Aviation

China plans to increase the number of international flights operated by domestic and foreign airlines to 840 a week from October 30 to March 25. That’s a jump of 106% from October 2021 to late March this year, but still way below pre-pandemic levels. The announcement, made at a Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) briefing, follows the country’s major ...

London’s Heathrow Airport said businesses at the hub need to embark on a massive hiring spree to rebuild depleted staffing ranks that contributed to a chaotic travel season across much of Europe this past summer, even as passenger numbers will need at least until the middle of the decade to return to pre-pandemic levels. Heathrow served 81 million passengers in ...

Some bondholders of Hong Kong Airlines are seeking to block a $6.2 billion debt restructuring plan, which they say treats them unfavorably compared with the company’s owner and its affiliates. The ad-hoc group, representing some holders of perpetual notes and advised by law firm Allen & Overy, will vote down a proposal to reduce the debt of the embattled carrier ...

Air Canada agreed to expand a plane order from Airbus SE as the carrier looks to enlarge bits fleet amid the post-Covid rebound in air travel. The carrier said it’s adding 15 A220-300 jets by converting options into firm orders, according to a statement that confirmed an earlier report by Bloomberg News. The order follows a deal closed in 2016 ...

Flair Airlines Ltd, a low-cost Canadian airline, is in talks to go public through a merger with New Vista Acquisition Corp., a blank check-firm backed by a former Boeing Co. chief executive officer. New Vista may seek to raise additional financing to support a transaction. The special purpose acquisition company is led by Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing’s CEO from 2015 to ...

Singapore Airlines Ltd said pregnant cabin crew can remain employees, reversing a longstanding and much-criticised rule that they leave the airline. Responding to a Straits Times article, Singapore Air said pregnant cabin crew “may choose to work in a temporary ground attachment” and can resume flying duties after maternity leave. Before the new rules, which took effect on July 15, ...

The second-biggest airport in the Philippines has been closed after a Korean Air Lines Co. plane overshot the runway when trying to land in poor weather. While no one was injured in the incident that occurred, and the 162 passengers on board were safely evacuated, the runway at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport has been closed to allow the badly damaged ...

The US travel industry expects this holiday season to be busy enough to make last summer’s turmoil seem orderly. Airport officials and industry analysts say passenger traffic for the November 24 Thanksgiving holiday through New Year’s is set to reach or exceed 2019 levels, when 93 million people packed US flights. This summer, the desire to resume vacationing and visiting ...

Families of passengers killed in two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets were deemed by a federal judge to be official crime victims entitled to consultation before the US Justice Department cuts any deals with the maker of the flawed aircraft. US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas said in a ruling he will now determine what remedies the families ...

Regional Australian airline Rex said operating costs on short flights will drop as much as 50% with the introduction of electric- and hydrogen-powered aircraft in coming years. Rex plans to start trials in early 2024 using King Air 200 planes, retrofitted with the new power trains, before later tests with Saab 340 aircraft, Deputy Chairman John Sharp said at a ...