AirlinesAllegiant to open Iowa base in 2020 Allegiant Air plans to open its 20th operations base—in Des Moines, Iowa—to enable it to add routes from that destination, which it says has been “a highly successful station for us over the years, with steady growth.” It has not announced the new routes or frequencies, but the base is scheduled to open May 14, 2020.
Las Vegas-based LCC Allegiant currently flies eight nonstop routes and carried 232,000 passengers through Des Moines last year.
LinkRussia’s Utair to replace MAX capacity with 737NGs Russia’s Utair Aviation will lease two additional 186-seat Boeing 737NGs from Carlyle Aviation in 2020 while the Boeing 737 MAX grounding drags on. The carrier is negotiating two more aircraft of the same type, Utair said Nov. 13.
“Utair strategy does not imply fleet growth; we will replace current aircraft with more capacious and fuel-efficient planes.
LinkAustrian Airlines makes changes to US services in 2020 Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines plans to adjust its US network from summer 2020, by adding 4X-weekly Vienna-Boston Logan International (Massachusetts) Boeing 767-300ER services from the end of March. The Star Alliance member will increase frequencies to 6X-weekly from mid-April.
LinkSouth African Airways cancels flights ahead of two-day strike South African Airways (SAA) has canceled “nearly all” domestic, regional and international flights scheduled for Nov. 15-16 after the South African Cabin Crew Association (SACCA) and National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) announced industrial action.
The strike follows SAA’s Nov. 11 announcement that it is embarking on a restructuring process that may lead to cutting approximately 944 out of 5,149 jobs.
LinkLATAM rebounds to 3Q net profit on international capacity cuts LATAM Airlines Group’s earnings rebounded in the third quarter, as the company’s moves to trim international capacity helped produce its first quarterly net profit of 2019.
Group-wide net income totaled $86.3 million for the third quarter, up 21.8% from the year-earlier period.
LinkAzul and Alitalia announce codeshare agreement Brazil's low-cost airline Azul and Italian flag carrier Alitalia have announced a codeshare agreement which will allow smoother connections for customers of both airlines, due to take effect on 2 December.
“Alitalia is always looking for new partners who can offer our passengers the best travel experience,” says Fabio Maria Lazzerini, commercial vice-president of Alitalia says in a statement on 14 November.
LinkAvianca to cease flights to Cuba Avianca will stop serving Havana as a result of US sanctions against Cuba.
Chief financial officer Adrian Neuhauser confirmed that the carrier would cease operations between Bogota and Havana “shortly”.
LinkCopa expedites E190 retirements as it eagerly awaits Max return Copa Airlines will be phasing out its Embraer 190 aircraft and moving to a Boeing-only fleet faster than originally expected, while eagerly awaiting the Boeing 737 Max’s return to service, the Panama-based carrier tells analysts during the airline’s quarterly earnings call.
“As part of its plan to increase efficiencies, the company has decided to accelerate the exit of its E190 fleet and is planning to sell the remaining 14 aircraft over the next 18 months, three years earlier than previously planned,” Copa says in a statement on 14 November.
LinkMH17: Intercepted calls indicate high-level Russian ties Investigators pursuing the criminal prosecution of individuals over the destruction of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 have revealed evidence of close links between high-ranking Russian officials and the leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in Ukraine.
The investigation team believes the influence of the Russian government extended to administrative, financial and military matters – with communications taking place over secure telephones supplied by the Russian security services.
LinkQantas to test London-Sydney non-stop Qantas will operate its second of three ultra-long-haul test flights under Project Sunrise, this time from London to Sydney, a month after it completed its first research flight from New York to Sydney.
The latest flight took off at 06:00 on 14 November, and will last about 19.5 hours, slightly longer than the New York-Sydney nonstop which flew in October.
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