January 13, 2021

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January 13, 2021

2020 was an epidemic year for Boeing

The year 2020 was a plague year for Boeing in the truest sense of the word. Not only did the 737 Max debacle cause trouble and costs, it also had to cancel 1.000 orders. It was also only able to deliver 157 aircraft to customers. The aircraft manufacturer received 650 cancellations and had to cancel further orders because customers were no longer able to pay. Since the 737 Max was re-certified, Boeing has been able to deliver 31 units to customers. It also received a large order from Ryanair, but this was the absolute exception last year. The 737 Max was not the only problem area, however, as there are further delays in the 777X program. These are also due to customers pushing for the aircraft to be delivered later. The first delivery is currently not expected before 2023. Dreamliner production is also coming under pressure: local media reports that production will be concentrated in South Carolina and reduced to a maximum of five aircraft per month from March. Boeing was able to announce new orders on Tuesday - after a long dry spell. DHL, a logistics company belonging to the German postal service, has ordered eight 777Fs and Boeing 747-8s were sold to Atlas Air.

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Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is selling tickets for 25 cents

The low-cost airline Wizz Air Abu Dhabi is currently selling tickets between Athens and Abu Dhabi for the equivalent of just 25 cents (1 AED). According to the carrier, tickets will be offered at this price in 2021. Instead of six A321s, the subsidiary will initially start with just two units of this type. Initially, flights will fly from Abu Dhabi to Athens, Thessaloniki, Yerevan, Odessa, Kutaisi, Larnaca and Alexandria. After several postponements, the first flight is scheduled for January 18, 2021.

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FlyBair receives marketing aid from Spain

The virtual airline FlyBair and the Spanish tourism marketer Turespaña will work together in the future. A corresponding cooperation agreement was signed in December 2020 and has now been published in the Spanish Official Gazette. A budget of 43.000 Swiss francs is available for the promotion of Spanish travel destinations. According to an official announcement, the destinations Mallorca, Menorca and Jerez are to be promoted on the Swiss market. The campaign is scheduled to start in March 2021. This should also be an indication of the possible destinations that the in-house brand of Bern-Belp Airport could head to. Flights to Palma de Mallorca can currently be booked from May 8, 2021.

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Air France expands overseas service

Skyteam member Air France will increase its service to French overseas territories in the 2021 summer schedule. The company will operate flights between the French Caribbean (Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe and Fort-de-France in Martinique), French Guiana (Cayenne) and Reunion Island (Saint-Denis de La Réunion), as well as Paris-Charles de Gaulle, in addition to its frequencies to and from Paris-Orly. Up to 56 flights per week will be operated between these destinations and the two Paris airports, providing connections to the airline's entire short-, medium- and long-haul network. The flights will be operated by Boeing 777-200 and -300 aircraft equipped with Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. The Air France overseas offer at a glance: From / to Pointe-à-Pitre: 18 weekly direct flights 11 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Orly 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle From / to Fort-de-France: 14 weekly direct flights 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Orly 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle From / to Cayenne: 10 weekly direct flights 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Orly 3 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from April 2, 2021 From / to Saint-Denis de La Réunion: 14 weekly direct flights 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Orly 7 weekly direct flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle from April 6, 2021

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Salzburg: Easyjet wants to reactivate Hamburg and Berlin in winter 2021/22

The low-cost airline Easyjet plans to resume its German routes from Salzburg in the 2021/22 winter flight schedule. The routes to Hamburg and Berlin-Brandenburg are affected. A spokeswoman for the company confirmed this to Aviation Direct. Easyjet does not rule out that the reactivation could be brought forward and explains: "In principle, we are constantly reviewing our flight schedule with the aim of bringing it into line with changing travel restrictions and demand. We always reserve the right to flexibly increase our flight program if there is demand." In any case, flights from Salzburg to Hamburg and Berlin can already be booked for the 2021/22 winter period.

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UFO criticizes the dispute between Condor and Lufthansa

The flight attendants' union UFO has strongly criticized the dispute between Lufthansa and Condor. The employee representatives are calling on the government to prevent the use of taxpayers' money from the "war chest". The background to this is that the airline has terminated the feeder flight agreement with the holiday airline and is now taking Condor to the Federal Cartel Office. "The travel industry continues to groan under the massive consequences of the corona pandemic. Both Condor and Lufthansa have rightly received support in order to be able to survive on the market. If Lufthansa now uses these funds to push other corona victims out of the market, this is intolerable," says Daniel Flohr, Chairman of the Independent Flight Attendants' Organization. "Lufthansa employees have made their contribution with crisis contracts. But the Condorians have also made massive concessions twice and rehabilitated their airline after the Thomas Cook bankruptcy and the de facto grounding due to corona. Playing pilots off against each other is antisocial and damages Germany as a place to work. We call on the management of LH, Condor, but also that of Tui, DFS and other players in German air traffic to look for alliances. If necessary, the (co-)owner, the Federal Republic, must take a close look and intervene as a mediator." "The result is expensive lawsuits, years of uncertainty and danger for many German collectively agreed jobs, while Emirates, Ryanair and others are willingly conquering the German market. Taxpayers have already paid to preserve these jobs. Neither the public sector nor the employees must now be put under any further strain because managers are exploiting the situation for a war of displacement. If LH were successful, the LH group would also have real market dominance, which would be regulated by the antitrust authorities anyway," explains Rainer

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Volotea: Goodbye, Boeing 717!

The phasing out of the Boeing 717 aircraft at the Spanish budget airline Volotea marks the end of an era in Europe. For several years, this airline was the only operator of the medium-haul jet, which was still developed under the direction of McDonnell Douglas. Now the rear-driven jets are heading for the desert. With only 156 aircraft built, the Boeing 717 has always been a rare jet. It was originally developed as the McDonnell Douglas MD-95 and renamed the B717 after the merger with Boeing. It was also the last civil aircraft type to be manufactured in the traditional factory in Long Beach. In Europe, there were never many operators of this model anyway, and in recent years the Boeing 717 was only to be found at Volotea. Outside this continent, there are still operators in Australia and the United States, but the twin-jet is also threatened with phasing out there in the next few years. However, it cannot be ruled out that one or two aircraft could end up with a provider specializing in ACMI services. You never know for sure. Volotea told Aviation Direct that the last commercial flight of the remaining seven Boeing 717s was on Sunday. The planes are now being prepared at Venice Airport for return to the lessors. There is no exact date yet, but the future parking space is fixed: the seven Boeing 717s will wait for better times in the Mojave Desert. This marks the end of an era for Volotea, as the company grew with this type. The successor, the Airbus A319, has been in the fleet for some time.

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Interactive map: More than 402 pharmacies offer rapid tests

The topic of "testing" will accompany Austria for a few more months and currently a negative result is required to enter many countries. In the Alpine republic, you can test yourself out of the "compulsory quarantine" after five days. More and more countries, including Austria and Germany, now recognize a negative rapid antigen test result. For a few weeks now, such a test has also been possible in many Austrian pharmacies. Aviation Direct spoke to the professional association. Basically, pharmacies need trained and qualified staff to carry out rapid antigen tests. However, the industry is extremely quick and committed in this regard, so that as of February 5, 2021, over 402 Austrian pharmacies are already authorized to carry out rapid Covid-19 antigen tests. At the end of this article there is an interactive map showing all the pharmacies where you can get tested. In short: almost every resident of Austria already has a testing option nearby. Simply going to the pharmacy and asking for a rapid test is not the right way, says the Chamber, which recommends: "A telephone appointment for a COVID19 antigen rapid test is necessary in any case. Once the appointment has been made, it is very quick on site. The sample is taken through a nasopharyngeal swab and the result is available in about 20 minutes." Some pharmacies also offer the option of booking a test appointment online via their homepage. The service must be paid for by the patient. Since individual pharmacists are free to set their own prices, it is advisable to ask about the costs by telephone when you first contact them. Some pharmacies have

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Ryanair will initially use Boeing 737 Max from the UK

The Ryanair Group intends to initially use the Boeing 737 Max 200 aircraft from the United Kingdom. However, it is still unclear whether these will be registered on the AOC of the Irish Ryanair DAC or that of the British Ryanair UK. Eddie Wilson, managing director of the group's largest airline, Ryanair DAC, explained in an interview with the Irish radio station Newstalk: "We will receive the Max in this summer flight schedule period and will most likely use it in Great Britain first." The manager did not provide any further details, however. Towards the end of last year, the Ryanair Group increased its order to 210 Boeing 737 Max 200s. This is a special "low-cost variant" of the 737 Max 8, which has so far only been ordered by this group and VietJet Air. Eddie Wilson currently expects the first aircraft to be delivered in the spring. Six units are intended for the Polish Buzz and will also carry its new livery. These will be the first aircraft to appear in the offshoot's livery. Some Boeing 737 Max 200s are also to appear in the Malta Air livery. In total, the Ryanair Group plans to take over around 2021 aircraft in the course of 50. Most recently, CEO Michael O'Leary announced that Lauda Europe could no longer fly with Airbus A320s, but with Boeing 737 Max 200s. However, a final decision has not yet been made in this regard. In any case, no purchase agreement has been concluded with Airbus to date. According to reports, it is said to fail due to the price expectations of the Ryanair Group CEO.

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Jet2 will cease flight operations until the end of March 2021

The British airline Jet2 is suspending its flight operations due to the travel restrictions imposed by the UK government. The company announced that the not entirely voluntary pause will last until March 25, 2021. Jet2 Holidays' package holiday offers are also affected. The British government's measures are currently limited to mid-February 2021. However, the airline is obviously expecting an extension. For travel after March 26, Jet2 announced that an update will be published as soon as a clearer picture of events is available. This is Jet2's second complete suspension of flight operations caused by the pandemic. The carrier grounded all aircraft for four months between March 17 and July 15, 2020.

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