Ryanair could cease flights within Britain once the country leaves the EU, rather than take steps to comply with new regulations. As an Irish company, the carrier could require a UK air operating certificate in order to continue domestic services there once Brexit is implemented, CFO Neil Sorahan said Wednesday. Since only 2% of Ryanair’s network involves intra-UK operations, it may decide to withdraw the flights, Sorahan said. Routes affected would include Edinburgh and Glasgow to London Stansted, Belfast-London Gatwick, and 3 from Londonderry. EasyJet faces a potentially tougher challenge since it may require a European license to carry on operating the bulk of its current timetable. The airline has said that it’s actively exploring how best to approach the problem and could even buy another company to acquire an AOC. <br/>
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Ryanair will lodge a formal complaint against Lufthansa’s plans to wet lease 38 aircraft from Airberlin. The agreement, which was finalised in December, will see 38 Airberlin Airbus A319/A320 aircraft operating for Eurowings and Austrian Airlines for 6 years from February. Ryanair CCO David O’Brien said the Irish LCC will soon lodge a complaint against the deal, arguing that it is anti-competitive. “Airberlin should not exist. We will certainly be making a submission on Airberlin and Lufthansa. It is entirely blocking manoeuvre. If it has 4 legs, a tail and it barks, it’s probably a dog. Naturally enough, we will be making a complaint. It merits exploration,” he said. Together, O’Brien said, Airberlin and Lufthansa control 63% of German capacity and 98% of the top 20 domestic routes. <br/>
The coming year will see continuing expansion of Oman Air’s fleet and network, as it seeks to increase its input to the Omani economy, the carrier will announce at its annual internal conference. The conference, which will be held Jan 19, will hear an update on the perennially loss-making carrier’s financial performance for 2016 and will discuss the outlook for 2017. Oman Air has been regarded by the country’s govt as an instrument of the national economy, notably in delivering tourists to the sultanate’s steadily growing tourism industry. It recorded a net loss of US$223m in 2015, the last full year for which figures are available, but has been slowly reducing its deficit in recent years. A restructuring program has been underway for some years and the airline is aiming for profitability by the end of 2017. <br/>
Jetstar Thursday said it would launch flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City, linking to Vietnamese domestic partner Jetstar Pacific. Jetstar Pacific, a 70/30 joint venture between Vietnam Airlines and Jetstar parent Qantas Airways, is growing rapidly in an attempt to fend off a competitive threat from domestic budget rival VietJet. "The growing middle class in Vietnam has made it one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world," Jetstar Group CE Jayne Hrdlicka said. She said the new flights from Australia to Vietnam, which begin in May, would link up to 15 Jetstar Pacific domestic destinations from Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam Airlines and Qantas last year said they would invest US$139m to more than double the size of Jetstar Pacific's fleet to 30 aircraft by 2020. <br/>
Air Transat is planning to test and deploy a new system next year that would allow an aircraft to taxi from the runway to the gate without having to use a plane’s engine, thereby cutting operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The carrier would be the world’s first airline to use the WheelTug system, according to the company that developed it. The system uses an electric motor in the nose gear to enable a plane to move forward and backward. Cameras may also be installed on the fuselage to help pilots backing up without the need for ground crews and plane tugs. Air Transat, which agreed to partner with WheelTug a few years ago, is getting the system for free in exchange for supplying an aircraft, a Boeing 737, for testing. WheelTug wants to lease the systems to airlines for an undisclosed price plus a portion of cost savings. <br/>
Emirates Airline will operate its first scheduled commercial Airbus A380 flight to South America when the carrier upgrades existing Boeing 777-300ER Dubai-São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) service March 26. Emirates said the A380 service will mark the airline’s 10th year of operations in Brazil, which it began with daily flights to São Paulo in Oct 2007. In 2012, Emirates added daily Dubai-Rio de Janeiro services. “The switch to the A380 offers a total of 959 additional seats per week in each direction, meeting a growing demand,” Emirates. The 3-class A380 offers 14 first-class seats, 76 lie-flat business seats and 401 seats in economy class. GRU CE Gustavo Figueiredo said the airport has made significant investments to upgrade the facilities to accommodate the A380. <br/>