Air Force One’s sister plane sent on training flight following Kremlin’s nuclear threats March 3, 2022 Air Force One’s sister plane, $200m Doomsday plane, was reportedly sent on a four-hour training flight following Russia’s nuclear threats to the West. Designed to become a flying government control centre in the event of a nuclear conflict, the Doomsday plane was seen on Monday taking off from a military base in Nebraska, the i [...]
Jet2 becomes first UK carrier to drop mandatory mask policy March 3, 2022 Passengers are no longer obliged to wear a face mask aboard Jet2 flights, as Jet2 was the first UK carrier to drop the requirement. “It’s no longer a legal requirement to wear a face mask at our airports or onboard our planes,” the airline said in a statement. “However, as per UK government guidance, we [...]
Aviation expects numbers to exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2024 March 1, 2022 The aviation industry expects traveller numbers to exceed pre-pandemic levels starting from 2024. According to a forecast by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), overall numbers will reach 4 billion in 2024, 103 per cent up on 2019 levels. Even though the impact of Omicron has caused a slight shift in near-term recovery predictions, the [...]
Airspace closures hit air cargo operations leading to more supply chain issues March 1, 2022 The Ukrainian conflict has hit air cargo operations worldwide, creating even more supply chain issues, analysts and companies said. Following the EU’s decision to close its airspace to Russian aircraft and the Kremlin’s retaliation, both passenger and cargo routes have been severely disrupted. Some of the biggest airlines in Europe – including Lufthansa, Air France-KLM [...]
EU airlines’ shares tumble following airspace closure February 28, 2022 The shares of major European airlines have taken a tumble following the EU’s decision to close its airspace to Russia. Legacy carriers have registered a slump, with British Airways’ owner IAG going down 4.19 per cent, while German carrier Lufthansa registered a 4.76 per cent fall. Share of aviation colossus Air France-KLM went down 2.30 [...]
Russia closes airspace to 36 countries as leasing deals cease February 28, 2022 Russia has retaliated against yesterday’s EU-wide closure banning the airlines of 36 countries from using its airspace. The move – which blocks access to its airspace to countries such as Italy, Germany and Canada – will force carriers to fly roundabout routes to south and south-east Asia, with countries such as Kazakhstan seeing numbers increase [...]
EU closes airspace to Russian air traffic February 27, 2022 The EU is closing its airspace to Russian air traffic as part of a new set of measures against the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this afternoon. “We are shutting down the the EU airspace for Russians,” she said during a press conference. “We’re proposing a prohibition on [...]
Sources: World’s largest cargo aircraft destroyed by Russian air attack February 27, 2022 Sources have revealed that the world’s largest cargo aircraft, Antonov’s An-225 Mriya, has been burned by a Russian air attack on Kiev’s Hostomel cargo airport. Two Antonov employees told Ukrainian radio Radio Svoboda that Moscow’s attack had burned down the plane, which was parked at the Ukrainian manufacturer’s base. The news, confirmed by the mayor [...]
Emirates boss Tim Clark hits back against “flight shame” champions February 27, 2022 Emirates’ boss Tim Clark has hit back at those who want to “flight shame” people into avoid flying for environmental reasons. Clark said today that according to this reasoning, all discretionary spending is immoral because it has a carbon footprint. “So whether you’re flying a holiday, whether you’re flying to your second home, or whether [...]
France, Germany and Nordic countries close airspace to Russian planes February 27, 2022 France, Germany and the Nordic countries – Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland – are joining the growing list of countries who closed their airspace to Russian aviation following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. “France is shutting its airspace to all Russian aircraft and airlines from this evening on,” tweeted French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari. “To [...]