Vueling Launches 32 New Routes from Paris-Orly Airport

MIAMI – Vueling (VY) has announced 32 new routes connecting Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) with ten countries, just ten days after being granted slots at the airport by the European Commission (EC) as part of Air France’s (AF) recapitalization. Vueling was ranked first by the EC among the air carriers that applied for a portfolio of …

Qantas to Resume International Flights November 14

MIAMI – There’s good news today for Australians wishing to travel abroad. Qantas (QF) says that it will move up to November 14 the day it resumes international flights. This action follows the Australian Federal government’s move to reopen the country’s borders in November. Australia has endured one of the world’s most strict lockdown measures …

Scoot sees some green shoots but still navigating the crisis

Campbell Wilson But it is still tough.“At the moment we are just navigating the crisis,” admits Wilson. “Currently the cargo revenue is the same as the passenger revenue,” he reveals, which is usually unheard of from a low-cost carrier. “The freight rates are very high right now and it helps us to cover the variable …

Qantas to launch international flights in November

Qantas will bring forward the restart of international flights following the Australian Government’s announcement that international borders will open in November. Qantas will operate three weekly return flights between Sydney and London and three weekly return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles with its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Fares are on sale for Australian citizens, permanent …

Air France looks to Airbus A220 stretch to replace A320

Air France/KLM Group CEO Ben Smith with Anne Rigail, AF CEO The A220 is the only new narrow-body designed from scratch in the last decade. Air France’s A220 commitment is not only the biggest order in aircraft numbers but also the fastest one in being executed. The first aircraft arrived from Montréal in Paris on …

jetBlue, Delta Air Lines Make Historic SAF Orders

MIAMI – jetBlue (B6) has today signed the largest SAF purchase agreement in aviation history with SG Preston, a bioenergy development business. On its part, Delta Air Lines (DL) also announced today that it would purchase Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Aemetis Inc. in a 10-year deal worth more than US$1bn, including tax incentives. SAF Deals …

Sidestick Tops Yoke: ITA to Takeoff with Airbus Fleet

MIAMI – Today, Alitalia’s successor, ITA, announced its fleet plans, with a total of 56 next-generation Airbus aircraft, turning the page in Italian commercial aviation.  Among the aircraft chosen to be purchased by the airline were 10 A330neos, seven A220s, and 11 A320neos. ITA will also lease a further 31 aircraft from Air Lease Corporation, bringing …

Today in Aviation: Air Southwest Ceases Operations

MIAMI – Today in Aviation, UK regional operator Air Southwest (SZ) ceased operations in 2011. The airline, based at Plymouth City Airport (PLH) commenced operations on October 26, 2003. It was established by PLH owner Sutton Harbour Holdings to fill the gap left after British Airways (BA) decided to withdraw operations from the facility. Three …

Qatar Airways to bring back A380s for Christmas rush

Qatar Airways is to bring back five and possibly all ten of its Airbus A380s in early November to cater for demand and a shortfall in capacity due to groundings of some of its A350s. Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker has told Executive Traveller five of the Gulf carrier’s A380s will initially come …

United Airlines, Airlink Forge New Alliance

MIAMI – United Airlines (UA) customers now have an easy way to travel to more than 40 destinations in Southern Africa via Airlink (4Z) codeshare. In a press release today, UA and 4Z announced the codeshare deal that will offer additional connections between the US and Southern Africa. The airlines say the agreement provides more …

Boeing 737 MAX Passes China CAAC Test

MIAMI – Last month’s Boeing 737 MAX test flight for the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was successful, according to the aviation agency, which is working through data and finalizing reports. Boeing’s goal, of course, is for the Chinese regulator to lift its two-year grounding of the type, as noted by the president of …

Air France Receives First of 60 A220

MIAMI – Air France (AF) has taken delivery of the first of 60 A220-300, the largest A220 order ever placed by a European carrier. The type arrived at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle Airport (CDG) after being delivered from Airbus’ final production plant in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada. Airbus says the A220 is the first aircraft designed specifically for …

Air France receives first of 60 Airbus A220s

Air France has received its first A220-300 from an order for 60 aircraft of the type, the largest A220 order from a European carrier. The A220 was delivered from Airbus’ final assembly line in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, and officially unveiled to the public during a ceremony held at Paris Charles-De-Gaulle Airport. Airbus claims that the …

Emirates paints A380 in EXPO 2020 Dubai colors

Emirates, the Premier Partner and Official Airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, has revealed a head-turning A380 livery dedicated to further carrying the global event’s messages worldwide. A radical departure from the airline’s traditional white and gold paint scheme, this bright blue aircraft livery features large-scale graphics in vivid green, orange, pink, purple, and red, which …

American Airlines, IndiGo Announce Codeshare Agreement

MIAMI – Thanks to a new codeshare agreement with India’s IndiGo (6E), American Airlines (AA) will expand its reach across the South Asian country this fall. According to an AA press release, the deal will place AA’s code on 29 of 6E’s domestic Indian itineraries, giving a handy choice for AA passengers coming on the …

British Airways to Fill Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777 Pilot Deficit

MIAMI – For the winter 2021/2022 season, Qatar Airways (QR) is recruiting British Airways (BA) Boeing 777 Pilots to work for the Doha-based airline. British Airways Pilots have received a memo asking if they are interested in a secondment option this winter in the Persian Gulf city. Up to 40 Pilots, evenly distributed between captains …

Today in Aviation: Maiden Flight of the Ilyushin ll-96

MIAMI – Today in Aviation, The Russian built long-haul, wide-body, quad-jet the Ilyushin ll-96 took its first flight in 1988. The aircraft was subsequently certified in 1992 before entering service with Aeroflot (SU) in July 1993. The aircraft is a shortened version of the Soviet Union’s first wide-bodied airliner the ll-86. It has various advanced …

Billions of lights, billions of people from a 747 cockpit

Boeing 747 pilot Christiaan van Heijst has taken a stunning image of billions of lights over India. Christiaan takes up the story. “Billions of lights, billions of people, thirty-thousand feet up in the sky. The vast subcontinent of India is gliding by our 747 during a clear summer night. Delhi control, reading you five by five, …

Air Europa to Lay off 60% of Staff, IAG Deal at Risk

MIAMI – Air Europa (UX) parent company Globalia has said it would try to negotiate an alternative furlough deal with its unions if the ERTE scheme is not renewed for a sixth time, the tourism group sources told ch-aviation. The Spanish government’s ERTE job retention scheme is set to expire in its current form on …

Taliban Looks to Reinstate International Flights to Kabul

MIAMI – Want to fly to Afghanistan? The Taliban might welcome your flight, appealing to international airlines to reinstate flights to Kabul Airport (KBL). Reuters reports today that the regime promises a lack of interference and says the airport is fully open and that they have resolved all problems at the facility. Afghanistan’s Foreign Affairs …

Emirates to scale up A380 operations to 27 cities to meet demand

Emirates Premium Economy Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as a top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey. The airline has also been building on its contactless technology offering and has scaled up its digital verification capabilities to provide its customers with …

Qantas scraps Perth-London non-stop till April 2022

Qantas has scrapped the Perth-London non-stop flight until April next year and is delaying the restart of some domestic flights out of WA based on assumptions around border restrictions. The airline will continue to operate five return flights a week between Perth and both Sydney and Melbourne to maintain minimum connections for those with permits …

Volotea, Air Nostrum, DANTE Unveil Plans for All-electric Aircraft

MIAMI – Volotea (V7), Air Nostrum (YW), and Dante Aeronautical have revealed plans for the world’s first all-electric airplane. The alliance anticipates certifying its first aircraft with this technology for all-electric flights in 2024.  Back in March, the consortium asked for €42m of European Union COVID recovery funds to cover the design, engineering, and technical …

Today in Aviation: First Boeing 787 Handed over to ANA

MIAMI – Today in Aviation, Boeing hands over the first 787 Dreamliner to launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 2011. 10,000 people attended the special outdoor ceremony at the Boeing Everett factory, Washington, with Airways’ very own Chris Sloan in attendance to cover the handover. Attending the event were also Boeing employees who had …

MH370 tracking to start using new technology that is proven to work

The greatest mystery in aviation is much closer to being solved after the latest trials of breakthrough tracking technology by aerospace engineer Richard Godrey. Mr. Godfrey has pioneered a suite of software tracking and analysis technologies and has just completed yet another trial of WSPRnet and will now turn to track MH370 to its final …

Delta Air Lines wants all airlines to share banned passenger lists

In a major crackdown on unruly passengers, US giant Delta Air Lines wants all airlines to share their banned passenger lists to wipe out unruly behavior which has soared in the US. According to a report from CBS News “more than 1,600 people have been banned by Delta Air Lines since the federal government has …

Iberia: Celebrating 75 Years in Latin America

MIAMI – This week, Spanish flag carrier Iberia (IB) marked the 75th anniversary of its first flight to Latin America, its primary market. Latin America has been the focus of IB’s whole strategy in recent years, establishing Madrid as the central crossroads between Europe and Latin America, transforming it into the old continent’s main gateway. …