October 29th

More articles from the category

October 29th

SriLankan Airlines joins BARIG

SriLankan Airlines, the national airline of Sri Lanka, has joined the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG). This interest group includes airlines operating in Germany. With a fleet of 24 Airbus aircraft, SriLankan Airlines serves 114 destinations in 62 countries, including a three-times-weekly non-stop connection from Frankfurt to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. BARIG Chairman Michael Hoppe emphasized the popularity of Sri Lanka as a travel destination, which welcomes more than 100.000 guests from Germany every year. SriLankan Airlines' membership in BARIG is seen as a significant step towards strengthening cooperation in the aviation industry. Sharadha Senevirathne, Country Manager Germany, emphasized that BARIG's work is of great importance for the efficient and future-oriented development of aviation.

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First delivery of the Airbus A321XLR to Iberia is imminent

Airbus plans to deliver the A321XLR long-range aircraft to Spanish airline Iberia on Tuesday. This delivery marks the first transfer of ownership of this new variant of the A321 model. Industry insiders report that Iberia may not add the aircraft to its fleet until next month, while the first flight is scheduled for November 5 on the route between Madrid and Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Despite the impending transfer of ownership, an Airbus spokesperson has not yet commented on the exact timing of the delivery. This delivery comes shortly before the release of Airbus' quarterly results, which is scheduled for Wednesday. Iberia has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter. The A321XLR is considered a significant addition to Airbus' long-range aircraft offering and could play an important role in Iberia's operations.

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Ita Airways resumes flights between Italy and Libya

Ita Airways will resume air connections between Italy and Libya from January 2025. This was announced by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during an Italian-Libyan Economic Forum in Tripoli. The resumption of flights is intended to strengthen economic and cultural ties between the two countries. The last flights between Italy and Libya were suspended due to the political and economic uncertainties. Prime Minister Meloni expressed pride at this step and stressed the importance of air connections for bilateral relations. The reopening of the route is expected to boost both tourism and trade between the two nations. According to reports, economic conditions in Libya have gradually stabilized, providing a basis for the restoration of air connections. Ita Airways thus becomes the first airline to reinstate this connection after several years.

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Lufthansa charges extra for Allegris seats

Since May 1, 2024, Lufthansa has been setting new standards in air travel, especially for business travelers, with the introduction of the Allegris cabin. After a long phase of announcements and four years of delays, the airline has now begun to gradually integrate the new cabin standards into its fleet. Passengers will soon be asked to pay extra for certain seats. But as the initial waves of enthusiasm for the Allegris cabin subside, the question arises: Will the new onboard product actually bring the desired improvements, or will it remain another chapter in the history of aviation that began with high expectations and disappointed in reality? The current status of the Allegris cabin The new Allegris cabin offers a variety of seat categories in Business Class, each characterized by different features. In total, five categories are available to passengers, including privacy seats and throne seats, which impress with generous storage space. However, seat selection will remain free until the end of March 2025, which initially gives passengers a certain amount of leeway in choosing their seats. From April 2025, fees for reserving certain seats will be introduced, which can be interpreted as a strategic step to generate additional revenue. The Travel-Dealz portal was the first to report on the upcoming monetization. In the 2024/25 winter flight schedule, Lufthansa has selected several routes on which the Allegris cabin will be used. These include Munich-Shanghai, Munich-San Francisco and Munich-Cape Town. The airline has announced that passengers will now be informed about six weeks before their flight whether they can travel in the new cabin. This advance information could

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Emergency landing in Las Vegas: Technical breakdown of an Airbus A321 of Frontier Airlines

An Airbus A321-200 of the American airline Frontier Airlines made a spectacular emergency landing at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on October 5, 2024. There were 170 passengers and seven crew members on board, who fortunately remained unharmed. The dramatic events began when an intense chemical smell was detected in the front of the aircraft shortly after takeoff from San Diego. The crew recognized the risk and made a momentous decision: to make an emergency landing. An initial report from the National Transport Safety Bureau (NTSB) now indicates that a defective fan unit for cooling the avionics compartment may have been the cause of the incident. Emergency landing after technical incident After the first signs of a pungent chemical smell were noticed, the source could not be identified despite all control measures in the cockpit and by the cabin crew. The crew, using their oxygen masks, followed the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) checklist but found that the autopilot and automatic throttle were no longer available. The co-pilot noted further system failures, the origin of which was unclear, indicating the need for further action. Finally, the crew activated the "emergency electrical configuration" procedure to maintain critical functions and isolate the failure. The emergency configuration shifted control to the captain's side and partially disabled the first officer's instruments. The flight data recorder also lost power during the procedure, so that important flight data was no longer recorded from that moment on. The captain, working under increasing pressure, held control manually

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Smartlynx Airlines receives FAA certificate for flights in the USA

Latvian wet-lease and charter airline Smartlynx has received the Foreign Air Operator Certificate (FAOC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the airline to operate flights to and from the United States. According to the company, Smartlynx can now offer its services in this regulated market and increase competitiveness. Previously, the airline had already operated flights to the US under a Maltese Air Operator Certificate since 2019. The new authorization opens up additional opportunities for Smartlynx, as about a third of its fleet is now registered under the Latvian certificate. In the first nine months of 2024, Smartlynx carried 7,21 million passengers, an increase of 52 percent year-on-year. CEO Edvinas Demenius stated that the authorization is a valuable addition to the company's strategy and increases flexibility to serve US destinations and operate on behalf of American airlines.

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Increase in air ticket tax planned in France from 2025

France is planning a significant increase in the solidarity levy on airline tickets in 2025. Transport Minister François Durovray announced in an interview with the newspaper La Tribune that the surcharge for economy flights within Europe will be raised from 2,63 euros to 9,50 euros. Long-haul business class tickets will increase from 63,07 euros to 120 euros. These measures are part of the French budget and are intended to help generate one billion euros in revenue to combat budget and climate debt. Durovray stressed that the additional costs are manageable in relation to ticket prices and would not create an imbalance. Critics of the industry, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), warn of the possible negative consequences for the French aviation industry and fear that the measure could lead to a decline in air passengers. In addition to the increases for economy and business tickets, private jet passengers could face up to 3000 euros in additional costs. Durovray also pointed out that many citizens find it unfair that train tickets are more expensive than some low-cost airline tickets. The measures have met with mixed reactions, with some seeing a necessary adjustment to environmental challenges while others see the competitiveness of French airlines at risk.

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Lufthansa Technik invests over one billion euros in global growth

Lufthansa Technik, a leading provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), plans to invest over one billion euros in all three world regions in the coming years: Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). Chief Financial Officer Dr. William Willms emphasizes that these plans underline the company's ambition to further expand its leading position in the market. After a successful third quarter, Lufthansa Technik already recorded Adjusted EBIT of 486 million euros, an increase of 5,9 percent compared to the same period last year. For the 2024 financial year, the company aims to match the previous year's record result of 628 million euros. Revenue increased by 13,9 percent to 5,5 billion euros in the first nine months, and the seven billion euro mark is expected to be exceeded by the end of the year. An important part of the growth strategy is the development of innovative solutions, especially in the areas of digitalization and sustainability. Among other things, Lufthansa Technik has signed new contracts this year and introduced technologies such as AeroSHARK, which enable fuel savings. The company also plans to open new locations and recently inaugurated a hydraulic workshop in Hamburg. In addition, Lufthansa Technik is relying on inorganic growth through takeovers, such as the acquisition of an 80 percent stake in ETP Thermal Dynamics in the USA. This is intended to strengthen capacities in the components business and optimize the supply chain. At the end of September 2023, Lufthansa Technik employed over 24.000 people, an increase of around 2.000 compared to the previous year.

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Ethiopian Airlines cooperates with Euroairlines for route management

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline, has signed a cooperation agreement with Euroairlines to manage its domestic and international routes. This alliance gives Ethiopian Airlines access to an extensive network of travel agents, online travel agencies (OTAs), aggregators and consolidators in more than 4 countries through its IATA identifier Q291-60. With 78 years of experience, Ethiopian Airlines has established itself as a leader in African air transport. The airline serves a total of 136 international passenger and cargo destinations, including 63 cities in Africa, and offers daily flights from its main hub in Addis Ababa. Antonio Lopez-Lázaro, CEO of Euroairlines, describes the partnership as a strengthening of his company's expansion, while Guillermo López-Lázaro, Director of Markets and Channels, stresses that Ethiopian Airlines will establish connections to Central and South America through Madrid. This cooperation could further consolidate the position of both airlines in the international market and improve air connections between Africa and other continents.

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Emirates celebrates 25 years of Dubai-Munich

Emirates looks back on a successful quarter century of connections between Munich and Dubai. On November 2, 1999, the airline's first Airbus A310 landed at Munich Airport. Since then, Emirates has carried more than 9,4 million passengers on over 34.600 flights and now flies twice daily with the Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Increasing demand led to the introduction of a second daily connection in 2003, and since 2014, flights have been operated exclusively with the A380. The connection supports not only tourism, but also trade between Bavaria and the Middle East. Over 65.200 tons of cargo have been transported over the past five years, including important export goods such as car parts and medicines.

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