge manager testified that there was no Ryanair crew in the VIP lounge, for one major reason - the lounge closes overnight.  

A few days later, the low-fare-high-fee airline released what it claims was a CCTV video from the crew room which suggested the photo was staged and the crew were only on the floor for a matter of minutes to allow the picture to be taken. 

Technical fault takes out the runway lights at London's Heathrow Airport

A technical issue has affected the runway lighting at the UK's busiest international airport, London Heathrow, causing delays and disruption earlier this morning.

A spokesperson for Heathrow said that a technical issue was being investigated and disruption was anticipated to last throughout the morning. Whilst the airports biggest airline, British Airways was forced to delay some flights that were scheduled to depart Heathrow.

Some passengers in North America took to social media to report their flights were being held back from departing because of the light issues at Heathrow. 

As Heathrow runs at near 100% capacity, it only takes a small delay or incident to have major repercussions throughout the day. Passengers are being asked to contact their airline, before travelling to the airport.

Heathrow advised that the fault had been rectified just after 0600 and that both runways were now open and that they would continue to monitor the situation. The airport also apologised to passengers for the delays. 

The latest competition between US airlines is.....who can reduce the most flight attendants!

who can reduce the most flight attendants! 

A recent communication from John Slater United Airlines Senior Vice President of Inflight Services to staff indicated that from the 1st February 2019 the airline was going make changes to the cabin service and thus axe at least one member of staff.

Slater and his team had previously asked United flight attendants for feedback on the airlines in-flight offering, how the service worked and what didn't work, that input from the frontline staff was taken, considered and collated with feedback from customers. The end result was that some items of the service in Polaris business class have been dropped, some changed and some things there were previously done in the air (plating up the main course) will now be done on the ground and as a thank you to the staff for their input and for working hard, United is going to axe at least one member of cabin crew on those long-haul flights.

JetBlue allows points pooling...............

US low-cost-carrier and New York Hometown airline, JetBlue recently revealed an enhanced TrueBlue experience, as part of its ongoing digital transformation. This refreshed digital experience adds “Points Pooling”—a more flexible and user-friendly way for TrueBlue members to pool points, together. 

Finnair invests in customer comfort with new ATR cabins in 2019 & new Premium Economy class for long-haul as of 2021

One of the leading Nordic airlines, Finnair is investing in future customer comfort with all new entire cabin of its ATR fleet of aircraft scheduled for 2019 and the airline will also introduce a new and potentially highly lucrative Premium Economy cabin class for its long-haul fleet. 

Finnair uses its ATR aircraft mainly on its domestic route network as well as on routes to the Baltics, to Gdansk in Poland and to Stockholm’s Bromma airport with the flights are operated by Finnair’s partner Norra. 

The new cabin renewal will include new seats, new carpets and a harmonised and fresh cabin interior design, “We want our customers to get a fresh Nordic experience on our regional flights,” says Piia Karhu, Senior Vice President, Customer Experience at Finnair. “The regional feeder traffic is an important part of the Finnair network – we have over 30 000 ATR flights every year.”. The first ATR aircraft with the renewed cabin is expected to be in operation in summer 2019, and the refurbishment of the 12 aircraft should be completed during the first part of 2020.

It isn't just domestic and regional passengers that will see a new cabin, Finnair will also introduce a new cabin class across its entire long-haul fleet from 2021. The carrier will bring a whole new Premium Economy cabin to that fleet that will feature highly customised designs and provide passengers with increased space and comfort along with an enhanced service offering. “We see a growing trend of quality-focused travellers, who place a strong focus on the comfort and quality of their travel experience,” adds Karhu. “Responding to customer needs from all our key markets, our new Premium Economy class will serve the requirements of both leisure and corporate customers.”  

The rollout of Premium Economy class to Finnair’s long-haul fleet starts in the fourth quarter of 2020 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.  Detailed planning of the cabin design, service concept as well as the commercial aspects are currently ongoing, and the airline will publish these at a later stage. 

(Images Norra Regional Airlines / Finnair)

Passenger loads fall in October for Icelandair

The October results for Icelandair are now in which showed the airline carried 352,787 during October, an increase of 10% compared to the same month last year.  The load factor was 80.9% compared to 83.4% in October last year, Icelandair´s routes in Europe were 81.0%, an increase of 2.5 percentage points, load factors to North America were a disappointing 77.8%, a decrease of 5.0% from last year.

The number of passengers on domestic and regional flights was 27,983 a decrease of some 10% compared to October last year. However, the company dropped flights to Belfast, Aberdeen and between Keflavik and Akureyri during the middle of May, so passenger number were expected to be lower when compared to last years results. 

British Airways adds a remembrance poppy to a Boeing 747

In the centenary year of the end of the First World War, UK airline British Airways has added an 8foot by 8foot remembrance poppy to the rear fuselage section of one of the carriers Boeing 747 aircraft.

"It’s important that our aircraft carries the poppy as it is a national symbol of remembrance, and as a national carrier, we should take pride in remembering those that have fallen in all conflicts, new or old, for our country.

We have many colleagues that have served or are still serving in Reservist or Cadet forces roles and it is also a thank you to them for their hard work and dedication to the country." said Tom Deary, a British Airways Engineer, Sergeant in 381 Squadron and a former RAF Aircraft Technician.

Every year, Tom co-rallies 100 volunteers from across the airline, alongside members of the armed forces, to sell poppies at Heathrow, with the proceeds going to the Royal British Legion.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “We are so proud of the millions of people who represented Britain a century ago. Flying the poppy on our aircraft will help us carry the spirit of remembrance across the globe in their honour.”

Collections will take place at Heathrow Terminal 3 and 5, at arrivals and departures and there is a Remembrance Wall being displayed in Terminal 5 between 1st and 11th November. British Airways staff will also observe the national two-minute silence held on the 11th November, at 10.55am, all British Airways staff will pause ground operations and engines will be shut down to observe the silence- wherever that is possible.

Pictured above and proudly posing with the airline’s poppy artwork are British Airways’ Poppy Day volunteers: Cabin crew Emily Rowlands, Flight Planner Kai Burman, Customer Services Manager Andrea Popkess, Cabin Mechanic Tom Deary (centre), cabin crew Sophie Fox and Fleet Planning Engineer James Hill'.

Find out more details on the Poppy Appeal here.

Visit the Poppy Shop here.

British Airways adds a remembrance poppy to a Boeing 747

Urumqi Air will take delivery of five ARJ21-700 aircraft by the end of 2019

Urumqi Air, the regional Chinese carrier has agreed with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) that the airline will take delivery of two ARJ21-700s by the end of this year and plans to receive three additional ARJ21-700s in 2019.  The arrangements were finalised at the 12th China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition on Tuesday, November 6th, 2018 and follows on from the letter of intent signed by the HNA Group with COMAC at this years Farnborough International Airshow held back in July 2018.

 "The purchase of the new model is expected to inject new impetus into Urumqi Air and to help the airline expand its regional air network," Han Luhai, Chairman of Urumqi Air said on November 6th. 

With outstanding performance in extremely cold and high-elevation environments, the ARJ21 can accommodate the somewhat harsh conditions at airports in the central and western regions of China and navigate the complicated air routes in the regions that Urumqi Air serve. 

Last month, COMAC signed a deal with new regional start-up Genghis Khan Airlines of Mongolia to provide them with a number of ARJ21's from the end of this year, ready to enter service early next year when the airline launches operations. Genghis Khan Airlines has ambitious plans to operate a fleet of 25 aircraft within five years, serving at least forty different destinations.  operating 60 services to 40 destinations within five years. It also plans to double the fleet within eight years of starting and expand its route network to more than 70 destinations. 

Hainan Airlines to launch Chongqing-Shanghai-Boston and Chongqing-Shanghai-Seattle service in December

One of the fastest growing airlines from China, Hainan Airlines recently announced it will be launching two new services between  Chongqing-Shanghai-Boston and Chongqing-Shanghai-Seattle as part of the carriers ongoing global expansion programme.

The two routes will start on December 11th and 12th respectively and will be operated on luxury wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. These aircraft are fitted out with the airlines spacious and comfortable cabins that feature reverse herringbone seating in business class, complete with BOSE noise reduction headphones and Bulgari toiletries. Every passenger can enjoy the exclusive on-demand entertainment system and of course, in typical Hainan style, every passenger will be served sumptuous offerings from both Western and Oriental cuisines.

Cathay Pacific signs codeshare deal....but not with an airline!

Hong Kong based Cathay Pacific has agreed a new codeshare deal that will greatly benefit passengers arriving in Hong Kong with onward travel, but it is not, as you'd probably expect, with an airline!

The new deal that executives from Cathay have signed is with Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co., Ltd (CKS), a ferry company and this will mean, from this week, the “CX” Cathay Pacific flight code will appear on CKS’ high-speed ferry services (3A) operating between Hong Kong International Airport and the following Greater Bay Area ports of Humen, Lianhuashan, Nansha, Shekou, Fuyong (for Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport), Zhongshan and Zhuhai.

The arrangement is designed to provide unrivalled access throughout the Greater Bay Area with direct flights between Hong Kong and Guangzhou, in addition to an extensive network of road and ferry connections to Macao and Guangdong province. The new codeshare agreement enhances connectivity yet further with the aim of delivering a seamless customer journey.

Volaris reports impressive growth for October 2018.

Volaris, the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America has reported impressive passenger growth figures for October 2018 of 21% this week.

The airline increased total capacity, as measured in Available Seat Miles (ASMs), by 19.1% year over year and total demand, as measured in Revenue Passenger Miles (RPMs), in October 2018 increased 21.2% year over year, reaching 1.5 billion. 

In total Volaris transported a total of 1.6 million passengers during the month, that's a massive increase of 21.5% over the same period last year. Network load factor for October was 85.4%, an increase of 1.5 percentage points year over year. 

Slowing growth makes cost cutting more important for Norwegian.

Norwegian, Europe’s best low-cost carrier for the last six years, flew nearly 3.4 million passengers during the month of October, 8% more than it did last October. Yet, despite this growth, the airlines boss Bjoern Kjos warned that cost-cutting would be increasingly important during this winter period,   “We are now entering a period of lower demand, tough competition and high oil prices, making it even more important for the company to continue reducing its costs,” Bjoern Kjos said on Tuesday, November 6th.

The airline carried 3,388,898 passengers in the last month, while 99.4% of its flights operated as scheduled and its on-time performance crept up 1.4% to 79.7%. Norwegian also saw total traffic growth (measured in RPK) increase by 25% driven by a 29% capacity growth (ASK) and the carriers load factor, down by over 2% was still 85% which is rather impressive considering all the new routes it has introduced over the last couple of months. It is, therefore, no wonder then that Kjos is happy with the latest results, “We are very pleased that an increasing number of passengers choose Norwegian for their travels. The long-haul routes represent the largest growth this month and the demand is satisfactory.” he says. Indeed, many airline CEO's must be silently envious as they look over Norwegian's latest figures, market position and reputation.  

Jambojet to lease two brand new Bombardier Q400s from Chorus Aviation

Jambojet Limited, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways has agreed a deal with Chorus Aviation for two brand new Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft that the Canadian Chorus will buy from the manufacturer and lease them to Jambojet.

Both aircraft are scheduled to be delivered and enter service during the second half of 2019 and will help the Kenyan airline further enhances its route network. "This agreement comes at a pivotal time in Jambojet's journey as we expand our footprint into the East Africa region and increase our frequencies to meet the high demand of affordable and quality air travel. We are looking forward to forging a strong relationship with Chorus for mutual growth." Willem Hondius, Chief Executive Officer of Jambojet, stated.

Steve Ridolfi, President of Chorus Aviation Capital, stated, "We are excited about the growth prospects for regional aviation in Africa and are particularly pleased to be working with Jambojet, a regional low-cost carrier based in Kenya, through this transaction." Once the deal is complete, Chorus Aviation Capital will have 13 lessees in 13 countries, two of which are based in Africa and in total, Chorus will have 80 aircraft on lease throughout the world.

Etihad Airways unveils its new 'Economy Space' extra legroom seats

The national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways is retrofitting its long-haul fleet including the Airbus A380 aeroplanes with a new 'Economy Space' seats designed to provide more choice to its customers on longer flights and enhance its economy product.

By December 2018, Etihad Airways will have retrofitted its 10 Airbus A380s with the Economy Space seats, in addition to modifying those big superjumbo double-decker aircraft, Etihad Airways will have also added additional Economy Space seats to 12 Boeing 777s and 21 Boeing 787 Dreamliners by the end of 2019, increasing the total number of extra legroom seats by 560%.

United welcomes its first Boeing 787-10

United is the first airline in the world to operate

the entire Dreamliner family

One of the largest US airlines, United took delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft on Monday, November 5th  at Boeing's delivery centre in Charleston, South Carolina. 

United has become the first North American airline to take delivery of the 787-10, and the first airline in the world to have the entire family of 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners in its fleet. "The 787-10 is an excellent addition to United's fleet. It offers superior fuel efficiency while providing a more comfortable customer experience onboard that allows passengers to arrive at their destinations feeling more refreshed," said Gerry Laderman, the chief financial officer at United, who was at the Boeing facility for the delivery celebrations.

United's 787-10 will feature 44 United Polaris® business class seats, 21 United® Premium Plus seats, 54 Economy Plus seats and 199 standard Economy seats. The aircraft has updated lighting patterns that are supposed to mimic sunrise and sunset colours designed to force passengers to fall asleep or wake up at the ideal times for the flight. The airline is also installing a brand new seatback entertainment system that features:

AirTransat revamp Kids Club and show off new kids club detailed paint scheme.

The Canadian leisure airline, Air Transat, has released details of its new Kids Club livery and a new kids' meal to make travelling more fun for passengers, both big and small.  The airline's kids club has been going for 12 years, giving kids aged between 2 and 11 free membership and fun kits filled with travel goodies, priority airport services, on-board surprises and more.

AirTransat seeks to become the perfect airline

for family vacations and unveils new livery

"At Air Transat, we always have the needs of families at heart," says Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat. "We have been accompanying them on their dreams and holidays for more than 30 years. We understand their expectations, care about their well-being and do everything possible to make their lives easier, from the moment they arrive at the airport to the time they reach their final destinations. As a company that specializes in holiday travel, our concern for families is evident in many ways, mainly in the little extras from a crew who fully understands their needs and wants to ensure that their vacations start as soon as they board."

Airbus is taking the A220-300 (Formally known as the Bombardier CSeries CS300) on tour!

The European planemaker Airbus is taking an airBaltic A220-300 new-generation single-aisle aircraft on a tour of five cities in four countries as part of its world demonstration tour.

First, the sleek looking A220-300 is attending the Zhuhai airshow in China from today, November 5th until Thursday, November 8th before flying to Chengdu on November 9th. The aircraft will continue on its journey with a stopover in Koh Samui on November 10th before flying to Nepal's Kathmandu for November 11th. After that, the airBaltic A220 will go to Istanbul in Turkey on November 12th and then the lovely craft will fly to the home base of airBaltic, Riga, Latvia on November 14th.

Airbus believe this demonstration tour for the A220-300 is a great opportunity to show off the fast, technologically advanced, super efficient and spacious aircraft to the media and potential customers in their own local region.  It will offer the opportunity for airline bosses and journalists to get up close and personal to the aircraft and its outstanding characteristics, comfort, and performance and see the benefit for both operators and passengers alike.

airBaltic’s A220-300 features a comfortable cabin arrangement able to accommodate 145 passengers in true widebody comfort. The Latvian airline already operates 13 A220-300s out of a total of 50 ordered.

The A220 is the only aircraft purpose built for the 100-150 seat market, and it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and true widebody comfort in a single-aisle aircraft. The A220 brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines to offer at least 20 percent lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. With a range of up to 3,200 nm (5,020 km), the A220 offers the performance of larger single-aisle aircraft. With an order book of over 400 aircraft to date, the A220 has all the credentials to win the lion’s share of the 100- to 150-seat aircraft market.

(Photos Airbus )

Airbus is taking the A220-300 (Formally known as the Bombardier CSeries CS300) on tour!

Air Canada raises the flag in support of Calgary's bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic winter games

Following on from Canadian low-cost airline WestJet's announcement that it was supporting City of Calgary's bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, its main rival, Air Canada has announced it is also proudly supporting the bid. 

This is not the first time the airline has been involved with the Olympics, as Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada explains, "Air Canada has a long association with Canada's Olympic and Paralympic athletes and particularly at home Games, starting with being the Official Airline at Calgary's highly successful 1988 Olympic Winter Games. We are tremendously proud to fly the flag as we fully support the city's bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. On behalf of our 30,000 worldwide employees, and especially our team of 1,900 employees who live and work in Calgary, we wish Calgarians the very best in their pursuit of these Games," 

"Our support started in April of this year with a firm commitment in writing to the City of Calgary of our support for the bid. To further demonstrate Air Canada's support, one of our senior executives, Renee Smith-Valade, who has direct experience from eight previous Olympic Games – including both the Calgary 1988 and Vancouver 2010 Games – has been temporarily seconded to work with the Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation through the plebiscite and initial preparation of the international bid phase, and we are assisting in transporting athletes for special events related to Calgary's bid."

"Actions speak volumes: Air Canada, Canada's flag carrier, stepped up early on to strongly encourage this bid to go ahead, and now, has stepped up with expertise, travel and employee engagement as we lead up to Canada's Games, Calgary's choice.  We're grateful for Air Canada's support for the 2026 Calgary Bid Corporation and their ongoing support for Team Canada," said Scott Hutcheson, Chairman of the Board, Calgary 2026 Bid Corporation.

Air Canada raises the flag in support of Calgary's bid for the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic winter games

Air New Zealand receives first A321neo and new safety video released.

Airbus, Air New Zealand and Pratt & Whitney are celebrating the delivery of the airline's first A321neo aircraft powered by the new Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. 

The aircraft, with the registration ZK-NNA, is painted in the airlines striking black and silver fern livery and has 214 seats in a single class layout. The jet will enter normal commercial service on November 23rd operating flight NZ739 from Auckland to Brisbane.  

Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney. "We're thrilled to expand our relationship with Air New Zealand and support their GTF-powered fleet, which will enable them to realise fuel savings and environmental benefits for years to come."  The airline has 20 of the new A320neo family of aircraft on order and a second new A321neo is expected to arrive enter normal revenue service in the next few weeks.  

Read on for details of the new safety video released today.

WOW big news for the Icelandic aviation industry as Icelandair agrees to buy WOW air.

The Icelandair Group has announced today, Monday, November 5th, it is going to buy out its low-cost Icelandic competitor WOW air, in a deal that values WOW at about $18 million.

The deal won't involve vast cash transfers or big loans for Icelandair, that already has debts in excess of $400 million, to afford to buy out its rival, its all about a share deal swap, Icelandair will take all the shares of WOW and WOW’s founder and sole owner Skuli Mogensen, will receive just over 272 million shares in Icelandair - that will be around 5.4% of the company.

Both Icelandair and WOW air will continue to operate under separate brands, at least for the time being and the arrangement has to receive have both Icelandair shareholders and regulatory approval. before it can be completed. If those approvals are granted, as many in the industry believe it will, the combined market share of both airlines on the transatlantic market will be around 3.8% and could see the reintroduction of a number of services that both airlines have axed in recent weeks. 

"WOW air has in recent years built a strong brand and enjoyed great success in the company‘s markets to and from Iceland and across the Atlantic." Said Bogi Nils Bogason, Interim President & CEO of the Icelandair Group, adding "There are many opportunities for synergies with the two companies but they will continue to operate under their own brands and operating approvals. The tourism industry is one of the cornerstones of the Icelandic economy and it is important that flights to and from Iceland will remain frequent.“

American Airlines orders more E175 jets

American Airlines has ordered 15 Embraer E175 jets, worth $705 million, based on current list prices, real prices will be less than $600 million. The delivery for these new aircraft will be scheduled for 2020 and will be configured with a standard 76-seat layout, 12 in First Class and 64 in Main Cabin, including Main Cabin Extra seats.

American Airlines selected Envoy, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, will operate the 15 aircraft,  "This new order from American Airlines continues to show the value that airlines place on our best-selling E175 aircraft," said Charlie Hillis, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, North America, Embraer Commercial Aviation. "We are fully committed to providing fleet solutions that have a positive bottom line impact, and our E175 leads the charge with over 80 percent market share in the North American market."

Southwest welcomes autumn with a raft of new and updated services

The leading US low-cost-carrier, Southwest Airlines is welcoming autumn with a number of new services.

On Sunday the airline started two services from Burbank in California to Houston (Hobby) and Chicago (Midway).  Both services will run non-stop direct Sunday to Friday.  The carrier also began daily nonstop service linking Denver and Lubbock. Additionally, the airline began nonstop flights on Sundays between Houston (Hobby) and Philadelphia and Houston (Hobby) and Sacramento.  The budget airline also started a new non-stop service between San Jose, California and Tucson, Arizona, which operates Sunday to Friday.

Starting today, Monday, November 5th Southwest will launch the following weekday flights between San Jose and Portland, Oregon and also San Jose, California and Orange County/Santa Ana. 

Aeroflot's board approves new “100 By 100” growth strategy

targets 100 million passengers by its 100th anniversary

The Board of Directors of the Aeroflot Group have approved the Company’s new Growth Strategy for the period through 2023, which is called “100 Million Passengers by Our 100th Anniversary”

According to the details, the new strategy is aimed at working toward the group carrying 90-100 million passengers in 2023, which is when Aeroflot will celebrate its centenary. Also part of the new development plans is to make the Group's low-cost carrier Pobeda further penetrate both the domestic and regional markets and be a key growth driver. The aim is to have Pobeda to carry 25-30 million passengers annually by 2023. 

Rossiya Airlines, which is the Group's mid-market carrier, will become the principal carrier aimed at increasing social mobility on routes between the European and Far East parts of Russia, with flat fares lower than those offered by the main Aeroflot operation. Aurora, the Far East regional carrier, is expected to double its operations by 2023.

Vietjet orders 50 Airbus A321neo aircraft

Vietnamese carrier Vietjet has placed a firm order with Airbus for an additional 50 A321neo single-aisle aircraft, finalising an MOU signed at the Farnborough International Airshow last July. The purchase agreement was signed in Hanoi today by Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Vietjet President and CEO and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

The signing was witnessed by Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister of Vietnam and Edouard Philippe, Prime Minister of France, during his official visit to Vietnam.

“The fuel-efficient A321neo will enable us to increase capacity and help us to expand the network significantly, especially on international routes,” said Vietjet’s President & CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao. “We are honoured to be a long-term partner of Vietjet and to finalise this new order,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “The airline’s latest preference for the Airbus product, in particular, the A321, is a testimony to Vietjet’s professionalism and a great endorsement for the A321 in the highly competitive market.”

26.8 Million people have flown with Aeroflot this yearAeroflot

Aeroflot, the Russian airline released details of its performance so far this year as well as for the month of October last week.

During the first nine months of the year, Aeroflot continued to actively develop its route network and grow traffic volumes ahead of its targets and the company’s operational growth, combined with active revenue management and strict cost control, helped to minimise the impact of external factors, like higher fuel costs.

Key highlights

Michael Bata joins Canada's Jetlines

Canada Jetlines has appointed former Southwest Airlines executive, Michael Bata as Chief Operations Officer, with immediate effect.

Michael Bata is a seasoned aviation veteran with more than 35 years in the aviation industry and has held positions with multiple top companies.  "I am thrilled to welcome Michael to our Jetlines team. He brings the right experience and an outstanding attitude that will help build the foundation for Jetlines’ future. His entrepreneurial spirit and track-record of tight operational control will be an asset as we move closer to first flight and continue to build the team,” commented Javier Suarez, CEO of Jetlines.

Clouds of uncertainty hanging over the Icelandic aviation industry.

Keilir volcanic mountain in Hafnarfjorour Photo Iceland.is

There is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the aviation industry in Iceland at the present time, the years of continuous growth has, it seems rather abruptly come to an end. The new keyword on the lips of Icelandic aviation managers and commentators is 'consolidation'. This rapid downturn in business has been aptly demonstrated by the latest figures released from the national carrier, Icelandair, showing a massive 32% drop in net profits during the third quarter. 

Load factor for the airline fell by 2% over the last quarter compared to the same period last year, surprising considering that the cost of flights has reduced somewhat over the year, mainly due to increased competition. The North American routes saw loads drop from 87.5% during the third-quarter in 2017 to 81.3% this year, however, the European routes saw increases, up to 89% from 84.4%. The carrier has also axed a number of routes, such as those from/ to Birmingham, Belfast and Glasgow as well as delaying the restart of a seasonal route to Cleveland, by at least two months. There is little doubt within the aviation sector that Icelandair will cut some more routes before this winter is out.

Another cloud over the Icelandair Group is the crash of the Air Niugini  Boeing 737-8BK aircraft, registered P2-PXE, on Friday 28 September 2018, that claimed the life of one of the male passengers on board. The aircraft was leased to the Loftlieder part of the group who in turn subleased it to Air Niugini.  Whilst there should be no financial liabilities for Loftlieder or the Icelandair Group as a whole, it could prove embarrassing if the current ongoing investigation finds any long-term mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft.

Photo Icelandair

Icelandair's interim President and CEO Bogi Nils Bogason admitted the results were not great but were in line with previously published expectations: “Our third-quarter results declined between years, but are in line with the EBITDA guidance published at the end of August.  EBITDA amounted to a total of USD 115 million, USD 41 million short of the figure for the third quarter of 2017.  Higher fuel prices, low average airfares and a less favourable passenger load factor are the principal reasons for the decline in performance."

United Airlines seeks to start Newark - Shanghai route

United Airlines has outlined its plans for services to Shanghai Pudong from Newark Liberty Airport after submitting a formal application to the US. Department of Transportation (DOT) earlier this week. If approved, United's second daily flight will create new opportunities for customers to conveniently connect to Shanghai from more than 90 U.S. and Canadian destinations served by United from New York/Newark with the new route

starting in 2020.

"Our application for a second daily flight between New York/Newark and Shanghai is in response to the demand for travel between each country's financial centre, which has grown annually for the last several years," said Oscar Munoz, United's Chief Executive Officer. "If approved, this additional flight will help facilitate the development of increased business and tourism, provide additional capacity for customers and further enhance United's position both as the airline of choice to China and our hub at Newark Liberty International Airport as the premier East Coast gateway to Asia."  

Proposed Flight Schedule Beginning June 1, 2020*
United Flight	From	To	Depart	Arrive	Aircraft
UA 109	New York/Newark	Shanghai	3:45 p.m.	6:40 p.m. next day	Boeing 777-200
UA 108	Shanghai	New York/Newark	10:10 a.m.	12:45 p.m.	Boeing 777-200

*Subject to government approval

GOL reports third-quarter and year to date results

Earlier this week, GOL Linhas Aéreas announced its consolidated results for the third quarter of 2018 along with that of the nine months of 2018 which shows revenues increased by 2.2% but load factor fell slightly. The airline also expects its revenues to fall looking ahead to the full year of 2018 and 2019. 

Aircastle reports revenues up by 7.2%

Leasing specialists Aircastle Limited reported its third quarter 2018 results this week which demonstrated the company had a net income of $36.3 million and adjusted net income of $38.2 million. The third quarter results included total lease rental and finance and sales-type lease revenues of $190.8 million, an increase of 7.2%, versus $178.1 million in the third quarter of 2017.  

Third Quarter 2018 Highlights

Qantas repoens revamped lounges at Melbourne Airport

The Australian airline Qantas has completed a major upgrade of its domestic lounges at Melbourne Airport, to provide passengers with more space, more seating and an Asian spice bar.

The new Domestic Business Lounge and Qantas Club have been completely redesigned to use space more effectively, offering seats for nearly 900 customers. More than 130 additional customers can be accommodated, 40% more in the Business Lounge and 10% more in the Qantas Club.

Following a 12-month redevelopment, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce officially opened the new domestic lounges at Melbourne Airport earlier this week, “Melbourne is one of the busiest ports in our network, and with the demand for premium travel on the rise, it’s the right time to be investing in bigger and better lounges,” Mr Joyce said. “Our Frequent Flyers tell us that starting their journey in a comfortable and premium lounge is important to them, which is why they were front of mind when we embarked on this redesign. Given it’s Melbourne, serving quality local food, wine and barista coffee is obviously a priority.”

Key features of the new lounges include:

Ryanair starts its first-ever Bosnia and Herzegovina flights

Ryanair celebrated its first-ever Bosnia and Herzegovina flights earlier this week with the start of its new two times weekly Banja Luka service to/from Stockholm Skavsta, the first of its 3 new Banja Luka routes starting this week.

The budget airline's Banja Luka winter schedule includes:

Brussels  2  times a week

Memmingen  2 times a week

Stockholm Skavsta  2 times a week

Ivana Hanjs, Ryanair’s Sales & Marketing Executive Europe, said: “We’re pleased to officially launch our first Bosnia and Herzegovina flights with 3 new Banja Luka winter 2018 routes to Brussels Charleroi, Memmingen and Stockholm Skavsta. Customers and visitors in Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina can look forward to the lowest fares in Europe when they make advance bookings for their holidays."

Duško Kovačević, Banja Luka International airport deputy general director, said: “I am happy to share my happiness with the citizens of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina for launching our first Ryanair flights from Banja Luka International airport. This historic moment will make our communication with Europe and the world easier, and it will have a great impact on economic trends in our region and beyond.”

WestJet supports Calgary's 2026 Olympic and Paralympic bid

The Canadian airline WestJet has pledged its support for Calgary's 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid, the airline announced this week.  "Since 1996, WestJet has been proud to call Calgary home and we're thrilled to announce our support for Calgary's bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "The opportunity hosting the Games would provide in terms of economic growth and tourism is substantial for Calgary, Alberta and our country. We're looking forward to showcasing our city and connecting the world to Calgary through our expanding global network in 2026."

It is no surprise that WestJet is getting behind the bid, it is the largest airline in Calgary and by June 2019, it will offer flights to 65 non-stop destinations with an average of 1,100 flights per week from YYC. It was only last month that the carrier announced the first three flight using its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft would be departing Calgary and heading to London Gatwick, Paris and Dublin.

WestJet's Dreamliners will carry 320 guests in a three-class cabin configuration including the airline's newly revealed Business cabin featuring 16 private pods with lie-flat seats, an upscale Premium cabin and an updated Economy cabin.