The cancellation of more than 2,000 Southwest flights due to a computer outage last month will cost the carrier an estimated $54m. The Dallas Morning News reported the lost revenue and increased cost estimates based on a Southwest investor advisory released Wednesday. Southwest blamed a router failure for the July 20 outage and subsequent days of delays. While Southwest didn't provide a specific cost of the outage, the company said it would lead to a 0.5 percentage point drop in unit revenues during Q3 and that it expects its cost per seat mile to rise by up to 2%. The newspaper based its estimate on those projections.<br/>
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Oman Air will enter the Iraqi market in September with the launch of direct flights to Najaf from its Muscat hub, the state-owned carrier announced on Wednesday. Four weekly flights to Najaf in central Iraq start on September 15 and will be operated with the narrow body Boeing 737-800 jet, according to an airline statement. Oman Air said the route would “further help to strengthen political, economic and social links between Oman and Iraq”.<br/>
Chorus Aviation, the parent company of Canadian regional airline Jazz Aviation, reported a Q2 net profit of C$23.7m, down 24.5% from net income of C$31.4m in the 2015 June quarter. Q2 operating revenue of C$310.1m was down 22.5% year-over-year and expenses decreased 23.8% to C$275.7m. Operating income was C$34.4m, down 9.5% from an operating profit of C$38m in the 2015 June quarter. During Q2, Chorus acquired five Bombardier Q400s and reached a deal with Bombardier to order five CRJ900s. Chorus also took delivery of an additional Q400 on Aug. 5. Chorus president and CEO Joe Randell said that Jazz’s operational performance “remained amongst the highest in the North American airline industry,” noting the carrier earned 96.7% of available performance incentive payments (totalling C$5.7m) under its capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada.<br/>
Air Arabia reported a 3.5% increase in half-year profit on Thursday. The United Arab Emirates’ only listed carrier made Dh245.3m in the six months to June 30, up from Dh236.9m in the prior year period, according to a statement posted to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). Revenue increased 5.3% to Dh1.8b. In Q2, the airline reported a 13.5% decline in profit for the three months to June 30. Q2 sales increased 3.9% to Dh893.7m.<br/>
An unexpected tax burden has dampened the otherwise healthy performance of Bangkok Airways in the second quarter this year. The SET-listed regional airline posted a net loss of 111.9m baht between April and June, reversing the 102.2m baht in net profit recorded in the same period last year. The Revenue Department's June 16 change in income tax calculation for tax privileges granted by the Board of Investment led the airline to pay 447m baht in additional tax, president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth explained Thursday. Bangkok Airways reported 491.7m baht in profit before income tax expenses in Q2. Revenues in the period rose 8.8% to 6.05b baht as the airline raised passenger volumes to 1.23m, up from 1.11m in the same period last year.<br/>
UK police have launched an investigation following an incident Aug. 9 in which an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was seen several hundred yards away from an ATR 72, operating on behalf of UK regional carrier Flybe, while on approach to Newquay Airport in South West England. The aircraft, flying from London Stansted Airport, was at roughly 900 feet and two miles from Newquay when the incident occurred. ATW understands that, contrary to media reports, the incident involved a sighting of the UAV several hundred yards away, rather than being a near-miss. Nevertheless, “Police immediately conducted a search of the area, but neither the drone nor its operator could be located,” Devon and Cornwall Constabulary spokesman Dave Meredith said. “The proximity of the drone to the passenger aircraft shows a complete disregard by the operator for public safety and we are appealing to the public for information to help us track down this reckless drone operator. We view such incidents very seriously and the force’s specialist drone unit will be leading on the investigating into this incident.”<br/>
After he escaped unharmed from the burning wreckage of an Emirates airliner that had crash-landed in Dubai, Mohamed Basheer Abdul Khadar already considered himself lucky. Then came the call telling him he had won $1m. “I said, ‘Don’t joke!’ ” Khadar, 62, recounted, laughing inside the auto-body repair shop where he works in Dubai. “They said, ‘Yes, you are the winner!’ ” Khadar, an Indian, won the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire sweepstakes on Tuesday with a ticket he bought July 6, just before he boarded an Emirates flight for Kerala State in India for a trip to his hometown, Pallickal. He said the ticket, which cost 1,000 dirham, or about $270, was his 17th attempt to win the prize.<br/>