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March 29, 2021

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March 29, 2021

Vaccinations: “Theoretical appointments” for AUA employees in April 2021

Jan Gruber March 29, 2021 16:16

Many Austrian Airlines employees have already entered Covid-19 vaccination appointments in their April duty rosters. At first glance, it seems as if AUA wants to "push its way to the front", but the appointments are not yet fixed. There could be delays, because the national vaccination plan continues to give priority to high-risk patients and older people. Phase II is not yet complete and the staff of transport companies with customer contact are only scheduled for Phase III. At least in theory, AUA flying staff already have appointments in the bag, but the reality is a little different. Depending on the progress of Phase II vaccinations and the availability of the vaccine, these will then be fixed or possibly postponed indefinitely. In theory, many older people also had vaccination appointments in the bag, but in Vienna in particular, there have been repeated cases of even extremely elderly pensioners being sent home on the spot due to a lack of vaccine. Austrian Airlines is preparing organizationally for the vaccination campaign and has already included possible appointments in the duty rosters, but whether these will actually be "jabbed" depends on the decisions of the authorities. Thus, "theoretically possible appointments" were allocated. The Lufthansa subsidiary did not even address the allegation that AUA is not a system-critical infrastructure, a hospital or a nursing home. At the moment, these groups, among others, are next in line in phases I and II, and in most federal states this is well behind schedule. A spokeswoman referred to the national vaccination plan: "Phase 3 of the Austrian vaccination plan, which will be launched in mid-XNUMX, is not yet available."

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Smartwings will receive around 270 million euros

Amely Mizzi March 29, 2021 16:04

The Czech Smartwings Group is receiving a loan of around 76 million euros from a bank consortium led by Unicredit. This is guaranteed by the Czech government. However, the government is asking for the guarantee. The carrier's shareholders are also contributing financial resources. The total volume therefore amounts to around 270 million euros. The subsidiary CSA will not see any of this, as the Czech government's regulations prevent it from being passed on. The Skyteam member had to file for bankruptcy a few weeks ago because, among other things, negotiations about possible state aid failed. The future of CSA is still completely open, as decisions by creditors and the court are not expected for a few months. According to the conditions, the state aid granted in the Czech Republic can only be used for the Czech part of Smartwings. The group of companies has local branches in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, among others. These are not to be discussed. For route law reasons, local approvals are required on certain routes.

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Austria: Metro pulls up Corona test streets

Jan Gruber March 29, 2021 15:31

The food wholesaler Metro is entering the rapid antigen testing business in Austria. It offers free tests at its locations in Wiener Neustadt, Vösendorf, Dornbirn and Langenzersdorf. It also plans to do this shortly in Linz, Innsbruck, Graz and Klagenfurt. The testing centers are being set up as part of the company testing program funded by the federal government. These are open to both the wholesaler's employees and customers and are free of charge. According to Metro, the swab will be taken by medical professionals. If the antigen test is negative, a confirmation will be issued, which can also be used, for example, for access to hairdressers or for entry into countries that recognize antigen results. "Since the outbreak of the pandemic, METRO has been making a massive effort to ensure the safety, protection and health of its employees and customers. In addition, rapid tests have been offered to all employees at all twelve locations since last December. By setting up the test lanes, we are now helping to identify risks and are thus making a further contribution to society,” said Metro Austria boss Xavier Plotitza. Opening hours of the Metro test lanes: Vösendorf, Wiener Neustadt and Langenzersdorf: Mon-Sat 08:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. Dornbirn: Mon, Wed and Fri 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 14:00 p.m. to 17:00 p.m. and on Holy Saturday, April 3rd from 11:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, April 6th from 09:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 14:00 p.m. to 17:00 p.m.

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Rome: Albastar publishes Ouagadougou flight plan

Jan Gruber March 29, 2021 15:02

In cooperation with the tour operator Jennifer Tour International, the Spanish airline Albastar will start a non-stop connection between Rome-Fiumicino and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from June 25, 2021. This is the first flight connection between the two countries. The charter flights will initially be operated every two weeks. The cooperation between the tour operator and Albastar is initially limited to March 2022. If successful, the route will continue to be served. According to Albastar, other routes are currently being examined. The carrier maintains some domestic Italian routes that are offered as part of PSO subsidies, but also on its own account. The Burkina Faso flight schedule at a glance: AP5129 FCO 1300 - 1800 OUAAP5130 OUA 1850 - 00:00 FCO

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SAS is increasingly relying on sale and leaseback

Amely Mizzi March 29, 2021 14:35

The Scandinavian Star Alliance member SAS cashed in on the Airbus A350-900, which was only delivered on Friday, as part of a sale-and-leaseback agreement. According to the announcement, a corresponding contract was concluded with CDB Aviation Lease Finance. This also includes three A320neos, which are to be handed over next year. In the medium term, SAS wants to operate an all-Airbus fleet. According to CFO Magnus Örnberg, SLB deals are being used to preserve liquidity. A new collective agreement has also been concluded with the pilots. This stipulates, among other things, that there will be no salary increases this year. Last year, the carrier sent countless pilots and flight attendants on indefinite leave because there is no short-time work model in Sweden. The company wants to offer those affected re-employment by around 2024, but it can be assumed that many may have found new jobs by then.

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February 2021: Another decline in Germany

Amely Mizzi March 29, 2021 14:01

Passenger volumes continued to decline at Germany's airports in February 2021. 1.321.426 travelers were counted. In direct comparison with the same month last year, this represents a decrease of 91,3 percent. Cargo volumes rose by 14,6 percent to 396.556 tons. The number of commercial flight movements was 73,1 percent lower than in the same month last year and is estimated by the ADV at 41.718 takeoffs and landings. Domestic traffic fell by 91,9 percent. There were 91,8 percent fewer travelers on European routes. There were 89,3 percent fewer passengers on intercontinental routes. Air freight remains on a strong growth path with +14,6% (396.556t). Loadings increased by +8,4% (204.516t) and unloadings by +21,9% (192.040t). Online commerce in particular is driving cargo volumes. In addition to the increased volume of medical goods and vaccine logistics, air freight is also benefiting from the limited container capacity in sea transport.

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Lufthansa flies to Mount Pleasant again

Amely Mizzi March 29, 2021 13:36

On March 30, 2021, Lufthansa will once again fly researchers from Hamburg to Mount Pleasant on behalf of the Alfred Wegener Institute. This time, researchers from the German Aerospace Center will also be on board. The special flight has been announced to be carried out with an Airbus A350-900. Tomorrow, the Airbus A350-900 will be transferred from Munich to Hamburg at 14:30 p.m. The landing at Hamburg Airport is scheduled for 15:40 p.m. under the flight number LH9923. That same evening, LH2574 will take off for Mount Pleasant at 21:30 p.m. The aircraft with the registration D-AIXQ and the name of the city of Freiburg is the newest member of the Lufthansa A350 fleet and is one of the world's most sustainable and economical long-haul aircraft. "We are delighted that with the second flight to the Falkland Islands we are not only supporting the AWI's polar research expedition, but also making an important contribution to further research into the Earth's magnetic field," says Thomas Jahn, fleet captain and Falkland project manager. "We have been supporting climate research projects for more than 25 years." The reason for this renewed flight to the Falkland Islands is the change of the Polarstern crew and the collection of the research expedition participants. Since the beginning of February, a team of around 50 AWI researchers has been collecting important data on ocean currents, sea ice and the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean, which, among other things, enables reliable climate forecasts. On the way back from the research area in the southern Weddell Sea, the Polarstern stopped in Atka Bay, where 25 more scientists boarded: the summer staff and the wintering team from Neumayer Station III. The latter will then return after more than 15 months in the

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Graz: AUA wants to reactivate Düsseldorf as planned

Jan Gruber March 29, 2021 13:05

The resumption of the last remaining decentralized AUA route from Graz is scheduled to take place on April 12, 2021. Austrian Airlines intends to operate the Düsseldorf route primarily with the Embraer 195 aircraft. The connection to Stuttgart will in future be operated by the group's sister company Eurowings, with the Airbus A319s used flying from Germany. An AUA spokesperson emphasized to Aviation Direct that the reactivation of the Düsseldorf route is to take place on April 12, 2021. "It remains the case that we will resume Graz-Düsseldorf on April 12.4," said the media officer. It was previously announced that Eurowings would postpone the first flights on the Graz-Stuttgart and Linz-Düsseldorf routes taken over by Austrian Airlines. It is currently planned that these will not start until the end of May 2021. Austrian Airlines will no longer offer regular scheduled flights from Linz. From Graz, the offer is limited to the destinations Vienna and Düsseldorf. AUA also no longer offers scheduled flights from Salzburg. The second remaining decentralized Austrian Airlines route is Innsbruck-Frankfurt, although according to Lufthansa this will soon be transferred to the commercial responsibility of the parent company. However, there is no date for this yet.

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Swiss also face further downsizing

Amely Mizzi March 29, 2021 12:35

The AUA sister company Swiss is also considering cutting a further 500 jobs. However, company boss Dieter Vranckx cannot yet quantify the exact extent of the job cuts. In any case, he rules out that the company he heads will need further state aid. Austrian Airlines caused outrage among the opposition and the Vida union with the announcement that another 650 jobs would be cut. Among other things, they accused Finance Minister Gernot Blümel (ÖVP) of failing to contractually agree a job guarantee. According to “Sonntagsblick”, around 500 jobs are about to be eliminated at Swiss. Vranckx told the media outlet mentioned that he would be able to answer the exact extent of the reduction in staff in the second quarter of 2021. Around 500 jobs were already cut last year. This year there will be another 500, so that the Lufthansa subsidiary may soon employ only 8.000 people. Switzerland supported Swiss and its sister company Edelweiss with state-guaranteed loans.

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Austrian Airlines “forgets” free water

Jan Gruber March 29, 2021 12:03

A few days ago, Austrian Airlines CCO Michael Trestl emphasized that, regardless of the paid catering, free water would continue to be served to passengers. In practice, the board's announcements and the actual implementation seem to be far apart. On Sunday, for example, no free water was offered on Austrian Airlines flight OS187, operated with an Embraer 195. When asked by various passengers, it was also said that snacks and drinks were only available for a fee. The supposedly free water was not available on this AUA flight, at least. It remains to be seen whether the crew misunderstood their employer's current regulations or whether there is a systematic approach behind it. When asked about the lack of free water, an Austrian Airlines spokesperson told Aviation Direct: "Water on board is and will remain free. We provide it on request." This statement can be interpreted as meaning that the free drink is not to be offered to travelers proactively, but only when they ask for it. This is exactly what some passengers did on the AUA flight in question, but were told that snacks and drinks are only available for a fee. Holders of “old tickets” also have to pay Another problem arises with tickets that were purchased before the switch to paid catering. During the booking process, included drinks were shown here - to a reduced extent under the Corona guise. These passengers, who actually have a legal right to water, tea or coffee without additional payment due to their transport contract, are also to be asked to pay. AUA is obviously speculating on “forgetting” here, because only if affected travelers actively complain will they take action.

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