September 21, 2021

Danish Air Transport wants to expand in Saarbrücken

Jan Gruber September 21, 2021 19:47

The airline Danish Air Transport says it is seeing increased demand on the domestic German routes from Saarbrücken to Berlin and Hamburg. As a result, it is increasing frequencies and using larger aircraft. Berlin is served twice a day from Tuesday to Thursday and, with the start of the winter flight schedule, also on Fridays, and once on Sundays and Mondays. DAT has previously flies to Hamburg twice a week, but with the start of the winter flight schedule it will fly three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). During the same period, passenger numbers on the Berlin route rose from around 1.100 in June to over 3.000 (expected) passengers for October. The numbers on the Hamburg route are also showing an upward trend following DAT's entry in May: more than 500 passengers are expected in September. The ATR20 aircraft is to be used from October 2021, 72. Up to now, flights have generally been carried out with the smaller ATR42. As a result, there will be 72 seats available per flight instead of 48 in the future. The carrier also announced that there will be discounted offers for young people from the 2021/22 winter flight schedule. Additional routes from Saarbrücken could be added in the 2022 summer flight schedule. The relevant decisions are expected to be made in October 2021 and the destinations will be announced then. According to DAT, one thing is certain: the Saarbrücken-Berlin route will be extended to Bornholm next summer. However, the airline does not want to reveal any further destinations yet.

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D-ABTL: Lufthansa took back the last B747-400 from Twente

Amely Mizzi September 21, 2021 19:11

On Monday, Lufthansa flew out the last Boeing 747-400 parked in Enschede-Twente, the D-ABTL. This also marks the end of a strange chapter, as the company had to fight for the approval for take-offs. The background to this is that Twente Airport is the final destination for many aircraft. The Boeing 747 model has approval for landings, but not for take-offs. This was not really taken into account at the time of the long-term storage. The result was that special approvals had to be obtained, which the Dutch authorities initially refused. The Kranich Group had six Boeing 747-400s parked at this airport. After a real soap opera between the airport and the authorities, these were gradually flown out. Lufthansa is using this type of aircraft commercially again.

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Alitalia brand is available from 290 million euros

Jan Gruber September 21, 2021 18:37

The sale of Alitalia's trademark rights has now been officially put up for auction. The minimum bid is 290 million euros. Due to the fact that the EU Commission insists that the brand must be auctioned publicly, any interested person who can raise the necessary cash can bid. The outcome of the auction will also determine which brand the successor, ITA, will launch under. If the latter is successful, the company will launch as Alitalia. If not, then possibly as ITA. Competitors now have the opportunity to throw sand in the gears of the project by bidding up the price or simply snapping up the trademark rights. At the same time, the industrial action by the Italian unions is intensifying, as they are angry that only a small fraction of the Alitalia workforce is to be taken over by the successor, ITA. Negotiations have been broken off and a strike that has been announced for some time is due to take place on Friday. Alitalia currently has around 10.000 employees. However, the successor only wants to employ 2.800 people. They also do not want to conclude collective agreements with the unions, which has further angered employee representatives. There are now even threats of a strike on October 15, 2021, ITA's official first flight day. It remains to be seen how this rather complicated matter will develop.

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China: Insolvent HNA Group is broken up

Jan Gruber September 21, 2021 18:03

The insolvent HNA Group is to be split into four independent groups of companies. These could be sold off gradually. The Chinese group of companies holds numerous interests in airlines, ground service providers and airports in the aviation sector. In the future, Aviation, Airports, Financial and Commercial are to operate as four independent groups. These could then be sold off gradually in order to reduce the HNA Group's considerable mountain of debt. Gu Gang, Chairman of the HNA Group, confirmed that the four groups that will emerge from the conglomerate will be owned by other shareholders in the future. This will mark the end of the Chinese group of companies, which in Germany has a stake in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, for example, and is also active at Swissport. In the past, the group has overextended itself massively in spectacular takeovers and thus accumulated a considerable mountain of debt. At some point, it could no longer service this and had to file for bankruptcy. Now the break-up follows.

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After the USA announcement: Lufthansa has many new bookings

Amely Mizzi September 21, 2021 17:38

The Lufthansa Group sees itself as optimally prepared for the impending opening of the USA to fully vaccinated EU citizens. In a press release, the company points out, among other things, that the group of companies is already flying to 17 destinations in the United States. Shortly after the announcement, a "sharp increase in bookings of 40 percent" was recorded. The new guidelines allow US travelers who are fully vaccinated with WHO-certified vaccines and present a negative corona test that must not be older than three days to enter the country without restrictions from November 2021. "The announced withdrawal of travel restrictions to the USA not only represents a major step out of the crisis for our airlines, but it is also excellent news for the transatlantic partnership. From November, families and friends will finally be able to see each other again and business partners will be able to develop their relationships in person again. Together with the capital increase decided for the early repayment of the state stabilization, two important decisions were made within 24 hours for the way out of the crisis and the sustainable success of Lufthansa," explains CEO Carsten Spohr. The flight offering between Europe and the USA has been continuously expanded in recent months to over 200 weekly connections to 17 US destinations. Just in time for the opening in November, travelers will now have a wide range of flights to choose from, which can be expanded at short notice if necessary.

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Large order: Airbus and Air Asia reach an agreement

Amely Mizzi September 21, 2021 17:06

The aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the Air Asia Group, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, have been able to reach an agreement on prices and delivery dates. The manufacturer is accommodating the customer and can thus prevent several large orders from being cancelled. Officially, the two contracting parties do not want to comment on a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter. However, it is considered highly likely that an agreement has been reached. For Airbus, large orders for around 400 aircraft were at stake. In advance, Air Asia stopped making the down payments that have to be made depending on the progress of construction. This really got the Airbus management riled up. Delivery slots were given to other customers, including Condor. According to Reuters, a deal has now been concluded that includes 13 A320neo, 379 A321neo and 76 A330-900. Air Asia will take over the orders much later and Airbus is accommodating the struggling company in terms of both prices and payment terms. This enabled the aircraft manufacturer to avert a total failure of the large order.

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Entry: Tunisia is rowing back when a child test is compulsory

Amely Mizzi September 21, 2021 16:09

Just a few days ago, Tunisia surprised everyone by requiring children aged two and over to present a negative PCR test before entering the country. Now they are rowing back and raising the age to 12 again. Fully vaccinated people are exempt from quarantine. Tunisia now requires that all entrants aged 12 and over must present a negative PCR test, which must have a QR code. This must be no more than 72 hours old at the time of check-in with the airline. An electronic entry form must also be filled out and signed in duplicate. Upon entry, a temperature check (“fever check”) is carried out and the right to carry out random rapid tests is reserved. If this is positive, you must go to a quarantine hotel at your own expense. Fully vaccinated people no longer have to go into quarantine - regardless of whether you are on a package or individual trip. If you are not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are an individual traveler, you must undergo ten days of isolation. You can be exempted from this test after seven days at the earliest. Minors travelling alone and children accompanied by their fully vaccinated parents are exempt from this. They do not have to undergo hotel quarantine.

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Winter: Eurowings Discover could fly to the USA

Jan Gruber September 21, 2021 15:08

Just a few days ago, the new Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings Discover canceled all USA flights planned for the 2021/22 winter flight schedule. Now, due to the announced opening for vaccinated people, the situation has changed fundamentally. Eurowings Discover confirmed to Aviation Direct that it is reviewing the decision again. In concrete terms, this means that the carrier could possibly fly from Germany to the USA in the 2021/22 winter flight schedule. This was exactly what was canceled just a few days ago and postponed to the 2022 summer flight schedule. “We are pleased about the announced lifting of travel restrictions to the USA and are examining to what extent we can adapt our flight program to the USA to current developments. As of now, we are still planning to offer flights from Frankfurt to Anchorage (ANC), Fort Myers (RSW), Salt Lake City (SLC) and Las Vegas (LAS) in the 2022 summer flight schedule. We will also serve Las Vegas from Munich,” a Eurowings Discover spokeswoman told Aviation Direct.

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Salzburg about to make a strong winter comeback

Amely Mizzi September 21, 2021 14:15

Winter business is traditionally particularly important for Salzburg Airport, as Austria's second-largest airport generates the lion's share of annual revenue in the cold season. Last year, the ski business was a complete failure due to the corona pandemic. Now numerous airlines have presented their winter plans. The offer from the United Kingdom to Salzburg is particularly strong. British Airways is launching two new routes with London City and Southampton. The IAG Group member is also flying to the city of Mozart again from London Heathrow. Ryanair will fly to Salzburg from London Stansted and now also from Manchester. Jet2 is launching new flights to Newcastle and Bristol. This carrier also flies to the city of Mozart from Birmingham, Edinburgh, East Midlands and other UK airports. There are even two providers coming from Keflavik this year, as Icelandair and the newly founded Play are offering their flight services. Tarom is starting a connection from/to Bucharest. Air Alsie will fly from/to Lübeck again from February 2022 under the Lübeck Air brand. Easyjet reactivates Hamburg and Berlin Transavia has announced the destinations Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Amsterdam from Salzburg this year. Flydubai will continue to fly from Dubai to the city of Mozart. Eurowings flies to Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne/Bonn several times a week. Lufthansa has Frankfurt am Main on offer. Easyjet will fly to Hamburg and Berlin again. Turkish Airlines is maintaining its hub connection to Istanbul. There will also be various outgoing charters from Salzburg, including Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Hurghada. It is expected that further incoming charters will be launched in the coming weeks and months. "Our team at the airport is well prepared for the

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Right of way for electric taxis at Hamburg Airport

Granite Pireci September 21, 2021 14:06

From today, environmentally friendly e-taxis are allowed to go to the front at Hamburg Airport. In the boarding zones directly in front of the terminals, the first two seats will in future be reserved for purely electric taxis. This gives them a better starting position for interested passengers. Hamburg Airport is thus supporting the city's "Taxi of the Future" funding program, which creates incentives for the environmentally friendly electrification of Hamburg's taxi fleet. "If you compare taxis' advertising for passengers with a car race, e-taxis are now always in pole position. As an important infrastructure company in Hamburg, we are doing our part to promote the conversion of the taxi fleet to more environmentally friendly drives. The combination of city funding for purchasing, clear advantages when passengers board, and easily available charging infrastructure makes the switch attractive. At the airport, too, we are promoting the use of alternative drives with our mobility concept: we now even push aircraft using purely electric power and run passenger stairs using solar energy," says Michael Eggenschwiler, CEO of Hamburg Airport.

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More articles from the category

Danish Air Transport wants to expand in Saarbrücken

D-ABTL: Lufthansa took back the last B747-400 from Twente

Alitalia brand is available from 290 million euros

China: Insolvent HNA Group is broken up

After the USA announcement: Lufthansa has many new bookings

Large order: Airbus and Air Asia reach an agreement

Entry: Tunisia is rowing back when a child test is compulsory

Winter: Eurowings Discover could fly to the USA

Salzburg about to make a strong winter comeback

Right of way for electric taxis at Hamburg Airport

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