Russia to resume flights with 52 ‘friendly’ countries April 4, 2022 Russia is set to resume flights with 52 “friendly countries,” according to Moscow news agency TASS. The Kremlin said today it would end its ban – imposed as a retaliation against the West – and would resume routes to and from countries such as Argentina and South Africa. The decision comes after the Russian Government announced [...]
Thousands of travellers hit by ‘technical issue’ with e-gate passport checkpoints April 4, 2022 There are reports of staff shortages and problems with e-gate passport checkpoints across the UK as travellers have taken to social media to air their frustrations, with some saying they had waited hours to take off. Other travellers said several of the automatic e-gates, staffed by Border Force and used to process passengers, were not [...]
Kremlin provides £919.3m for domestic aviation following West sanctions April 2, 2022 The Kremlin announced today it would provide 100bn roubles (£919.3m) to help the Russian domestic aviation market as the sanctions imposed by the West continue to bite. President Putin said in a televised address that domestic flights should become cheaper for Russian and that the share of Russian-made aircraft should increase. Aviation was one of [...]
Air France-KLM loses appeal over EU cartel fine March 30, 2022 Aviation powerhouse Air France-KLM announced today it lost an appeal against a million-euro fine imposed by EU antitrust regulators for participating in an air cargo cartel more than two decades ago. The second-highest court in the EU, the General Court rejected the group’s appeals as well as those brough by Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Cargolux. [...]
Aircraft leasing firm BOC retrieves 747 from Russian operator March 30, 2022 Aircraft lessor BOC Aviation announced today it had retrieved a Boeing 747 freighter from Russian operator AirBridgeCargo. The aircraft was flown on 25 March from Hong Kong to California after a US judge allowed the company to repossess it. The Singapore-based lessor explained that the plane was worth $148m and AirBridgeCargo had breached leases for [...]
Aircraft leasing market could oust Russia beyond Ukraine conflict, lessor says March 29, 2022 Russian airlines could be ousted from the aircraft leasing market well after the end of the Ukraine conflict, said today the world’s second-largest leasing company Avolon. According to the Dublin-based company’s chief executive Domhnal Slattery, the predominantly Irish leasing sector could oust Moscow following the Kremlin’s decision to re-register aircraft as part of its anti-sanctions [...]
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 [...]