Air Canada Named Best Airline in North America for Third Straight Year by Global Traveller

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  Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America for the third straight year
• Global Traveler's Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness for the second straight year
• APEX Five-Star rating reflects performance based on passenger feedback
• Business Traveler Magazine's Best North American Airline for International Travel
• Air Canada also sweeps StudentUniverse's six Canadian travel awards voted in annual airline survey

Air Canada has been named the Best Airline in North America for the third straight year by the readers of Global Traveler. The airline also won for Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness for the second consecutive year in the 18^th edition of the GT Tested Reader Survey of the magazine's readership of frequent business and luxury travellers.

Additionally, in its annual ratings for 2022, APEX has reaffirmed Air Canada as a Five-Star Global Airline in the APEX Official Airline Ratings, based on customer feedback. For the 2022 awards, nearly one million flights were evaluated by passengers across more than 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale. The APEX Official Airline Ratings were created based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback and insights gathered through APEX's partnership with TripIt from Concur and independently certified by an external auditing company.

"Thank you to our passionate employees who've worked tirelessly as we welcome our customers back. Without these dedicated employees and our loyal customers, being recognized with Global Traveler's Best Airline in North America and Best Airline Cabin Cleanliness, as well as APEX's five-star rating and Business Traveler's Best North American Airline for International Travel wouldn't be possible," said Lucie Guillemette, Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer at Air Canada.

"The award-winning corporate culture we have built and cultivated over the past decade, rooted in resilience, teamwork, and empathy, is a key strength. It is our culture that allowed us to pivot quickly while keeping customers at the centre of everything we did as we responded early in the pandemic, and this continues. Our positive culture, combined with the appeal of Air Canada's iconic brand, is enabling us to reinvent ourselves to seize the many opportunities in the post-COVID marketplace."

NEOM and Volocopter establish joint venture to create the world's first bespoke public eVTOL mobility system

NEOM, the smart and sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia and Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility, have established a joint venture (JV) company to design, implement, and operate the world's first bespoke public vertical mobility system in NEOM. Air taxi and vertical logistics services will be fully integrated with the overall multi-modal and zero-emission public transit system in NEOM. The JV will be the sole operator of initial public transit routes across NEOM, while enabling an open eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) ecosystem for vertical mobility services including logistics, emergency response, and tourism. NEOM has placed a confirmed order of 15 Volocopter aircraft to commence initial flight operations within the next 2-3 years.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Chief Executive Officer at NEOM, said: "In designing cities and urban infrastructure for the 21st century, mobility is at the center of the equation. Through this joint venture with Volocopter, we are demonstrating to the world that NEOM is the ideal region to implement urban air mobility rapidly and create a fully integrated vertical mobility ecosystem. NEOM is on a mission to become a global living lab for future mobility, and we are very excited to see what the future holds as we grow."

The collaboration between NEOM and Volocopter will lead the design and development of a truly three-dimensional public transportation system, advancing the technical, regulatory, and infrastructure solutions for eVTOL operations across NEOM. The JV will offer vertical mobility services as an integral part of NEOM's multi-modal and zero-emissions public mobility system, providing seamless connectivity for passengers and goods.

United to Become First in Aviation History to Fly Aircraft Full of Passengers Using 100% Sustainable Fuel

Game-changing flight - in partnership with Boeing, CFM International, Virent and World Energy - set to travel today from ORD to DCA with more than 100 passengers;

Airline also announces new corporate participants joining the Eco-Skies Alliance, an effort to collectively purchase 7.1 million gallons of SAF this year including Microsoft, Salesforce and Visa

United has already committed to purchasing nearly twice the size of the rest of the world's airlines' publicly announced SAF commitments combined

United today will operate an unprecedented flight that will serve as a turning point in the industry's effort to combat climate change: for the first time in aviation history, a commercial carrier will fly an aircraft full of passengers using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Also today, United announced the second round of corporate participants in the airline's Eco-Skies AllianceSM program to collectively contribute towards the purchase of SAF.

United is the world leader in the usage and support for the development of SAF, an alternative fuel made with non-petroleum feedstocks, already having agreements to purchase nearly twice as much SAF as the known agreements of all other global airlines combined. SAF has the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint, and according to the U.S. Department of Energy, the country's vast feedstock resources are enough to meet the projected fuel demand of the entire U.S. aviation industry.

"United continues to lead from the front when it comes to climate change action," said United CEO Scott Kirby, who will fly onboard today's historic SAF flight. "Today's SAF flight is not only a significant milestone for efforts to decarbonize our industry, but when combined with the surge in commitments to produce and purchase alternative fuels, we're demonstrating the scalable and impactful way companies can join together and play a role in addressing the biggest challenge of our lifetimes."

United will be the first airline to resume service between Scotland and the United States

The U.S. mega-carrier United Airlines has confirmed it will resume daily nonstop services between Scotland and the United States starting 5 March 2022. United says it will resume its year-round daily nonstop service between Edinburgh and New York - Newark. 

The airline is also set to resume daily nonstop seasonal services from Edinburgh to Chicago O’Hare and Washington D.C. on 7 May 2022. It is the first airline to resume service between Scotland and the United States and will offer more services between Scotland and the U.S. than any other airline. 

“We are delighted to return to Scotland in 2022 and resume nonstop services from Edinburgh to the United States,” said Bob Schumacher, United’s Director Sales U.K. and Ireland. “With the return of services, our customers in Edinburgh can once again take advantage of direct connections to the U.S., as well as an unrivalled route network from United’s hubs at New York/Newark, Chicago and Washington, D.C., offering convenient nonstop connections to 129 destinations across the Americas.” 

“It’s incredibly exciting to be resuming our transatlantic services with United to allow direct travel between Scotland and the USA for the first time in two years. It will allow families to reunite, friends to reconnect and re-open the strong tourism destinations on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport’s Chief Executive.  

 

Edinburgh (EDI) – New York/Newark (EWR) 

 

Flight	From	To	Depart	Arrive	Frequency	Aircraft	Dates of operation
UA37	EDI	EWR	09:40	12:20	Daily	Boeing 757-200	5 March 2022 onwards
UA36	EWR	EDI	20:20	08:05 +1	Daily	Boeing 757-200	4 March 2022 onwards

All times are local and subject to change. 

 

Edinburgh (EDI) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD) 

 

Flight	From	To	Depart	Arrive	Frequency	Aircraft	Dates of operation
UA119	EDI	ORD	11:30	13:55	Daily	Boeing 757-200	7 May 2022 onwards
UA118	ORD	EDI	18:15	7:50 +1	Daily	Boeing 757-200	6 May 2022 onwards

All times are local and subject to change. 

 

Edinburgh (EDI) – Washington D.C. (IAD) 

 

Flight	From	To	Depart	Arrive	Frequency	Aircraft	Dates of Operation
UA979	EDI	IAD	12:30	15:10	Daily	Boeing 757-200	7 May 2022 onwards
UA978	IAD	EDI	22:25	10:40 +1	Daily	Boeing 757-200	6 May 2022 onwards

United’s year-round daily nonstop service from Edinburgh to New York/Newark and seasonal daily nonstop services from Edinburgh to Chicago O’Hare and Washington D.C. will be operated with Boeing 757-200 aircraft, featuring a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United Polaris business class and 153 in economy, including 45 Economy PlusSM seats with added legroom and increased personal space.  

United Polaris business class is a premium travel experience that prioritises relaxation and comfort, featuring quality inflight dining, premium amenity kits and fully flat-bed seats.   

Located just 14 miles from Manhattan, Newark Liberty International Airport offers the fastest surface transfer journeys to many parts of the city, including the AirTrain service to New York Penn Station in midtown Manhattan, with a journey time of less than 30 minutes. 

United Airlines began serving Scotland in 1998. United will offer its Scottish customers year-round nonstop flights from Edinburgh to New York/Newark from 5 March 2022 as well as seasonal services from Edinburgh to Chicago O’Hare and Washington D.C. from 7 May 2022. All flights are conveniently timed to connect at United’s U.S hubs with an extensive network of services to destinations throughout the Americas.

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Budget airline Norwegian enters into agreement to lease two Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets

The budget airline Norwegian has confirmed it was has entered into an agreement to lease two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that have been declined by other airlines. 

The deal will see each aircraft leased for up to nine years on a ‘power-by-the-hour’ (PBH) arrangement for both the carriers winter 2021/22 and summer seasons. Norwegian has the option, under the agreement, to substitute the subject 737 MAX 8 aircraft for new technology narrow-body aircraft from Airbus. The lessor is well reputed and has a longstanding relationship with Norwegian.

“This agreement is an important step in Norwegian’s plan to build an efficient and modern fleet for the future. The flexibility of ‘power-by-the-hour’ will allow us to manage our capacity through the low season adjusting for variations in seasonal demand,” said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.

Delivery will begin shortly to enable Norwegian to fulfil the announced Summer 2022 flying programme with approximately 270 routes the airline promised.

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Air Cargo Demand Up 9.4% in October

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released October 2021 data for global air cargo markets showing that demand continued to be well above pre-crisis levels and that the capacity constraints have eased slightly.           “October data reflected an overall positive outlook for air cargo. Supply chain congestion continued to push manufacturers towards the speed of air cargo. Demand was up 9.4% in October compared to pre-crisis levels. And capacity constraints were slowly resolving as more passenger travel meant more belly capacity for air cargo. The impact of government reactions to the Omicron variant is a concern. If it dampens travel demand, capacity issues will become more acute. After almost two years of COVID-19, governments have the experience and tools to make better data-driven decisions than the mostly knee-jerk reactions to restrict travel that we have seen to date. Restrictions will not stop the spread of Omicron. Along with urgently reversing these policy mistakes, the focus of governments should be squarely on ensuring the integrity of supply chains and increasing the distribution of vaccines,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.  As comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons below are to October 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs*), was up 9.4% compared to October 2019 (10.4% for international operations).    Capacity constraints have eased slightly but remain 7.2% below pre-COVID-19 levels (October 2019) (-8.0% for international operations).  Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth but are slightly weaker than in the previous months. Several factors should be noted:  Supply chain disruptions and the resulting delivery delays have led to long supplier delivery times.  This typically results in manufacturers using air transport, which is quicker, to recover time lost during the production process. The global Supplier Delivery Time Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) reached an all-time low of 34.8 in October; values below 50 are favourable for air cargo.   Relevant components of the October PMIs (new export orders and manufacturing output) have been in a gradual slowdown since May but remain in favourable territory.    The inventory-to-sales ratio remains low ahead of the peak year-end retail events such as Christmas. This is positive for air cargo as manufacturers turn to air cargo to rapidly meet demand.    Global goods trade and industrial production remain above pre-crisis levels.    The cost-competitiveness of air cargo relative to that of container shipping remains favourable.

Aeroflot hits net profits of over 11 billion ruble during third-quarter of 2021.

Leading Russian airline Aeroflot has just released its latest results for the third quarter and once again the crunched numbers demonstrate the massive progress the carrier has made in recent months.

The Aeroflot Group recorded a quarterly profit – the first in two years – of RUB 11.6 billion, a major step forward and a clear indication of the way Russian air travel has bounced back. 

Key financial highlights

Q3 2021	9M 2021
Revenue doubled year-on-year to RUB 167,072 million	Revenue increased by 54.7% year-on-year to RUB 362,220 million
EBITDA totalled RUB 54,052 million	EBITDA totalled RUB 95,635 million
Net profit was RUB 11,635 million	Significant reduction in net loss to RUB 16,102 million

 

Andrey Chikhanchin, PJSC Aeroflot’s Deputy CEO for Commerce and Finance, said:

”Our results for the third quarter once again underscore the progress that Aeroflot Group has made in 2021. Continuing the consistent improvement in our financial performance over the past several quarters, in the reporting period Aeroflot Group recorded a quarterly profit – the first in two years – of RUB 11.6 billion.

“A significant contribution to the improvement in our financial results came from increased demand and the resulting growth in operational volumes of Russian domestic flights, which we doubled down on in the high season. During the third quarter, Aeroflot’s passenger numbers on the domestic market were 27.4% higher than the same period in 2019 (before the COVID pandemic). We also took maximum advantage of the gradual lifting of restrictions in the international segment, and this also had a significant positive impact on the results. Whereas our capacity on international flights in January of this year was at just 15.4% of the level of the same period in 2019, by September this metric had recovered to 43.1%.

“This recovery in flight volumes supported growth in revenue, which reached RUB 167.1 billion in the third quarter. EBITDA, which had turned positive in the first quarter of this year, also continued to grow and reached RUB 54.1 billion for the third quarter of 2021, 2.7 times higher than in the same period of 2020. The EBITDA margin was 32.4%, which is comparable with our pre-pandemic performance, given the impact of the pandemic and the resulting restrictions on forward booking timeframes, profitability in the domestic segment and load factors.

“As of the end of the reporting period, Aeroflot Group had cash and short-term financial investments totalling RUB 93.3 billion. The seasonal reduction compared to June is due to our fulfilment of commitments to passengers under bookings made before the start of the summer season, and is comparable with historical trends. Aeroflot Group is entering the new season, when cash burn traditionally increases, with a high level of reserves. We intend to maintain strict control over management of cost lines to maintain financial resilience through to the start of the next seasonal cycle of increased sales and reservations and positive cash flow.”

 

Aviation Capital Group becomes a Silver Level sponsor of rapid-response nonprofit organization

Aviation Capital Group, a leading aircraft asset manager has confirmed its sponsorship at the “Silver Level” of Airlink, a rapid-response nonprofit organization that coordinates with airlines and non-governmental organizations to provide free and heavily subsidized airlift to a network of over 130 humanitarian relief nonprofit organizations supporting communities in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters worldwide.

“The global aviation industry connects the world.  Airlink’s mission underscores how this connectivity can be harnessed to bring critical relief to communities in desperate need.  ACG’s core values are grounded in social responsibility and we are proud to support Airlink in its service to these communities,” said Tom Baker, CEO and president of ACG.

“We are thrilled that Aviation Capital Group has become an Airlink sponsor,” said Steven J. Smith, President and CEO of Airlink. “I want to thank the ACG team for their generous support, which will help bring humanitarian aid and hope to millions of people across the globe.” 

Airlink provides free and heavily subsidized flights and air transport for pre-screened nonprofits to deliver disaster responders and supplies in the wake of humanitarian crises worldwide. Its network includes more than 130 aid organizations and 47 commercial and charter airlines. Its first mission was in response to the Haiti earthquake. Since its inception in 2010, Airlink has provided flights for nearly 8,000 relief workers and transported more than 4,000,000 pounds of humanitarian cargo. In 2020 the humanitarian aid Airlink moved assisted 5.5 million people.

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Aeroflot restarts flights to Havana

 

                                           Aeroflot has resumed regular flights to Havana, Cuba. Starting from 21 December, two weekly flights will operate on Tuesdays and Fridays. Ticket sales are open on the website.  

Flights to Havana will be operated on the Airbus A350, the newest type of aircraft in Aeroflot’s fleet. Thу A350 has a spacious three-class cabin layout with 316 seats: 28 private business class Suites, including 2-metre full-flat beds; 24 Comfort economy seats with extra legroom; and 264 Economy class seats. 

The long transatlantic flight onboard Aeroflot’s aircraft will be enjoyable and comfortable for travellers. Passengers in all classes will enjoy the latest generation in-flight entertainment system, landscape cameras and Wi-Fi connectivity*. Economy Class offers increased legroom and seat pitch (78.7 cm). In Comfort Class, passengers will savour the special menu, and appreciate the seats with enhanced recline angle, 33cm screens, individual lighting and sockets to recharge mobile devices. The Business Class Suites offer an unprecedented level of comfort and privacy. The Suites come fitted with 54 cm screens and 2-metre full-flat beds.

Havana is the largest city and the capital of Cuba. The unique architecture and the vibrant atmosphere of the city attract tourists. Thanks to the good transportation service Havana is a convenient starting point to explore the central part of the Island and the famous Cuban beaches.  

Havana will be Aeroflot’s second destination in Cuba. From June 2021, Aeroflot has offered three weekly flights to the resort city of Varadero.

Aeroflot....

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SAS says Q4 2021 Year-end results burdened by the pandemic

SAS has released its latest results and says that whilst demand and ticket sales are increasing, there remain uncertainties that continue to affect the ramp-up of its route network and return to pre-pandemic levels. 

AUGUST 2021–OCTOBER 2021

• Revenue: MSEK 5,762 (3,035)
• Income before tax (EBT): MSEK -945 (-3,252)
• Income before tax and items affecting comparability: MSEK -911 (-3,024)
• Net income for the period: MSEK -744 (-2,566)
• Earnings per common share: SEK -0.12 (-4.44)

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE QUARTER

• During the quarter, the number of passengers increased and more tickets were sold
• Operations were scaled up to meet demand while more destinations opened up
• SAS signed an agreement for the pre-delivery payment financing of about USD 100 million, covering ten A320neo aircraft with deliveries into Q2 FY2023

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS AFTER THE QUARTER

• SAS established a partnership with Vattenfall, Shell and LanzaTech to investigate large-scale production of synthetic sustainable aviation fuel

NOVEMBER 2020–OCTOBER 2021

• Revenue: MSEK 13,958 (20,513)
• Income before tax (EBT): MSEK -6,525 (-10,097)
• Income before tax and items affecting comparability: MSEK -6,382 (-8,565)
• Net income for the period: MSEK -6,523 (-9,232)
• Earnings per common share: SEK -0.94 (-21.45)

UK and Poland collaborate on multi-billion pound Polish air defence systems

A landmark agreement has been reached between Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak to cooperate on Poland’s future air defence system.

A first for the UK-Poland relationship, the Statement of Intent will see the two countries share pioneering technology to develop NAREW, Poland’s future Ground-Based Air Defence System, which is anticipated to have a multi-billion-pound budget.

The agreement will provide enhanced security and defence development for both countries while developing and sustaining critical skills across the missile sector in Poland and the UK.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "This agreement will deliver a step change in our defence co-operation with Poland and paves the way for our militaries to operate even more closely.

Minister Błaszczak and I look forward to seeing the GBAD partnership develop.

Britain and Poland have historically stood side by side against a range of threats and will continue to deepen our partnership."

In the UK, MBDA’s Common Anti-air Modular Missile (CAMM) family has been confirmed for the NAREW programme. Flying at supersonic speeds, CAMM missiles can destroy modern air threats including stealth aircraft and high-speed missiles. Each CAMM family missile is equipped with an advanced active radar seeker that can see even the smallest, fastest and stealthiest targets through the worst weather and the heaviest electronic jamming.

Chris Allam, Managing Director MBDA UK:  "MBDA is delighted to be playing such a leading role in the UK-Poland Defence partnership. This agreement endorses the deep relationship we have formed with Poland’s Ministry of National Defence and Polish Industry and is underpinned by the nature of our unprecedented technology co-operation and transfer proposal for NAREW and Polish Air Defence.

In choosing MBDA, and the CAMM family, Poland will receive the benefits of a true European missile partnership, the latest capabilities, and the ability to secure and develop highly skilled jobs in its defence industry. We thank Poland for the trust placed in us and we look forward to delivering this programme in co-operation with PGZ."