Bloomberg Airbus is betting that its corporate-jet division won’t be as hard hit by the pandemic as commercial flights as the planemaker unveiled a business version of its A220 model. The aircraft will have three times more cabin space and cost about a third less to run than competing models, said Airbus, which took over the development of the plane ...
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Southwest Air targets pay cuts in bid to avert layoffs
Bloomberg Southwest Airlines Co will seek to cut employee compensation in a last-ditch effort to avoid the first involuntary layoffs in the company’s 49-year history. The company wants to have givebacks in place by January 1, CEO Gary Kelly told employees in a video message, warning that “we all need to sacrifice more.†Kelly won’t receive a salary through the ...
Read More »South Africa Airways’ saviour is in Ethiopia, says study
Bloomberg South Africa should act to preserve its insolvent national airline and seek to partner the carrier with Ethiopian Airlines Group, according to a study commissioned for ruling-party lawmakers. The assessment, seen by Bloomberg, was prepared by African Aviation Services and dated October 4. It was presented to a group of African National Congress lawmakers, according to an ANC official ...
Read More »Boeing’s Max gets boost with report on Ryanair order talks
Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc is reported to be in talks to purchase between 150 and 200 Boeing Co 737 Max aircraft, in a deal that would boost confidence in the grounded jet as it prepares for a return to service. Ryanair is discussing a mix of Max 200s, the version it has already ordered, and the bigger Max 10, the ...
Read More »AirAsia to stop funding Indian venture
Bloomberg AirAsia Group Bhd has stopped funding its Indian affiliate as the global travel slump leaves the Malaysian group struggling to support a sprawling empire of no-frills airlines, people familiar with the matter said. AirAsia India Ltd’s future may now depend on Indian conglomerate Tata Group, its majority shareholder, which has provided emergency funding but has yet to commit to ...
Read More »AirAsia’s problems increase as India hints at ‘shutdown’
Bloomberg AirAsia Group Bhd is closing its affiliate operations in India, the local aviation minister said over the weekend, a comment his office later suggested was taken out of context. “AirAsia’s shop is anyway shutting down,†Hardeep Singh Puri said in televised comments that were widely circulated on social media. “Their parent company has problems.†A spokesman for AirAsia India, ...
Read More »No-frills Indian carrier SpiceJet to start flights to London
Bloomberg SpiceJet Ltd, India’s second-biggest airline, will start regular flights to London from Delhi and Mumbai, a move it has long been pursuing. The no-frills airline will fly Airbus SE A330-900 neo aircraft on the routes, Chairman Ajay Singh said in an online briefing with reporters on Monday. The flights will start from December 4 and there will be two ...
Read More »Virgin Atlantic Air trials Covid testing for crews
Bloomberg Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd will carry out rapid pre-flight coronavirus testing for cabin crew and pilots from its base at London’s Heathrow airport, the company said on Monday. The carrier said it launched a trial on flights to Shanghai and Hong Kong on September 30 and is planning a wider roll-out that will involve testing every operating crew at ...
Read More »Airbus COO expects at least 15,000 job cuts
Bloomberg Airbus SE is under pressure to carry out its job-cutting plan as the prospects for the aviation industry deteriorate, Chief Operating Officer Michael Schoellhorn said in an interview with Handelsblatt. The planemaker’s plan to eliminate 15,000 positions is “the minimum of what we have to do,†Schoellhorn said, adding that the company currently has no plans to expand the ...
Read More »Ethiopian Air limits South African offer to pilots, jets
Bloomberg Ethiopian Airlines Group is willing to provide planes, pilots and maintenance services to beleaguered rival South African Airways as part of a joint venture with that country’s government. Africa’s biggest airline is offering operational assistance, Ethiopian CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in an interview in Addis Ababa. The carrier isn’t interested in helping with debt repayments or the cost of ...
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