Aviation

Bloomberg Bill Franke, who helped pioneer bare-bones airlines in the US and around the world, is expanding into Canada. Franke’s Indigo Partners will join a Canadian investment group that intends to revamp charter airline Enerjet into a low-cost carrier in the mold of Spirit Airlines Inc. and Ryanair Holdings Plc. The first flights are targeted for around September. The plan ...

Bloomberg Virgin Atlantic won a court ruling blocking a strike by a group of its pilots during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Judge Akhlaq Choudhury granted the airline an injunction against the pilots, saying the breakaway union didn’t inform the airline how many captains and first officers were striking. The walkout, which was due to start from December 22, ...

Bloomberg Saudi Arabian discount carrier Flyadeal will defect to Boeing Co. jets from an all- Airbus SE fleet after ordering 30 737 Max narrow-body planes worth $3.5 billion at list prices. The unit of state-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines or Saudia announced the purchase this week and said it has options to add 20 more of the aircraft, which feature upgraded ...

Bloomberg London’s Gatwick airport resumed flights after another reported drone incursion caused a brief interruption on December 21. “The sighting was confirmed, so there definitely was a drone in the area,” an airport spokeswoman said. Military measures “have given us the reassurance we need that it is safe to reopen.” Service had been halted as a precautionary measure while the ...

Bloomberg United Continental Holdings Inc. agreed to acquire a stake in ExpressJet Airlines, one of its regional affiliates, in a $70 million deal that will give the No. 3 US carrier more control over short-distance flying and a fleet of about 150 small jets. By gaining sway over more United Express service, the purchase furthers United’s plan to bolster service ...

Bloomberg Boeing Co. directors authorised a record $20 billion share buyback programme and boosted the company’s dividend 20 percent — a sign the planemaker doesn’t intend to stop showering cash on investors any time soon. The company’s share price has more than doubled since it embarked on a strategy of rewarding shareholders as production of the marquee 787 Dreamliner stabilised ...

Bloomberg Troubled budget carrier FastJet Plc grounded its Tanzanian flights after the nation’s civil aviation agency issued a 28-day notice for the airline to streamline operations or have its license revoked. “FastJet Tanzania would like to inform its customers who had booked a ticket to travel in December and January that it has temporarily halted its operations,” the airline said ...

Bloomberg A breakaway union of Virgin Atlantic pilots that called strikes during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays extended the job action to the first eight weekends of 2019, according to an emailed statement. The Professional Pilots Union sought help from the conciliation service ACAS to resolve the dispute, but Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. won’t negotiate until it calls off ...

Bloomberg The crash of a Boeing Co. plane that killed 189 people in Indonesia is spiralling into a $22 billion feud between the aircraft maker and one of Asia’s most influential aviation bosses. In a rare public dispute between the planemaker and one of its biggest customers, the head of PT Lion Mentari Airlines has threatened to cancel an order ...

Bloomberg HNA Group Co. held preliminary talks to sell its core airline assets to one of China’s top state-run carriers, people familiar with the matter said, a sign little has been off the table as the sprawling conglomerate seeks to pay down its hefty debt load. The talks, which haven’t been previously reported, started late last year, the people said, ...