April 9, 2024

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April 9, 2024

Munich: Gulf Air starts Bahrain flights

The Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air will offer four weekly flights to Munich from July 1, 2024. These will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays with Airbus A321neo. Landing in Munich is at 06:35 a.m., take-off for Bahrain at 12:20 p.m. Flights on this route can be booked now. As a holiday destination or as a stopover on a long-distance trip, the island state of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf offers a mixture of tradition and modernity. The inviting Arabian hospitality that travelers can experience is famous. In addition, the island state offers a direct road connection via the King Fahd Causeway, a 25 km long bridge that connects Bahrain with Saudi Arabia. For onward travelers, the international hub offers connections to fascinating destinations, including India, Singapore, Thailand and the Maldives.

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Spain: IAG establishes new ground handling agent

South Europe Ground Services (SOEGS) is the name of the new company (already registered in the Madrid Commercial Registry) that will provide ramp handling services for Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling and Level at all Spanish airports, as well as passenger handling services for British Airways, Air Nostrum and Aer Lingus. In addition, it will be able to serve third-party companies at the airports for which Iberia Airport Services has been licensed in the recent Aena tender. This company, 100% owned by IAG and majority owned by Iberia, is the result of the agreement reached on February 2 between Iberia and the unions to ensure a sustainable and competitive future for the handling business and its workers. The new company will be operationally autonomous and will integrate the employees of Iberia's current airport management, who will maintain the terms of the Iberia agreement and retain all their rights. Miguel Ángel Gimeno, currently Director of Ground Operations at Vueling, will be the new CEO of South Europe Ground Services (SOEGS). Gimeno has extensive experience in airport management. He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Zaragoza and an MBA from IESE Business School. Over the last 17 years, he has spent most of his career at Vueling, where, in addition to the position of Director of Ground Operations, he has held the positions of Director of OCC and Director of Crew and Inflight Services. For the CEO of SOEGS, “taking on the leadership of this new company within the IAG Group is a real challenge. I am

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Spain: Iberia tests boarding using facial recognition

Iberia is launching a biometric boarding process at Barcelona and Madrid airports. This is available to Iberia Plus members of adult age who have a Spanish ID card or an EU passport. The carrier hopes that the new process will speed up boarding and minimize delays. Iberia has introduced the facial recognition boarding service on its most popular route, the Air Shuttle, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Customers travelling between Madrid and Barcelona and vice versa can pass through the security filter and boarding gate without having to take out their mobile phone and/or present the required documents. This service is available to all customers who have an Iberia Plus card. To log in, they must access the private area of ​​the Iberia app and follow the following steps: enter their personal data, take a photo of their ID, scan the document chip and take a photo of their face with their mobile phone. This process only needs to be carried out once and then, on each trip, the customer only needs to link their boarding pass to the biometric profile. It is also possible to register at the airport kiosks or through the AENA application. The only requirements to register for the facial recognition service are to be at least 18 years old and to have a Spanish DNI (DNI 3.0. with NFC technology to be able to communicate with the mobile phone) or an electronic passport from the European Union. At Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, Iberia has six boarding gates with facial recognition: J46, J50, J52, J54, J56 and J58. There are also 2

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Klagenfurt Airport presented itself at the leisure fair

Klagenfurt Airport presented itself at the leisure fair last weekend and promoted the summer program of the airlines and tour operators. "We are delighted to present our flight connections at the fair - the feedback from the trade fair audience has been extremely positive. Our marketing team has held numerous discussions to provide information about the destinations that can be reached from Klagenfurt," says Maximilian Wildt, Managing Director of Klagenfurt Airport.

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Austria: Federal Council passes amendment to aviation law

The Federal Council has given the green light to two projects by the Austrian federal government. In future, airfields will be able to be used for rescue flights around the clock and wind turbines will no longer have to flash continuously at night, but only when necessary. An amendment to the Aviation Act provides for changes to the "obstacle lighting" of aviation obstacles. In future, wind turbines and other facilities will only have to be illuminated at night when necessary, for example when a flying object approaches them. Austro Control will be responsible for implementation. Military air traffic will also be given the option of remote switching for night-time marking as needed. Another aspect of the amendment provides that in future it will be possible to use civil airfields for 24-hour rescue flight operations outside of operating hours. The amendment passed the Federal Council with unanimity. Christian Buchmann (ÖVP/St) welcomed the amendment, saying that the amendment implements a long-held wish of Styrian state politics. Emergency medical helicopters are an essential medical element for people in the regions, which is now also available to them at night. The constant flashing of wind turbines at night does not contribute to the acceptance of wind power, said Adi Gross (Greens/V), who also supported the change, not least in view of the high level of safety guaranteed and the manageable air traffic close to the ground at night.

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Heathrow: Virgin Dreamliner hits British Airways A350-1000

On April 6, 2024, a Boeing 787-9 operated by Virgin Airlines and an Airbus A350-1000 operated by British Airways made an unpleasant encounter at London Heathrow Airport. Only material damage was caused. The Dreamliner with the registration G-VDIA was pushed back from the gate on April 6, 2024 as part of the so-called pushback procedure. An accident occurred because the winglet of the Boeing 787-9 operated by Virgin Airlines touched the vertical stabilizer of the British Airways Airbus A350-100 with the registration G-XWBC. The latter aircraft was due to fly to Accra shortly as BA81. This did not initially happen due to the ground incident. According to official information, both long-haul aircraft suffered damage. However, there were no injuries, so the damage was only material. For safety reasons, the airlines involved have temporarily taken the two planes involved in the incident out of service. Both airlines have to carry out extensive inspections of their aircraft and repair the damage. This can take some time. According to British Airways, the passengers of flight BA81 were brought to their destination on a replacement plane. The G-XWBB was used, but this jet was not immediately available. The passengers had to wait for the return to London Heathrow, so there was a 6,5-hour delay. The British Air Accident Investigation Authority has already announced that an investigation has been initiated. It should also be noted that both the fire brigade and the rescue service were deployed as a precaution. Fortunately, the services of the emergency services were not required. In such cases, it is usual for purely

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After 20 years: Singapore Airlines celebrates its comeback in Brussels

On April 6, 2024, Singapore Airlines reactivated the nonstop connection between Singapore and Brussels. This marks the first time in more than 20 years that there have been air connections between the states of Belgium and Singapore. With an inauguration ceremony and a water salute, the first Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight for the new connection from Brussels Airport to Singapore took off. After a 20-year absence, SIA is once again connecting the heart of Europe with this Asian metropolis. With the addition of Brussels, the number of European gateways in the SIA network increases to 13, reflecting the airline's commitment to improving connectivity for its customers and offering more choice. "Brussels is an important economic and political center in Europe, and the addition of this service adds another historic and charming city to the list of SIA destinations. It also gives our customers traveling from Europe an additional option to reach Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific region via our hub at Changi Airport. SIA will continue to review its route network and look for ways to offer our customers more options,” said Dai Hao Yu.

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But at 32 years old B737-400: 4 Airways receives AOC and operating license

4 Airways is another provider of ACMI and charter flights. The company was granted the AOC and operating license by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malta on March 27, 2024. The company initially plans to take off with Boeing 737-Classic, as TM-CAD has issued the CAMO license for this series. The young aviation company is based in Birkirkara, the largest municipality in the Republic of Malta. The official company name is "4 Airways Limited". The company was entered in the commercial register in November 2023 and, according to the documents available, the aviation documents were issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Republic of Malta on March 27, 2024. 4 Airways does not currently have an IATA two-letter code. The ICAO designator is DAK and the radio call sign is Duck Airways. The first aircraft to be registered in the Maltese aviation register is the Boeing 737-400 with the registration 9H-FIT, which was delivered to Aero USA in 1992 and then passed on to Air Berlin. The old aircraft has a long history behind it, as Air Berlin was by no means the last operator. This Boeing 737-400 was used by Air Explore, Bremenfly, Albastar and Albawings, among others. 4 Airways is still very tight-lipped about how the fleet will develop and for whom it will provide charter and/or ACMI services. It is now quite unusual in this business area to start flying with old aircraft. Compared to the NG series or the Max series, the Boeing 737 Classic series is considered to be extremely fuel-hungry and, due to its age, also very maintenance-intensive. The low acquisition or leasing costs can be

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The Federal Army showed the Alouette III cockpit at the trade fair in Wieselburg

At the Outdoor Experience Days on April 6 and 7, 2024 at the Wieselburg exhibition center, the latest trends and products in the areas of outdoor, camping and sports were presented. At the opening, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner presented the most important program items of the trade fair and answered questions about the Federal Army. In addition to numerous lectures and workshops, the Federal Army will be on site again this year. A special highlight is a cockpit of an Alouette III, which is equipped with the latest virtual reality technology. Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner: "I am very pleased that the Federal Army is part of the trade fair in Wieselburg for the second time and that we have the opportunity to present the many facets of the Federal Army. The various program items offer visitors the chance to get to know the Federal Army better and to experience it actively. I wish all visitors a lot of fun and an exciting weekend." The Federal Army Experience World offered numerous hands-on stations where courage and skill could be demonstrated. For the first time, visitors can try their hand at being a pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit of a retired Alouette III helicopter. In the second row of seats in the helicopter, three other guests can use VR glasses to experience spectacular flight scenes from real Alouette III missions up close. With the help of VR glasses, different branches of the military can be learned virtually. In addition to numerous other stations such as a bag jump or an escape room, the sporting activities of the Federal Army can be tried out together with the army athletes. Visitors can get the most important tips for the next outdoor adventure and on the subject of survival from the Jadgkommando.

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Tui is increasingly including Ryanair flights in package holidays

Ryanair and Tui recently announced that an official sales partnership had been concluded. The tour operator is now increasingly including the low-cost airline's flight segments in package tours. Numerous markets are affected. In the past, Ryanair has taken tough action against so-called OTAs that sold the low-cost airline's tickets without a sales agreement. In recent months, a number of official contracts have been concluded, including with the travel group Tui. On the basis of this contract, the tour operator is now also increasingly making use of Ryanair's flight offerings and including such flight segments in package tours. For Tui customers whose flights are operated by Ryanair, there are a few differences compared to direct bookings with the low-cost airline, provided it is a package tour. According to the travel group, there should be no difference in terms of the services included compared to full charter flights. A contract has been concluded with Ryanair in this regard. First, the package tour cooperation will be ramped up in the Danish market. Tui wants to offer passengers more choice and therefore flexibility, as customers will no longer be dependent on the fixed weekly charter flights. However, Tui has not yet announced the exact routes on which Ryanair flights will be included in package holidays. As part of so-called "dynamic package holidays" ("X-trips"), many tour operators are already booking flight segments with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Wizz Air, Vueling, Easyjet and other providers. However, there are not always official distribution agreements, as the tickets are often purchased on the open market as needed. The collaboration between Tui and Ryanair follows a cooperation with competitor Wizz Air. For some time now, Ryanair has been offering flights from Vienna-Schwechat

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