Hi Fly to show A380 at Farnborough Air Show.

The wide-body wet lease specialists Hi Fly, have confirmed it will be showcasing its first Airbus A380 at this year's Farnborough Airshow 2018.

The airline will be at the event along with Airbus, from the 19th to the 22nd of July showing off its latest feet acquisition to the industry. During the Farnborough show, people will be able to enjoy the A380's new livery as well as experience the aircraft’s optimized interiors.

The inclusion of the A380 in Hi Fly’s fleet is a major event not only for the airline but for the industry as it becomes the 4th European airline to operate this model, and the 14th global operator and first Wet Lease airline to fly the aircraft.

More flights from Bristol for Easter 2019 with Thomas Cook.

The UK holiday airline, Thomas Cook Airlines has said it will be adding Easter 2019 flights from Bristol Airport, offering over 12,000 seats some top holiday destinations.

From the 3rd April 2019, the airline will introduce 10 additional flights a week until the end of the month, to destinations including Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Majorca. 

Thomas Cook Airlines now flies to 25 sun and beach destinations from Bristol and has increased its number of seats on sale at Easter by 40% versus 2018. Commercial Director at Thomas Cook Airlines, Henry Sunley, said,  “This is a bigger Easter programme from Bristol than ever before, with our season traditionally ramping up from May 1. It’s great to be able to reward our customers who fly with us from Bristol airport with even more choice and we look forward to adding more destinations from Bristol in the near future.”

 “This is exciting news. The increased capacity for next year builds on the strong growth we are experiencing with Thomas Cook from Bristol Airport in 2018." said, Nigel Scott, Business Development Director, Bristol Airport. 

The first Turkish Airlines A321neo delivered

Pratt & Whitney along with Turkish Airlines celebrated the delivery of the airline's first Airbus A321neo aircraft. This aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engines, as will the remaining 91 aircraft from the carrier's order for A321neo. The GTF engine is 16 percent more fuel efficient and 75 percent quieter than current contemporary engines. 

"We are very excited to integrate our first GTF-powered A321neo aircraft into our ever-expanding fleet," said Ahmet Bolat, chief investment and technology officer, Turkish Airlines. "This aeroplane and engine will allow us to provide a quiet flight experience to our passengers, expand our route network, and reduce fuel consumption."

Turkish Airlines currently operates a fleet of 97 V2500-powered A320ceo family aircraft and 10 PW4000-powered A330-200 aircraft. The airline has a long history with the manufacturer, dating back to the DC3 aircraft powered by the Wasp engines. 

The aircraft also features the Airbus 'Cabin-Flex' configurations for up to 240 passengers. Turkish Airlines will operate the aircraft in a configuration with 20 seats in Business Class and 162 in Economy Class.

China Southern Airlines launch flights to London

China Southern Airlines has launched the first intercontinental route between Sanya and London this week, with an inaugural flight carring 214 passengers from Sanya's Phoenix International Airport, on the 12th July.

The schedule for the new service will see the China Southern Airlines' flight CZ651 depart Sanya at 13:00 CST every Thursday and Sunday, to arrives in London at 18:45 local time. The return journey, flight number CZ652 departs London at 22:10 local time, arriving back home in Sanya at 16:20 local time. Normally scheduled flight time is around 12 hours and 45 minutes.

Andrew Ould from The British Consulate said, "Hainan is facilitating the construction of China's free-trade zone. I believe that the launch of the direct flight between Sanya and London will help attract more visitors from the UK to spend their holidays in Sanya and UK-based companies to invest and establish facilities in the city." 

Sanya has experienced an impressive growth in tourism over recent times, welcoming approximately 450,000 visitors during 2016, rising to 700,000 last year. Sanya has launched 34 international routes serving 25 destinations such as the UK, Russia, South Korea, and Japan to further develop global connections to the free-trade zone. 

Atlas Air and GoJet agreement.

The worlds largest operator of 747 cargo aircraft Atlas Air has entered into an agreement with US regional airline GoJet Airlines that will guarantee interviews for GoJet's pilots with just two years experience.

The deal will also be open for GoJet First Officers with military flying experience, who will be eligible for an interview with Atlas after just one year of service at GoJet.  "We are delighted to begin this special relationship with GoJet," said Atlas Air President and Chief Operating Officer John W. Dietrich. "Aviation is at the centre of today's modern global economy. And its continued ability to provide access to markets, serve as a catalyst for international trade, and propel economic and social development will benefit greatly from innovative partnerships like this one, which will help ensure a solid pipeline of attractive candidates dedicated to a career in aviation."

UK's airports need to do more for disabled passengers

The UK's Civil Aviation Authority says the country's 30 biggest airports are failing disabled passengers and access is poor. 

Bottom of the list is Manchester Airport, that for the second year in a row has been rated poor.  London Gatwick, London Stansted and Birmingham are also cited by the CAA as in need of improvement. The CAA said "the impact on individuals is significant" when things go wrong, and there was  "more to do to improve journeys for disabled passengers and those with reduced mobility". 

Manchester's problems centred on "long waiting times for assistance and issues with the recording and reporting of performance data" according to the CAA. In some cases, disabled passengers had been left awaiting assistance for more than an hour and "not an acceptable situation".

London Heathrow has been praised for its improvement over the last year when it was rated as poor, this year it has climbed to the 'good' category.  "The passenger journey on arrival is now much quicker and generally seamless from aircraft to final point," according to the CAA, although many disabled passengers still say the airport lacks consistency in terms of assistance given or offered to them.

The report is here.

E-Cig puffing first officer causes rapid descent of Air China flight.

It has been revealed that a member of the flight deck crew puffing away on an electronic cigarette caused a rapid descent of an Air China this week.

According to investigators, the co-pilot had been smoking an e-cigarette or vaping on the Air China flight from Hong Kong to the city of Dalian and had tried to cover the fact but accidentally shut off the air-conditioning in the process causing oxygen levels to fall in the cabin.

The crew on Tuesday's flight released oxygen masks and brought the aircraft more than 21.000ft lower while they tried to work out what was going on. The aircraft later returned to its cruising altitude. 

LATAM's June

LATAM Airlines Group, the leading airline group in Latin America,  reported its preliminary monthly traffic statistics for June 2018 compared to June 2017. this week.

System passenger traffic increased 1.3%, while capacity rose by 6.4%. As a result, the Company's load factor for the month fell 4.1 percentage points to 80.3%. International passenger traffic accounted for approximately 59% of the month's total passenger traffic.

American adds biodegradable, eco-friendly stir sticks onboard and in lounges

American Airlines has followed the lead of many restaurants and coffee shops by deciding to ditch plastic straws.  Starting this month, the carrier will cut out plastic straws and stirrers from its aircraft and lounges and replace them with an eco-friendly straw and wood stir stick. American will also begin transitioning to all eco-friendly flatware within lounges.

American Airlines Lays Down the Straw

In November, change is in the air when the transition from a plastic straw/stir stick that is usually offered during onboard beverage service changes to a stir stick made of sustainable and environmentally friendly bamboo. With these changes, American will eliminate more than 71,000 pounds of plastic per year.

American’s onboard environmental sustainability efforts go back to 1989 when the airline's flight attendants started the industry’s first onboard recycling program. Through this program, American recycles hundreds of thousands of pounds of aluminium per year, with proceeds going to The Wings Foundation, a charitable organization administered by active American Airlines flight attendants to assist fellow flight attendants in times of need. American also transitioned away from plastic foam cups to paper cups in 2015.

“We're very excited and proud to share this initiative with our team members and customers,” said Jill Surdek, Vice President, Flight Service. “We’re cognizant of our impact on the environment and we remain committed to doing our part to sustain the planet for future generations of travellers.”

Delta Air Lines latest figures.

Delta Air Lines issued its latest financial results recently which showed the pre-tax income for the June quarter 2018 was $1.6 billion, a $183 million decrease from the June 2017 period, which the airline blamed predominantly on higher fuel prices.    

"With an expected $2 billion higher fuel bill for 2018, we are now forecasting our full-year earnings to be $5.35 to $5.70 per share. We have seen early success in addressing the fuel cost increase and offset two-thirds of the impact in the June quarter," said Ed Bastian, Delta's Chief Executive Officer.  "With strong revenue momentum, an improving cost trajectory, and a reduction of 50-100 bps of underperforming capacity from our fall schedule, we have positioned Delta to return to margin expansion by year-end."

Porter's new basic low fare only

The Canadian airline based at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport, Porter, has said it is bringing in a new low-level fare level as it moves towards a more low-cost-carrier model.

The new Porter basic fares is a non-changeable and non-flexible kind of ticket with no luggage or cabin baggage allowed, however, passengers will still be able to avail themselves of the free beverages and snacks onboard. The pre-allocating of seats is also allowed for a fee, starting at £24.

"This product appeals to the most price-conscious traveller," said Michael Deluce, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Porter Airlines. "The Basic fare will attract new customers who are looking for the lowest price. Like all Porter fares, it includes our award winning Flying Refined service."

Basic fares are now available on select routes: Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins and Windsor. The intention is to make them available on additional routes over a period of time.

Impressive profits for Norwegian during the second quarter.

The European low-cost airline that is shaking up transatlantic travel, has reported second-quarter earnings today showing a net profit of NOK 300 million, in spite of what the airline calls the highest levels of growth in its history.

The airline that recently Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary called a 'dog', posted a loss of NOK 691 million the second quarter last year, so a net profit of NOK 300 million this quarter shows this 'dog' is more a pedigree than a mutt.

Ten million passengers flew with Norwegian during the second quarter, an increase of 16 percentage points, while the load factor was down slightly to 86.8 percent. The load factor is particularly impressive considering the rapid growth the carrier has undertaken in recent times adding new bases and new routes, predominantly to the USA.   

Southwest Airlines latest figures 2018

Southwest Airlines reported its June, second quarter, and year-to-date 2018 preliminary traffic statistics, this week.

The Company flew 12.2 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs) in June 2018, an increase of 2.6 percent from the 11.9 billion RPMs flown in June 2017. Available seat miles (ASMs) increased 3.2 percent to 14.1 billion in June 2018, compared with June 2017 ASMs of 13.6 billion. The June 2018 load factor was 86.9 percent, compared with 87.4 percent in June 2017.

The US warns of sanctions to anyone who helps or allows Iranian airline to land

In a move reminiscent of a dictatorship rather than a global nation, the US is warning of sanctions against any company or country that assist in any way an Iranian airline or allow it into their country, including its allies in Europe.

The US Government has instigated sanctions on a travel and ticketing agency in Malaysia that has been providing ticketing and reservations services for Iranian carrier Mahan Air for over five years. The company, Mahan Travel and Tourism, has now had all its property, interests and investments in the USA's jurisdiction blocked. And, according to the US Treasury, that jurisdiction is pretty vast and "this is only just the start, this action against is a warning shot, There is definitely more to come." warned Marshall Billingslea of the US Treasury.

Mahan Air has a mixed fleet of mostly Airbus aircraft, including A340's and A300's and operates many routes, including over 40 international destinations this year. The US Treasury released a route map of what it says are places Mahan Air has served including destinations in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, China, Germany, India, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. 

"All of them are of great concern to us," Marshall Billingslea told select media organisations, asserting that routes into Europe were "highly problematic"

According to Marshal Billingslea, the US is determined that Mahan Air flights into countries allied with the USA will be "terminated" which they will do either by economic means or through action by governments or airports. The US could and would impose sanctions on European countries, airports, suppliers and government, "Any company that continues to transact with Mahan [Air] is doing so at great financial risk," the Marshal briefed trade publication FlightGlobal. Warning that the US government knows the airports, the fuel, maintenance, cargo and catering services that are used by Mahan Air and all are at risk of sanctions and similar blocks to those imposed on the Malaysian travel services provider. "Companies, particularly Western companies operating in NATO nations, need to protect themselves and shut down their business ties" Bilingslea warned. 

The US Government says that Mahan Air has carried personnel and supplies for groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force.  The airline has also transported personnel and weapons to Syria claims the US Treasury, yet has so far refused to provide or share its intelligence and any independent corroborating evidence.  

Kuwait Airways to launch Milan service

Kuwait Airways are all ready to launch a new route to Italy's second most populous city of Milan from 29th October this year.

The airline will operate the route three times a week on Monday's, Thursday's and Saturday's with an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

The schedule for the new Milan flight will see the A330 depart Kuwait at 0840 to arrive Milan Malpensa at 1240, the return flight departs at 1400 to land back at its home base at 2125. 

Milan is known around the world as one of the globes leading fashion cities,  it is perhaps the Italian leader in terms of fashion, but there is so much more to the city than just the odd frock!