February 25, 2021

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February 25, 2021

Vienna-Rome: Ryanair and Wizz Air face double price war

The low-cost airlines Ryanair and Wizzair are planning a tough price war between Vienna and Rome. Some time ago, the Hungarian low-cost airline announced that it would be flying to not only Fiumicino airport, but also Ciampino from the Austrian capital. Ryanair is following suit and wants to "double" the route. Rome has two airports: the major airport of Fiumicino, which is a little further from the city center than the smaller Ciampino Airport. The two low-cost airlines want to fly to both of Rome's airports from Vienna in the future. It remains to be seen whether there is any demand for this. In any case, it is an indication that the price war is to continue. This assumes, however, that Ryanair does not withdraw Lauda Europe from Vienna beforehand. A look at the Ryanair summer flight schedule from Vienna, which is mainly operated by Lauda Europe, Buzz and Malta Air, shows that the group has massively thinned out its routes. Many destinations will be added much later than previously announced. Even popular holiday routes such as Ibiza are only scheduled to be reactivated immediately at the start of the summer holidays in Vienna and Lower Austria. In general, it can be summarized that very few routes are to be reactivated in March and April. This will be followed by three waves: at the beginning of May, at the beginning of June and at the beginning of July. The frequencies are - similar to Wizz Air - very low at the beginning. However, many routes have also fallen victim to the Corona pandemic. Either they were never included, for example Turkey routes, Beirut and additional Ukraine destinations, or were no longer reactivated, for example Stuttgart, Agadir and Marrakesh. Ryanair summer flight schedule from Vienna: (as of February 24, 2021) Destination Frequency bookable from

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Summer: Lufthansa before massive thinning of the flight plan

The Lufthansa Group will significantly reduce its group-wide offering between May 1 and October 30, 2021. The group will gradually incorporate the changes into its booking systems from Thursday. This is stated in a communication sent to sales partners. Lufthansa does not want to comment further on this issue, citing the financial figures that will be published on March 4, 2021. Nor does it provide any further information on the extent of the capacity reduction. The current letter states that it wants to "respond in good time" to the "expected demand". The group also wants to ensure that new bookings are made on the basis of the reduced flight schedule. This is intended to minimize the effort required for rebookings and refunds. Passengers who already have tickets and may be affected by cancellations should, if possible, be automatically rebooked onto other connections. Eurowings cuts 20 percent of its offering Major cuts are also pending at its subsidiary Eurowings. The FVW reports, citing company sources, that around 300.000 bookings will be affected by the upcoming reduction in the flight schedule. A company spokesman put the reduction at around 20 percent. The fact that there will be no alternative flight connections for around a third of existing bookings is apparently proving to be problematic. The reductions that are imminent at the Lufthansa Group are by no means surprising. Competitors Wizzair and Ryanair are also taking a much more conservative approach to their planning and have significantly postponed the resumption of many routes. Only a few frequencies are also offered per week. From the totality of the measures taken by various airlines, it can be deduced that the industry is after

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Vogler Air Base is being modernized

As Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner announced during a visit to Vogler Air Base, major investments will be made in the next few years to modernize the Hörsching site. After the Saab 105Ö was decommissioned, it became imperative to develop Hörsching as a second pillar for the remaining air defense alongside the Eurofighter base in Zeltweg. According to the Upper Austrian military commander, Brigadier Dieter Muhr, several million euros will be spent on renovating the apron and a hangar in the military part of the Linz airport area. Although the Eurofighters will probably continue to be stationed in Zeltweg in Styria, operations from Hörsching could also be ensured in the future as part of tactical measures or in the event of any emergency situations. Additional investments will be made in measures to ensure that the site can be operated independently in the future.

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Germany: 1.000 employees have left Airbus

Around 1.000 employees are said to have voluntarily left the Airbus plants in Finkenwerder, Stade, Bremen and Buxtehude so far. This was explained by an IG Metall official to the Hamburger Abendblatt. The aircraft manufacturer is trying to avoid redundancies by encouraging voluntary resignations. Employees who decide to do so will receive severance payments. 15.000 jobs are to be cut across the group. The exact number of jobs at risk is unclear, as Airbus recently said that short-time work in France and Germany could save several thousand jobs. There is no information from employers on the acceptance of bonuses for voluntary resignations.

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Azores: SATA threatens to cut Lisbon flights

The disagreements between the Portuguese government and SATA are escalating. The company is demanding that PSO subsidies be awarded for the operation of routes between Lisbon and the Azores Islands. Otherwise, the routes will be discontinued. The connections from the capital to Pico, Faial and Santa Maria are affected. Due to the Corona pandemic, these are loss-making, but SATA and its subsidiary Azores Airlines have another problem on their hands: the EU Commission classified a subsidy granted some time ago as illegal and is demanding that it be returned. Accordingly, the granting of Corona aid to the two Azores carriers is extremely complicated. SATA is of the opinion that the island-mainland connection can no longer be maintained without PSO subsidies. Capacity utilization is very low due to the Corona pandemic, which has hit the Lisbon region particularly hard. The Azores Islands have so far come through the crisis relatively unscathed. In order to boost tourism, the islands of Santa Maria, Terceira, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Graciosa, Corvo and Flores allow people who can provide proof of vaccination against Covid-19 to enter the country without quarantine. They are also comparatively lax with regard to test results.

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Airbus cancels Norwegian bulk order

The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the insolvent Norwegian Air Shuttle were able to agree to cancel the 88 aircraft in the A320neo series. This is no coincidence, as the management is trying to get out of purchase and leasing contracts through the insolvency proceedings in Ireland. Norwegian does not have to pay any compensation to Airbus, but in return the advance payments already made will be retained. This means that it is now finally certain that the budget airline will not receive 30 A321LRs and 58 A320neos. The agreement was not reached without pressure, however, as there was a hearing in the Irish High Court on this matter on Wednesday. Ultimately, the two parties in the courtroom are said to have agreed to cancel the large order. Norwegian also wants to get rid of the Boeing order and also get compensation for the B737 Max debacle and the Dreamliner engine problems. Another hearing in this regard will take place in the High Court this week. It is considered likely that the Americans will fall over for the large order.

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CSA registers all employees for termination

The Smartwings subsidiary CSA reported all 430 employees to the employment office for termination. When asked, the authority confirmed that it had received a corresponding notification from the airline. The carrier did not want to comment on this. CSA Czech Airlines is not a state-owned airline, but a subsidiary of the private Smartwings Group. However, the carrier has an extremely long tradition and has been operating for 98 years - with interruptions due to the war. The corona pandemic hit CSA hard and the Smartwings Group has repeatedly criticized the comparatively low level of government aid. However, the registration of the 430 employees in the early warning system of the Czech Republic's employment office is not entirely coincidental. In a few days, the moratorium that the government has issued for airlines will expire. If there is no extension, creditors can immediately initiate enforcement measures or simply stop their services. A few days ago, the seizure of two ATR72s by a state maintenance company at Prague Airport caused a stir. A court ordered the release and also pointed out that the measure is inadmissible precisely because of the moratorium. The carrier is said to have unpaid MRO invoices. Smartwings refused state participation in CSA What will happen next with Skyteam member CSA is completely unclear. Smartwings makes no secret in local media that the financial situation of the subsidiary is so strained that without fresh financial resources, for example from the state, its survival is at stake. Smartwings, as the owner, is struggling itself due to the pandemic, because the charter and holiday flight business, in which it specializes, has also collapsed. But Smartwings seems completely innocent to

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SmartLynx Malta now flies for DHL

The SmartLynx Malta airline has been very quiet for some time, but now the carrier is back with a new business model. On behalf of Deutsche Post DHL Group, it will operate two Airbus A321-200 freighters. These will be used in the logistics group's cargo network. These are former passenger aircraft that have been converted into freighters. A321s are currently being converted in increasing numbers, which is also due to the currently high price of Boeing 757 aircraft. The B757 forms the backbone of DHL's own fleet. SmartLynx Malta is a subsidiary of the Avia Solutions Group. This offshoot was originally founded to operate passenger flights. However, the corona crisis led to this flight operation specializing in freight. According to a statement from the Maltese carrier, the A321F fleet is to be expanded to four units by 2022.

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Mönchengladbach Airport is looking for an innkeeper

Although the catering industry in Germany is largely closed, Mönchengladbach Airport is looking ahead and is looking for a new restaurateur to run a 745 square meter restaurant. The subsidiary of Düsseldorf Airport sees the new restaurant as a crowd puller and also highlights a 280 square meter outdoor terrace in a press release. This will offer a view of the apron. "This special ambience is predestined for a high-quality gastronomic offer," says Ulrich Schückhaus, Managing Director of the airport company. "We are thus increasing the attractiveness of the airport for visitors as well as for companies." Another argument that Mönchengladbach Airport presents in a press release: The airport should be located along a "popular bicycle route that ensures sufficient public traffic and thus guests in the new catering industry." However, restaurateurs who want to cook at this airport, which has no scheduled flights but specializes in general aviation and student pilots, have to be quick. Applications will only be accepted until March 24, 2021. Mönchengladbach Airport is already an important economic factor in the region with around 650 jobs - and the trend is rising. Maintenance heavyweights such as RAS and elite Jet are expanding, a strong flight school operation and unique event locations such as the Hugo Junkers Hangar are giving MGL a lasting boost. Flight movements in 2020 were 48.856, almost 15 percent higher than in the previous year. "Against the background of the corona pandemic, this is a particularly positive signal that counteracts the negative industry trend," says Franz-Josef Kames, Managing Director of the airport company. Investments will continue to be made in the coming years under the label "Innovation Airport MGL". Additional aircraft and

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Kurz wants Europe-wide “privilege pass” for vaccinated people

Despite the fact that vaccinations against Covid-19 are only progressing at a snail's pace in the European Union, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) is now pushing for a "privilege pass for vaccinated people". He wants to push this through at EU level and, if that fails, only introduce it in Austria. Kurz makes no secret of the fact that Israel is the role model. The "vaccination world champion" grants those who have recovered and been vaccinated a so-called "Green Pass", which serves as a door opener for pretty much everything. Just a few weeks ago, Health Minister Rudolf Anschober (Greens) had categorically ruled out that people who have been immunized against Covid-19 should receive any relief. Pensioners and tourism put pressure on But the government is under massive pressure from various sides. For example, the domestic tourism industry is pushing for guests to be received as easily as possible. Due to the botched Corona policy, many businesses are only concerned with survival. Another group that is pushing for this are those people who have been granted special privileges in the form of vaccinations. These are primarily pensioners who are already thinking about their next vacation at the beach, because with the vaccination the Corona issue is over. This age group also includes an important core group of voters for the ÖVP, which Sebastian Kurz has his eye on, because voter turnout is traditionally very high among older people and he does not want to upset them. But pressure is also coming from airlines and other transport companies, because they want to transport as many passengers as possible again as quickly as possible. In this context, it is also important to note that

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