AirlinesAir Astana cleared from European blacklistThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has removed Kazakhstan’s national carrier, Air Astana, from the European Union (EU) Air Safety List. Air Astana has faced restrictions on flying into the EU since 2009, but is now free to operate. However, other Kazakh carriers remain on the list, while Iraqi Airways has been added to it following alleged safety lapses and failure to provide necessary documentation.
LinkAir Canada gives away airline tickets home for holidaysAir Canada surprised Canadians who thought they were being filmed for a documentary with complimentary airline tickets. Danielle LeBlanc and Briand Melanson received tickets from Toronto to fly home for the holidays to Clare, Nova Scotia. "Obviously, they edited it down to a few moments, but I jumped around and screamed and cried for like, 10 minutes," LeBlanc said.
LinkAir France-KLM takes $55 million hit from Paris attacksAir France-KLM’s traffic was significantly impacted by the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, costing the group around €50 million ($55 million) in lost revenue. Over the period Nov. 1-13, Air France-KLM’s load factor was 2.7 points up on November 2014, but from Nov. 14-30 it was down 0.9 point.
LinkAmerican on track with integration milestones, CEO saysAmerican Airlines marked its two-year anniversary of acquiring US Airways on Dec. 9. "We've been pleased with all the integration milestones so far," said American CEO Doug Parker. "We've either hit or exceeded our goals to date."
LinkCargolux, pilot talks again fail; strikes possible Cargolux and its pilot unions—ALPL and LCGB—have again failed to negotiate a new collective work agreement (CWA). The Luxembourg-based carrier said the union unexpectedly declared the negotiations a failure after management was not prepared to accept union demands.
LinkA319 flew low over terrain as crew lost position awarenessPilots of an EasyJet Airbus A319 overflew a ridge at less than 500ft after losing awareness of their position while attempting a visual night landing at Bristol earlier this year. The aircraft was arriving from Glasgow and needed to perform a sharp right turn to line up with Bristol’s runway 27.
LinkHawaiian to debut seasonal flights to Kaui from LAX, OAK Hawaiian Airlines is banking on an increased interest in traveling to Kauai next summer and on Wednesday announced it will offer a daily flight from California to the Garden Isle during the summer months. Hawaiian will fly to Lihue, Kauai, from Oakland and Los Angeles daily starting in mid-June through till Sept. 5. This year, until the end of October, the number of visitors to Kauai by air were 4.9 percent higher than the 979,574 from the previous year, according to statistics from the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The increase comes despite Island Air closing its operations on the Garden Island earlier this year. Island Air has no plans to announce a return of their service Kauai, leaving less competition for Hawaiian Airlines.
LinkKyrgyz 737 tried diverting after hard touchdown damaged gearInvestigators have revealed that a Kyrgyz-operated Boeing 737-300 suffered landing-gear damage in a hard touchdown at Osh before executing a missed approach. Despite the impact the aircraft became airborne and started diverting to Bishkek but returned to Osh when it began suffering other system failures.
LinkLufthansa To Take Delivery Of First Airbus A320neoLufthansa is set to become the first airline to fly the Airbus A320neo when it takes delivery of its first aircraft this month. Lufthansa said it would take delivery of the upgraded A320 earlier than expected, after Qatar Airways voiced uncertainty over the technical performance of its Pratt & Whitney engines. "We expect to get our first A320neo in December and that would technically make us the launch operator," a spokesman said.
LinkMalaysia Airlines to decentralize flight operationsMalaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) plans to pare down its operations at its hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as part of an extensive reorganization. It will also create seven new permanent bases across Malaysia to “improve connectivity and service quality on the domestic network.” The new arrangement, expected to be in place by early next year, will see 18 of the carrier’s 50-plus Boeing 737-800 aircraft moved from KLIA to operate out of Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri, Labuan, Kota Bahru, Penang and Johor Baru.
LinkSouthwest Airlines to offer LAX-Costa Rica route Southwest Airlines luv announced Wednesday a new route from Los Angeles to Costa Rica. The new travel option will be available starting April 2016, according to a press release. People will be able to start purchasing flights from LAX to Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport beginning early next year.
LinkUnited reports higher Nov. trafficUnited Airlines reported an 8.8% increase in passenger traffic in November on a year-over-year basis. Over the Thanksgiving travel period, Airlines for America expected 25.3 million passengers to take to the skies.
LinkUnited could add up to 50 100-seat aircraftUnited Airlines executives have told analysts that they anticipate a fleet of 25 to 50 mainline aircraft with around 100 seats. The Chicago-based carrier would need at least 25 and up to 50 of the aircraft in order for such a fleet to “make sense given the added complexity associated with training, spares provisioning and maintenance”, writes STIFEL analyst Joe DeNardi in a report on 9 December following meetings with United executives.
LinkUTair completes sale of Katekavia subsidiaryRussia’s UTair Airline has completed the sale of its Katekavia subsidiary. The carrier was rebranded to Azur Air as a result of the deal, but continues using an air operator’s certificate with the Katekavia name. According to Russia’s Federal Tax Service registry, 100% of Azur Air is owned by One2fly. The register states 80% of One2fly belongs to businessman Ibragim Nurmanov, while a 20% share is owned by Rustem Kockar.
LinkAirlines expect 3% more passengers over holidayAirlines for America says US carriers expect to serve 38 million passengers over the winter holidays, a 3% increase over last year. "We attribute the increase to the improving economy and the fact that airfare remains affordable, having declined 4.3% through the first nine months of the year," said John Heimlich, A4A chief economist.
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