Air traffic and transport figures for January 2020 released by Amsterdam's Schiphol

Air traffic and transport figures for January 2020

In the first month of the new year, the number of passengers rose by 1.4% compared to January 2019 and the number of flights to and from Schiphol rose by 1.0%, partly due to a number of cancellations in the same month last year. On average, the number of seats per flight was just under one seat more than last year. These developments resulted in a total of 5.1 million passengers travelling to, from or via Schiphol in January 2020. The number of cargo flights dropped to 1,011, a decline of 10.2% compared to January last year. As a result, the tonnage of cargo transported decreased by 7.8% compared to the previous year.

Lufthansa Group continues to suspend all flights to mainland China until the end of the winter timetable

Flights to Beijing and Shanghai will be suspended until 28 March / The flight program to and from Hong Kong will be reduced slightly

The safety of its passengers and employees is a top priority for the Lufthansa Group. After a thorough evaluation of all currently available information on the effects of the novel coronavirus, the Lufthansa Group has now decided to cancel the flights of Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines from/to Beijing and Shanghai until the end of the winter timetable on 28 March. Initially, they had been suspended until 29 February. Flights to Nanjing, Shenyang and Qingdao had already been suspended until the end of the winter timetable.

Due to the current demand situation for flights to and from Hong Kong, slight capacity adjustments will be made: For Lufthansa, some flights will be cancelled. SWISS will be using smaller aircraft on its flights to and from Hong Kong in March.

Passengers whose flight has been cancelled can of course rebook free of charge or receive a refund of their ticket price. These regulations apply to passengers with a ticket issued by Lufthansa, SWISS or Austrian Airlines and for flights with an LH, LX or OS flight number.

The Lufthansa Group will continue to monitor the situation and is in contact with the responsible authorities.

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A new era of growth for AEGEAN

With a new livery and brand identity, 3 newly-delivered Airbus A320neo, AEGEAN’s new era is here

A new era of growth has begun for AEGEAN, with the official reveal of its new livery and branding as well as the presentation of the first three new-generation Airbus A320neo aircraft. 

By July 2020, AEGEAN will receive a total of 6 new aircraft reaching a fleet of 65 aircraft, supporting the expansion of its network to 155 destinations and 44 countries in 2020. 

During the event, AEGEAN presented its new livery and brand identity. Inspired by the Greek sky and seas, historical architecture and the design heritage of the country, the new brand identity, livery and cabin are here to shape a dynamic future for AEGEAN and further enhance the passenger experience. 

Can improved aircraft design & technology contribute to sustainable aviation?

If the aviation industry is to significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of current and future aircraft, a “one-size-fits-all” approach is no longer enough. Today, innovative aircraft design, new engine technology and improved air traffic management are collectively contributing to the industry’s long-term decarbonisation strategy.  

For many, “sustainable aviation” is synonymous with “sustainable aviation fuel,” or fuel produced from recycled materials such as waste by-products. This is because sustainable aviation fuel has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions across the lifecycle—by up to 80% in some cases—compared to fossil jet fuel, depending on the sustainable feedstock used, production method and airport supply chain. But while sustainable aviation fuel can provide an immediate solution to reduce CO2 emissions in the short term, industry experts agree that other solutions will be needed to tackle the environmental performance of aircraft over the long term.

Today’s aircraft are lighter and more fuel-efficient than they were 50 years ago. In fact, improved fuel efficiency in aircraft has helped to save billions of tons of CO2 since 1990.

Singapore Airlines faces significant challenges

Singapore Airlines faces “significant challenges” to its business from the coronavirus outbreak will be adjusting its network and tightly managing costs, it said on Friday, as it reported an 11% rise in third-quarter net profit, reports Reuters. 

The airline, a benchmark for premium carriers in Asia, said its earnings rose S$31 million to S$315 million in the quarter to Dec. 31 due as revenue reached a record high S$4.47 billion due to a transformation plan that boosted sales.

Looking forward, Singapore Airlines said it had “drastically” reduced flights on all mainland China routes and set up a high-level internal task force to monitor the virus situation and roll out measures to minimise the risk to staff and passengers.

American Airlines now believes the 737 Max wil return to revenue service in August

The US mega-carrier American Airlines has issued yet another update regarding its Boeing 737 Max aircraft that have been grounded since two fatal crashes of the type.   The airline says it remains in continuous contact with the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation and Boeing. Based on the latest guidance, American has put back the proposed restart date of the 737 Max, this time to August 18th.

American expects to gradually phase in the 737 Max for commercial service and will increase flying on the aircraft throughout the month of August and into September. Since American will gradually phase the MAX into the flying schedules, it could mean some further refinements to the timetable. 

 

Delta commits $1 billion to become first carbon neutral airline globally

10-year commitment to mitigate all emissions from March 2020 forwardStrategy will mitigate emissions across Delta’s business globally – in the air and on the groundEfforts will drive innovation, clean air tech, emissions and waste reduction

Starting March 1, 2020, Delta Air Lines is committing $1 billion over the next 10 years on its journey to mitigate all emissions from its global business going forward. The airline will invest in driving innovation, advancing clean air travel technologies, accelerating the reduction of carbon emissions and waste, and establishing new projects to mitigate the balance of emissions.

“There is no substitute for the power that travel has to connect people, which our world needs today more than ever before. As we connect customers around the globe, it is our responsibility to deliver on our promise to bring people together and ensure the utmost care for our environment,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO. “The time is now to accelerate our investments and establish an ambitious commitment that the entire Delta team will deliver.”

Airbus Helicopters maintains global market leader position in 2019

Airbus Helicopters logged gross orders for 369 helicopters in 2019 (310 net orders), combined with its support and services revenue, worth more than € 7 billion. The company delivered 332 rotorcraft, including the landmark 1000th Super Puma, thus maintaining its lead in the civil & parapublic market with a 54% market share in terms of units.

On the civil side, the H125 and H145 remain best-sellers on the market with 130 and 91 bookings in 2019 respectively. Airbus Helicopters also reinforced its position in the military market thanks to key successes with international campaigns such as 23 NH90 for Spain and 25 H225M mainly for Hungary and Indonesia.

UK's RAF Lightning Strikes on Red Flag

Lightning Strikes on Red Flag

UK Lightning Force has achieved the latest in a long line of milestones with the successful conclusion of Exercise Red Flag. 617 Squadron deployed five of the state-of-the-art stealth jets to spend three weeks at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas to do battle in the best air combat exercise available anywhere.

“Our experience on Red Flag has been amazing. Lightning has performed really well in this exercise and I have also been really pleasantly surprised as to how everyone has performed in this environment, our team has done fantastically well.”

Officer Commanding 617 Squadron
 Wing Commander John Butcher

For the junior pilots on the squadron, most of whom have come to the Lightning direct from training, the sheer scale and complexity of Red Flag was potentially a daunting prospect. “There’s a natural tendency to be concerned about what that may entail when you’ve not had that exposure before” explained Wing Commander Butcher.

Amours parisiennes........................

Air France is celebrating love, and all sorts of special attentions await our customers both at the airport and on board. Love is in the air on board Air France flights!

On this special day dedicated to lovers everywhere, customers travelling to Reunion Island, Fort de France, Vancouver, Dubai, Tokyo Narita, Panama, Geneva, Stockholm, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Lille and Bordeaux will enjoy gifts and sweets. In the Air France lounges at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the airline also has a few surprises in store for its customers, including sweets, tasting events, gifts and other Valentine’s Day special treats for everyone, whether they are in love or in the lonely hearts club.

To the delight of its customers, Air France is spreading the love on Valentine’s Day, a day considered in many countries as the most romantic of the year.

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Fraport to speed passengers through two Brazilian airports

SITA provides self-service gates for bar-coded boarding passes at 
Fortaleza and Porto Alegre

Fraport Brasil has installed SITA’s passenger processing technology at the two airports it manages in Brazil, Fortaleza Airport (FOR) and Porto Alegre Airport (POA). New self-service gates provide passengers with automated entry to the security checking area with a simple scan of their boarding pass. This will reduce queues and make the process four times as efficient.

Andreea Pal, CEO of Fraport Brasil, said: “A significant part of our remit is to invest in infrastructure to transform the passenger experience and make operations highly efficient at these two airports. To do that, we need to provide automation at as many touchpoints as possible, which is why we have installed these gates that read bar-coded boarding passes.”

EL AL returns to London Stansted

EL AL Israel Airlines is to return to London Stansted when the carrier launches a new five-times a week service to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport.

The airline, which last operated scheduled services from London Stansted in 2009, begins flights on 28 June and will initially operate until 3 September using a 166-seat Boeing 737-800 offering business and economy classes. Fares start at £280 return and can be booked at www.elal.co.uk, by calling 020 7624 9708 or at local travel agents.

Tel Aviv, founded in 1909 and situated on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, welcomes over 2.5 million international visitors each year and is the economic and technological centre of Israel, and ranked in the top 25 most important financial centres in the world.

San Francisco's romantic Sky Terrace

During the Golden Age of travel, romantic couples and parents looking for a cost effective kids' activity would visit their local airport's observation deck to take in the "big birds." Today, selfie-lovers are reinventing the observation deck. San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the world's most romantic airport, opens the new Sky Terrace on February 14 to welcome Valentines from around the world.

The Sky Terrace offers unobstructed views of the intersection of all four runways, allowing for much more plane spotting, with both aircraft takeoffs and landings clearly visible.

Built at the top of the former airport Control Tower, the Sky Terrace is open to the public (no plane ticket required), and includes a SFO Museum exhibit about the history and architecture of the 1954 terminal that once existed in the same area. Guests are welcome to bring food, and by June 2020 a café will be added to the space.

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Autograph Collection Hotels Introduces The Ben, The First Waterfront Hotel in Downtown West Palm Beach

         Autograph Collection Hotels has just announced the opening of The Ben, the first hotel on the downtown West Palm Beach, Florida. waterfront. The Ben is part of Autograph Collection’s diverse and dynamic portfolio of more than 180 independent hotels carefully crafted with vision and passion. Just like The Ben, each distinctive hotel in the Autograph Collection is singular and special: Exactly Like Nothing Else.

The Ben joins Autograph Collection’s robust portfolio of 18 hotels in Florida including the newly opened Cadillac Hotel & Beach Club in Miami Beach, The Daytona in Daytona Beach and Fenway Hotel in Dunedin.

“We’re thrilled to introduce The Ben, an unmistakably original hotel that injects new energy into the traditionally classic city of West Palm Beach,” said Jennifer Connell, Vice President and Global Brand Leader, Autograph Collection Hotels. “The Ben reimagines classic South Florida lifestyle for today’s travelers by blending elements inspired by the city’s early days as an untamed tropical paradise with modern touches, making it a perfect fit for the Autograph Collection.”

More details and bookings can be found here...

AerCap Delivers the First New Airbus A320neo Aircraft to EGYPTAIR

AerCap Holdings today announced it has delivered a new Airbus A320neo aircraft on lease to EGYPTAIR, the first of a 15 A320neo Family aircraft deal with EGYPTAIR. With this delivery, EGYPTAIR will become the first airline based in mainland Africa to operate the aircraft type.

AerCap is the world's largest Airbus A320neo Family lessor, with 325 owned and on order. "We are very pleased to deliver to EGYPTAIR their first A320neo and to be a part of their fleet modernization plan," said Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap. "We wish the EGYPTAIR team every success as they continue on their journey to achieve their sustainable growth ambitions with the addition of the most modern, fuel-efficient aircraft."

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