UK flight compensation to be slashed under post-Brexit government plans: from £220 to £57 March 25, 2022 UK flight compensation rules could be slashed out, consumer champion Which? warned today. Under new government plans, passengers could see their refunds go from £220 to £57, saving airlines hundreds of thousands of pounds per year. “Ripping up current compensation rules for UK flights would be a huge blow for passenger rights and embolden airlines [...]
Flybe sets April as restart date with half a dozen routes serving capital’s airports March 22, 2022 Flybe announced today it will restart operations from mid-April, more than two years after its collapse. The regional carrier said that, starting from 13 April, it will operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Heathrow and Birmingham. “We think our new flights will benefit everyone who [...]
Russia re-registers 800 aircraft amid anti-sanctions campaign March 22, 2022 Russia said today it has re-registered 800 aircraft after President Putin signed a law last week which allows Russian carriers to take ownership of foreign-leased planes. The news comes on the same day Moscow said 78 of its aircraft were impounded by foreign governments. “(We have) lost 78 planes,” said Russian transport minister Vitaly Savelyev. [...]
Not a single soul survived plane crash of China Eastern Boeing 737, Chinese state TV reports March 22, 2022 No survivors have been found in the wreckage of a plane that crashed yesterday with 132 people on board, China’s state broadcaster reports this morning. The China Eastern plane which crashed in a forested and mountainous area on Monday was the country’s worst air disaster in a decade. The Boeing 737-800 crashed near the city [...]
Shock and horror across Asia as China Eastern Boeing 737 with 133 people on board crashes in southwest China March 21, 2022 A Chinese airliner with 133 people on board has crashed in the southern province of Guangxi, sparking a mountainside fire, state media report this morning. Broadcaster CCTV said the accident involves a China Eastern 737 plane and occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county. It said rescuers have been dispatched and there was [...]
Guess who’s back: Flybe to go on sale next week March 16, 2022 Almost two years after its collapse, UK regional airline Flybe is set to go on sale from next week. The carrier announced today a full list of routes and destinations from its Birmingham and Belfast City airport hubs. “Once we start flying from Birmingham, Belfast and many other cities in the UK and EU, we [...]
Moscow orders airlines to hold leased planes hostage amid growing sanctions March 10, 2022 The Kremlin today threatened to impound the aircraft leased to Russian airlines, casting doubts over the fate of 780 planes worth a total of $10bn. According to a draft law proposed by the Russian transport ministry, carriers should be required to pay leases in rubles for the whole of 2022, de facto allowing them not [...]
UK impounds aircraft following new round of aviation sanctions against Russia March 9, 2022 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today UK authorities had impounded an aircraft following a new round of aviation sanctions against Russia. “There is one such aircraft on the ground at the moment at Farnborough that I’ve essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations for the last few days – and it’s very important that [...]
Aeroflot cancels all international flights except for Minsk as sanctions continue to bite March 8, 2022 Russian carrier Aeroflot has suspended all international flights except for Minsk after a growing number of countries imposed restrictions following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Rosaviatsiya, Moscow’s federal air transport agency, recommended airlines to cut down on the number of international flights because they could see their leased aircraft detained, Russian news agency TASS [...]
Menzies reverses Covid losses while it extends NAS deadline March 8, 2022 Aviation services firm Menzies has reversed the losses sustained because of the pandemic and reported this morning a $76m underlying profit. In the year ended 31 December, the group registered a 27 per cent increase in revenue, up from $1.06bn to $1.35bn, while its operating profit went up to $59m from a loss of $124m [...]