AirlinesAir India to take over Austrian Airlines’ Vienna-Delhi routeAir India plans to launch 3X-weekly Boeing 787-8 Delhi-Vienna services, from April 6, replacing Austrian Airlines’ 5X-weekly service to the Indian capital. Austrian Airlines will operate its last service to Delhi on April 3. Instead, the Lufthansa subsidiary start a new 5X-weekly Boeing 777-200ER Vienna-Shanghai Pudong service on April 6, which become daily from May 1.
LinkAir NZ plays to its strengths as competition risesAir New Zealand’s record profits are under threat as Qantas and partners Emirates and American Airlines circle Middle Earth, but the carrier remains well positioned against any further onslaught from the three carriers. The Star Alliance carrier reported an operating profit of NZ$457 million ($304 million) for the six months to 31 December 2016, more than doubling the previous corresponding period. That was on the back of strong inbound demand, which saw revenue shoot up by 12% to NZ$2.7 billion.
LinkAmerican marks 45 years of flying to CaribbeanSince 1971, American Airlines has been serving the Caribbean. Over the past 45 years, American has grown from offering six destinations to operating more than 160 daily flights with 32 destinations. "During the past 45 years we have continued to grow our operations in the Caribbean, and today we are proud to offer the largest network in the region with more flights and more destinations than any other carrier," said Art Torno, senior vice president of international and cargo for American.
LinkAA flight attendant charged with starting fire on aircraftAn American Airlines flight attendant has been charged with destruction after allegedly starting a fire in an aircraft lavatory during flight, according to a statement by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI named the flight attendant as Johnathan Tafoya-Montano and said he was arrested, admitted starting the fire, and was charged with destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities.
LinkEasyJet founder seeks to dismiss fastjet CEO, director EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who is also a major shareholder in young African low-cost carrier (LCC) fastjet, has called an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in a bid to dismiss fastjet CEO Ed Winter and director Krista Bates. Haji-Ioannou, a 12% shareholder in fastjet through his easyGroup private investment vehicle, said in a letter to fastjet chairman Colin Child that he had “lost faith in the management and current board [of fastjet]” and that “unless the board does some serious cost-cutting the company will soon run out of cash.”
LinkJetBlue combines giving, accessorizingJetBlue Airways has unveiled new accessories to accompany its capsule uniforms. The accessory program enables crew members to donate some of their uniform allowance to charities.
LinkMozambique Plane Debris Believed To Be From 777Debris believed to be part of a Boeing 777 has been found off Mozambique and will be taken to Australia to be examined by investigators involved in the search for missing flight MH370, Malaysia's transport minister Liow Tiong Lai said there is a "high possibility" that the piece of debris belonged to a 777 but added he could not conclude yet that it was from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet.
LinkSingapore Airlines takes delivery of its first A350-900Singapore Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900, with the aircraft ferrying into Singapore Changi airport from Toulouse on 3 March. The aircraft, bearing registration 9V-SMA (MSN 26), is the first of 67 A350-900s on order, which includes seven ultra-long-range variants.
LinkSunExpress faces challenging summer season SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is facing a challenging summer season as bookings to many tourism areas have dropped to Turkey and the Greek islands due to the emigration of high number of Middle Eastern refugees. ATW understands European vacationers have started to look for alternative destinations, which has affected leisure carriers including SunExpress. For example, the Greece Island Lesbos has seen a 90% drop in bookings for the summer 2016 season as it has become the number one refugee hot spot.
LinkVietjet looks to IPO in 2016Following a strong financial report for 2015, Vietnamese low-cost carrier Vietjet is planning to push ahead with plans for an initial public offering (IPO) in the first half of 2016. Speaking to a local news agency, Vietjet CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said the carrier was planning to launch an IPO by end 2Q 2016, and would be looking to dispose of at least 30% of the company’s shares.
LinkAirlines apply to provide passenger service to CubaAmerican Airlines, United Continental Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Alaska Air Group are among eight US airlines that submitted applications for scheduled routes between the US and Cuba. Service between the two countries will be available to travelers for the first time in more than five decades.
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