January 9, 2024

More articles from the category

January 9, 2024

BER had 1,77 million passengers in December 2023

Berlin Brandenburg Airport had around 2023 million passengers in December 1,77. This represents a slight increase compared to November 2023. However, it was still well below the pre-crisis volume that Tegel and Schönefeld were able to achieve. In December 2022, 1,53 million passengers were counted at BER, while in December of the pre-Corona year 2019, there were 2,6 million passengers at the then Tegel and Schönefeld airports. The number of flight movements in December 2023 was around 13.600. That was around 1.400 take-offs and landings more than in the same month last year. In December 2019, almost 21.200 flight movements were registered at Tegel and Schönefeld. “Demand for air travel continued to rise last year. Around 20 million people used BER in 2023 for flights abroad or for flights from abroad to Berlin. This corresponds to 73 percent of the pre-Corona level and is a sign that vacation continues to be very important to people. In terms of long-haul connections themselves, we were back at the level of 2019 last year," said BER boss Aletta von Massenbach. A total of 23,07 million passengers used BER last year. That was 3,22 million more than in 2022, but still 12,6 million fewer than before the pandemic. A total of 176.649 aircraft took off and landed at the capital airport last year. This corresponds to an increase of 7,5 percent compared to 2022. In 2019, there were 277.600 takeoffs and landings. Air freight last December was 14 percent higher than the freight volume of the pre-Corona year 2019: A total of around

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B737 Max inspections: Alaska has to cancel many flights

In recent days, the US airline Alaska Airlines has had to cancel numerous flights that were planned with the Boeing 737-Max-9 model. The reason for this is that the FAA has ordered unscheduled inspections. These can take around eight hours of work. This meant that around 7 Alaska flights had to be cancelled on January 2024, 170. On Monday, January 8, 2024, there were still 60. The FAA's EAD requires that the aircraft must be extensively inspected before the next flight. The reason for this is the incident that occurred at the weekend in which an identical aircraft lost an emergency exit panel during a climb.

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Condor launches IFES on short and medium-haul flights

Until now, there was usually no entertainment program on board Condor's medium-haul fleet. This has now changed, as "Fly Stream" now offers e-magazines, music, games and films. The flight can also be followed live. This is done via wireless LAN, which does not offer an internet connection. In order to use the new IFES, passengers need their own smartphone, tablet or laptop. The service can then be accessed via a QR code or link. The content should be available free of charge. If available: An internet connection can also be established via Fly Connect. However, this is subject to a fee and is not available on all aircraft.

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Bern: Helvetic Airways takes over Djerba charter

The Swiss tour operator Tui Suisse is having Helvetic Airways serve some holiday destinations from Bern-Belp in the 2024 summer flight schedule. The new destination is Djerba, according to the tour operator. There has been no regular scheduled service in Bern-Belp for some time. Since the bankruptcy of the home base carrier SkyWork, things have been extremely quiet in this segment. During the warm season, however, there are still holiday flights operated by various airlines. This year, Helvetic Airways will fly for Tui Suisse to Larnaka, Rhodes, Palma de Mallorca, Heraklion, Kos and now to Djerba.

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FTI with new self-operated hotel in Marsa Alam

The travel group FTI will open another self-operated hotel in Egypt, the "Beach Safari Marsa Alam". Reservations for the four-star hotel will be accepted from May 1, 2024. It is located about 40 minutes from Marsa Alam Airport and will be located in the immediate vicinity of the beach. The core target group are families who want to go on holiday with their children. It offers a water park, seven bars, nine restaurants and, in the first expansion phase, 150 rooms.

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British Airways: A320 had to divert to Nantes due to smoke

On January 2, 2024, the Airbus A320 operated by British Airways with the registration G-EUYH was en route from Gibraltar to London Heathrow. Due to smoke in the cockpit, an emergency landing had to be made in Nantes, France. The medium-haul jet was making a routine flight from Gibraltar to the largest airport in the United Kingdom. Shortly before reaching the English Channel, the pilots noticed a smoke-like smell in the cockpit. Smoke was also said to have been visible. The flight direction was changed and an emergency landing was requested at Nantes Airport in France. The pilots are said to have used their oxygen masks as a precaution, but these were not triggered in the passenger compartment. There, the G-EUYH was then able to land safely. All passengers and crew members were able to leave the Airbus A320 safely. The affected jet was temporarily taken out of service because an extensive technical inspection was necessary. A replacement aircraft was sent to Nantes for the passengers, but not until the following day. Until then, the travelers were accommodated in a hotel. But the replacement aircraft also had problems, as the commander identified defects that had to be repaired. This meant that the involuntary stay in Nantes was extended accordingly. In the meantime, the G-EUYH was also repaired and is back in scheduled service. British Airways did not provide any specific information on the exact cause.

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Bavaria: CSU wants prison sentences for intrusion into security areas

The Bavarian CSU is demanding that the penalties for illegally entering airport security areas be drastically increased. If the CSU's plans go ahead, the penalty will be at least six months in prison. The CDU's sister party wants to react to repeated "actions" by the climate activists, but also to the Hamburg incident. The demand for a minimum sentence of six months in prison is contained in a draft resolution that was drawn up as part of the most recent CSU meeting. The Bild newspaper was the first to report on this.

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Canada: 16-year-old beats up his family during a flight

On January 3, 2024, a dispute within a family escalated into violence on board an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Calgary. The captain decided to make a stopover in Winnipeg to hand the troublemakers over to the police. The Airbus A321 with the registration C-GIUE initially took off routinely from Toronto's Pearson Airport. At first it looked like a quiet flight, but about 30 minutes after takeoff an argument broke out between a 16-year-old youth and his relatives who were flying with him. The exact degree of relationship was not disclosed, so it is unclear whether it was his parents or, for example, his grandparents. After initially making loud statements from the minor, fists flew. He violently attacked his relatives. They are said to have suffered injuries, which is why outpatient treatment was necessary after landing. The flight attendants and other passengers intervened and were able to bring the teenager under control. However, this did not change the fact that the captain decided, for safety reasons, that the family dispute should be resolved outside the aircraft he was commanding. He therefore decided to make an unscheduled stopover in Winnipeg. The teenager was already awaited by the police there, who took him away. His relatives also had to leave the Airbus A321. The teenager was taken to a hospital. A psychiatric examination is to be carried out there on the orders of the public prosecutor. It is completely unclear - and was not disclosed by the authorities - what caused the teenager to lose his nerve and violently attack his relatives.

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WEF 2024: Zurich Airport is offering spotter tours again

The World Economic Forum will take place again in Davos in mid-January 2024. Zurich-Kloten Airport expects that numerous special visitors will turn up again. There are special tours for spotters and longer opening hours on Observation Deck B. This year's World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos will take place from January 15 to 19, 2024. In the days before, during and after the WEF, additional flight movements of business jets and government aircraft as well as increased political and security-related helicopter transports are expected. Overall, as in previous years, around 1000 additional flight movements are expected during this period. Due to the short notice of the visits and the limited number of stands, this number is only an estimate. As in 2020, Jet Aviation, in cooperation with Zurich Airport, is offering WEF guests the opportunity to refuel their aircraft with a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) blend. Aviation fans and interested parties can watch the action from various spotters' positions, for example from the spotters' position on the west side of the airport, in the north from the spotters' position in Oberglatt or from the observation deck B. The opening hours will be extended during the WEF days: From Saturday, January 13th to Friday, January 19th, the observation deck B will be open daily from 08:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m. The state aircraft expected this year include aircraft types such as Boeing 747-800, 747-900 and 777 as well as Airbus 330 and 340.

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Alaska Airlines is giving its Boeing 737-800 fleet new cabins

Alaska Airlines will be giving 61 Boeing 737-800s a modernized cabin. This is intended to provide passengers with more comfort, but the downside is that the seat pitch will be reduced because more seats will be offered in the future. Alaska Airlines currently offers capacity for 737 passengers on board the Boeing 800-159 fleet. This is made up of 130 seats in economy class, 30 in premium class and 12 in first class. In the future, the company will offer 16 seats in first class. The remaining seats will be distributed between premium and economy class. The upgrades primarily affect first class, because the aim is to offer passengers more comfort here. For example, the new seats will also have footrests and holders for mobile devices. The seat pitch will be 40 inches in the future. In premium class it will be 35 inches. For Alaska Airlines, well-paying passengers in first class and premium class play a major role. The vast majority of revenue per flight comes from these passengers. In the economy class sector, the airline is in fierce competition with other carriers on many routes, meaning that the airline is much more competitive in terms of prices. The company says it has seen increasing demand for the more expensive classes for several years. The airline is now reacting to this and will be redesigning the Boeing 15-737, which is on average around 800 years old.

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