In other news….

 

GULF AIR has signed a joint marketing agreement to aggressively drive inbound tourism from the Middle East to Copenhagen.

The agreement between the airline and the route development programme for the city, Copenhagen Connected, is expected to boost sales to Gulf Air's newest destination.

The agreement was signed at a press conference marking the airline's inaugural flight to Copenhagen.

Gulf Air CCO Karim Makhlouf said: "We believe that with the opening of our new Copenhagen connection and aggressive marketing campaign in collaboration with Connected Copenhagen, Denmark will soon become a popular destination for tourists from the region."

SHENZHEN AIRLINES, the fifth largest carrier in China, has been accepted as a future Star Alliance member.

Bringing Shenzhen Airlines into the alliance is part of a long-term strategy to expand the Star Alliance network into the future growth markets, providing the international traveller with optimal flight options.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said: "With the approval of our Chief Executive Board (CEB) we today formally start the integration process of Shenzhen Airlines, which upon completion will allow Star Alliance to once again enlarge its offer across mainland China and neighbouring countries."

LUFTHANSA has opened a new lounge at Frankfurt Airport complete with spa facilities and seating for over 300 guests.

The First Senator Lounge in the departures area of the airport's Terminal 1 is the carrier's largest lounge and covers an area of more than 1,800sqm.

A spokesman said: "Frequent flyers who have achieved Senator status now have an opportunity to relax in style at Lufthansa's largest airport lounge.

"Top customers can for the first time enjoy a modern wellness area with luxury facilities that include ten showers and two spa rooms."

Lufthansa Senator Card holders can unwind and enjoy massages, facials, full-body treatments or other beauty treatments.

SWISS has introduced new apps for Android and Nokia smartphones allowing customers to obtain information, book tickets, check in and receive mobile boarding passes.

Similar apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 have already proved successful and SWISS now offers apps for most smart mobile phones.

With the iPhone and the Android, the boarding pass can be received directly as soon as the customer has checked in and can be called up again by simply shaking the phone.

The apps also provide the very latest details of a SWISS flight's departure or arrival time.

AIR FRANCE has launched a new route from Paris to Lima, the capital city of Peru.

The carrier is operating five weekly flights between the two cities, complementing the seven weekly flights to Lima operated by KLM out of Amsterdam.

A spokesman said: "We have witnessed Peru's impressive development, economic growth and its reputation among the international community.

"This new Paris-Lima route will also increase the opportunities for transporting goods between our continents."

Air France and KLM offer weekly cargo hold capacity of up to 165 tonnes on the route.

EMIRATES 'ice' system has scooped the World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award for the seventh consecutive year.

The airline's latest system, ice Digital Widescreen, offers a choice of over 1,200 channels of entertainment, including over 280 movies from around the world, hundreds of TV choices and thousands of music tracks from contemporary to classical.

Patrick Brannelly, Emirates vice president corporate communications, said: "This year's Skytrax World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award once again underlines our relentless commitment to providing the best inflight entertainment in the air - offering more content, in more languages and ultimately more choice, than ever before."

DELTA AIR LINES has launched a new non-stop service between Detroit and Beijing, its third destination in China.

The flight will operate five days each week on 269-seat Boeing 777 aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, as well as Delta's new Economy Comfort class, which offers additional legroom and early boarding.

Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president - Asia Pacific, said: "As a major gateway to the region, our Detroit hub is a key part of our Asian network, and our new flight to Beijing will mean even more opportunities for economic development and job growth in the city."

AIRBERLIN is expanding its junior management scheme to offer engineering and business science, as well as aeronautics, graduates an 18-month trainee programme.

In the course of the programme, trainees will get to know all aspects of airberlin technik, the aircraft maintenance section of the airberlin group, and become actively involved in the production, engineering and planning, business development and controlling departments.

Trainees will be based in Berlin and Dusseldorf and the programme will include taking responsibility for managing projects associated with aircraft maintenance and servicing.

Updated - Air Malta: Strike may cause airline to collapse

 

Air Malta warned in a judicial protest today that it may have to permanently stop operations if a threatened pilots' strike goes ahead.

In a judicial protest filed against the Association of Airline Pilots (ALPA), the airline said that should its flights be stopped by the strike, it would incur enormous costs and there would be a clear and imminent danger of it having to stop operations.

Gun Found At Newark After Jet Blue Flight.

Federal US officials are attempting to determine how a stun gun was brought on-board a JetBlue flight that landed at Newark airport in New Jersey.

Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at American Airlines

 

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is trying to break Boeing's monopoly at American Airlines, which is considering an order of 250 passenger planes, The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday.

Citing unnamed people familiar with industry proposals, the newspaper said Airbus had assembled a team of lenders and leasing firms to help it dangle almost $6 billion in preferential financing before American Airlines.

Airbus's offer has a catalog value of almost $23 billion, but that is being heavily discounted, the report said.

The unit of European Aeronautics Defence & Space Co., is offering American 130 of the current-generation A320s and 130 of the more fuel-efficient A320neo, the paper noted.

However, Boeing wants to keep Airbus out of American hangars, The Journal said.

Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplane unit, is expected to meet with American officials on Monday.

Boeing is offering 737-800s and 737-900 Extended Range planes, but the price and financing terms are unclear, the paper said.

"Right now, Boeing is in a tough situation," said The Journal quoted Adam Pilarski, senior vice president at aviation consulting firm Avitas, as saying. "They need to try to convince the airline to give them a few more months to announce their intentions for the 737

AFP: Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at AA: report

Qantas pilots vote to authorise strikes, seek more talks

 

Australia's Qantas Airways  faces a risk of more industrial unrest after a pilot's union authorised strike action, though a work stoppage did not look imminent as the union said it wanted to continue talks with the airline.

Anti-APD campaign hits UK airports

 

A campaign to persuade the government to drop a planned rise in air passenger duty (APD) began today at airports, with campaigners handing leaflets to passengers declaring ‘Hands off our holiday, Mr Taxman’.

Fighter plane collision at Duxford show investigated

 

An inquiry has begun after two classic US fighter planes collided during an air display show in Cambridgeshire.

One of the planes, thought to be a P-51 Mustang, plummeted to the ground after their wings touched, forcing the pilot to parachute to safety.

The pilot of the other plane, a Skyraider, went on to land safely, after the military aircraft took to the air during the Flying Legends show.

Survivors pulled from DR Congo plane crash -

 

A plane carrying 112 people has crashed at Kisangani international airport in Democratic Republic of Congo.

40 survivors have been pulled from the plane, according to a government spokesman.

The plane was trying to land in bad weather, an official for the Congolese airline Hewa Bora said.

Airbus Woe at Paris Show.

Airbus' appearance at the Paris Air Show has been blighted by misfortune, with two key planes damaged.

The wing tip of its demonstration A380 superjumbo struck a building at Le Bourguet airport venue during taxiing.

Gearbox problems have stopped its A400M military transporter from performing a scheduled aerial display, although it will still take part in a fly-past.

It left Boeing able to steal the limelight on the first day of the show with its new, lengthened 747-8 jumbo.

The US rival said it had already received 17 orders for the enlarged plane,

The firm also claimed the first confirmed deal of the show: an order for six 777 planes worth $1.7bn (£1.1bn) from Qatar Airways.

Eco-plane

Despite its bad luck at the opening, Airbus is expected to put in a strong showing at this year's show with a string of orders expected for its new low-emission A320neo plane.

The medium-haul 150-seater planes are a redesign of the traditional A320 that cuts emissions by 15%, reducing clients' carbon footprints and their fuel bills.

The European firm has already received demand for 330 of the eco-planes from airlines including Virgin American, IndiGo and Tam, as well as from the plane leasing firm ILFC.

However, the $16bn 180-plane order from IndiGo, which is the biggest single order by far, is still stuck in negotiations.

Airbus signed deals for a further 100 planes last week, with budget carriers Cebu of the Philippines and GoAir of India.

Another 200 planes are expected to be ordered by Malaysia's AirAsia, with the related plane engine order said to be going to the French-American firm CFM.

And Scandinavian airline SAS is expected to follow suit, with plans to buy 30 A320neos worth $2.4bn, with engines from CFM.

Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker said that he too expects to buy the Airbus planes, on top of the 777 order already placed with Boeing.

Upgrade delays

Boeing is considering whether to upgrade its 737 planes in response to the apparent popularity of the A320neo, or whether to develop a new plane altogether.

The US firm said it intended to take its time over the decision and would not be making an announcement at the air show.

Airbus announced on Saturday a two-year delay to its new stretched A350 jets.

The A350-1000 will not be delivered until 2017, as Airbus wants to give Rolls Royce more time to develop engines for the plane.

The standard A350-900 is still expected to be ready by late 2013.

Separately, Rolls Royce signed a $2.2bn contract with Brazil's Tam airline to deliver engines for 27 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, as well as a 12-year servicing contract.

Also in Brazil, manufacturer Embraer said it had signed deals to sell 39 of its Embraer 190 regional planes, worth $1.7bn.

Qantas axes 350 jobs,

 

A DECISION by Qantas to offer voluntary redundancies to its 7000 cabin crew has sparked fears that tough times are ahead.

Discount carrier struggles to fly in Caribbean

 

The Caribbean's first discount airline is having a rough time getting off the ground and the company's Irish chief executive blames political fear of competition for the region's government-affiliated carriers.

Aer Lingus faces pilot action as talks break down

 

Industrial action by pilots set to start Tuesday

- Talks between Irish airline Aer Lingus (AERL.I) and its pilots union broke down on Saturday forcing the airline to prepare contingency plans for industrial action it warned could cause a full cancellation of operations.

Low Budget Carrier to be Launched by Singapore Airlines

 

Singapore Airlines has announced that it is to start up a budget long haul carrier. They are likely to be ready to start taking on passengers within the year. The airline will own most of the company but it will be managed independently bythem.

Victory for former Miss World who sued Ryanair

 

 

Rosanna Davison, former Miss World and daughter of singer Chris de Burgh, has been awarded £70,000 in damages after suing no-frills airline Ryanair for defamation.

 

 

A jury at the High Court in Dublin ruled that publicity by the airline implied that Ms Davison was racist, xenophobic, jealous and narrow-minded.

 

Kuwait seizes Iraq airline assets in Jordan.

 

Kuwait has seized assets of Iraq's national airline in Jordan, officials have said. This is the latest step in a row between the neighbouring states over war reparations.    Iraqi Airways has filed an appeal against the decision in Jordan, said Karim al-Nuri, a media adviser to the Iraqi Transportation Ministry.