Airbus has finalised an agreement to sell more than 60 jets to Saudi Arabian budget carrier flynas, according to industry sources. The order from flynas, partly owned by Saudi billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal's investment vehicle, is expected to cover over 60 A320neo narrow body jets. An order for 60 A320neos would be worth $6.4 billion at list prices. Including purchasing options, the agreement includes 100 A320neos. The order, which would replace and expand a fleet of leased A320s, would give flynas one of the largest Middle East low cost fleets after state-owned flydubai. Flynas is facing increasing competition domestically, where it conducts the majority of its operations. <br/>
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Southwest appointed Thomas Nealon as president Tuesday. Nealon, most recently the company's executive VP of strategy & innovation, will now be responsible for departments such as finance and corporate delivery. The company also named 23-year Southwest veteran Michael Van de Ven as chief operating officer. CE Gary Kelly, 61, said the changes are a part of the company's ongoing succession planning process. Both Nealon and Van de Ven will report to Kelly and their appointments are effective immediately. <br/>
Allegiant Air continues to fill out its route map. The leisure carrier will begin flying from Louisville, KY, and will open a new base city at FloridaÕs DestinÐFort Walton Beach Airport. Allegiant revealed those plans as part of a 17-route expansion announced Tuesday. AllegiantÕs Louisville service will launch May 19, when the company begins twice-weekly nonstop service to Fort Lauderdale. Allegiant began flying to Destin in May, but now will add 11 routes as it develops the Gulf Coast destination into one of its focus cities. All of the new routes will be twice-weekly seasonal routes to destinations across the Northeast, Midwest and Texas. <br/>
The BBCÕs security correspondent, Frank Gardner, has criticised the treatment of disabled passengers travelling by plane after being left on an easyJet flight when it landed at Gatwick airport. Gardner, whose legs were paralysed when he was shot by al-Qaida sympathisers in Saudi Arabia in 2004, said he was left on the plane after all other passengers had departed because special assistance staff failed to turn up. The journalist blamed the outsourcing group OCS, which is responsible for disability access at the airport, but also criticised easyJet for not using an airbridge that was standing within sight of the plane. <br/>
Low-cost airline Tigerair has suspended all flights between Australia and Bali, following what the company says is a decision by the Indonesian govt to impose new administrative requirements. The airline said WednesdayÕs flights had all been cancelled, while return Bali flights for Thursday were under review. A spokeswoman said Tigerair had complied with all administrative regulations. However, she refused to say what exactly the changes were, other than they were not safety-related. She said the airline was in communication with the Indonesian govt. Tigerair domestic flights are not affected by this decision. <br/>
Ukraine International Airlines is aiming to cut 5% from its fuel bill after rolling out SkyBreathe fuel management software from French company OpenAirlines. Kiev-based UIA will use SkyBreathe to analyse its daily flight dataÑincluding aircraft technical performance, actual flight conditions, weather, airport traffic and maneuversÑto reduce fuel consumption, emissions and costs. Fuel accounts for up to 40% of airline direct operating costs. In 2016, UIA consumed 329,532 tons of fuel and the airline expects to cut its fuel consumption by 1% or more within the next 12 months, increasing to 5% over the longer term. <br/>
Former New York Senator Al DÕAmato was removed from a delayed New York-bound JetBlue flight Monday after trying to rally passengers against the flight crew. Once the plane boarded, passengers were told that 10 of them needed to move from the front to the back of the plane due to weight distribution. A passenger said six passengers refused and Òthe captain wasnÕt doing anything.Ó She said the former senator got up and confronted the people that refused. After being told to deplane, DÕAmato attempted to rally passengers to stand up and deplane with him. ÒStand up for whatÕs right and walk out with me,Ó DÕAmato said. ÒIf you donÕt, then what do you stand up for?Ó <br/>
An Emirates flight from Oman to Dubai was cancelled after staff found a snake on the plane. Flight EK0863 from Muscat was grounded after baggage handlers found the serpent in the cargo hold. A spokesperson for the airline, quoted by Dubai-based media, said the snake was found before passengers boarded the plane. The aircraft was searched before re-entering service and arriving at its destination several hours later. Emirates did not specify the species of snake, nor whether it was potentially dangerous. Comparisons with the 2006 Samuel L Jackson thriller Snakes on a Plane, which sees passengers battle hundreds of highly poisonous snakes in mid-flight, inevitably emerged on social media. <br/>