AirlinesJet Airways grounds more aircraft on lease payment defaults India’s Jet Airways has been forced to ground more of its aircraft because of lease payment defaults, as negotiations continue over a bailout plan and an ownership reshuffle for the Mumbai-based carrier.
Jet Airways admitted in a Feb. 7 stock market filing that it had grounded four aircraft after missing lease payments. Since then it has added to the total in six more filings. With the latest addition of two aircraft on March 4, the carrier’s list of grounded aircraft has reached 25.
LinkUzbekistan Airways 767 skids off runway at St. Petersburg An Uzbekistan Airways Boeing 767-300ER skidded off the runway after landing at St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo International Airport March 2 at 9:59 p.m. local time.
There were no serious injuries reported among the 241 passengers and 15 crew aboard the aircraft, which was en route from Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
LinkAir Seychelles to end Abu Dhabi service, add regional frequencies Indian Ocean carrier Air Seychelles will drop its remaining long-haul route as it increasingly focuses on serving regional destinations.
The airline said March 1 that it would end service to Abu Dhabi on May 11. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways holds a 40% stake in Air Seychelles.
LinkLoftleidir Icelandic subsidiary takes 51% stake in Cabo Verde Airlines Loftleidir Cabo Verde, a subsidiary of charter and ACMI specialist Loftleidir Icelandic, has acquired a majority stake in Cabo Verde Airlines (CVA).
Loftleidir Icelandic has had a management contract with CVA since 2017.
LinkThai Airways widens 2018 net loss on fuel costs, domestic competition Thai Airways reported a 2018 net loss of THB11.6 billion ($355 million), deepened from a net loss of THB 2.1 billion in 2017. Despite a 3.9% increase in revenue to THB200 billion, total operating expenses rose 10.3%, primarily because of rising fuel prices.
The airline said fuel costs increased 30.1% even with better fuel hedging performance than 2017.
LinkSearchers find FDR from crashed Atlas Air 767 freighter The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced March 3 that it has recovered the flight data recorder (FDR) from the Atlas Air Boeing 767-300 freighter that crashed in Trinity Bay, Texas, late last month.
In a posting on Twitter, NTSB said the FDR—which searchers pulled from the muddy, shallow bay—was being transported to its laboratory in Washington DC for evaluation.
LinkPICTURES: BA turns back time to 1960s with BEA A319 retro livery British Airways today formally unveiled its second retrojet, an Airbus A319 (registration G-EUPJ) painted in the "Red Square" livery used by BEA on European services between 1959 and 1968.
The aircraft arrived at London Heathrow this morning from Shannon following repainting and is set to enter service later today on a flight to Manchester. Initial scheduling also dictates that the BEA-liveried A319 will operate to Brussels and Zurich.
LinkSouthwest Airlines to launch Hawaii flights March 17 Southwest Airlines will inaugurate Hawaii service March 17, linking Oakland International Airport (OAK) and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), with a single daily frequency, and will steadily add flights on other routes—including intrastate runs—through midyear. The Dallas-based carrier dropped promotional $49 one-way interstate fares and $29 intra-Hawaii fares into the market.
LinkAir France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic launch first codeshare partnership Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic have launched their first codeshare partnership, marking a step toward the closer cooperation targeted under their expanded joint venture with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. The new codeshare deal offers Virgin Atlantic customers up to 58 new routes from 18 UK airports across the Atlantic via Paris and Amsterdam, while Air France and KLM customers will have access to 24 new Virgin Atlantic or Delta-operated North American routes departing the ...
LinkHorizon Air launches Paine Field commercial service Alaska Air Group regional carrier Horizon Air started scheduled service from a new passenger terminal at Paine Field Snohomish County Airport (PAE) north of Seattle, Washington, on March 4, after a three-week delay caused by the recent US government shutdown.
LinkGovernment OKs transfer of Air India debt, subsidiaries The Indian government has approved the transfer of some of Air India’s debt and subsidiaries to a separate entity—an important step in the government’s latest effort to find a buyer for the airline.
India’s cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, agreed to the establishment of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) called Air India Assets Holding Ltd. (AIAHL).
LinkPICTURE: Four injured in CommutAir ERJ-145 runway excursion Passengers and a pilot were injured on 5 March during a runway overrun in Maine involving a CommutAir Embraer ERJ-145 that was operating as United Express.
The aircraft took off from United's hub at Newark Liberty airport at 09:23 and landed at 11:43 at Presque Isle. Cleveland-based CommutAir posted a statement on Twitter that the aircraft “slid to the right of the runway” during landing. One pilot and three passengers “sustained minor injuries and are being attended by emergency personnel,” the airline states of the flight that carried 28 passengers and three crew.
LinkJetBlue drops hint on A321LR order for London service JetBlue Airways has hinted that it will pull the trigger in April on an order for the Airbus A321LR to begin service to London, after years of flirting with the prospect of launching transatlantic flights to Europe.
The airline recently sent a save-the-date to employees, inviting them to an event on 10 April in New York to discuss the airline's "vision and strategy". After the invitation began circulating on social media, eagle-eyed observers noticed the choice of background used in the invitation – it bore a striking resemblance to the seat fabric on the London Tube.
LinkPICTURE: Ethiopian cargo division takes first 737-800SF Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800SF freighter, which will be assigned to its Ethiopian Cargo division.
The company received the CFM International CFM56-powered aircraft on 1 March.
Ethiopian says the “significant addition” of the freighter will give it the capability to serve short-haul routes efficiently within Africa and the Middle East.
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