Bloomberg Federal aviation officials are investigating the cause of a 12-inch-long crack that developed in the top of a Southwest Airlines Co jet during flight, leading to a gradual loss of cabin pressure. Pilots on Southwest Flight 1685 from Las Vegas to Boise, Idaho, descended to 22,000 feet last week after receiving a pressure-drop alert for the cabin, the Dallas-based ...
Read More »Aviation
Air France-KLM CEO bolsters cash, prepares virus crisis plan
Bloomberg Air France-KLM is building up cash reserves and preparing a crisis plan to cut costs in response to a dramatic slump in flight reservations through the peak season and President Donald Trump’s ban on trans-Atlantic travel. The carrier is facing “an unprecedented situation†due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Executive Officer Ben Smith told staff in an internal video ...
Read More »Delta, American cutbacks add to global meltdown on virus
Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc and American Airlines Group Inc walked away from their 2020 forecasts and said they will slash operations because of the coronavirus outbreak, joining carriers across the globe grappling with one of the worst crises in modern air travel. Delta plans to cut domestic capacity as much as 15% and international flights by 25%, the Atlanta-based ...
Read More »Airbus delivery goal at risk as virus sees airline deferrals
Bloomberg Airbus SE’s target for record jetliner deliveries this year may be at risk as virus-shocked customers postpone taking new planes, according to people familiar with the matter. Some Chinese airlines have deferred deliveries through April, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information, while Malaysia’s AirAsia X has already said it will pare handovers. Qantas Airways ...
Read More »Vietnam Air to disinfect all aircraft from abroad
Bloomberg Vietnam Airlines is disinfecting all of its aircraft that arrive from abroad and checking the temperatures of passengers boarding in Europe after an outbreak of 14 novel coronavirus cases tied to its March 2 London to Hanoi flight. The planes will be disinfected soon after landing in Vietnam, the national carrier said in an emailed statement. The airline will ...
Read More »Qantas, Air France cut flights as coronavirus impedes travel
Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd and Air France-KLM became the latest airlines to announce massive cuts in flights as the coronavirus impedes travel. Qantas cut almost a quarter of its international flights for six months, grounded most of its giant A380 jets and slashed management pay as the outbreak hammers demand for travel. Air France said it plans to cancel 3,600 ...
Read More »Boeing hit with $19.7m fine for 737 lapses
Bloomberg Federal regulators hit Boeing Co with proposed fines totalling $19.7 million for allegedly installing unapproved cockpit equipment in hundreds of 737 Max and Next-Generation aircraft. The company put the devices into a total of 791 planes even though the aircraft weren’t certified for the devices, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a press release. The fine would be ...
Read More »Thailand says airlines may face virus medical bills
Bloomberg Thailand’s aviation regulator said airlines should ask passengers coming from high-risk territories for health certificates to establish they are free of the new coronavirus. Travellers who can’t provide documentation should be prevented from boarding flights to the Asian nation, according to a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand notice posted. Carriers are liable for treatment costs if they fly in ...
Read More »Lufthansa seeks government support amid virus fallout
Bloomberg Deutsche Lufthansa AG fell with other airline stocks after saying it was looking into government support amid the “immense†fallout from the coronavirus, which could burden travel demand for months. To avoid layoffs after slashing capacity by as much as 50%, the airline is examining the implementation of so-called short-time work, the company said in an emailed statement to ...
Read More »Asia airports face $3b revenue loss on virus
Bloomberg Air traffic in the Asia Pacific is set to plunge 24% in the first three months of this year because of the coronavirus’s impact on travel, erasing $3 billion in revenue for the region’s airports, a regional industry group said. “Unlike airlines, who can choose to cancel flights or relocate their aircraft to other markets to reduce operating costs, ...
Read More »