Aviation

Reuters Air Berlin’s chief executive blamed long delays in the opening of a new Berlin airport for the German airline’s insolvency in an interview published by Germany’s Die Zeit. “Air Berlin is also a victim of the constant postponements of the new airport,” the weekly newspaper quoted Thomas Winkelmann as saying. Winkelmann’s comments came a day after Air Berlin, Germany’s ...

Bloomberg Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways withdrew its financial support to German carrier Air Berlin Plc, which has filed for insolvency on Tuesday. In an official statement, Etihad Airways said that this latest development is “extremely disappointing for all parties,” especially as the state-owned airline “has provided extensive support to Air Berlin for its previous liquidity challenges and restructuring efforts over ...

Bloomberg It’s time for Cathay Pacific boss Rupert Hogg to go to the back of the plane. With the company expected to announce another loss this week, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. needs to shift strategy from being the region’s top airline for premium fliers and make a bigger effort to woo some of the millions of mainland leisure travelers who ...

Bloomberg Delta Air Lines Inc. is eyeing New York and Los Angeles as the main bases for Bombardier Inc.’s new jetliner next year, offering a glimpse of how carriers can add service economically with the midsize aircraft. Dallas is also likely to get a lot of C Series flights, Delta said in an internal memo to pilots, a copy of ...

Reuters Iran is holding talks with European planemaker Airbus to buy 48 helicopters for civilian use, an Iranian official was on Saturday quoted as saying, as Iran continues its shopping spree of Western aircraft after the lifting of sanctions. “The Health Ministry is planning to order 45 HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) helicopters and the purchase is being negotiated by ...

Bloomberg Indian PMNarendra Modi’s tax reforms will encourage more local airlines to service their aircraft within the country, a $704 million-a-year business that currently goes to Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Simpler rules for doing business and scrapping of import duties on equipment and machine parts are benefiting companies that maintain, repair and overhaul planes, Air Works India Engineering Pvt. ...

Bloomberg Bombardier Inc. is pitching its C Series jetliner for trans-Atlantic operations as the Canadian planemaker pursues a new wave of orders, buoyed by the start of flights from London City airport. The European routes operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Swiss arm should demonstrate the plane’s abilities to potential buyers and help advance the possibility of services to the US ...

Bloomberg EasyJet Plc’s French pilots have appealed to Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the UK discount carrier’s founder and biggest shareholder, to intervene in a dispute with management over the impact of cost cuts. The SNPL union wrote to Stelios, who goes by his first name, complaining that the Luton, England-based company’s Lean savings program has led to flight cancellations, delays in the ...

Bloomberg Our perpetual smartphone texting is strictly personal: Friends, family, and maybe an ex. We almost never text the myriad businesses we patronize in daily life, though some of them are starting to text us. Now, airlines—an industry not known for stellar customer interactions—are joining the party, and not just to break the bad news about your flight. They’re inviting ...

Bloomberg Airlines are continuing to pull out of Venezuela, and this time it’s not just about trapped cash but a whole series of grievances including staff held up at gun point, luggage theft, poor runway maintenance and low quality jet fuel. United Airlines, Avianca and Delta Air Lines have either stopped flying to Venezuela or said they would leave the ...