Greece reopens cafes & island ferries

Greece restarted regular ferry services to its islands on Monday, and cafes and restaurants were also back open for business as the country accelerated efforts to salvage its tourism season, reports Derek Gatopoulos.

Travel to the islands had been generally off-limits since a lockdown was imposed in late March to halt the spread of the coronavirus, with only goods suppliers and permanent residents allowed access.

But the country’s low infection rate in the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the government to start the holiday season three weeks earlier than the expected June 15 date, as other Mediterranean countries — including Italy, Spain and Turkey — are grappling with deadlier outbreaks.

At Bairaktaris restaurant on central Monastiraki Square in Athens, waiters and staff wearing purple face masks and some with plastic visors, sliced meat from the revolving gyros grill, arranged flowers on widely spaced tables and waited for customers, who remained cautious Monday.

Retired pilot pens second book for aviation enthusiasts around the world -

Flight Envelopes: Philosophy of flight as viewed from within the aviation and aerospace industry

Experienced pilot Steve Ford has today launched his second book following the highly acclaimed success of 20 West - “Flight Envelopes” - best described as “Aviation Anthropology”, which pulls together the authors honest and candid views on the aviation and aerospace industries as they stand today.

The impact of Covid 19 on the aviation and travel industries, makes the understanding of challenges past a significant part of preparing for tomorrow.

“Flight Envelopes” consists of individual editorial opinion pieces, some of which were first published in Aviation Business Middle East and on various on-line blogs. Limited to between approximately five- and six- hundred words, each article can be read in any order as a standalone piece.

Freedom of speech is a precious commodity as is freedom of flight. It is the author`s intention not to challenge but stimulate healthy debate in some areas in order to ensure that the freedom we have is neither degraded nor lost.

“Flying is a way of life that wraps itself around you and enters every pore as you fall within its envelope”

On making the decision to write and publish his personal collection of opinion pieces, Steve said:
“The aviation and aerospace industries are diverse and eclectic. As are the men and women that make up the fibres at its very core.”

                                        

Flight Envelopes is available in paperback (£4.99) and e-book format (£1.99) on www.amazon.co.uk  and most Amazon sites worldwide.

For more information or to contact the author visit www.flightenvelopesbook.com

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COVID-19 Crisis — Ensuring the Continuity of Cargo Operations

Airlines for Europe (A4E) is Europe’s largest airline association, based in Brussels. The organisation advocates on behalf of its members to help shape EU aviation policy to the benefit of consumers, ensuring a continued safe and competitive air transport market. Air cargo has proven essential since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in bringing essential goods (food, critical medicines, protective equipment, etc) to Europe and maintaining global value chains. When supply chains break down in times of crisis, only air cargo can help within hours worldwide — and it has done so under the most difficult conditions over the last few months, illustrating its systemic relevance.

Before the crisis, approximately half of air cargo was carried in the belly of passenger aircraft. With most passenger flights grounded, freighters are in high demand and many passenger aircraft are being re-purposed and used for cargo-only flights. Even though the sector has been playing its part to offer additional capacity and respond to specific COVID-19 related demand, it remains to be seen how the general industry and consumer demand will develop in the coming weeks and months. We, therefore, call on the European Commission and national governments to support the essential role air cargo continues to play by removing unnecessary obstacles.

A4E welcomed the Commission’s guidelines from 26 March on “Facilitating Air Cargo Operations during COVID-19 outbreak”, and we believe that continued attention needs to be placed on air cargo as the EU and its Member States work on exit strategies from the crisis.

In order to ensure the return to normal operations as soon as possible, the following elements need to be acted upon or taken into consideration:

Air Asia Indonesia Domestic and International Travel Requirements During COVID-19 Period

Indonesia domestic and international travel requirements 

AirAsia is working closely with regulators, local governments, civil aviation and health authorities to step up all precautionary measures in the time of COVID-19 global outbreak. All guests are required to present the following documents:

Domestic Travel Requirements

All domestic guests are required to present the following documents before departure:

1. Personal identification (KTP/ Passport).
2. Health certificate in English that proves a Covid-19 negative PCR result and is valid for a maximum of 7 days after its issuance by the health facility in the country of origin.
3. Fill out an electronic health awareness card (e-HAC) before boarding. Please access via the e-HAC Indonesia application (Android) or http://sinkarkes.kemkes.go.id/ehac.
4. Fill out AirAsia’s travel declaration form, please download here.
5. Required additional documents for guests who are eligible to travel:

LATAM files for bankruptcy

One of Latin America's biggest and most well-known airlines, LATAM Airlines Group has filed for bankruptcy protection as the fallout of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic continues to claim lives and businesses around the globe.

The carrier filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, thereby becoming the largest airline to do so, at least so far.  However, LATAM, one of the world’s biggest air carriers has confirmed it will continue to operate its flights throughout the bankruptcy and restructuring. 

Just last month, the pandemic claimed about business in the shame of the second biggest airlines in the region, Avianca went into bankruptcy protection.  However, Chile’s LATAM has posted profits for the last four consecutive years of over $700 million. LATAM had also approved a dividend payment this year. 

LATAM is considered to be a “strategic company for Chile” the nation's government said on Tuesday and assured the community it would “consider” how best to contribute to the airline's recovery. 

Leasing giant AerCap delays delivery of 37 aircraft.

The global leasing giant AerCap Holdings has confirmed today that it has rescheduled the delivery of 37 aircraft that were previously expected to be delivered in 2021 and 2022. These aircraft are now expected to be delivered in 2023 and later years.

Working in concert with the aircraft manufacturers and our airline customers, AerCap has rescheduled the delivery of over 100 aircraft that were originally planned to be delivered in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The rescheduling of these deliveries has reduced our cash capital expenditures in 2020 and 2021 by a total of approximately $4.7 billion. We currently expect to have cash capital expenditures of approximately $1.1 billion for the remainder of 2020 and approximately $2.5 billion for 2021. We expect our cash capital expenditures during these years to decrease further as we continue our discussions with the aircraft manufacturers and our customers. All of the aircraft delivering in 2020 and 2021 have already been placed on long-term leases.

"On our first quarter earnings call, I noted the positive trends that we were starting to see in Chinese air traffic. Similarly, since the low point in mid-April we have seen a steady increase in air traffic in Europe and the United States. As economies begin to reopen, our airline customers will play a vital role in the recovery of their respective countries," said Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap. "We have taken these steps to better align our delivery schedule with the needs of our airline customers and our OEM partners during this period of market dislocation. We expect to reschedule additional aircraft deliveries in the future as we continue to work with our customers and the manufacturers."

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Aeroflot Group Announces Operating Results for April 2020

Aeroflot has announced operating results for Aeroflot Group and Aeroflot – Russian Airlines for April and 4M 2020, which demonstrated the dramatic effect the coronavirus COVID-19 is having on airlines around the world.  The Aeroflot Group saw passenger number plummet by over 95% during April this year as the pandemic decimated demand and travel restrictions virtually grounded aircraft all over the world.  

April 2020 Operating Highlights

In April 2020, Aeroflot Group carried 229.0 thousand passengers, a year-on-year decrease of 95.2%. Aeroflot airline carried 147.7 thousand passengers, a year-on-year decrease of 95.2%. 

Group and Company RPKs were down 95.4% and 95.5% year-on-year, respectively. ASKs decrease by 89.6% for Aeroflot Group and by 89.1% for Aeroflot airline. 

Aeroflot Group’s passenger load factor was 35.4%, representing a 45.3 percentage point decrease versus the same period a year earlier. The passenger load factor at Aeroflot – Russian Airlines decreased by 47.2 percentage points year-on-year to 32.8%. 

Former ceo rejoins board of Thai Airways.

There have been a number of changes at the top level at the struggling Thai Airways, the company have revealed this week. 

On Monday the firm announced it had replaced four of its board members with former business executives and making a return to the top level was the airline’s former chief executive, Piyasvasti Amranand.

Amranand, held the chief executive position from 2009 and 2012, during which time the airline was a profitable going concern. The news came after the government reduced its stakes in the national carrier last week from 51% to 47.86%, thereby dropping its status a state-owned enterprise. Last week the government approved a restructuring plan to stabilise the carrier through bankruptcy court as it struggles to cope with the travel restrictions and dramatic drop in demand caused by the current pandemic. 

Other board new members are Pailin Chuchottaworn and Boontuck Wangcharoen from the business world, with the fourth being named as Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, an adviser to the Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.

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AirAsia enhances digital self check-in as part of safety procedures prior to resumption of flights

AirAsia enhances digital self check-in as part of safety procedures prior to resumption of flights

AirAsia has rolled out a number of additional safety procedures prior to the resumption of its flights, including enhanced digital self check-in procedures.

AirAsia check-in kiosks at airport terminals have been designed to perform contactless transactions by scanning QR codes of flight bookings from mobile devices or printed boarding documents. Guests only need to check-in online to generate a code, which will activate the kiosks automatically.

Hainan governor says HNA's liquidity issues can be solved

The governor of China’s Hainan province told Reuters he believes HNA Group will eventually resolve its liquidity issues, adding that a government-led working group had helped mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic for the troubled aviation and tourism group.

Responding to written questions from Reuters, Hainan Governor Shen Xiaoming did not go in detail into how the working group was helping HNA, saying only that steps taken so far had helped to reassure creditors.

“The working group has effectively helped stabilise the confidence of creditors, the market and HNA’s employees,” Shen wrote, adding that as a result the company was still in business, reports Reuters. 

German government to give Lufthansa 9 billion euro bailout

Photo Lufthansa 

The German Lufthansa Group are to get a €9 billion / £8 billion lifeline it was confirmed on Monday, after the German authorities agreed on the rescue deal that will see the state take a 20% stake in the airline group.  The investment could rise to 25% plus one share in the event of a takeover attempt, as the authorities work hard to protect thousands of jobs.

Discussions between the airline group and the government had been going on for weeks as the lockdown and global travel crisis caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Germany’s Finance and Economy Ministries said Lufthansa had been healthy and profitable with good prospects but, like most airline during this strange time, had run into trouble because of the pandemic. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said: "The support that we’re preparing here is for a limited period. -   When the company is fit again, the state will sell its stake and hopefully ... with a small profit that puts us into a position to finance the many, many requirements which we have to meet now, not only at this company."

The Economic Stabilization Fund (WSF) will make silent participations of up to 5.7 billion euros in total in the assets of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Of this amount, approximately EUR 4.7 billion is classified as equity in accordance with the provisions of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and IFRS. In this amount, the silent participation is unlimited in time and can be terminated by the company on a quarterly basis in whole or in part. In accordance with the agreed concept, the remuneration on the silent participations is 4% for the years 2020 and 2021, and rises in the following years to 9.5% in 2027.

Airport boss criticises UK government

Manchester Airports Group MAG owns and operates East Midlands, Manchester and London Stansted Airports

In response to the UK Government' announcement on quarantine measures, the CEO of MAG took a swipe at the decision saying it would be a brick wall to the nation's recovery.

Charlie Cornish is currently consulting with staff and unions at the airport group over staff reductions following on from enforced annual leave, reduced working hours, pay cuts and many of those temporary lay-offs will become permanent.  Current estimations at the groups East Midlands airport is that one-third of staff will lose their jobs completely.  

Cornish doesn't see much help from the government,  "For as long as it lasts, a blanket quarantine policy will be a brick wall to the recovery of the UK aviation and tourism industries, with huge consequences for UK jobs and GDP."

Complimentary care kits provide Delta customers travel safety essentials

Test of complimentary kits include disposable face mask 

and hand sanitizer

Kits will be available on request at ticket counters and gates by June 5​

Customers arriving at a Delta check-in area without a face mask need not worry – they will receive a complimentary care kit to comply with our mask requirement and enjoy an extra layer of protection throughout their travel. 

The kits will include:

A disposable face mask;

Purell hand sanitizer gel pouches;

And, an information card detailing measures in place that are helping Delta transform the industry standard of clean​