Bloomberg A Chinese rival to Boeing Co’s 737 Max and Airbus SE’s A320neo narrowbody aircraft completed its first pre-delivery test flight, according to a CCTV report. The C919 jet developed by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd was test flown for about three hours ahead of its delivery to its first customer soon, the report said. The narrowbody plane ...
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Toronto airport’s wait times to worsen amid staff shortages
Bloomberg Canadians travelling through Toronto Pearson International Airport are facing lengthy wait times and the situation is likely to worsen in coming weeks. The airport is being hit with a double whammy of staffing shortages and longer processing times due to public health screening measures, according to Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson Tori Gass. The Covid-19 measures can double ...
Read More »Auckland airport to start its new expansion phase
Bloomberg New Zealand’s busiest airport will start a new phase of expansion when construction of a transport hub begins next month. Auckland International Airport will invest NZ$300 million ($189 million) in the project, which will allow undercover pick-up and drop-off for cars and buses adjacent to the existing international terminal, CEO Carrie Hurihanganui said. Adjoining land has been set ...
Read More »Cathay cash burn improves as curbs eased
Bloomberg Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd expects cash burn to drop to less than $64 million a month within “the next few months†as Hong Kong gradually rolls back some of the world’s strictest, and longest Covid-19 curbs. “The recent adjustments to the government’s travel restrictions and quarantine requirements will help facilitate the gradual resumption of travel activities and the ...
Read More »South Africa sets plans to cash in on revived national carrier
Bloomberg South Africa’s government has retained special voting rights in the country’s national carrier even after selling a majority stake, and will be given 3 billion rand ($186 million) in preference shares that can be redeemed through future cashflow. That means the state stands to benefit should new owner, the Takatso Consortium, revive a carrier that’s struggled under years of ...
Read More »Qantas banking on fliers to pay $12,000 for 24-hour flights
Bloomberg Wanted: Hundreds of people to sit in a plane for 20 hours. Must be willing to pay lots of money. Claustrophobes needn’t apply. Conceived prior to the Covid crisis, Qantas Airways Ltd’s plan to operate the world’s longest nonstop commercial flights from southeast Australia to New York and London is being resurrected in a much-changed aviation landscape, with global ...
Read More »American says Sabre had monopoly in tickets market
Bloomberg A lawyer for American Airlines Group Inc urged a jury to award the carrier almost $300 million in overcharges and lost profits, arguing that Sabre Holdings Corp illegally dominated the market for booking airline tickets. “There’s one company in this travel business that doesn’t compete,†Paul Yetter told the jurors at the end of a three-week federal trial ...
Read More »Gol, Avianca to join forces in race for cheaper air travel
Bloomberg Colombia’s Avianca Group International Ltd and Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA will unite under a common ownership structure, creating what they say will be one of the largest airline groups in Latin America. The airlines’ principal shareholders agreed to form Abra Group Ltd, a closely held company incorporated in the UK, the carriers said. While the airlines will ...
Read More »EU eases mask guidance for flights as rules eased
Bloomberg The European Union is relaxing its guidance for mask wearing on flights starting next week even as many airlines have already abandoned those rules with Covid-19 concerns easing. Wearing face masks at airports and inflight should be aligned with national measures, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a protocol. If either the departure or destination states require ...
Read More »Rolls-Royce says Chinese curbs weighing on jet-engine recovery
Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc said renewed coronavirus restrictions in China are holding back crucial service revenue from its jetliner engines even as markets begin to recover elsewhere. Over the first four months of 2022, flying hours, which determine revenue-generating maintenance visits, were 42% higher than the prior year, London-based Rolls-Royce said. “Passenger demand is recovering on routes where travel restrictions ...
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