European sanctions against Libyan Airlines have been lifted following the political developments in the North African state.
The European Union placed sanctions on Libya in a regulation dated 2 March, gradually extending the restrictions to various entities.
It included Libyan Airlines in the list on 12 April, citing the fact that it was wholly-owned by the Libyan government.
fuente: flightglobal.com
Cash-strapped Air India is mulling several options, including closing operations on routes where the losses were high in a bid to reduce mounting expenditure.
Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi yesterday said the loss-making routes of the state-owned carrier, however, have not been identified yet but the process is underway.
“‘Our focus is on reducing expenditure. We are discussing several options, including closing operations on loss-making routes,'” Ravi told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
source: tribuneindia.com
EgyptAir has flown its first flight to Baghdad in 21 years in what Iraqi airport officials are hoping will be an economic boost from a fellow Arab nation.
EgyptAir suspended flights to Iraq in 1990 before the first Gulf War.
Austrian Airlines, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Bahrain’s Gulf Air and Turkish Airlines, have also resumed flights to Iraq.
source: washingtonpost.com
Delta Air Lines ordered 100 Boeing narrow-body jets worth more than $8.5bn at list prices, giving the US aerospace company a welcome boost after a series of setbacks.
Last month Boeing was forced to split a large order from American Airlines with its arch-rival Airbus, and was hurried into announcing a plan to upgrade its best-selling 737 family of narrow-body aircraft rather than building an all new small jet.
Fuel efficiency is a particular priority for airlines. Fuel costs constitute about 40 per cent of total airline operating expenses and high fuel prices have dented the fragile recovery that the sector has enjoyed since the global downturn.
source: FT.com
UK regional carrier Flybe and Finnair have completed their joint acquisition of Finnish Commuter Airlines.
This will result in the creation of Finland-based carrier Flybe Nordic.
The two carriers formed a joint venture in July to acquire Finnish Commuter Airlines from owner Finncomm for a total of €25 million ($36 million).
source: flightglobal.com
SAS Group returned to profit in the second quarter after passenger traffic rose and the carrier cut costs.
“‘There are positive prospects for continued traffic growth during the second half of 2011, particularly on U.S. routes, but also on domestic and intra-Scandinavian routes,’†Chief Executive Officer Rickard Gustafson said in the statement.
SAS, part-owned by the governments of Sweden, Norway and Denmark, had been unprofitable in all but two of the previous 14 quarters as it struggled with a drop in travel and competition from discount carriers such as Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. SAS in May forecast a full-year 2011 pretax profit, and the carrier reaffirmed that prediction today.
source: bloomberg.com
Real Madrid fans may be more tempted to take flights to Dubai organised by Emirates after the airline began a sponsorship deal with the iconic Spanish club.
The carrier already supports a host of other teams worldwide, including Premier League side Arsenal.
Following the announcement, senior vice president of commercial operations for Europe and Russia Federation at Emirates Salem Obaidalla noted that it was one year ago almost to the day when it launched flights to Spanish capital.
A pilot and a flight stewardess were fired from Cathay Pacific after photos of them having oral sex in a cockpit were published online and in print.
The Hong Kong airline’s CEO John Slosar revealed that the couple, who have not been identified, “‘are no longer employees of the company'”.
source: newstrackindia.com
American Airlines passengers can watch streaming movies over in-flight wifi, in a world first.
American is launching the system — which is basically a movie server sitting on board the plane — on its Boeing 767-200 fleet, the mainstay of its Flagship Service from New York to LA and San Francisco, plus LA to Miami.
British Airways is poised to launch its biggest recruitment drive in a decade. The airline is expanding pilot numbers by 800 and it’s using YouTube to entice pilots willing to meet the £100,000 training cost.
The airline, which currently has 3,200 pilots, says it’s increasing pilot numbers by 25% because the airline is expanding its fleet. This means current pilots will be reshuffled to fly the new aircrafts, which includes the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A380, creating space for new pilots.
BA’s recruitment drive comes on the tail of Virgin Atlantic‘s announcement that it’s undertaking a major recruitment take-off of its own. More than 1,000 new jobs will be created for cabin crew and pilots as the airline also expands its aircraft carriers.
source: managementtoday.co.uk
