Willie Walsh: China’s Covid policy cost Hong Kong aviation hub status September 21, 2022 China’s zero-Covid policy has cost Hong Kong its status as an aviation hub, according to veteran Willie Walsh. A former chief executive of BA’s owner IAG, Walsh is now at the helm of airline trade body the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The director general blamed China’s Covid policies for “devastating” the Hong Kong aviation [...]
London airports cancel flights to avoid noise on Queen’s funeral September 15, 2022 London airports such as Heathrow and London City are cancelling flights to avoid noise on Monday, the day of the Queen’s funeral. Heathrow has announced it will cut 15 per cent of its daily schedule, i.e. more than 100 flights, while London City will not fly over Westminster. The west London hub – jointly with [...]
Lufthansa in talks with investors over sale of aircraft maintenance business September 15, 2022 Lufthansa is reportedly in talks to sell a stake in its aircraft maintenance business, Lufthansa Technik. According to Reuters sources, the airline is to offload between 20 and 30 per cent of its stake and was attracting more interest from financial investors than rival firms. The airline is also expected to commence talks with private [...]
Rolls-Royce finalises £1.5bn sale of Spanish subsidiary to Bain September 15, 2022 Rolls-Royce has finalised the €1.8bn (£1.5bn) sale of Spanish subsidiary ITP Aero to a group of investors led by private equity giant Bain. Following the £1.5bn sale, shares went up 3 per cent. “ITP Aero will remain a key strategic supplier and partner for Rolls-Royce across both Civil Aerospace and Defence programmes,” Rolls Royce said [...]
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary to stay until 2028 as airline sorry for ‘mishandling’ press at AGM September 15, 2022 Ryanair’s boss Michael O’Leary is in talks to extend his contract until 2028, as the company said sorry for “mishandling” the press at its AGM this morning. The chief executive told journalists on Thursday that he was hoping to sign the papers by March, subject to agreement on terms. O’Leary also apologised after reporters were [...]
Aviation regulator restricts flying over London ahead of Queen’s funeral September 13, 2022 The UK aviation regulator has set curtailed the country’s airspace ahead of the Queen’s funeral and mourning period. The CAA announced today it had restricted flying over central London between 9 and 19 September as well as between Balmoral Castle and Holyroodhouse from Saturday until today. The restrictions are also applicable to drones. Under the [...]
Willie Walsh: Fuel prices will put pressure on carriers for rest of year September 7, 2022 Increasing fuel prices will continue to put pressure on airlines’ costs for the rest of the year, according to aviation boss Willie Walsh. “I am aware of some airlines that have embarked on hedging in recent months … just to provide themselves with some protection against the volatility that we’re witnessing,” said Walsh – a [...]
Lufthansa averts two more days of strikes following deal with pilots September 6, 2022 Lufthansa has averted an additional two-day strike after it reached a deal with the pilots’ union. The VC union called off the walkout which was scheduled for tomorrow and Thursday, saying the two parties had set the basis of a comprehensive package of measures – both monetary and structural – which will be laid out [...]
EU airfares return back in line with pre-pandemic normal September 6, 2022 Airfares in Europe have gone back in line with the pre-pandemic normal, according to data released today. “Pricing in Europe appears to be in line with pre-pandemic rates of 2017-2019, indicating that after a busy summer period the industry has been able to recover to somewhat normal levels,” said Elise Weber, chief executive of airfare [...]
Lufthansa axes 800 flights tomorrow amid German pilots’ strike September 1, 2022 Lufthansa will axe 800 flights on Friday after German pilots announced a 24-hour walkout. The measure is likely to leave 130,000 passengers stranded, impacting Lufthansa’s services from Frankfurt and Munich on Thursday too. The airline said it was doing everything it could to minimise the strike’s impact. The German pilots’ union, the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), [...]