Category: Europe

World’s Second-Largest Airline Caterer to be Sold

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chinese conglomerate HNA has extended its CHF1.4 billion ($1.4 billion) offer for the Zurich-based airline catering company Gategroup. By the end of the initial acceptance period, HNA had originally acquired 63.6% of ownership of Gategroup. In April, HNA had said the deal for the Swiss company required a 67% buy-in. This minimum has now been […]

Alitalia, Aiming to Buy Air Malta, Losing €500,000 a Day

Reading Time: 2 minutes Alitalia, the troubled Italian airline which is buying a 49% stake in Air Malta, is losing €500,000 a day, its president has said. Several sections of the Italian media quoted Luca Cordero di Montezemolo as saying that the ailing airline, in which Etihad Airways owns a 49% stake, is “seeing the light at the end […]

Magnetic MRO Received PART 21J Design Organisation Approval

Reading Time: 2 minutes Magnetic MRO has been approved by EASA as PART 21J Design Organisation that will allow company to design and approve minor changes and minor repairs to aircraft related to structures, installation of avionics, electrical systems and cabin interiors including galleys and other interiors equipment to small and large aeroplanes. Under PART 21J Design Organisation Approval […]

Vueling Will Fly to Spain from Vilnius Airport

Reading Time: < 1 minute Vilnius Airport welcomed another new airline – the Spanish low-cost airline Vueling. It will operate one weekly flight to Barcelona on Wednesdays until 28 September. Over 100 passengers took the first flight from Vilnius. “We see a steady growth in the passenger traffic to Barcelona; therefore, as many as three airlines will meet the need […]

Russia Resumes Flights to Turkey

Reading Time: < 1 minute Russia will resume charter flights to Turkey July 7 after a six-month break. Flights ceased in November 2015 following the downing by Turkish fighter jets of a Russian strike aircraft as it crossed into Turkish airspace while on a sortie against Islamic State forces in neighboring Syria. The incident led to Russia imposing sanctions on […]

Scoot Prepares to Fly to Europe in 2017, the World’s Longest LCC Route

Reading Time: < 1 minute Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) medium/long haul low cost airline subsidiary Scoot is now preparing to launch services to Europe in 2nd quarter 2017. For those who doubted the reality of long haul LCC operations, the evidence is mounting that the future of long haul is changing. There are now 11 LCCs operating scheduled routes longer than […]

Travel Chaos as Spanish Airline Cancels Flights

Reading Time: < 1 minute Thousands of travelers faced chaos Tuesday after low-cost Spanish airline Vueling cancelled and delayed fights for the sixth consecutive day, local media reported. More than 76,000 passengers have been affected since the airline began changing flights at Barcelona’s El Prat Airport. On Tuesday, Vueling cancelled 66 flights. The airline blamed a “strike by French air traffic […]

Ryanair
Ryanair Bases and Pilots’ Homes in Germany Raided by Police

Reading Time: 2 minutes The Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG) can confirm that on 5 July German tax authorities carried out a number of coordinated raids in at least four Ryanair bases; Cologne, Neiderrhein, Baden-Baden and Berlin SXF. Ryanair Pilot Group (RPG) It has also emerged that a number of pilots flying for Ryanair had their homes raided as part […]

Embraer Crew Shortages Force Austrian to Curtail Summer Ops

Reading Time: 2 minutes Austrian Airlines (OS, Vienna) has announced several changes and cut-backs to its summer schedule after a lack of suitably qualified flight crew, needed to operate its incoming fleet of seventeen EMB-195s, forced a recent series of flight cancellations. “Austrian Airlines has hired a total of 110 pilots over the last twelve months. As a result, […]

First Retrofitted LOT Boeing 737 Has Taken Off

Reading Time: 2 minutes Already on June 27th, modernised Boeing 737-400 had its first flight with passengers on board heading for London. Hence, the first LOT clients were able to check out how comfortable the new Boeing interior can be. Among other things, new leather seats were installed on the plane along with modern LED lighting with mood-lighting modes […]