Another Boeing 737-800SF freighter conversion for Bulgaria-based CargoAir

Aeronautical Engineers has confirmed that Bulgaria-based CargoAir has ordered its 4th AEI B737-800SF freighter conversion to continue the airline's fleet renewal programme.  

“The AEI B737-800SFs are part of our overall fleet revitalization program and will be used to incrementally replace our existing fleet of B737-300SF/-400SF freighters,” remarked CargoAir Purchase and Fleet Acquisitions Director, Angel Petrov. “AEI has the best B737-800SF conversion on the market with features and reliability that support real-life conditions. Additionally, AEI provides flexible slots which substantially assists our overall fleet planning requirements.”

The aircraft - MSN 30883 is scheduled to commence modification at the end of October 2022 with all conversion-related touch labour being performed by the authorized AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet in Miami, Florida.  The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a main deck payload of up to 52,700 lbs. (23,904 kg) and incorporates eleven full height 88” x 125” container positions, plus an additional position for an AEP/AEH. The conversion also incorporates new floor beams aft of the wing box, a large 86” x 137” Main Cargo Door with a single vent door system.

CargoAir is based in Sofia, Bulgaria and was founded in 1997 with a fleet of six AN-12 aircraft. The carrier now operates a fleet of three B737-300, eight B737-400, and three B737-800 freighters. It conducts flights for DHL and UPS and has contracted its freighter fleet to support their specific network requirements. The company is also dedicated to ad hoc cargo charter flights worldwide, providing customer-oriented solutions for cargo brokers, freighter forwarders and logistics companies requiring the transportation of dangerous goods and special cargo.

(AEI) is the global leader in the aircraft passenger-to-freighter conversion business and is the oldest conversion company in existence today. Since the company’s founding in 1958, AEI has developed over 130 Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) and has modified over 550 aircraft with the STCs.

Denver International Airport and Frontier Airlines take first steps on new facility on east end of concourse A

120,000-Square-Foot Project to Include Variety of Customer-Centric Features and Adjacent Maintenance Facility

Frontier Airlines and Denver International Airport celebrated a ceremonial groundbreaking on Monday for the new 120,000-square-foot ground boarding facility on the east end of Concourse A at Denver International Airport. The project includes the remodelling of 83,000 square feet of space, along with a 37,000 square-foot expansion area. The facility will feature 14 gates and an adjacent 8,000-square-foot maintenance facility.

Frontier President and CEO Barry Biffle, Denver International Airport CEO Phil Washington and City of Denver Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore, along with Frontier mascot Griz the Grizzly Bear, placed shovels in the dirt to mark the project’s ceremonial groundbreaking.

“We’re thrilled to join with our partners at Denver International Airport and the City of Denver to break ground on this new facility, which will provide a beautiful, convenient, customer-centric experience for departing and arriving Frontier passengers,” said Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier Airlines. “The use of ground boarding will cut boarding and deplaning times in half by allowing customers access to aircraft from the front and rear and will help support our expansion at DEN. As Colorado’s hometown airline, we are excited to further grow our commitment to the Denver community and beyond and offer an exceptional customer experience at DEN.”

“Frontier has served the Denver community for 28 years and has been a tremendous partner to DEN,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “The extension of our ground load facility will allow Frontier and DEN to continue to grow, providing more options for travellers. We are thankful for their continued commitment to the airport and community and we look forward to welcoming Frontier passengers for many years to come.”

AirAsia Aviation Group Limited announces two new board members

   

AirAsia Aviation Group Limited has just announced an expansion of its board of directors with the appointment of Mr. Thandalam Veeravalli Thirumala Chari and Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee as Independent Non-Executive Directors.

The addition of the two new board of directors will bring additional skill sets in line with its plan to strengthen the board. The airline group recently posted significant performance improvements across all key metrics, including a 633% increase in the number of passengers and a notable load factor of 84% in Q222, akin to its pre-pandemic levels. AAAGL is now charting a steady course to return to 100% capacity on the majority of its most popular routes by the first quarter of 2023.

Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Chairman of AAAGL said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of two new board of directors, Mr. Chari and Ms. Khoo, both of whom bring a wealth of expertise in line with our continued focus on governance, human capital and diversity. Both have over 40 years of invaluable experience in the areas of financial, technology and human resources which are critical to support our next phase of progress and development.”

Commenting further, Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AAAGL said: “The combined strength of the newly formed board bodes well for AAAGL to deliver positive returns to our shareholders and most importantly, add greater value to our guests. It is certainly an exciting time as the world is now finally reopening and we have much to contribute to the local and international tourism and economy, everywhere we fly.”

Boeing to serve as ‘aviation sector champion’ in global sustainability alliance.......

Boeing will represent the aviation sector in a global alliance, jointly established by the US Government and World Economic Forum to accelerate clean technologies and reduce carbon emissions.

The First Movers Coalition (FMC) was created in late 2021 to leverage the purchasing power of major companies to speed up the pace of decarbonizing industrial sectors such as shipping, chemicals and trucking. Boeing, a founding member of the coalition, will serve as the ‘champion’ for the aviation sector.

As part of its new role, Boeing commits to supporting greater commercialization of sustainable aviation fuels and advancing other low-carbon technologies. Scaling up sustainable solutions is critical to the aviation sector’s target of net-zero emissions by 2050 and the broader goal of holding global temperatures to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, the so-called ‘1.5°C pathway’.

“We can only maintain the critical climate pathway of 1.5ºC if we jumpstart the market for disruptive zero-carbon technologies and make them as economically competitive as existing carbon-intensive solutions,” said Nancy Gillis, Head of the First Movers Coalition. “I congratulate Boeing for its new championship role and look forward to working together on driving the need for and accelerating the use of these emerging technologies.”

Boeing said it will leverage current technologies and increase industry partnerships in expanding sustainable aviation fuel supplies while shaping strategies for developing new solutions.

Blade Air Mobility's Financial Results for the Q2

Blade Air Mobility, a technology-powered air mobility platform has announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022 today, proudly showing how revenue had increased by 175% to $35.6 million. The company saw short-distance flight revenue increase 89% to $11.0 million versus $5.8 million in the same period last year, driven by the acquisition of Helijet's passenger routes in Vancouver as well as the resumption of the Blade Airport service.

"Blade delivered record revenue and Flight Profit this quarter, with strong growth across all business lines," said Rob Wiesenthal, Blade’s Chief Executive Officer. "We have seen continued strength in our consumer-facing businesses with revenue and average seat prices for both the second quarter and third quarter to-date well ahead of our 2019 and 2021 levels. Given unwavering demand from our fliers coupled with continued strong sequential growth in our MediMobility Organ Transport business, Blade has proven it is well positioned to thrive in this uncertain macroeconomic environment."

"Our strong financial performance is a testament to our success in leveraging the Blade platform across the diverse portfolio of businesses that we have built and acquired since our inception," said Will Heyburn, Blade’s Chief Financial Officer. "By deploying our brand, aircraft operator network, and technology-enabled logistics and customer service, we have significantly accelerated growth, including in our MediMobility Organ Transport business, which experienced 139% pro forma organic growth compared to the prior year period."

"We look forward to closing our acquisitions in Europe, where our roll-up of the commercial activities of three prominent urban air mobility operators will fortify Blade’s leadership in the region,” said Melissa Tomkiel, Blade's President. "Our urban air mobility alliance with JetBlue has now been launched, providing preferred pricing and other benefits for seamless air transport between Manhattan and New York area airports for the TrueBlue loyalty program membership base.”

Second Quarter Ended June 30, 2022 Financial Highlights

WestJet to start a new service between Penticton and Vancouver

WestJet enhances intra-B.C. connectivity with a new service between Penticton and Vancouver

Canadian carrier WestJet has confirmed it will be starting a new route between Penticton, B.C., and Vancouver beginning in February of 2023. The route will strengthen critical intra-provincial connectivity for British Columbians and local businesses and is scheduled to operate six-times weekly on WestJet Link.

"The addition of new intra-provincial routes is critical as we invest in our presence in the West and look to strengthen our offerings to ensure British Columbians have more access to convenient and affordable air travel," said Jared Mikoch-Gerke, WestJet Director of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs. "This new route marks the initial steps in our renewed commitment to B.C., and will open up connections and opportunities for local businesses and residents as they recover from the difficult past few years."

RAF Regiment takes the lead for Counter Uncrewed Air Systems

The Royal Air Force’s 2 Force Protection Wing, based at RAF Leeming, has taken on the role of delivering a new capability for UK Defence, countering the threat posed by the malicious use of drones.

RAF Regiment Gunners from 2 Force Protection Wing, which includes 34 Squadron RAF Regiment, 63 Squadron RAF Regiment and 609 Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment, are currently being trained to operate the ORCUS Counter-Uncrewed Air System (C-UAS).

The threat from Uncrewed Air System is escalating, whether that be directly to air safety or our security, both within the UK and overseas on operations. The extensive use of Uncrewed Air System in the Ukraine and the Middle East clearly demonstrates the need for C-UAS capabilities, the cornerstone of which needs to be highly trained, equipped and motivated workforce.

Developed as part of Project Synergia, ORCUS can detect, track, identify and, if necessary, defeat hostile drones, improving the protection of key infrastructure including air bases around the UK and Overseas. In future, a number of additional C-UAS capabilities will be introduced.

Air Commodore Thompson, RAF Force Protection Force Commander said. "The opportunities for the RAF Regiment, the RAF and wider Defence as a result of this announcement are significant and I, along with the 2 Force Protection Wing, look forward to being at the vanguard of such an important and relevant Defence task. The Royal Air Force requires an agile technology-driven Force Protection Force and with C-UAS at the very forefront of its priority list we will find ourselves at the very cutting edge of this capability."

New hotel at San Jose Airport opens

Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela Opens....

Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela has just opened and is the first of the hotel brand in Costa Rica. It is located in the Alajuela province and inspired by the beauty of simplicity, the 120-room hotel delivers an inviting and seamless experience, positioned to become the destination of choice for travelers to the greater metropolitan area of Costa Rica.

“We are thrilled to introduce Fairfield by Marriott to Costa Rica with the opening of Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela,” said Brian King, President of Marriott’s International Caribbean and Latin America region. “The arrival of this new hotel reinforces our commitment and vision for the region and will complement our existing offerings that encompass 11 of Marriott Bonvoy’s global brands now with a total of 16 hotels in Costa Rica, one of the most popular destinations in the region.”

Less than a five-minute drive from the Juan Santamaria International Airport, shops, restaurants, and the main corporate centres in the northwest of the metropolitan area, Fairfield by Marriott San Jose Airport Alajuela is an ideal base for local entrepreneurs and international business travellers. Guests looking to explore the destination can easily access popular tourist hotspots including Poas Volcano National Park, Sarchí, and tour coffee plantations like Britt Coffee Tour, where they can taste and learn about the “golden grain” of the country.

The hotel features one signature restaurant, Fairfield Garden, serving international cuisine for breakfast and dinner. Throughout the morning, Fairfield Garden offers a complimentary traditional Costa Rican breakfast and American breakfast with a variety of options such as pancakes, waffles, cereals, oatmeal, and more. For dinner, a fresh take on local Costa Rican delicacies and international classics are offered through an à la carte menu.

Guests can maintain their daily routines at the 24/7 fitness centre and shop for daily essentials at The Corner Market, a 24-hour convenience store located in the hotel.

Vista, the private jet provider, has added over 100 aircraft during first half of 2022

Vista Global Holding (Vista), the world’s largest On Demand provider, gives a market update and overview into its performance for the first half of 2022 as the Group’s impressive growth trajectory continued, leading to a record first six months across all key metrics.

In the first half of 2022, Vista reported double-digit growth despite the challenging macro-economic backdrop, driven primarily by a 43% year-on-year growth across its combined subscription Member base. Sales across VistaJet’s subscription Program reached all-time highs — a 25% increase in VistaJet Members has driven a 76% growth in gross Program hours sold during H1 2022 year-on-year and 27% higher than pre-pandemic full year 2019. The number of XO’s Deposit Members also continued increasing 33% against the same time last year. The recently acquired Jet Edge further expands the Group’s Member base with the addition of a further 400 unique Deposit Members through the brand’s Reserve program.

Thomas Flohr, Vista’s Founder and Chairman said: “It has been an impressive start to 2022 for Vista as we continue to grow across all markets globally, particularly in the United States. As business aviation remains robust, we have seen huge demand as clients turn to Vista for their flying needs.

Contract sizes continue to grow as clients add hours to fulfil their flying requirements around the world. Vista’s trusted brands, shared economy model, asset light offerings away from full or fractional ownership and proprietary technology create superior client value and elevated end-to-end experience.

Losses of nearly $4 million for Mesa Airlines

Mesa Airlines,  the regional air carrier providing scheduled passenger service to 121 cities in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Bahamas, and Mexico as well as cargo services out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, has reported its latest results. The firm, that as of June 30, 2022, Mesa operated a fleet of 168 aircraft with approximately 360 daily departures, posted a pretax loss of $12.5 million, an adjusted net loss of $3.9 million for the second quarter of the year. 

A couple of key aircraft highlights of the quarter saw the airline add a third cargo aircraft to its fleet supporting DHL and Mesa added a second CRJ simulator to increase pilot training capacity, which will go some way in combatting the pilot shortage in the U.S.

Jonathan Ornstein, Chairman and CEO, said, “While demand remained resilient for the quarter, our financial results continue to be impacted by industry-wide, elevated pilot attrition and the significant reduction in the commercial pilot pipeline, exacerbated by the 1,500-hour rule. Looking forward, we intend to take dramatic action to address the pilot shortage through increased recruiting, additional simulator capacity, and expansion of our pilot pipeline. We are also pleased that United Airlines has expanded the Aviate program to include all of our pilots.”

Fiscal Third Quarter Details:

Total operating revenues in Q3 2022 were $134.4 million, an increase of $9.2 million (7.4%) from $125.2 million for Q3 2021. Contract revenue increased $9.2 million, or 8.4%. This was due to the return to normal rates from our partners, which were temporarily reduced last year related to the PSP program. These were partially offset by a reduction in block hours. Mesa’s Q3 2022 results include, per GAAP, the recognition of $6.8 million of previously deferred revenue, versus the deferral of $1.9 million of revenue in Q3 2021. The remaining deferred revenue balance of $22.7 million will be recognized as flights are completed over the remaining terms of the contracts.

Mesa’s Adjusted EBITDA1 for Q3 2022 was $20.1 million, compared to $35.3 million in Q3 2021, and Adjusted EBITDAR1 was $29.4 million for Q3 2022, compared to $44.9 million in Q3 2021.

Mesa’s Q3 FY22 results reflect a net loss of $10.0 million, or $(0.28) per diluted share, compared to net income of $4.3 million, or $0.11 per diluted share for Q3 FY21. Mesa’s Q3 FY22 adjusted pre-tax loss1 was $8.7 million versus an adjusted pre-tax income1 of $5.8 million in Q3 FY21. The year over year decrease in adjusted pre-tax income of $14.5 million was primarily due to lower block hours, the net impact of the PSP program, and the change in deferred revenue.

Operationally, the Company ran a controllable completion factor of 98.8% for American and 99.8% for United during Q3 2022. This is compared to a controllable completion factor of 99.4% for American and 99.9% for United during Q3 2021. This excludes cancellations due to weather and air traffic control.

With respect to a total completion factor that includes all cancellations, Mesa reported a total completion factor of 97.7% for American and 98.8% for United during Q3 2022. This is compared to a total completion factor of 97.6% for American and 99.2% for United during Q3 2021.

Sun Country reported a net loss of $4 million...

Sun Country Airlines, the budget U.S. regional carrier has issued its financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2022, which show a net loss of $4 million, which is rather good considering the difficult trading conditions over the last few months. 

The airline reported total revenue of $219 million, which was 29% more than the second quarter of 2019. Excluding the $21 million in cargo revenue that did not exist in 2019, revenue still exceeded second quarter of 2019 by $28.5 million. 

Charter service revenue is primarily generated through services provided to collegiate and professional sports teams, the U.S. Department of Defense, casinos, and other customers. In the second quarter of 2022, the Company’s charter service revenue was $43 million, an increase of 3% versus second quarter 2019. On a rate basis, second quarter 2022 charter revenue per block hour was 8% higher than the rate in the second quarter of 2019.

Highlights for the quarter included:

Adding a third aircraft to its charter service for Caesars Entertainment in October 2022

Selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) for Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (EAU) in Eau Claire, WI, beginning in December 2022

Announced new service to Grand Cayman beginning in December 2022

Airline Business awarded Sun Country with the Airline Strategy Award 2022 for Sector Leadership

“Despite the second quarter being a historically seasonally weaker quarter, scheduled service TRASM in the quarter was up 29% versus the second quarter 2019 and 13% sequentially versus first quarter 2022. We generated a positive operating profit of $3.4 million and an adjusted operating profit of $4 million despite fuel prices averaging $4.39 per gallon during the quarter,” said Jude Bricker, Chief Executive Officer of Sun Country. "During the month of June, scheduled service TRASM was 44% higher than in 2019 and we generated a GAAP operating margin of almost 8%, all while we were paying $4.47 per gallon for jet fuel. We continued to see strong leisure demand in July and expect it to stay elevated through the summer travel period. We are facing the same training challenges that have impacted the rest of the industry, resulting in less scheduled service flying than we would like to have flown and negatively impacting results We are making progress on resolving these training challenges and fundamentally view them to be temporary in nature; I am as bullish as ever on all of the critical factors that will determine Sun Country’s long-term success.”  

Dave Davis, President and Chief Financial Officer. said “Demand continues to be at some of the strongest levels that we have seen. Unfortunately, despite growing second quarter block hours by 23% versus 2019, we were undersized in the quarter due to training challenges limiting our scheduled service and ad hoc charter growth. Since signing our new pilot agreement in December of last year, we have been able to attract all of the new hire pilots we need, and attrition has been greatly reduced.  We are making strong progress in expanding our training pipeline to accommodate our growth and we anticipate seeing the benefits later this year. Capacity constraints have pressured our unit costs by limiting aircraft utilization. As we hire and train new staff at a record pace for Sun Country, new flying will come at high marginal profitability as the needed assets already exist.”

WestJet to return to 17 sun and leisure routes suspended during pandemic to destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico and U.S.

The Canadian carrier, WestJet has announced today that it would return to 17-holiday sun routes which were suspended for more than two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

"The restart of these routes is another positive step in the restoration our network as we solidify WestJet as the reliable, friendly and affordable airline we are known to be," said John Weatherill, WestJet Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer. "We recognize the past three winters have been disruptive to our guests travel plans and we look forward to reconnecting Canadians to some of the warmer destinations they have missed the most."

The airline today also announced new six-times weekly regional service between Penticton, B.C., and Vancouver beginning on February 17, 2023, on WestJet Link along with the restart of domestic connectivity between Edmonton and Nanaimo, B.C.

Highlights from WestJet's winter schedule release:

Sun and Leisure, Transborder and Transatlantic:

• Restart of 17 sun and leisure routes suspended since 2019
• 45 per cent increase to sun and leisure flights from winter 2021
• 60 per cent increase in transborder flights from winter 2021
• 25 per cent increase in transatlantic flights from winter 2021

WestJet's investments in sun, transborder and leisure flying are growing across the country with:

•  
• A 50% increase in flights from Central/Eastern Canada from winter 2021
• A 55% increase in flights from Western Canada from winter 2021

Network-wide:

• 65 per cent increase in flights to/from Winnipeg (YWG) from winter 2021
• 50 per cent increase in flights to/from Edmonton (YEG) from winter 2021
• 35 per cent increase in flights to/from Vancouver (YVR) from winter 2021
• 30 per cent increase in flights to/from Calgary (YYC) from winter 2021
• 10 per cent increase in flights to/from Toronto (YYZ) from winter 2021

Domestic:

• New domestic connection between Vancouver and Penticton, B.C., on WestJet Link
• Restart of Edmonton-Nanaimo route suspended since 2019
• 25 per cent overall increase in flights network-wide domestically from winter 2021

An unusual bit of freight....Air France KLM Martinair Cargo transports Dutch Solar Team’s car

Photo AFKLMP 

An unusual piece of cargo was carried on a Boeing 747 freighter operated by Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) on Saturday 6 August, from Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport to the South African city of  Johannesburg.  It was the Dutch Brunel Solar Team car which will drive in South Africa's Sasol Solar Challenge.  

AFKLMP has partnered with this year’s team, made up of students from Delft University of Technology, to transport the Nuna 11s from the Netherlands to South Africa and back again. AFKLMP converted the fuel needed to fly the Nuna 11s from Amsterdam to Johannesburg into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), reducing the carbon footprint of the journey. The Dutch Brunel Solar Team and AFKLMP are both keen to pursue sustainability and innovation. Using SAF reduces carbon emissions by at least 75% compared to fossil kerosene.

Photo AFKLMP 

This year’s Sasol Solar Challenge will start in Johannesburg on Friday 9 September and end in Cape Town on Friday 16 September.

The Dutch Solar Team - pictured left,  departed for South Africa ahead of the Nuna 11s, on Thursday 4 August. 

Photo AFKLMP 

Load factor and total passenger numbers increase in July for Iceland's PLAY

Icelandic carrier PLAY has scored a big improvement in July as load factor and passenger numbers increase as the new fledging airline continues to grow at a rapid pace.  The speed was further enhanced when a sixth aircraft, an  Airbus A320neo joined the fleet at the end of June and commenced operations during the first week of July. 

The airline carried 109,956 passengers during the month, which is 25% up from June when the budget carrier recorded 87,932 passengers. It is interesting to note that the number of passengers flown in July is more than the total number of all passengers carried in 2021.

In July, the load factor was 87.9% compared to a 79.2% load factor in June and 69.6% in May. This positive development is primarily due to the addition of the transatlantic hub and spoke model connecting cities in Europe and the United States.

 In the spring and summer PLAY has successfully launched many new destinations and seen very positive development of the existing destinations on the European side of the network.

July was the first month of full operations for PLAY following the ramp-up to the spring, with six aircraft operating to 25 destinations on both sides of the Atlantic.

On-time performance (OTP) in July was 79%, which is very satisfactory given the number of brand-new destinations and the difficult situation at many airports that still struggle with staff shortages causing delays for many airlines.

Six aircraft in operation

PLAY’s sixth aircraft, an Airbus A320neo, arrived in Iceland at the end of June and began flying passengers in July. PLAY is now operating three Airbus A321neo and three Airbus A320neo aircraft, in line with the company’s business plan and fleet strategy. 

PLAY will take delivery of four new A320/321neo aircraft next winter, bringing the fleet to a total of 10 aircraft in service from spring 2023. 

“It’s been great seeing so many new destinations and the full transatlantic network come into play over the past few weeks and the positive effect it has had on the utilization across our network. Our team achieved a very impressive on-time performance in the month despite a very challenging situation at many airports, a true achievement. We continue to see our unit cost (ex-fuel CASK) being below our targeted 4$ cents, fuel prices are decreasing, unit revenue (RASK) is rising, and our future booking flow is strong. It has been truly inspiring for me to take part in and witness the great team spirit and the professionality of all my colleagues across all functions at PLAY and how all their hard work and dedication are driving the success of our airline. These are all factors that fill me with enthusiasm and anticipation for the coming months and the long-term future of PLAY.”

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As of August 3, 2022 a new volcanic eruption began in the Fagradalsfjall volcanic system in the Reykjanes peninsula. The area is closely monitored by authorities, caution is advised and we highly recommend eager observers keep a close eye on www.safetravel.is for detailed information. The eruption is very visible in daylight and can be seen on a live stream from the area. The eruption is small, poses no threats to infrastructure or inhabitants in the area, Keflavik International Airport is open and incoming flights are getting a truly spectacular view!

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SWISS returned to profit in the first six months of 2022

SWISS returned to profit in the first six months of 2022 and posted an operating result of CHF 67.0 million for the period. The encouraging business developments that had been seen in the first few months of the year strengthened further in the second-quarter period. The Airline of Switzerland benefited in particular from sizeable booking demand and from the improved profitability provided by its completed restructuring activities. SWISS transported some 5.3 million passengers in the first six months of 2022, five times as many as it had carried in the prior-year period. The increase was reflected in first-half revenues, which totalled CHF 1.8 billion. Despite the likelihood of an economic slowdown, SWISS is also confident of returning to profit in its 2022 full-year results.

SWISS posts first-half operating profit of CHF 67 million

After some initial setbacks owing to the Omicron coronavirus variant in the first few weeks of 2022, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) saw the first signs of renewed growth in its booking volumes as early as the first-quarter period. The positive trend strengthened in the course of the second quarter; and first-half earnings were further boosted by the cost optimizations achieved through the company’s restructuring activities. Higher fuel costs were partially offset by the steep increase in customers’ travel activities and by higher ticket prices. Cargo business also remained buoyant, and again made a key contribution to overall financial results. Adjusted EBIT for the first half of 2022 amounted to CHF 67.0 million, a substantial CHF 465 million improvement on its prior-year level (H1 2021: CHF -398.2 million) that enabled a return to operating profit earlier than projected. Total revenues were raised 179.7 per cent to CHF 1.8 billion (H1 2021: CHF 659.3 million). First-half capacity was at 62 per cent of that of the comparable period in 2019; by contrast, first-half capacity in 2021 was at some 26 per cent of its 2019 level.

Air Serbia breaks record for monthly passenger numbers in July

It was a busy month for the national airline of Serbia,  as it reports to have carried over 400,000 passengers on its regular and charter flights through its base airport in Belgrade and airports in Niš and Kraljevo. 

Air Serbia says this is the most passengers it has carried in a single month since October 2013, when it commenced operations under its own name. This represents an increase of 47% on July 2021 passenger levels when the airline transported  276,191 people and is up 9% on pre-pandemic levels.

Air Serbia expects that the number of its passengers in July this year will make up over 55 percent of the total number of passengers who travelled via Airport Nikola Tesla Belgrade.

“The results we achieved in July are a good indicator that we made correct and timely business decisions when it comes to scheduling for this summer season. Here I primarily mean the strategic launching of new routes to tourist destinations, including those in Italy and Spain, which were most popular among passengers in the summer season. This result is also a consequence of additional growth of charter traffic by approximately 37% this season, compared to 2019. We will continue to keep a close eye on market demands, and boost our capacities on most popular routes in our network and we are certain that the stable growth trend will continue in the coming months”, said Boško Rupić, General Manager Commercial and Strategy.

One million reasons to travel with AirAsia Philippines

AirAsia Philippines is giving its guests one million reasons to book tickets, purchase add-ons and choose their next travel destination as local festivities return to normal and more international destinations now provide a more relaxed travel protocol for jet setters.

The world’s best low-cost airline is giving away 1 million in airasia points which can be used to book domestic and international flights from 8 August to 8 September 2022.

To qualify for the raffle, guests need to book their flight, purchase add-on essentials such as baggage, Santan inflight meals and AirAsia Travel Protection (insurance) via the airasia Super App, and register through this link.

A total of 36 guests will have a chance to win points ranging from 10,000 to 200,000 which can be used to purchase up to 12 roundtrip international flights during “final call.”

“Final call” is a promo that slashes up to 90% of ticket price for domestic and international travel for bookings made within 2 months of the redemption period.

Ryanair to battle Hungarian government over tax issue

Budget airline Ryanair said it would appeal to the courts after Hungary fined it for passing on the cost of a special business tax, worth 800 billion forints ($2.1 billion) in total, following a consumer protection investigation, reports Reuters. 

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government in May announced the special tax measure targeting "extra profits" earned by major banks, energy companies and other firms, aiming to plug budget holes created by a spending spree that helped him gain re-election in April.

"The consumer protection authority has found a breach of the law today because the airline (Ryanair) has misled customers with its unfair business practice," Justice Minister Judit Varga said in a Facebook post on Monday.

"Ryanair ... will immediately appeal any baseless fine raised by the Hungarian Consumer Protection Agency," the email said. "No notice of any such fine has yet been received by Ryanair. If necessary, Ryanair will appeal this matter to the EU courts."

The new levy on involves a tax worth 10 to 25 euros on passengers departing Hungary from July.

More Chinese 'drills' around Taiwan

Reuters is reporting that China's military announced fresh military drills on Monday in the seas and airspace around Taiwan - a day after the scheduled end of its largest ever exercises to protest against last week's visit to Taipei by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

China's Eastern Theatre Command said it would conduct joint drills focusing on anti-submarine and sea assault operations - confirming the fears of some security analysts and diplomats that Beijing would continue to maintain pressure on Taiwan's defences.

Vertical Aerospace issues its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Vertical Aerospace, a global aerospace and technology company that is pioneering zero-emission aviation, announces its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical Founder and CEO, said: “I am delighted to share that we have reached a critical engineering milestone by completing the build of our full-scale VX4 prototype, and we have now begun putting it through its paces for an intensive, multi-month flight test programme. I am grateful for the efforts of our amazing team, and for our outstanding partners that have got us to this point as we continue to leverage their deep sector expertise to build, fly and industrialise our aircraft to revolutionise the way we travel.

In the last quarter, we have expanded our pre-order book to more than 1,400 and announced new VX4 applications in emergency medical services, cargo and business aviation, with Babcock and FLYINGGROUP. We have also secured an industry first with American Airlines' commitment to place a pre-delivery payment for the delivery slots of their first 50 VX4s, out of a possible 350. The outlook for eVTOLs and Vertical has never looked better, and we look forward to providing our shareholders with more news on our piloted flight."

The piloted zero operating emissions four-passenger VX4, is projected to be capable of travelling distances over 100 miles, achieving top speeds of over 200mph, while producing minimal noise and has a low cost per passenger mile. The VX4 is expected to open up advanced air mobility to a whole new range of passengers and transform how we travel.

First Half-Year 2022 and Recent Operational Highlights

Completed the build of the full-scale VX4 Prototype. The VX4 Prototype, as part of its intensive flight test programme, has conducted a series of ground tests and is expected to begin flying over the summer.

Enhanced Vertical’s collaborative industrial partnership ecosystem by entering into a strategic partnership with Molicel, a leading manufacturer of lithium-Ion cells, for the supply of high-power, low-impedance, cylindrical battery cells for the VX4 battery pack.

Strengthened Vertical’s leadership team by welcoming Mike Flewitt, former Chief Executive Officer of McLaren Automotive Ltd and VP Manufacturing of Ford Europe, to the Board of Directors as an independent non-executive director.

Secured 50 new pre-orders for the VX4 from business aviation operator FLYINGGROUP; announced a new partnership with Babcock for emergency medical services and logistics application of the VX4, and received a commitment from American Airlines to make a pre-delivery payment to secure delivery slots for the first 50 VX4s of their conditional pre-order of up to 250 aircraft, with an option to purchase an additional 100 aircraft.

Secured concurrent validation of the VX4 between European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority ("CAA") on the same SC-VTOL certification basis.

First Half-Year 2022 and Recent Financial Highlights

SWISS and airBaltic collaboration - up to six Airbus A220 airBaltic jets to operate for SWISS

A new special collaboration between the Basel-based SWISS and the Latvian carrier airBaltic could see up to six airBaltic A220s operating on a wet-lease basis for the Swiss airline for the winter period.

The partnership is intended to further stabilize SWISS’s flight schedules and provide even more reliability for its customers’ travel plans. It should also further ease the present pressures on the company’s cabin personnel. 

Swiss International Air Lines confirmed the plans on Monday morning which will see airBaltic perform SWISS flights on SWISS’s behalf. The services concerned will be operated by up to six of Air Baltic’s highly advanced and CO2-efficient Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which seat up to 145 passengers. SWISS itself operates 21 such twinjets. The airBaltic aircraft and crews will perform various flights throughout the SWISS European route network which had previously been planned for SWISS’s own operation.

“This collaboration with airBaltic will enable us to further stabilize our own flight schedules and give our customers even greater reliability for making their travel plans,” explains SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Tamur Goudarzi Pour. “On top of this, it should also help further relieve the present pressures on our cabin crew corps.”

The new collaboration with airBaltic is also viewed as a complement to SWISS’s existing partnership with Helvetic Airways. On the latter front, in addition to the six Helvetic aircraft already operated all year round on SWISS’s behalf, further Helvetic Airways equipment may also be flexibly deployed on SWISS routes in future to cover peaks in demand.

Travellers taking a SWISS flight operated by airBaltic can essentially expect the usual SWISS service product. “airBaltic is an ideal wet-lease partner for us,” confirms SWISS CCO Tamur Goudarzi Pour. “Like us, they operate the highly advanced, innovative and eco-friendly Airbus A220-300. And they have already performed flights for other airlines of the Lufthansa Group this summer with impressive reliability.”

Airhub takes on Air Senegal Airbus A330-300neo operations.

Airhub Aviation has introduced the newest addition to its wide-body fleet, the Airbus A330-900neo bearing the Maltese registration 9H-SZN. The three-year-old Airbus is also considered the youngest Maltese registered wide-body aircraft in operation. The A330 neo performed its first commercial flight with a Maltese operator was on the 17th of June, bound for Marseille, France from Dakar, Senegal where the aircraft normally operates from for the national carrier, Air Senegal. The jet was previously operated by HiFly Malta on behalf of Air Senegal.

According to CH-Aviation, this is one of two wide-body jets Airhub operates for Air Sénégal, the other being an Airbus A340-300 which is used on routes to Conakry, Milan Malpensa, and Paris CDG. 

The commercial deployment of a top-of-the-line A330-900neo demonstrates the confidence Airhub Aviation holds amongst its lessors and corporate clients. The company is actively engaged in the managing of high-value assets, leading to the significant enhancement of the service quality it offers globally.

“We are greatly honoured to be welcoming this Airbus A330-900neo into our fleet. Operating a modern aircraft of this calibre reflects Airhub Aviation’s dedication to providing exceptional high-quality services to our clients worldwide,” comments Husam Kharoufah, Vice President – Commercial at Airhub Aviation said.

The aircraft is currently configured with 32 seats in business class,  21 in premium and 237 in economy 

Airhub Aviation offers a bouquet of specialised airline and aviation industry services which successfully satisfies even the most complex requirements and turn-key projects. It brings together five companies specialising in different areas of aviation. United by the same passion for the industry,  ACMI, charter passenger and cargo operations, aircraft management, aviation training, recruitment services and MRO.