Français »
German "
Search
January 5, 2023

More articles from the category

January 5, 2023

IATA boss Walsh sharply criticizes new corona test obligations

Jan Gruber 5 January 2023 11:15

More and more governments are requiring passengers who have recently been in the People's Republic of China to present negative corona tests that are no more than 48 hours old. In some cases, compulsory testing is required as part of entry controls. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has sharply criticized the approach. Not surprisingly, no uniform approach could be agreed at EU level, so the only recommendation was that member states should require passengers who have boarded in China to present negative corona tests and wear masks. However, this is not a binding regulation, as it is still up to the respective governments of the EU states to decide for themselves. For example, Italy and France have already introduced or at least announced mandatory testing, and Austria wants to start testing the wastewater from Chinese aircraft next week. IATA boss Willie Walsh sharply criticizes the downright panic-like reaction on the part of numerous governments: "Although the virus is already widespread within their borders. It is extremely disappointing that these measures, which have proven ineffective over the last three years, are being reintroduced reflexively." He also believes that the renewed restriction of travel could have consequences for the economy and thus for jobs. "Research carried out in connection with the arrival of the Omicron variant concluded that the imposition of travel restrictions had no impact on the peak spread of infections. The restrictions delayed this peak by a few days at most. If a new variant emerges in any part of the world, the same situation would be expected," explains Walsh, who calls for the

Continue reading "

Air India: Drunk man urinated on 70-year-old woman in business class

Amely Mizzi 5 January 2023 11:06

A few days ago, a disgusting incident occurred on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi, when a drunk passenger felt the need to urinate on a 70-year-old passenger. At first, it looked as if the man would get away with it without any consequences, as he was not arrested after landing. Shortly after lunch was served, a drunk man felt the need to urinate on a woman of around 70 who was travelling in business class. The woman felt - justifiably - not only harassed, but also severely humiliated. The crew tried to help as best they could on the spot and began to disinfect clothes, bags and shoes that were soaked with urine. The woman was forced to provide pajamas as a kind of "emergency clothing". However, the person concerned was annoyed that there were no significant consequences for the drunkard immediately after landing. He was initially able to leave the long-haul aircraft unmolested. However, cancelled is not postponed, as both the police and Air India have taken action and only informed them after numerous media reports that criminal and civil proceedings are being taken against the perpetrator. The 70-year-old did not shy away from writing a personal letter to the head of Air India. Numerous local media quoted from this letter: "I was given pajamas and disposable slippers to change into. After I had changed, I stood near the toilet for about 20 minutes. I asked for another seat, but was told that there were no free seats.

Continue reading "

Lufthansa reactivates five more Airbus A340-600s

Amely Mizzi 5 January 2023 10:52

Numerous airlines have already phased out their four-engine aircraft or at least announced that they will only operate jets with two engines on long-haul routes in the future. Lufthansa is taking a very unusual approach by reactivating more Airbus A340-600s that they actually did not want to put into scheduled service. Some time ago, the Kranich Group announced that it would replace this model with Airbus A350-900s and thus gradually phase it out. In the wake of the Corona pandemic, it was initially said that the Airbus A340-600 mid-size aircraft would no longer be reactivated. CEO Carsten Spohr also considered it "unlikely" that Lufthansa would ever fly commercially with A380s again. But both things turned out differently or the decisions were revised. In summer 2023, the Kranich wants to be back in the air with superjumbos and five more A340-600s are also being brought back from long-term storage. At the moment, five of this type are in use. This will soon increase to ten. This may also be due to the fact that additional aircraft with first-class cabins are needed. At the moment, these can only be offered on the A350, the A340 and the Boeing 747-8. Although these will then also be available on the A380, the superjumbos will not return to active scheduled service until shortly before the summer of 2023. The company therefore wants to expand its first-class offering by reactivating five more Airbus A340-600s. "We are bringing the Airbus A340 back to show that it is possible to respond to the growing premium demand - not only in the business but also in the private travel sector," said a Lufthansa spokesman. While the

Continue reading "

Egypt puts low-cost airline Air Sphinx on hold

Jan Gruber 5 January 2023 10:33

The "ghost airline" Air Sinai, renamed Air Sphinx, should have been in the air as a low-cost airline long ago. Preparations are largely complete, but the Egyptian government has now decided to put the project on hold indefinitely. The "new" carrier was intended to revitalize Sphinx International Airport, which is currently little used by airlines. The primary aim was to offer low-cost flights from neighboring countries and Europe in order to attract additional tourists to the country. Air Sphinx was also intended to operate domestic flights to a lesser extent. The project was announced some time ago, but there were repeated delays, which the government justified - for example - with the corona pandemic. Just a few weeks ago, the Ministry of Transport announced that Air Sphinx would be launched in winter 2022/23. Now everything is different, because the project is on hold indefinitely. However, the AOC and operating license are not to be postponed, as Air Sinai, renamed Air Sphinx, will continue to fly for Egyptair and other Egyptian carriers. The airline wants to keep the option open of getting the planned low-cost carrier into the air at a later date. For the time being, the focus in this segment is on Air Cairo. The company is to continue to expand and develop new business areas. This also includes the fact that the first regional jets of the Embraer 190 type will soon be introduced into its fleet. These will be used to serve routes on which the use of Airbus A320/Boeing 737 aircraft would be uneconomical due to a lack of demand. Air Sphinx is a

Continue reading "

Summer 2023: Nouvelair is expanding its range from the DA-CH region

Amely Mizzi 5 January 2023 10:20

The airline Nouvelair is further expanding its presence in the DA-CH region in the 2023 summer flight schedule. From April 2023, it will offer 42 weekly rotations to Djerba, Monastir and Tunis, among others. From April 2023, the carrier will fly between Tunis and Berlin on Mondays and Thursdays. Düsseldorf is flown to on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. From Basel, flights to the Tunisian capital will be made on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The target group for these connections are business travelers, tourists and so-called ethnic traffic. In direct comparison with the same period last year, Nouvelair will offer around 2023 percent more Djerba flights in summer 50. This destination is offered from the following airports: Basel (Mondays), Berlin (Saturdays), Düsseldorf and Frankfurt (every Monday, Friday and Saturday), Hanover, Leipzig and Stuttgart (every Friday), Cologne (Mondays), Munich (Tuesdays), Leipzig and Vienna (Wednesdays and Saturdays). The destination Monastir is offered on Tuesdays and Fridays from Berlin-Brandenburg. Flights run from Hanover and Düsseldorf on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Also in the program: Frankfurt (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays), Leipzig (Fridays), Munich (Tuesdays and Saturdays), Münster/Osnabrück (Tuesdays), Stuttgart (Wednesdays and Saturdays) and Vienna (Wednesdays and Saturdays). “Demand for flights from Germany and Tunisia exceeds expectations. With the significantly expanded flight schedule, we are preparing for a strong travel year for this country," says Holger Koch, Managing Director of International Carrier Consult (ICC), who works as General Sales Agent for Nouvelair. Further full charter flights for established tour operators are also being prepared for the summer.

Continue reading "