Aviation

Boeing Max faces another China hurdle as airline says ‘not ready’

  Bloomberg China Eastern Airlines outlined several actions it needs to undertake before operating Boeing Co’s 737 Max again, including modifications to the aircraft and further pilot training, damping hopes the narrowbody will return to Chinese skies any time soon. Li Yangmin, vice chairman of the Shanghai-based state-owned carrier, indicated to investors at a virtual briefing that the airline is ...

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Airlines’ in-flight engine shutdowns spark probe in India

Bloomberg India is investigating three separate incidents in the past two months where airline pilots had to shut down plane engines mid-flight made by a joint venture of General Electric Co, according to people familiar with the matter. The so-called commanded in-flight shutdowns — when pilots intentionally turn off one of the two engines after encountering problems — may have ...

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EasyJet’s bookings pick up ahead of summer season

Bloomberg EasyJet Plc reported a surge in summer bookings while saying there’s still too much uncertainty over demand to provide an outlook for the fiscal year ending in September. Sales over the past 10 weeks are running 6% ahead of 2019 levels, Luton, England-based EasyJet said after reporting a narrower first-half loss. Yet almost two-thirds of seats for the crucial ...

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Hong Kong Air asks pilots to take leave on less pay

  Bloomberg Hong Kong Airlines Ltd has asked pilots to take several months leave on sharply reduced pay as Covid-19 lockdowns in China snarl supply chains, weakening demand for air freight — the carrier’s key source of income during the pandemic. The financially troubled carrier is calling for volunteers to take leave starting in June through until the end of ...

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Business travel is climbing its way back, says Singapore Air

  Bloomberg Business travel is returning for Singapore Airlines Ltd, with forward bookings accounting for a similar proportion of ticket sales as before the Covid pandemic now that border restrictions have been lifted. “Since April of this year, when Singapore fully opened its borders, we have seen a strong rebound in corporate travel,” the carrier’s executive vice president of commercial ...

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China aviation sector lost $12.5b in 2021

  Bloomberg China’s aviation industry lost a combined 84.3 billion yuan ($12.5 billion) last year, as the country kept its borders closed to keep out Covid-19. A rebound in domestic travel to pre-pandemic levels helped narrow total losses from 97.4 billion yuan in 2020, China’s aviation regulator said Thursday. Sales by airlines and airports rose 22% last year, but that ...

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Boeing gets boost from IAG with 737 order it dangled for years

  Bloomberg British Airways owner IAG SA agreed to buy 50 737 Max jets from Boeing Co, giving a lift to the beleaguered US planemaker and concluding a widely watched commitment for 200 aircraft originally agreed three years ago. The jets, which include 25 high-capacity Max 200s and 25 as-yet-uncertified Max 10s, can be used by any airline in the ...

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Selling SriLankan Airlines tough task for new premier

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wants to sell the national airline, saying the country’s poorest people who’ve never flown shouldn’t be saddled with its losses. Finding a buyer might not be easy. SriLankan Airlines Ltd, which prior to the pandemic serviced 126 destinations in more than 60 countries, lost $125 million in the year through March ...

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JetBlue aims to cut costs even amid travel rebound

  Bloomberg JetBlue Airways Corp is working with consultants to set targets for a new round of cost cuts, even as it prepares to meet surging consumer demand for travel. The airline expects to see “progressive improvement” in its cost performance throughout the rest of this year, following an operational meltdown in April that led to hundreds of flight cancellations ...

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New Australian airline Bonza sees launch delayed by Covid pandemic

  Bloomberg A new Australian airline backed by US investment firm 777 Partners pushed back its launch toward year-end, reflecting the difficulties of starting from scratch during Covid-19 and the global supply-chain crunch. Bonza’s first flights will be in the third or fourth quarter of 2022, as much as six months later than originally planned. Nailing down agreements with domestic ...

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