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September 22, 2020

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September 22, 2020

SAS shareholders approve the restructuring plan

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 16:33

The shareholders of the Scandinavian SAS gave the green light for the recapitalization plan on Thursday during an extraordinary general meeting. This has been revised several times in recent months, but can be implemented in the form agreed. SAS is also suffering greatly from the fact that Sweden, for example, does not have a short-time working model. As a result, many employees have already been laid off. The main shareholders Sweden, Denmark and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation are now pumping around 1,35 billion euros into the company. The group is also carrying out a capital increase. The governments of Sweden and Denmark are also granting state-backed rescue loans. SAS CEO Rickard Gustafson described the step in a press release as an "absolutely necessary" measure in order to be able to save SAS. He welcomed the shareholders' approval.

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KLM: All tickets can be canceled free of charge

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 16:17

The Dutch airline KLM now allows all flights to be canceled without giving reasons and exchanged for a voucher. The company emphasizes in a press release that the vouchers are refundable. For the time being, this includes flight tickets with a departure date no later than March 31, 2021. If passengers cannot or do not want to fly, a voucher can be requested. This can either be used for new bookings or paid out upon request. "We have noticed that many people want to travel but are hesitant to book due to uncertainty and constantly changing travel warnings. We understand their situation and are therefore offering our customers this flexible measure, which also applies to all customers who already have a KLM ticket or travel voucher. We expect that more security and flexibility will reassure customers and encourage them to book and fly with KLM again," says Boet Kreiken, Executive Vice President of Customer Experience KLM

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Paderborn filed for bankruptcy

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 16:10

On Tuesday, Marc Cezanne, in his capacity as Managing Director of Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport, filed the insolvency application that had been expected for several weeks. The Supervisory Board had previously given the green light for this step. An application was made for insolvency proceedings under self-administration. "Extensive corporate restructuring has become necessary, particularly due to the massive decline in flight movements as a result of the Corona crisis. In fact, current passenger numbers are 85 percent below the level of the same period last year and it will probably take some time before passenger numbers return to anywhere near pre-crisis levels," said Airport Director Cezanne. Even before the Corona pandemic, the regional airport was unable to cover operating and investment costs with its own revenues. The annual loss in 2019 led to a liquidity outflow that could not be compensated by the municipal shareholders to this extent due to state aid requirements. The consensus is that the airport company can only survive in the future if the cost structures are adjusted to the expected revenues. The restructuring plan provides that Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport will retain the status of a commercial airport with air traffic control and will continue to operate 24 hours a day. However, given the lower number of aircraft movements, it is not commercially viable to maintain the current level of aircraft handling capacity. A general reduction in aircraft handling capacity will contribute significantly to reducing costs. However, this does not mean that future flights will be rejected. As soon as demand increases again, it will be possible to gradually utilize the airport's infrastructure up to its capacity limit of well over one million passengers per year. The result of this is that Paderborn Airport will significantly reduce its staff numbers. According to the

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Ocean - Lufthansa Dreams of Ryanair Wages?

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 11:50

What Lufthansa is aiming to achieve with its new subsidiary airline Ocean GmbH is a bit of a state secret. It is known that tourist flights will be carried out via this platform. The main advantage is likely to be that the group collective agreement is not currently applicable. The result of this is lower wage costs for the flying staff. Ocean GmbH's flight operations are to be gradually started in the 2021 summer flight schedule, a spokeswoman told the Aero.de portal. Incidentally, around 300 employees are currently being sought for the Airbus A330 aircraft type. That is, the long-haul jet that was operated by SunExpress Germany and Brussels Airlines at Eurowings. Ocean is initially to launch under the Eurowings brand at Frankfurt am Main Airport. It is still completely unclear whether the product will also come to Munich, Zurich or Vienna. Lufthansa is not making any official statements on this topic. According to current plans, the Eurowings brand will be visible to passengers externally. This means that the previous strategy is being revised with a new platform in the background, but no attempt is being made to establish a new brand. In the past, Lufthansa tried to enter the long-haul tourist business aggressively via Eurowings (SunExpress Germany and Brussels Airlines) and CityLine (“Jump”). However, this was not successful, which is why the company is now apparently trying again on a much smaller scale. Lufthansa not only lost a lot of money with the Eurowings Long Haul, but also earned itself an inglorious reputation due to repeated operational problems with delays of several days. With Ocean, everything is not only supposed to be better, but also smaller.

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BDL appeals for a differentiated test strategy

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 11:20

The German aviation association BDL is currently trying to avert or at least refine the quarantine regulations that will apply in Germany from October 1, 2020. The Federal Republic plans to quarantine all returnees from risk areas for at least five days, regardless of whether they can present a negative PCR test or not. The aviation industry is expecting dramatic consequences, as the number of advance bookings for October 2020 is already extremely low. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr also admitted this a few days ago. BDL Managing Director Matthias von Randow told Handelsblatt that they are committed to replacing the blanket quarantine requirement with a differentiated testing strategy. The focus is on exempting those people who can present a negative test report from self-isolation. "If, however, the federal and state governments' plan to subject all travelers returning from risk areas to stricter quarantine requirements from October is implemented, this would mean a renewed lockdown of international travel and would therefore have very negative consequences for the entire business location," Randow told Handelsblatt. The association's managing director expressly warns that numerous flight connections could be canceled for economic reasons and that this would then have consequences for Germany as an industrial location and around 27,3 million people in Europe who work in the tourism sector. The BDL is therefore appealing to the federal and state governments to find a practical solution that will enable the industry to survive.

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Volocopter and Deutsche Bahn are working on freight drones

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 10:59

The air taxi pioneer Volocopter and the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Schenker are now working together on the development of a cargo drone. Commercial proof of the need for this is to be provided next year. DB Schenker assumes that such a drone can completely reorganize supply chains in inner-city areas. Volocopter is based in Bruchsal (Germany) and has been active on the market for nine years. The first commercial test flights on German soil are to be carried out in Berlin this year. DB Schenker joined as a strategic investor at the beginning of the year. The rail subsidiary considers the use of drones in delivery and transport services to be a promising investment.

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Easyjet Switzerland boss on the demanding Corona period

Granite Pireci September 22, 2020 10:55

The Corona crisis is also demanding everything from Easyjet. While the summer months were still optimistic, the airline is now reducing its flight schedule again. Easyjet Europe boss Thomas Haagensen gives a small insight into the current difficult situation. After almost three months of forced Corona break, the airline's planes are back in the air. But it is not the same as it once was. "There is a will to travel again. Our customers are already booking for next summer. But in the short term, demand - especially for countries that are on the quarantine list - is not very high," says Haagensen, who is even more worried about the upcoming travel months. Because of the entry regulations, even city trips are likely to fall through this year: "We have to be very conservative. We simply cannot afford to have flights where we lose even more money," Haagensen continues. But job cuts cannot be ruled out, depending on how long the crisis lasts, says the Easyjet boss: "We have to adapt the fleets and of course the crews too." He also does not know how many employees will be affected in the end. But it may not have had to be this way. The consequences of the pandemic were recognized at an early stage of the Corona crisis and a state investigation was requested. But without success: Easyjet Switzerland came away empty-handed. The subsidiary of the Easyjet Group was also denied a Covid-19 loan. The institutes cited the financial cushion of the British parent company as the reason, as srf.ch reports. This should be enough to be able to supply Easyjet Switzerland as well. Haagensen is annoyed by this

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Oman Air returns to Frankfurt

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 10:53

Despite the currently tough entry regulations on both sides, Oman Air will return to Frankfurt am Main on October 1, 2020. The carrier initially intends to operate two weekly rotations between Muscat and Germany's largest airport. Oman Air is the national airline of Oman and currently operates a fleet of 52 commercial aircraft. These include long-haul jets of the Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 types. The carrier is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization and maintains its main hub in Muscat.

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Netherlands: Innsbruck and Vienna are now risk areas

Jan Gruber September 22, 2020 10:26

More and more countries are putting Austria and/or the capital Vienna on their risk lists and issuing travel warnings. Most recently, Cyprus took this step for the entire country. Now, on Tuesday, the Dutch government also issued a corresponding warning for Innsbruck and Vienna. People who want to enter the Netherlands from the state capital of Tyrol or the Austrian federal capital must now go into quarantine for ten days. The Dutch government justifies the step by saying that the number of infections in the two Austrian cities has recently risen sharply. "With the exception of the capital Vienna and the city of Innsbruck, you can travel to Austria for vacation trips, but stay alert," reads the corresponding information from the Dutch government. There is, however, one relief for air travelers: According to the government, simply using the Vienna-Schwechat and Innsbruck airports does not lead to a quarantine requirement. This should also make things easier for winter tourism, as Innsbruck and Salzburg in particular are popular landing spots for Dutch winter sports enthusiasts. In recent days, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Cyprus and now the Netherlands have issued travel warnings. While Denmark and Cyprus consider all of Austria to be a risk area, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium limit themselves to the federal capital Vienna. The Netherlands also warn against Innsbruck. Other countries in the Scandinavian and Baltic region are currently making it difficult or even impossible for people who live or are staying in Austria to enter. Cyprus placed the Alpine republic on the B list in August. Now Austria is even among the C states. This means that a negative PCR test must be presented upon entry.

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Rostock-Laage Airport has to cut staff

Granite Pireci September 22, 2020 10:22

The Corona crisis is also hitting Rostock-Laage Airport hard. Now the airport has no other choice: it has to lay off staff. How many employees will be laid off in the end is currently up in the air, as the news magazine "NDR" reports. As with almost all airports, the number of flights carried out at Rostock-Laage has fallen enormously. And with it the need for staff. "It is the effects of the Corona pandemic that make staff cuts unavoidable," says managing director Dörthe Hausmann, who is currently negotiating a reconciliation of interests and a social plan with the works council.

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