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Jan Gruber

Bolzano Airport will have a train station built in front of the terminal

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 13:03

A new train station is to be built in the immediate vicinity of the terminal at Bolzano Airport. According to current plans, it is to go into operation in 2026. This will significantly improve the airport's connectivity. According to a media report by AltoAdigeInnovazione, the new train station will primarily serve the St. Jakob district and will be built on an existing railway line. However, Bolzano Airport will also benefit from this, as the new stop will be built directly opposite the passenger terminal. The construction will be partly financed by the EU FSC 2021-2027 fund. The central government in Rome has already given the green light for the investment in South Tyrol. In addition to the construction of the new train stop on the Verona-Brenner railway line, the construction of an underpass under the railway for cyclists, pedestrians and a track reserved for public transport is also planned. St. Jakob can thus be connected via Francesco Baracca in Bolzano. The stop will be integrated into the public transport network of Bolzano and Leifers, making it easier to reach the Bolzano industrial area. In addition to a new bus stop, a connection to the cycle path network and new access roads are also planned.

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New law: Putin wants to make life difficult for lessors

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 11:31

Due to sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States of America, among other things, western lessors have to demand the return of aircraft leased to Russian airlines. This does not suit the Kremlin at all. A law signed by Vladimir Putin is intended to at least make this more difficult. Not all airlines are "stubborn", as some have flown the leased aircraft to Turkey more or less voluntarily and returned them to the owners there. Many Russian airlines no longer fly aircraft leased from western lessors outside Russia and Belarus because the aircraft are threatened with seizure. In addition, the Bermuda Islands, where around 740 aircraft used in the Russian Federation were registered, have thrown all carriers from this state out of the register. Aircraft are now being entered into the Russian register at express speed. To speed this up, Putin has now passed a new law. This enables the Russian Civil Aviation Authority to issue new certificates and then place them under Russian supervision. The affected aircraft should then be able to be used at least domestically and in Belarus. In fact, the procedure amounts to expropriation of the lessors. The Russian government's behavior could have serious consequences at a later date, as it could become difficult for carriers from Russia to obtain Western aircraft in the future. It cannot be ruled out that claims for damages will be made and that these could possibly be enforced by seizing other aircraft belonging to Russian airlines. It would theoretically be possible for a lessor to, for example,

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Wizz Air shareholder Indigo Partners wants to join ITA Airways

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 10:07

After Lufthansa and Air France-KLM, the US fund Indigo Partners is also entering the race for the Italian airline ITA Airways. A corresponding expression of interest was submitted at the end of February 2022. Indigo Partners currently holds stakes in the low-cost airlines Wizz Air, Jetsmart, Volaris and Frontier Airlines. The stake in the first-mentioned carrier was significantly reduced last year. The sale brought the investment company around 300 million pounds sterling into its coffers. The local newspaper "La Repubblica" writes that IndiGo Partners is said to be interested in investing in ITA Airways. The company cites unnamed sources from Italian government circles. The fund's offer is considered interesting. Lufthansa - together with MSC - and Air France-KLM - together with Delta Air Lines - as well as Indigo Partners are currently interested in investing in Alitalia's successor ITA Airways. It is currently not possible to predict in which direction the Italian government will tend, but the fact that several financially strong companies are seriously interested is likely to drive up the purchase price.

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El Al is ramping up the Germany offer again

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 09:05

The airline El Al plans to fly to Germany more frequently in the 2022 summer flight schedule. Currently, 21 weekly rotations from Tel Aviv to German airports are planned. According to the announcement, El Al intends to fly to Berlin-Brandenburg nine times a week. Frankfurt am Main and Munich are to be flown to six times a week each. The capacity offered is well below the pre-crisis level, as in the summer of 2019 the Israeli airline operated 30 weekly rotations to Germany. It was originally planned to fly to another airport in Germany, Düsseldorf, in the summer of 2022. However, this plan has been put on hold for an indefinite period. It is currently planned that in the 2022/23 winter flight schedule there will be five flights a week to Tel Aviv from Munich and Frankfurt. Five rotations will be offered from Berlin-Brandenburg.

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Reimbursement obligation concealed: Condor suffers defeat in court

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 08:03

The German holiday airline Condor suffered a setback in the Frankfurt Regional Court due to its behavior at the beginning of the Corona pandemic. In the case of canceled flights, the company did not point out the legal obligation to refund, but merely informed about vouchers and rebooking options. The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations took the case to court. The consumer advocates saw Condor's behavior as misleading or deliberately withholding the essential information that, due to the EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation, there is a legal right to a refund of the ticket price - within a week. At the beginning of the Corona pandemic, Condor informed customers on its homepage and allegedly also on its hotline that canceled flights could be converted into a so-called flight credit that must be used by mid-2021, as well as about free rebookings. According to the consumer organization, no information was provided about the fact that the affected passengers had the legal right to a full refund of the ticket price. The consumer advocates deduced from this a conscious and deliberate system. According to its own statements, "Germany's most popular holiday airline" did not respond to a corresponding warning, so the consumer advice center took the matter to court. The Frankfurt Regional Court upheld the claim and ruled that passengers must also be informed of the possibility of repaying the ticket price and that they must be free to decide whether they want to rebook or have a refund. The court considered it unlawful that the affected passengers were denied this choice. According to the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, airlines must first and foremost refund the ticket price if the connection is cancelled. According to the consumer advice center, Condor's behavior was not an isolated case, as many

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Aerologic pilots are on strike for a week

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 07:33

The Cockpit Association has called on the pilots of the German cargo airline Aerologic to go on an eight-day strike. The industrial action began on Tuesday night and is due to last until 23:59 p.m. next Tuesday. A ballot was held beforehand. The vast majority of pilots represented by the Cockpit Association voted in favor of strike action. Aerologic, a joint venture between Deutsche Post-DHL and Lufthansa, does not expect there to be any flight cancellations. The striking pilots are to be temporarily replaced by managers who also have the appropriate license. The Cockpit Association, however, believes that this cannot be a permanent solution and that there will still be cancellations. The fact that Aerologic is not subject to the Lufthansa Group collective agreement has long been a thorn in the side of the union. It is also criticizing the fact that the state is the largest single shareholder in both Deutsche Post-DHL and Lufthansa. Nevertheless, the cargo airline's management refuses to conclude a collective agreement.

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Vienna: Visitors' terrace will open again from March 20, 2022

Jan Gruber March 16, 2022 06:32

Vienna-Schwechat Airport will reopen the visitor terrace, which is located in Terminal 20, on March 2022, 3. It will then be accessible again daily between 11 a.m. and 00 p.m. Vienna Airport normally charges a fee to use the observation deck. On March 18, 00, admission will be free for everyone to mark the reopening. However, people arriving by car must expect to pay parking fees, as these are not free. The Vienna Airport Friends Association will also be present next Sunday and looks forward to meeting you in person. The club has been committed to Austria's largest airport for many years and is considered one of the largest aviation interest groups in eastern Austria.

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After rocket attack: Dnipro airport badly damaged

Jan Gruber March 15, 2022 18:32

The Ukrainian Dnipro airport was hit by Russian missiles in the night from Monday to Tuesday. According to official information, the infrastructure was severely damaged. The terminal and a runway were destroyed. The regional administration of Dnipro announced on social media that the airport had been largely destroyed. At least two missiles hit Dnipro airport. There is no reliable information about the full extent of the damage, but it is confirmed that the airport will no longer be operational without extensive renovation. Airports in Ukraine are being targeted by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. The background is probably that the aim is to destroy the infrastructure. Another factor may be that the airports could also be used by the Ukrainian army as a launch site for national defense. In the past, there were non-stop flights from Vienna-Schwechat to Dnipro. However, these have long been discontinued because Austrian Airlines moved this route to nearby Zaporizhia. Due to a lack of demand and for security reasons, the route was paused long before the attack by the Russian armed forces. Wizz Air first announced a non-stop connection between Vienna and Zaporizhia for spring 2020, but has not operated it once to date. The service is being postponed at regular intervals, although it is very unlikely that it will be operated soon due to the war.

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SkyUp wants to survive with wet lease orders

Jan Gruber March 15, 2022 17:55

The future of Ukrainian airlines is in doubt in light of the war started by Russia. However, it could now prove useful that numerous lessors have previously requested that aircraft be flown out. SkyUp is looking for wet lease contracts. In a press release, the airline publicly offers itself for ACMI services and points out that it has up to 15 Boeing 737-800s available that could be used for customers from all over the world, except Russia and Belarus. The airline is practically asking for such contracts and explains, among other things, that it is not just about fighting on the front lines and defending the country, but also about ensuring that companies can continue their work and generate income that Ukraine urgently needs. At the same time, it would help to secure the 1.300 jobs and pay taxes to the state, which urgently needs them for the civilian population and national defense. SkyUp is actually appealing to Western carriers, but emphasizes that it will not accept any orders for Belarus and Russia. Within the European Union, however, things will be difficult for SkyUp, as various regulations largely exclude carriers from third countries within the Union, unless there are bilateral agreements. SkyUp's appeal is therefore likely to be directed at the EU Commission and the heads of government, as they have the power to temporarily relax the existing regulations in favor of Ukrainian airlines. It is currently not known whether this step will be taken. It is to be expected that not all EU carriers will accept SkyUp's offer.

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From Wednesday: British Airways drops the masks

Jan Gruber March 15, 2022 17:11

The United Kingdom's largest airline, British Airways, is abolishing the mask requirement with effect from March 16, 2022. Wearing mouth and nose protection is only required if explicitly instructed by the destination via NOTAM. In concrete terms, this means for passengers that masks only have to be worn if the destination country requires it. For example, on flights to/from Austria, NOTAM requires that all passengers and crew members in the cabin must wear FFP2 masks. Many countries do not have such a requirement and the previous mask requirement was more of a common practice, prescribed on the basis of house rules. In the United Kingdom, there was an explicit order for a time, but this has since been lifted in all areas, including aviation. "If it is clear to us that the destination you are traveling to does not require wearing a face mask on board, it will become optional. We ask all our customers to continue to respect the mask preferences of fellow travelers in these cases," British Airways said in a media statement. Jet2, Ryanair and Tui Airways had previously announced that they would no longer require the wearing of masks on board. This does not apply to flights to destinations that explicitly require this via NOTAM. In an interview with Aviation.Direct, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary explained that he expects the obligation to wear masks on board aircraft to be abolished across Europe by the end of April 2022.

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