Virgin pilot strike to still go-ahead

Photo Virgin Atlantic

The proposed strike by some Virgin Atlantic pilots set to start on December 22nd for three days is still going ahead according to the  Professional Pilots Union, despite rumours the union is caving in to Virgin pressure.

The dispute is over union recognition, which the PPU, representing around third of Virgin flight deck crew, says isn't forthcoming from the company. It says it had been excluded from discussions over changes to benefits and bonuses.  A spokesperson for the union said that the union had conducted a work-to-rule action for two years to get recognition by the airline.  The last straw occurred when the PPU was deliberately excluded from negotiations after Virgin Atlantic "consistently refused to recognise the PPU as a legitimate and independent union".

The Union spokesperson hoped the airline would acknowledge the mandate the PPU members have given for strike action and "help avoid strike action by recognising the PPU and halt the benefits review that is so damaging to our members' long-term security."

The PPU published details of the turnout, which was 72% or which 71.5% voted in favour of strike action. The strike starting on December 22nd is the first of four planned walkouts. Other strikes dates are planned for December 30th to January 2nd and January 4th to January 7th.

Virgin Atlantic says that they will not allow PPU members to disrupt its schedule and as part of the mitigation and contingency planning Virgin have scheduled US pilots from majority owner Delta to cover for striking colleagues. 

.

Air Italy to start flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco

Air Italy has announced that it plans to introduce flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco from Milan in April next year.

The airline has decided to operate from Milan to these two new key destinations to further enhances its North American route network, by double. The carrier will start the service to Los Angeles from April 3rd while the San Francisco operation will be scheduled from April 10th.

.

Rossen Dimitrov, Air Italy's Chief Operating Officer stated: "With the launch of these two new exciting gateways in California, our network will be expanding significantly, providing even more fantastic options for our equally rapidly expanding customer base. overall product, service and network will be significantly enhanced providing even more choice and quality for our customers."

AirAsiaX launch flights to Melbourne's second airport Avalon

.

Low-cost carrier AirAsia, has instigated a new service to Melbourne's Avalon Airport earlier this week. The new service is the first international services to and from Victoria’s second airport in Melbourne’s popular Southwest.

Operated by AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X, Flight D7218 touched down at 8.20am local time on December 5th bringing the first international visitors to the region.

Pictured here are Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia HE Andrew Goledzinowski AM, Group CEO AirAsia X Nadda Buranasiri, CEO AirAsia X Malaysia Benyamin Ismail, Executive Chairman Linfox Airports David Fox and CEO Avalon Airport Justin Giddings flanked by AirAsia Cabin Crew

The inaugural landing of AirAsia at Avalon seals a 10-year deal between the Southeast Asia-based airline and Melbourne’s Avalon Airport and follows more than $48 million dollars of investment from the Australian and Victorian Governments to develop the new facility near the City of Geelong.

Wizz sees double digit growth

Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, released its passenger statistics for November 2018, during the week.

The carrier saw its load factor increase to 91% whilst passenger numbers went up by just over 11%. Revenue was also up by some 13.7% for the month of November, or up an amazing 20.6% for the year to date. 

In November 2018, Wizz Air continued to grow its network, enhance its operations and improve its customer offering with the following,  Krakow confirmed to become Wizz Air’s 26 base with two brand new Airbus A321 aircraft deployed from summer 2019 operating 12 new routes to nine countries. Further consolidation of Wizz Air’s number one market position Hungary and Romania with the deployment of a two additional brand new Airbus A321 aircraft. Route network expansion with 17 new routes announced to/from Poland and Ukraine (12x), Hungary (2x), Romania (2x) and Lithuania (1x). Fleet expansion with the delivery of an additional brand new Airbus A321, taking Wizz Air’s current fleet to 105 aircraft. Inauguration of Wizz Air’s brand new €30 million state-of-the-art pilot and cabin crew training centre in Budapest. The facility currently operates two full motion simulators and can train up to 300 crew members on a daily basis.

Flair Air staff strike planned for Monday 10th December

Photo Flair Air

The Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE filed a 72-hour strike notice for the 139 flight attendants who work for ultra-low-cost Canadian carrier Flair Airlines.

The union issued the strike notice following a meeting with the carrier on December 5th which failed to find a suitable agreement on wages and pensions as well as time credits/scheduling issues.  "For the past several weeks, this employer has steadfastly refused to step away from its position of two-tier wages and benefits, which is fundamentally unfair," said CUPE National Representative Gary Yee, 

"Flair is transparently engaging in a divide and conquer strategy aimed at driving a wedge between workers in order to compete with other ultra-low-cost carriers. It is completely unfair to pay one group of flight attendants 30 per cent less for doing the same work as other flight attendants." Yee continued.

The strike has been called to start at midnight on Monday, December 10th and could affect staff at 

Flair bases in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Abbotsford, however, the airline believes its flying schedule will be unaffected.

A Flair Airlines spokesperson told us, "Over the past few months, Flair Airlines has worked with CUPE to reach agreement on compensation terms for our team of flight attendants. 

To date, we have been unable to reach an agreement. As a result, CUPE has called for strike on Monday, December 10th, 2018. We have historically paid our team of flight attendants 30% higher starting wages than our competitors.  We cannot continue to pay this kind of premium, and have requested all new flight attendants start at the same wages as our competitors.

Our aircrew is at the heart of our organisation, and we believe our current offer provides a high quality of life for our flight attendants, while ensuring our business remains sustainable. After CUPE called the strike, we received considerable support from our flight attendants. Many contacted management to indicate they will work during any labour action called by the union. 

The support we have received suggests all flights will operate normally on Monday, but we recommend passengers check the status of their flight on our website."

Flair Air staff strike planned for Monday 10th December

PrivatAir ends operations and files for insolvency amid unpaid debts

Photo PrivatAir

A small aviation group from Geneva with over 40 years experience and a dedicated work-force has gone bust, much to the disappointment of many in the Swiss aviation industry.  

PrivatAir, like many small players in the European airline industry, had found business difficult in recent times and despite the hard work of the staff, the end came during the last week. The company filed for insolvency, which the firm confirmed with a brief statement on its website. 

In a statement, the carrier that employed nearly 300 staff said, "It is with great sadness that PrivatAir SA, Switzerland, announces today that it has filed to commence insolvency proceeding in Switzerland. Likewise, its subsidiary PrivatAir GmbH in Germany has also filed for insolvency today."

"Over the past few weeks, a number of events have had a significant impact on the companies’ future

business forecast and viability, which forced the companies to file for insolvency." the statement read.

PrivatAir was created in 1977 in Switzerland, it had 226 staff members employed in Switzerland, Portugal and Germany directly.  The airline also indirectly hired around 65 crew members via outside companies for its Jeddah based Middle East operation.

Photo PrivatAir

"Like many small companies, they operated in a niche market and on paper, with an operation in Saudi Arabia, PrivatAir seemed to be in a better position that many other airlines of its size during these turbulent times." explains a leading Swizz aviation correspondent. "Yet the company lost a lucrative contract from a leading European legacy carrier to operate a Boston service was cancelled in April. Another route to India that PrivatAir had been contracted to fly for another legacy operation was also ended a little earlier this year. Then there was a licencing issue in Germany at the start of the winter period which caused some flights to be cancelled which itself was responsible for certain important bills to be left unpaid. Therefore the end was a case of when not if." 

  -- .

Air France gets 7th Boeing 787

At the end of November, Air France took delivery of its fleet’s latest addition – the company’s seventh Boeing 787 to arrive at its Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub.

This new aircraft, which is also the Air France-KLM group’s 20th Boeing 787, marks an ambition to pursue Air France’s fleet modernization. The aircraft will spend a few days in the hands of professionals from the Air France Industrial Division before operating its first commercial flights.

In spring 2019, the company will take delivery of two additional aircraft, bringing the Boeing 787 fleet to a total of nine aircraft.

10 destinations served by Dreamliner!  In the 2018-2019 winter season, Air France’s Boeing 787s are crisscrossing the skies and transporting customers to Boston, Detroit, Bogota, Guangzhou, Osaka, Bamako, Abidjan, Nairobi and Malé. The arrival of this seventh aircraft will allow the company to also serve Panama City, previously served by Boeing 777.

Watch the video illustrating the comfort and assets provided by this new-generation aircraft.  The best of Air France on board the Boeing 787

Two more new Airbus A220 aircraft to be based in Tallinn says airBaltic

The Latvian state-owned airBaltic has confirmed that for summer 2019 it will base two of its new Airbus A220-300 aircraft in Tallinn, in order to serve the growing range of destinations and growing demand from Estonian passengers. In total, airBaltic will have three aircraft based in Tallinn next year.

Martin Gauss, CEO of airBaltic: “Since 2014, we are continuing to grow our operations in Tallinn Airport and we are glad that more Estonian passengers choose our services. Next summer we will serve already 12 different destinations. By basing a third aircraft in Tallinn, we are further committing to the Estonian market. We see airBaltic as a true Baltic airline, and with this Estonia is part of airBaltic’s growth story.”

“This year we launched direct flights from Tallinn to London, Stockholm and Oslo. Next year new direct flights to Malaga, Brussels and Copenhagen will be added. By offering both direct flights from Tallinn and convenient connections via Riga, airBaltic offers the best connectivity to and from the Baltic states to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, CIS and the Middle East,” Martin Gauss added.

Wizz Air is Bulgaria's favourite.......

Photo Wizz Air

Wizz Air, Bulgaria’s leading carrier and one of Europe’s fastest growing airlines, was recognised as the best low-cost airline in Bulgaria and as the passengers’ most preferred choice. The two prestigious awards were won by the carrier at Sky Awards 2018 ceremony last night.

Sky Awards are the only aviation awards in the country aiming to praise the best airlines operating in Bulgaria. The awards are given every year based on independent industry experts’ assessment and passengers’ voting online.

This year Wizz Air was presented with Sky Awards trophies in two of the most competitive categories: Sky Budget and Sky Favorite, as the airline’s win for the best low cost airline in Bulgaria was with the outstanding result of over 60% of the votes.

Emirates adds additional A380 service between Johannesburg and Dubai

Emirates adds additional A380 service between Johannesburg and Dubai

Photo Emirates

Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, has introduced an additional Airbus A380 service to Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport), effective 1 December, replacing the previous Boeing 777 aircraft on the route. EK762 (JNB-DXB) and EK761 (DXB-JNB) are now served by the flagship A380 aircraft.  

This change in aircraft supports growing demand in South Africa, a 14% increase in seat capacity will be as a direct result of the deployment of the second A380 to Johannesburg. The Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft serving the Dubai-Johannesburg route will offer a total of 519 seats in a three-class configuration, with 429 spacious seats in Economy Class, 76 fully flat-bed seats in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites.

Upcoming festive season travel between the two global transit hubs is expected to be especially strong, building on over 700,000 customers who flew with the airline before November. With Emirates, customers from Johannesburg can enjoy a seamless A380 experience to their most popular destinations via Dubai, including London, Moscow, New York and Bangkok. All four daily Emirates flights between Johannesburg and Dubai operate as codeshare flights with partner South African Airways.

Gulf Air and Etihad Aviation Training sign contract for simulator training

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has signed a contract with Etihad Aviation Training (EAT) to offer full flight simulator training to Gulf Air’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner pilots. The contract strengthens the ties between Gulf Air and Etihad Aviation Group following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two companies at the Bahrain International Airshow in November.  

As part of the agreement, Gulf Air will dry lease EAT’s Full Flight Simulators at the training facility located in Abu Dhabi. The training will be conducted by Gulf Air instructors at the Etihad Training facility. Gulf Air’s Chief Operations Officer Captain Suhail Abdulhameed Ismaeel said: “We are happy to work hand in hand with our friends in Etihad Aviation Training and use their facilities to train our flying crew. This is the start of ongoing projects with Etihad Airways and Etihad Aviation Training.”

Turkish Airlines start flights to Lapland

Turkish Airlines has launched a new service between Istanbul – Rovaniemi (RVN) in Finland,  the growing carrier will offer three flights a week, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Rovaniemi Aiport is so far north in Finland that one of its runways actually crosses into the arctic circle and is also the home to Lapland Command. The airport has many seasonal services from European airlines, coming in the winter because of the wonderful scenery, the Aurora Borealis or northern lights and visits to Santa in the run up to Christmas. 

Rovaniemi is the capital of the Province of Lapland, it has many administrative offices, as well as home to the University of Lapland and has a vibrant community that welcome tourists. 

FLT NBR	START	END	DAYS	DEP		ARR
TK 1749	05/12/2019	22/03/2020	.2.4..7	IST	10:20	13:35	RVN
TK 1750	05/12/2019	22/03/2020	.2.4..7	RVN	17:00	22:15	IST

All times are in LMT

AirAsia signs memorandum of cooperation for Vietnam joint venture

Low-cost airline AirAsia has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation reaffirming its intention to set up a low-cost carrier in Vietnam with local partners. The memorandum was signed by AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes and Vietnamese businessman Tran Trong Kien, in his capacity as CEO of Thien Minh Travel Joint Stock Company (TMG) and General Director of Hai Au Aviation Joint Stock Company (HAA), at the InterContinental Hanoi Landmark72 here today.

The signing, conducted on the sidelines of the Vietnam Travel and Tourism Summit 2018, was witnessed by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Quang Tung.

ATSG flies high in fourth-quarter with seven 767 Deliveries

Air Transport Services Group, announced the delivery of seven leased freighters by its Cargo Aircraft Management and ATSG West Leasing subsidiaries during the fourth quarter of 2018, pointing to continued strong demand for its converted Boeing 767 freighter aircraft.

Amerijet International Airlines of Miami, Florida, took delivery of a Boeing 767-300 converted freighter. CAM now leases seven 767 freighters to Amerijet.
Cargojet Airways of Mississauga, Canada, took delivery of two more Boeing 767-300 converted freighters, bringing the total number of aircraft leased to CargoJet to four.
SkyTaxi of Wroclaw, Poland, took delivery of its first Boeing 767-200 converted freighter, with an option to lease a second freighter in 2019.
West Atlantic AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, took delivery of a Boeing 767-200 converted freighter. This is West Atlantic's sixth aircraft leased from ATSG.
Also, two Boeing 767-300 freighters were delivered internally to ATSG subsidiary airline Air Transport International, to be operated for external customers under ACMI agreements that extend well into 2019.
Additionally, a DHL-leased 767-200 freighter was transferred to Bahrain from DHL’s US air cargo network. DHL now has six ATSG 767-200s in the Middle East.

Photo Air Transport Services Group

Airbus ready to roll-out Pilot Cadet Training

Airbus and the French Civil Aviation University, ENAC, have obtained EASA certification for a co-developed ab initio Pilot Cadet Training Programme that will be used by a worldwide network of partner flight schools, starting with the first customer Escuela de Aviacion Mexico (EAM) in Mexico city early 2019.

Pilot Cadets worldwide will now be able to benefit from a complete and fully integrated Airline Transport Pilot Licence programme built upon Airbus’ high safety and reliability standards and extensive experience in pilot training.

CLEAR Launches at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Travelling through one of the world’s most diverse, resilient & exciting cities is as easy as tapping a finger or blinking an eye

CLEAR, the company using biometrics to build a connected, secure and frictionless world, today announced its arrival at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). With the launch at MSY, CLEAR is now available at 27 major airports – covering the vast majority of domestic flights nationwide – giving members the ability to verify their identity instantly and speed through security with the tap of a finger or blink of an eye.

Avolon orders 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft valued at US$11.5 billion

Dublin, Ireland-headquartered aircraft lessor Avolon has firmed up an order for 75 A320neos and 25 A321neos. The agreement is the single largest order for Airbus aircraft ever placed by Avolon.

The agreement takes Avolon’s cumulative orders with Airbus to 284 aircraft (240 single-aisles and 44 widebody aircraft) including the A321neo, the A330neo and the A350 XWB.

Highlights

• Order for 100 aircraft comprising 75 A320neos and 25 A321neos
• Order valued at US$11.5 billion at current list prices
• Aircraft scheduled for delivery from 2023 onwards
• Avolon now Airbus’ largest aircraft lessor backlog customer
• Avolon’s orderbook with Airbus increases to over 220 single-aisle and 45 twin-aisle aircraft

Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO, commented: “Our order for 100 A320neo family aircraft builds on our leading industry position and reflects our ambition to become the global leader in the sector. We continue to see robust demand from our customers for the A320neo family globally. This is consistent with our own market research and global fleet forecast. This order affirms our belief in the medium-term market outlook and the strong growth prospects for our business.”

New route San Luis Potosí - Detroit from Aeromexico

Aeromexico will launch a new service from May 1st next year, along with business partner Delta Air Lines, between the state of San Luis Potosí with Detroit. The carrier already has routes from Detroit that includes the Bajío, Mexico City, Monterrey and Querétaro.

Photo Aeromexico

San Luis Potosí - Detroit

AM 2740 departs at 09:21 to arrive in Detroit at 14:20 on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Detroit - San Luis Potosí

AM 2741 Will leave Detroit at 15:45 landing at 19:13 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The main objective of these routes is to create air bridges between cities with greater industrial dynamism that favors economic exchange and business development in our country.  It should be noted that, on the one hand, Detroit, in addition to being a pillar in the international automotive sector, has become an important destination for technology companies, as well as the fashion, art and gastronomy industries .

And on the other hand, at the end of the first semester of the year, San Luis Potosí, it has managed to maintain in the second position of the states with the highest economic growth with an ascending rate of 5.9%, according to the Quarterly Indicator of the State Economic Activity ( ITAEE). In this way, Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines place ourselves at the forefront to offer more and better connectivity options to our customers to relevant destinations in the economic and tourism sectors with the best service on board.   

Dazzling Masterpieces Light up Hong Kong’s Winter Sky

There is no better time to visit Hong Kong than this winter, as its skies and shores will become even more radiant than ever during the holiday season, thanks to a sparkling lineup of light-filled festivities organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) running now through February 24, 2019.

Visitors will be treated to an eye-opening visual feast during the inaugural edition of Hong Kong Pulse Light Festival 2018, which is the largest open-air light festival in Hong Kong. From the enhancement of “A Symphony of Lights” light-and-music show featuring more skyscrapers and special effects, to brilliantly lit installations by artists from across the globe, the dazzling artistic light displays ensure Asia’s World City will shine brighter than ever this winter.

The first Hong Kong Pulse Light Festival turns the city into a playground of luminous artworks

Silver Airways to start new service to New Bight Airport Cat Island, Bahamas

The Floridian boutique airline, Silver Airways announced this week, it is starting new twice-weekly service between home base of  Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and New Bight Airport Cat Island, Bahamas (TBI) beginning February 13th, 2019.

Silver Airways’ Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – New Bight/Cat Island (TBI) service effective February 13, 2019:

		Departure		Arrival		Flight #		Stops		Frequency
Fort Lauderdale – New Bight/Cat Island		12:00 pm		1:40 pm		130		0		Wed & Sat
New Bight/Cat Island – Fort Lauderdale		2:10 pm		5:50 pm		130		1		Wed & Sat