Aircraft lessors see ‘horrendous’ hike in insurance costs April 7, 2022 Lessors are already seeing a “horrendous” hike in insurance costs as the Kremlin’s retaliation against Western sanctions start to bite, said BOC Aviation’s boss Robert Martin. “Because there are going to be huge claims on these insurances this year for confiscation or theft if the aircraft aren’t given back, this will then have a knock [...]
Passenger rights take off as non-EU airlines including BA and easyJet to be made liable for compensation April 7, 2022 Non EU airlines operating flights on behalf of carriers from the bloc will be liable for compensation for delayed and cancelled flights. Issued today by the Court of Justice of the European Union, the verdict represents another boost to passenger rights. “Passengers of a delayed flight may claim compensation from a non-EU air carrier where [...]
Investigation launched after Air France plane goes ‘crazy’ ahead of landing April 6, 2022 An investigation was launched today after an Air France plane “went crazy” just as it was landing at Paris Charles De Gaulle. Pilots on Monday struggled to control the Boeing 777, calling the airport’s air traffic controller to say the plane was “pretty much going nuts,” as it was no longer responding to commands. “Wait! [...]
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 [...]