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May 21

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May 21

Vietjet Air strengthens Thai subsidiary with Boeing 737 fleet

Amely Mizzi 21 May 2025 06:32

Vietnamese private low-cost airline Vietjet Air, undergoing a period of rapid growth and international expansion plans, has announced an agreement with Boeing to transfer up to 50 Boeing 737 aircraft to its Thailand-based subsidiary, Thai Vietjet Air. This move is aimed at strengthening aviation and tourism links between Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries in the region and follows a recent agreement to establish a new subsidiary in Kazakhstan. According to Asian Aviation, under the agreement, Vietjet Air will transfer 50 aircraft from its existing order of 200 Boeing 737s to Thai Vietjet Air, with delivery of the first aircraft expected to begin in October 2025. The expansion in Thailand will enable Vietjet Air to significantly expand its presence in the region and compete directly with other major Asian low-cost carriers such as Air Asia Thailand and Nok Air, as well as the national flag carrier Thai Airways. Long-standing partnership with Boeing Vietjet Air signed its first order for the Boeing 2016 MAX in 737 during a visit to Vietnam by then-US President Barack Obama. This agreement was expanded at the Farnborough Air Show in 2018 with a letter of intent for an additional 100 aircraft. Most recently, in April 2025, Vietjet Air and AV AirFinance signed a financing agreement totaling US$300 million to cover the financing of the new Boeing fleet. This agreement is part of a broader series of aircraft financing deals valued at over US$4 billion that Vietjet has concluded with leading US financial institutions.

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Tui launches summer flight program from Paderborn/Lippstadt

Amely Mizzi 21 May 2025 06:07

Tour operator Tui, a long-standing partner of Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport, began summer flight operations on May 16, 2025. The first flight was to Palma de Mallorca, marking the start of the summer flight schedule, in which Tui will once again offer five popular holiday destinations from the East Westphalian airport. Compared to the previous year, the service to Heraklion on Crete has even been increased to five weekly flights. In addition to Mallorca, which will be served five times a week until October 24, Tui also offers connections to Crete (five times a week from May 17 to October 25), Fuerteventura (twice a week from May 23 to October 24), Kos (Saturdays from May 24 to October 25), and Rhodes (Sundays from May 25 to October 19). Airport Managing Director Roland Hüser expressed his delight at the extensive program and the increased number of flights to Heraklion, as all five destinations in the region are very popular. He recommended early bookings given the expected high demand. With this commitment, Tui underscores its importance as a reliable partner of Paderborn/Lippstadt Airport and offers vacationers from the region convenient travel to their vacation destinations. The continuity of these flight connections is important for the regional economy and East Westphalia's connection to popular vacation regions.

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Knife attack at Gran Canaria Airport – Man shot dead by police

Stephen Steiner 21 May 2025 05:35

A dramatic incident occurred at the airport on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria, in which a young man armed with a large knife attacked several people and was subsequently shot dead by police. The incident occurred on Saturday and immediately triggered an investigation into the circumstances. According to the island's judiciary, the 18-year-old man was apparently acting in a state of agitation. He ran around among travelers at the airport taxi stand with a knife in his hand while being pursued by police officers. Video footage of the incident shows police arresting the man. After the attacker attacked a taxi driver, knocked a police officer to the ground, and assaulted another officer, the officers opened fire. Five shots hit the young man, including one in the neck, according to the judiciary. Background of the attacker and possible motives There was initially no official information about the motive for the attack. However, the newspaper "Canarias7" reported, citing eyewitnesses, that the man, who had come to Gran Canaria from Gambia as a child in 2006, had attempted to enter the airport's departure area shortly before the attacks. He reportedly had a ticket to Gambia, but not until the following Wednesday. When he attempted to fly on Saturday, he was stopped by security personnel. Nevertheless, he attempted to enter the departure area and triggered an alarm with his backpack. An investigation is now underway to determine whether this incident is related to the subsequent knife attack. Reactions and Investigations

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Kühne again criticizes Lufthansa management

Jan Gruber 21 May 2025 05:05

Logistics entrepreneur and major shareholder of Lufthansa, Klaus-Michael Kühne, has once again criticized the airline's management. In an interview with "Welt am Sonntag," the 87-year-old criticized what he considered the company's overly fragmented structure with too many brand names. He said it bothers him, for example, when he books a flight with the Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss, but then ends up on a plane belonging to another airline. Kühne sees structural problems within the company and expressed doubts about the executive board's ability to assert itself. The major shareholder also called for more decisive action by management in the face of union resistance, citing the share price performance. While it has increased by around six percent since the beginning of the year, putting it on par with its competitor Air France-KLM, it remains significantly behind British Airways' parent company, IAG. Kühne emphasized that strikes and resistance from works councils are making management's work more difficult. This is not the first time Kühne has publicly criticized Lufthansa management. He has previously criticized the group's strategy and its multiplicity of brands. His repeated statements underscore the largest shareholder's dissatisfaction with the current situation and the airline's direction. Observers see Kühne's words as a signal to the Executive Board to address urgent structural and operational issues in order to strengthen Lufthansa's competitiveness and sustainably increase its share price.

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Ryanair threatens to withdraw from Israel due to security concerns at Ben Gurion Airport

Stephen Steiner 21 May 2025 04:31

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair is considering withdrawing from Israel due to ongoing security problems at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, according to Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary. He stated that the airline's patience with the security problems in Tel Aviv is running out. Flights to Tel Aviv are currently suspended until early June 2025. Michael O'Leary, known for his outspokenness, stressed that Ryanair is "fed up" with the constant security disruptions in Tel Aviv. He indicated that the airline is considering diverting its planes to other European destinations in the future if the current disruptions continue. "I think our patience with Israel is running out," O'Leary said. These comments came amid a period in which several airlines have temporarily suspended their flights to Tel Aviv due to the tense security situation in the region. The current suspension of Ryanair flights to Tel Aviv until the beginning of June followed incidents near Ben Gurion Airport. At the beginning of May, several airlines, including Austrian Airlines and Wizz Air, temporarily suspended their flights to Tel Aviv after a rocket hit the airport. The Houthi militia from Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack. In contrast, the Israeli airline El Al continued its flights because its aircraft are equipped with self-protection devices and are accompanied by armed security personnel. Possible consequences for air traffic to Israel: If Ryanair were to permanently suspend its operations in Israel, this would be a significant setback for the country's air traffic.

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Mönchengladbach Airport with positive annual result and growth path

Stephen Steiner 21 May 2025 04:05

Mönchengladbach Airport (MGL) continues its upward trend, presenting further improvements and an increase in the number of jobs in its 2024 annual results. MGL is thus building on the positive developments of previous years. Mayor Felix Heinrichs, Chairman of the Airport's Supervisory Board, sees these figures as confirmation of the direction the airport has taken. The airport's focus is on promoting innovation and attracting future-oriented companies. Mönchengladbach Airport is proving to be a significant employer in the region, and the number is growing. In 2024, 801 people were employed directly at the airport and in the companies located there, an increase compared to 787 in the previous year. Particularly encouraging is the significant increase in the number of trainees from 47 to 70, an increase of approximately 50 percent. Managing Director Dr. Ulrich Schückhaus emphasizes the positive signaling effect of this growth in light of the shortage of skilled workers and the strengthening of the location as an employer and economic region. The airport is focusing on both the expansion of existing operations in the maintenance and training areas and the establishment of new, innovative companies in the aviation sector. The innovation cluster at MGL is growing continuously. At the beginning of 2025, Thrustworks, a company specializing in the processing of high-performance alloys using 3D printing for the aerospace and other high-tech industries, opened its new location at the airport and plans to expand to 2027 jobs by 15. In 2024, Germandrones GmbH, a specialist in unmanned aerial systems, decided to establish a production and development site at MGL. The company manufactures parts for its drones and tests them on-site on almost 530 square meters of production space. Managing Director Andreas Ungar highlights the

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