Bloomberg Air Canada has agreed with US aviation regulators to pay $4.5 million to settle charges that it didn’t properly give refunds to US travellers when it cancelled or altered flights during the Covid-19 pandemic. The settlement between the airline and US Department of Transportation — which must be approved by an administration law judge — would be the largest ...
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Boeing buyers’ ire builds as 787 issues pass 13-month mark
Bloomberg Frustration is mounting for customers waiting to take new Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners — planes caught in a regulatory and production quagmire that has halted all but a few deliveries since October 2020. The popular wide-body jets will be needed to carry travellers across oceans as borders sealed shut by the Covid-19 pandemic start to reopen. But airlines and ...
Read More »Virgin Atlantic in talks for $540m fundraising
Bloomberg Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd is in discussions with its shareholders about a 400 million-pound ($540 million) capital injection, according to a person familiar with the matter. Added funding would bolster Virgin Atlantic’s balance sheet as it looks to cash-in on pent-up demand for air travel as restrictions lift, said the person, who requested not being identified because the information ...
Read More »Airbus seals second A350F sale with CMA CGM’s four-plane deal
Bloomberg Airbus SE secured the second order for its coming A350 freighter, reaching an outline agreement with French shipping firm CMA CGM Group covering four of the wide-body twinjets. The memorandum of understanding is expected to be finalised over coming weeks, according to a statement. It follows a separate deal for seven A350Fs reached with leasing giant Air Lease Corp ...
Read More »US airlines’ big debt may soon mean higher fares: Frontier CEO
Bloomberg Large US airlines are carrying about $20 more debt per passenger than before the pandemic, according to the chief executive officer of Frontier Group Holdings Inc., who predicts the carriers will start addressing those obligations with higher fares. “How long can that last?†asked Barry Biffle, CEO of ultra-low-cost Frontier Airlines. “They either have to raise their leisure fares ...
Read More »Mystery $100m cash shows up at Wesco
Bloomberg Wesco Aircraft Holdings Inc left bondholders scratching their heads when the struggling aerospace supplier added about $100 million of cash to its balance sheet, seemingly overnight and without much explanation. They’re trying to parse what happened after the company, which is backed by billionaire Tom Gores’ Platinum Equity, privately informed investors about a set of transactions that depleted and ...
Read More »Boeing agrees to settle 737 Max claims, says SpiceJet
Bloomberg Boeing Co has agreed to settle outstanding claims with SpiceJet Ltd relating to the grounding of its 737 Max aircraft and their return to service. “This paves the way for the induction of efficient and younger Max aircraft into the company’s fleet and ensures the resumption of new aircraft deliveries from our order of 155 Max aircraft,†India’s second-biggest ...
Read More »India’s IndiGo mulls charging fliers for checked-in luggage
Bloomberg IndiGo, one of Asia’s biggest budget carriers, is mulling charging passengers for checked-in luggage as the airline prepares for a potentially fierce price war in India’s cutthroat air travel market, which is showing signs of recovery following the worst of Covid. IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, didn’t implement the so-called unbundling of fares in February — just before ...
Read More »FAA’s 787 oversight needs watchdog review
Bloomberg Leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee have called for a review of how US aviation regulators oversaw Boeing Co’s troubled 787 program. A letter signed by the top Democrat and Republican on the committee was sent to the Transportation Department’s Inspector General, the committee announced. The 787 has been plagued by production issues for a year and ...
Read More »Saudia weighs bumper plane order to hit 250-strong fleet
Bloomberg Saudi Arabian Airlines is contemplating an aircraft order from Airbus SE or Boeing Co that could total well above 100 jets as part of a push to lure more tourists. The carrier is targeting a fleet of 250 aircraft by 2030, adding around 100 for growth while renewing a significant chunk of an existing 150-plane fleet, Chief Executive Officer ...
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