Bloomberg American Airlines Group Inc said it would sell flights to capacity starting from July 1, abandoning caps on passenger loads that were designed to promote social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Customers still will be notified when they’re booked on crowded flights and can move their reservations at no cost, the airline said in a statement. Starting from June ...
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Boeing’s Max poised for key test over plans to train pilots
Bloomberg Boeing Co and federal regulators are preparing to hold a critical set of test flights on the 737 Max early next week, and laying plans for other milestones toward ending the jetliner’s 15-month grounding including convening a panel of pilots to go over a proposed training course. Aviation industry officials briefed on the plans, which still haven’t been finalised, ...
Read More »British Airways offers pay cut for attendants
Bloomberg British Airways proposed a pay deal for its flight attendants that would guarantee 80% of current basic salaries while limiting the need for mass job cuts amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The carrier would also reduce expenses by targeting the variable allowance component of cabin-crew pay, according to a letter to staff seen by Bloomberg News. The company said the ...
Read More »Bain buys Virgin Australia in bet on shattered industry
Bloomberg Bain Capital LP agreed to buy collapsed airline Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd in one of the biggest single bets on the industry since it was shattered by the coronavirus pandemic. Administrator Deloitte named Bain as the airline’s new owner, hours after rival buyout firm Cyrus Capital Partners LP withdrew its bid. The value of the deal wasn’t disclosed, though ...
Read More »Lufthansa’s biggest investor backs government bailout
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s biggest stockholder publicly backed a 9 billion-euro ($10 billion) government bailout, giving the rescue plan a major shot of momentum and boosting the airline’s shares and bonds just before a crunch vote. With Heinz Hermann Thiele declaring support after days of frenzied speculation about his intentions, the state rescue appears likely to secure the two-thirds backing ...
Read More »EasyJet bolsters liquidity by raising $520m in share sale
Bloomberg EasyJet Plc raised about 419 million pounds ($520 million) in a share sale, padding its coffers for the gearing up of flights as the European aviation sector emerges from the coronavirus lockdown. The stock offering, equal to almost 15% of the existing share base, was placed at the price of 703 pence a share, representing a 5% discount to ...
Read More »Swissport to cut 4,500 UK jobs on travel slump
Bloomberg Swissport International AG plans to cut more than 4,500 jobs in Britain as the world’s biggest provider of airport ground and cargo handling services responds to a collapse in demand for air travel. The Zurich-based company, which is owned by troubled Chinese conglomerate HNA Group Co, needs to reduce employment to cope with a 50% drop in revenue this ...
Read More »Qantas to raise $1.3b, cut 6,000 jobs to survive virus
Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd will raise as much as A$1.9 billion ($1.3 billion) and cut at least 6,000 jobs as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep carriers around the world largely grounded. The Australian airline said on Thursday also that 15,000 workers will remain furloughed, particularly those tied to international operations. The carrier’s entire fleet of 12 Airbus A380 superjumbos, ...
Read More »Iceland is getting another brand new carrier, Play Air
Bloomberg Airlines may be struggling to survive the industry’s worst-ever downturn, but investors in Iceland reckon the time is ripe to launch a brand new carrier. Play Air aims to commence flights this fall with a plan borrowed from Wow Air Hf, which collapsed in 2019. Like Wow, it will seek to exploit Iceland’s position in the North Atlantic to ...
Read More »Pilot, ATC blamed for Pakistan plane crash
Bloomberg Pakistan said the Airbus SE A320 crash in a Karachi neighbourhood last month happened because of errors made by the pilot and air traffic controllers (ATC). Both engines of the state-run Pakistan International Airlines Corp plane were damaged during the first failed attempt at landing at the airport, aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told lawmakers in parliament. The aircraft ...
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