Air Canada pilots agree on cargo only flights as new boss set to take the helm

Air Canada has confirmed that Jason Berry will become Vice President, Cargo effective January 1, 2021.  Mr Berry will be based at Air Canada's Montreal headquarters and will report directly to Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

The Canadian carrier has also provided an update on its cargo business and the next steps in its strategic plan as the airline continues to adapt rapidly to evolving market opportunities. To date, Air Canada has operated more than 3,500 all-cargo flights globally, and the airline is now finalizing plans to convert several of its owned Boeing 767-300ER aircraft to freighters to fully participate in global cargo commercial opportunities.

The carrier has successfully concluded collective agreement amendment with its pilots represented by the Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA), for contractual changes to enable Air Canada to competitively operate dedicated cargo aircraft in the cargo marketplace, which have now been ratified by the Air Canada pilots. 

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Fred. Olsen Travel launches "Travel Bournemouth Airport"

Local Cruise specialists Fred. Olsen Travel, has expanded its brand portfolio on the South Coast with the launch of ‘Travel Bournemouth Airport’. While continuing to focus on and specialise in cruise, Fred. Olsen Travel will look to expand its land offerings with packages and product through Travel Bournemouth Airport.

Head of Commercial at Fred. Olsen Travel Paul Hardwick is delighted to announce that its five travel agencies in Dorset in Hampshire will be working with airlines and operators flying from Bournemouth to build an even stronger focus on flying from the airport through a local independent travel agent.

Russian airline group Aeroflot carried 2.7 million passengers during October

 The Aeroflot Group,  Russians leading aviation company has released its latest operating results for October and the 10 months of the year. In October 2020 Aeroflot Group continued to restore its domestic traffic volumes and partially restore international flights. In addition to flights to Turkey, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Maldives, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus, due to regulatory approval, flights to Seoul (South Korea) and Belgrade (Serbia) were added with limited frequency. In November, flights to Tokyo (Japan) have also resumed with limited frequency.

The October 2020 operating highlights include the group carrying  2.7 million passengers, a year-on-year decrease of 47.1%. Aeroflot airline carried 1.1 million passengers, a year-on-year decrease of 65.8%. 

UNICEF working with global airlines and freight providers to plan delivery of COVID-19 vaccines

UNICEF is working with major global airlines and freight providers to step up efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to over 92 countries around the world as soon as vaccines become available.

To kickstart preparations, UNICEF together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), briefed major global airlines last week on the expected capacity requirements and discussed ways to transport close to 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021. This is in addition to the 1 billion syringes that need to be transported by sea-freight. 

This virtual meeting comes close on the heels of the first-ever logistics event held virtually by UNICEF to discuss the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines. The landmark discussion brought together more than 350 logistics partners, including air freight operators, shipping lines and global logistics associations.

The German armed forces order 31 Airbus NH90 helicopters for shipborne operations

The German Unified Armed  Forces - the Bundeswehr has ordered 31 NH90 NFH helicopters, to be known as Sea Tiger, for the German Navy’s shipborne operations. Nathalie Tarnaud-Laude, President of NH90 Helicopter Industries and Giorgio Gomma, General Manager of the NATO Helicopter Management Agency, on behalf of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the German Armed Forces signed the contract on 26 November. The helicopters will replace the German Navy’s Sea Lynx Mk88A fleet which entered into service in 1981. The Bundeswehr has already ordered 18 NH90 Sea Lion naval transport helicopters, seven of which have already been delivered.

"With the Sea Lion and Sea Tiger, the German Navy will have state-of-the-art, high-performance helicopters and can benefit from the advantages of a harmonized fleet," said Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. “We look forward to working, together with our partners, to deliver the unique naval capabilities that the NH90 NFH has to offer as early as 2025,” he added.

Aviation Industry Agrees Vital Slot Use Relief

The Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), comprising Airports Council International (ACI World), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and the Worldwide Airport Coordinators Group (WWACG) released a joint recommendation for airport slot use relief for the northern summer 2021 season. 

The organizations called on regulators worldwide to temporarily adopt more flexible slot rules in line with the recommendation as quickly as possible in order to preserve essential air transport connectivity.

As a result of the collapse in demand from the COVID-19 crisis, some 65% of direct city pair connections vanished in the first quarter of 2020. Slot-regulated airports serve almost half of all passengers and are the backbone of the global scheduled airline network. But recovery is impossible while there is no certainty on the rules governing the use and retention of airport slots.

Luxury Card and TCS World Travel Take Cardmember Travel to New Heights

Luxury Card, a pioneer in the premium metal credit card space, announced its partnership with TCS World Travel. This new partnership will provide Cardmembers with an exciting way to explore the world via TCS World Travel’s luxury jet expeditions and private custom itineraries. Customer experience has always been Luxury Card’s raison d’être and providing private jet access and international itineraries by TCS World Travel only heightens that experience. As the leader in luxury jet expeditions for over 25 years, TCS World Travel connects guests to some of the most difficult-to-reach destinations around the globe—all in the comfort and safety of their customized aircraft, with a dedicated team managing every detail.

US airline Delta to launch first quarantine-free, COVID-free travel to Europe through new testing protocols......

Delta Air Lines, the Aeroporti di Roma and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have joined in a first-of-its-kind trans-Atlantic COVID-19 testing program that will enable quarantine-free entry into Italy, in accordance with a decree expected to be issued soon by the government of Italy.

Steve Sear

“Carefully designed COVID-19 testing protocols are the best path for resuming international travel safely and without quarantine until vaccinations are widely in place,” said Steve Sear, Delta President – International and Executive Vice President - Global Sales. “Safety is our core promise – it’s at the center of this pioneering testing effort and it’s the foundation of our standards for cleanliness and hygiene to help customers feel confident when they fly Delta.”

Delta has engaged expert advisors from Mayo Clinic, a global leader in serious and complex healthcare, to review and assess the customer-testing protocols needed for Delta to execute a COVID-tested flight program.

“Based on the modeling we have conducted, when testing protocols are combined with multiple layers of protection, including mask requirements, proper social distancing and environmental cleaning, we can predict that the risk of COVID-19 infection – on a flight that is 60 percent full – should be nearly one in a million,” said Henry Ting, M.D., M.B.A., Chief Value Officer, Mayo Clinic.

A green new deal for Gatwick could overturn the airports jobs crisis

New analysis shows that 16,000 green jobs could be created around Gatwick if an ambitious job creation strategy were adopted to counter the current and future loss of jobs dependent on the airport.

The research, a collaboration between the PCS union, Green House Think Tank and Green New Deal UK, shows the cost would be comparable to Gatwick’s share of the proposed scrapping of Air Passenger Duty for the next 12 months, despite funding 13 times the number of jobs locally.

It shows a close fit between the skills required for this transition to a zero-carbon economy and those of aviation workers whose livelihoods have been put at risk - such as pilots, cabin crew and baggage handlers. Critically, however, it also demonstrates the importance of a worker-led retraining and investment plan.

International Air Connectivity Crisis Threatens Global Economic Recovery

 The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data revealing that the COVID-19 crisis has had a devastating impact on international connectivity, shaking up the rankings of the world’s most connected cities. 
 

• London, the world’s number one most connected city in September 2019, has seen a 67% decline in connectivity. By September 2020, it had fallen to number eight. 
   
• Shanghai is now the top ranked city for connectivity with the top four most connected cities all in China—Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. 
   
• New York (-66% fall in connectivity), Tokyo (-65%), Bangkok (-81%), Hong Kong (-81%) and Seoul (-69%) have all exited the top ten. 
   
• The study reveals that cities with large numbers of domestic connections now dominate, showing the extent to which international connectivity has been shut down.
   

MH17 Disinformation Operations

An investigation by Bellingcat and its investigative partners has discovered evidence that Bonanza Media, a self-styled independent investigative platform, is in fact a special disinformation project working in coordination with Russia’s military intelligence.

While Bellingcat have not yet established conclusively whether the Russia’s military intelligence agency, best known as the GRU, was behind the initial launch and funding of the Bonanza Media project, they have established that shortly after it was launched, senior members of the GRU entered into direct and regular communication with the project leader. 

Qantas trying to steal other airlines frequent flyers with offer to fast track status when they switch to thhem

Frequent flyers of other airline loyalty programs invited to fast track their status

Exclusive offer includes 90 days complimentary lounge access

Follows surge in demand for people asking to switch programs

Qantas Frequent Flyer is offering top tier members of other airline loyalty programs the opportunity to fast track their flying status when they switch to Qantas.

This is the first time the national carrier has made an offer like this and follows a large number of enquiries about joining the program from members of other domestic and international airline loyalty programs – the consequence of changes in the local market as well as restrictions on overseas travel.

Individuals who hold eligible loyalty status with a qualifying airline program are invited to switch and take advantage of the Qantas Status Fast Track – an offer to earn 100 status credits in 3 months to qualify for Qantas’ Gold tier. In addition to helping expedite their status in the program the offer also includes 90 days of complimentary access to the airline’s network of Qantas Club lounges and extra checked baggage.