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Jan Gruber

Germany deletes the United Kingdom from the risk list

Jan Gruber 19 April 2021 08:35

The Federal Republic of Germany no longer considers the United Kingdom - with the exception of overseas territories - to be a "risk area". This means that entry is possible without the obligation to quarantine. However, due to the obligation to test, a negative result must be presented. Just a few weeks ago, Germany imposed flight bans on the island state because it was believed that banning non-stop flights could prevent the introduction of the British variant of the coronavirus. The approach was not successful in either Austria or Germany, because the UK mutation now dominates in both countries.

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Lufthansa wants to extend Condor contract until March 2022

Jan Gruber 19 April 2021 08:04

Lufthansa gave in to the dispute over the terminated feeder flights for Condor and wants to extend the Special Prorate Agreement until March 2022. A Kranich spokesman confirmed this to Reuters. Condor previously took the matter to the Federal Cartel Office and the Court of Justice of the European Union. The holiday airline does not operate its own feeder flights for its long-haul connections. This is entirely due to historical reasons, as Condor used to be a subsidiary of Lufthansa. Even after the sale, they initially worked closely together. Towards the end of 2020, however, Kranich sent a "blue letter" that would have taken effect on June 1, 2021. Condor took legal action against this. After the initial examination, the Federal Cartel Office stated that Lufthansa was abusing its dominant market position to the detriment of Condor. The EU Commission also intervened and verbally reprimanded the German federal government. With Eurowings Discover, the Kranich Group wants to grow in the tourist long-haul segment and obviously position itself against Condor. The approach has been criticized by unions, the EU Commission and the Federal Cartel Office. Lufthansa still wants to terminate the contract with Condor, but is now prepared to extend the contract until March 2022. This proposal is also likely to be a message to the Federal Cartel Office, as it could even force Lufthansa to continue by issuing a notice. The holiday airline concerned did not want to comment further on the latest developments. A spokeswoman merely referred to ongoing talks with Lufthansa.

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Summer vacation: only 21 percent of Austrians want to go abroad

Jan Gruber 17 April 2021 12:49

A recent survey conducted by Unique Research on behalf of the news magazine Profil shows that only 21 percent of Austrians want to spend their summer vacation abroad. If this actually happens, it can be expected that airlines and tour operators could drastically reduce their capacities. Another aspect: If the survey turns out to be true, there would be considerable overcapacity on the market. This inevitably leads to low prices, as low-cost airlines in particular get nervous at some point and try to stimulate demand with low ticket prices. Traditionally, the second step is to cancel connections and routes with only a few bookings. The survey also found that 27 percent of Austrians want to spend their summer vacation at home. 39 percent want to stay at home. Only 13 percent are still undecided. This means that vacation plans have not changed significantly compared to the first year of the pandemic. This is shown by a comparison with the same survey in May 2020. At that time, 13 percent wanted to go abroad, 31 percent wanted to vacation in Austria, and 46 percent had no travel plans at all. 500 people were surveyed. The range of fluctuation was four percent.

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Salzburg: State wants to sell the airport to Red Bull

Jan Gruber 17 April 2021 12:20

In Salzburg, politicians are currently discussing a possible partial privatization of the airport and are bringing the beverage manufacturer Red Bull into the conversation. The latter is already a tenant of the area on which hangars 7 and 8 are built. The corona pandemic hit Salzburg Airport hard, because the airport makes the majority of its annual turnover in the winter season. This season, this has almost completely failed. The logical consequence of this is that the financial situation is tense. According to Austrian Radio, state politicians are now considering selling valuable land. A possible partial privatization of the airport is also not ruled out. The properties currently used by Red Bull are located on land owned by the airport. Salzburg's deputy governor Christian Stöckl (ÖVP) can imagine the sale to the beverage company and also has a clear idea of ​​what the potential proceeds should be used for: "The sale of this building right could raise money for the necessary construction of Terminal 1." Bernhard Auigner (SPÖ), Vice Mayor of the City of Salzburg, told ORF that he was not opposed to the idea: "It is certainly worth thinking about. It could bring in fresh money if the offer is right." State for partial privatization, city resists Austria's second-largest airport was profitable for many years, but the Corona pandemic changed that almost overnight. The airport is owned by the State of Salzburg (75 percent) and the City of Salzburg (25 percent). According to Deputy Governor Stöckl, this constellation could change, as partial privatization is currently being seriously discussed. Red Bull is seen as a possible partner. The state politician said: "It is

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Basel: Air Canada opens cargo route to Toronto

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 17:02

On April 14, 2021, the airline Air Canada operated its first all-cargo flight between Toronto and Basel. A Boeing 787-900 makeshift freighter was used. This is the first regular cargo transatlantic connection since the collapse of the Swissair Group. Since April 14, 2021, Air Canada Cargo has been flying to Basel-Mulhouse Airport twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays, arriving at 12:55 p.m. and departing at 20:00 p.m. from Toronto. The new cargo route will be served with the Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner. A normal passenger version of the aircraft will be used for flights from EuroAirport, but only the cargo hold will be used to transport the goods. The new cargo connection will facilitate the transport of goods between the trinational region around EuroAirport and North and Latin America for import and export. It also contributes to the economic development of the German-French-Swiss region and leads to a broader support for the EuroAirport freight division.

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Tempelhof Airport vaccination center will be temporarily closed

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 16:05

The Berlin state vaccination center, located at the former Berlin-Tempelhof central airport, will temporarily close its doors on April 20, 2021. The AstraZeneca vaccine has so far been administered at this location. According to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, the "THF" will in future primarily administer the vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, but also that from Moderna. For this purpose, other cooling equipment must be brought in and put into operation. The duration of the "conversion measures" is given by the state of Berlin as two weeks. People who received the first dose of AstraZeneca in this vaccination center are to receive their second dose with the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine. The German Vaccination Commission considers this procedure to be safe and sensible. The WHO, but also the EMA, have strongly criticized Germany's approach and even consider it risky. In the European Union, Germany is currently the only country that systematically administers vaccines from different manufacturers to the same people. The procedure is controversial, but Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) even speaks of “boosters with mRNA vaccines”. The WHO considers the procedure to be risky.

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Quarterly figures: Delta is deep in the red

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 14:36

The US airline Delta also flew deep into the red in the first quarter of the current year. The deficit was around 1,2 billion US dollars. By comparison: In the same period last year, the company had a profit of 730 million US dollars. The opening quarter of last year was largely unaffected by the effects of the corona pandemic. Sales in the first three months of the current year were 4,2 billion US dollars, 60 percent below the same period last year. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, however, there has been at least a slight improvement. Delta CEO Ed Bastian assumes that as the recovery continues, the company can be expected to be back in the black as early as the second half of 2021. The manager also believes that passenger confidence has noticeably increased. This is reflected, among other things, in the fact that advance bookings are again being made for longer periods.

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Because of damage: Leipzig is renovating the northern line

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 12:35

Leipzig/Halle Airport has to renovate the northern runway. The reason for this is that damage in the form of cracks and breaks has occurred. The surface is to be milled off and then reapplied by September 2021, reports Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, citing a spokesperson. In the first step, the lighting electrical system will be dismantled. Leipzig/Halle will handle traffic via the south runway during the renovation. The north runway is around 3.600 meters long and was built around 20 years ago. The special feature is that the planes cross a bridge over a motorway on the way to this runway. Leipzig/Halle has recently achieved considerable growth in the freight sector.

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Austrian Airlines will start phasing out the A319 in July 2021

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 11:36

At the end of May 2021, Austrian Airlines will have completed the decommissioning of the DHC Dash 8-400 turboprop aircraft. After that, the Airbus A319s will literally be taken out of production, as they will be gradually taken out of production and handed over to sister company Lufthansa Cityline. The first A319 will leave the Austrian Airlines fleet in July 2021. Then, starting in August 2021, one unit per month will be taken out of production. The Austrian airline currently has seven medium-haul jets of this type. The average age is 16,3 years. The following aircraft are affected by the decommissioning or transfer to Lufthansa Cityline: OE-LDA (serial number: 2131) OE-LDB (serial number: 2174) OE-LDC (serial number: 2262) OE-LDD (serial number: 2416) OE-LDE (serial number: 2494) OE-LDF (serial number: 2547) OE-LDG (serial number: 2852) "The aircraft will go to Lufthansa CityLine. The first aircraft is scheduled to leave Austrian Airlines in July. From August, one aircraft will be taken out of service every month until the end of the year and transferred after the necessary checks. The aircraft are scheduled to be used by Lufthansa CityLine from January 2022," an Austrian Airlines spokesperson told Aviation Direct.

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AUA: The last Dash flight leads to Innsbruck

Jan Gruber 16 April 2021 11:08

Austrian Airlines actually wanted to have decommissioned all of its DHC Dash 2021-8 turboprop aircraft by the end of March 400. But things turned out differently, as two units were given a short-term "extension". However, the final phase will be on May 31, 2021, a spokesperson confirmed to Aviation Direct. It has now also been determined on which route the DHC Dash 8-400 model will be used for the last time. A spokesperson told Aviation Direct: "The last flight is scheduled to take place on May 31 as OS 905/6 from Vienna to Innsbruck and back." The last two turboprops will then also be decommissioned and prepared for handover to other operators. The decommissioning of the last two DHC Dash 8-400 aircraft marks the end of a long era at Austrian Airlines, as the former subsidiary Tyrolean owes its rise to turboprop aircraft from de Havilland. At one time, pretty much all of the predecessor variants were in operation.

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