CommercialMeridiana relaunched as Air Italy with Alitalia in its sightsMeridiana has been relaunched as Air Italy, the chief executive of shareholder Qatar Airways announced today in Milan. Akbar Al Baker pitches the "new airline" as a direct competitor to Alitalia, outlining a rapid expansion program involving several new domestic and international services.
Link'Qatar maroon' features in Air Italy liveryThe livery of Meridiana successor Air Italy was unveiled in Milan today by investors Qatar Airways and Alisarda. Shown mocked up on a Boeing 737 Max 8, the livery is notable for its adoption of the maroon colour associated with Qatar's flag carrier.
LinkJetBlue's Shared Plate pop-up brings strangers together for a mealJetBlue Airways and Coca-Cola joined to bring a one-day pop-up restaurant called Shared Plate to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. Strangers were seated together and served custom meals created by celebrity chef JJ Johnson to reflect the diners' cultures.
LinkSan Francisco airport lists airlines with most seats flown per day in 2017San Francisco International Airport has released a list ranking its nine largest airlines by the number of seats flown per day in 2017. United Airlines took the top slot with 40,527 seats flown per day, followed by the newly combined Alaska Airlines and Virgin America with 12,357 seats per day, American Airlines with 7,060 and Southwest Airlines with 6,946.
LinkAirlines celebrate milestones with custom liveriesAirline liveries are a key component of branding and can also be used to celebrate milestones. For example, United Airlines celebrated the last flight of its iconic Boeing 747 jumbo jet with a special livery featuring the "Friend Ship" design used on the plane's first flight.
Link Air Canada adding more planes to Rouge for use on domestic routesAir Canada is looking to cut operating costs and defend against competition from upstart low-cost competitors by adding more planes to its Rouge fleet and flying them on regional routes within Canada. Narrow-body Rouge planes that operate at lower cost could replace smaller regional aircraft operated by airline partners like Jazz on some routes.
LinkUnited aircraft joins Miniature Wonderland in GermanyA United Airlines Boeing 757-200 replica has joined the fleet of tiny planes landing and departing from the Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg, Germany. United has been offering nonstop service between Hamburg and New York City since 2005.
LinkBombardier remains upbeat despite slide in business jet outputDespite recording a year-on-year delivery slide in 2017, Bombardier is upbeat about its prospects in the business jet sector this year, pointing to higher output than forecast and strong fourth-quarter sales as signs of a market recovery. Speaking on a fourth-quarter earnings call on 15 February, chief executive Alain Bellemare said: "Overall, the business jet market continues to show signs of improvement."
LinkAW609 certification slips again to end-2019Leonardo Helicopters has again pushed back the certification and service entry of its AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor, but insists that the latest program slippage will ensure it delivers a mission-ready aircraft. The move comes after an in-depth review of the program by the division's new managing director Gian Piero Cutillo, who was appointed in September 2017.
LinkPhilippines cancels Bell 412 deal on order of presidentIn a bizarre turn of events, the Philippines has cancelled a contract for 16 Bell Helicopter 412EPIs for its air force just days after revealing the deal at the Singapore air show. The cancellation was ordered by Philippine President Rodrigo Duarte after the Canadian government – which had backed the deal for the Montreal-built aircraft – ordered a review into the acquisition.
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