The CE of Ryanair has taken another step in his attack on the Lufthansa-Air Berlin deal, as he promised to further his complaints to EU authorities. Air Berlin, a competitor of Ryanair, announced in September it would lease 40 crewed planes to Lufthansa. O’Leary has accused the airlines of sealing up the German market. In January, he told Reuters the agreement was “nothing other than a takeover” and a “joke.” According to the plan, part of the airline would be rented out to Lufthansa’s budget subsidiary Eurowings. O’Leary said the deal was “a takeover with the aim of dominating the market. Lufthansa controls the capacities of its most important competitor, sets the prices and decides where aircraft will start.” The CE was particularly critical of Germany’s Federal Cartel Office. “The German authorities are doing nothing,” he said. <br/>
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Ryanair has accused the UK govt of failing to grasp the urgency of striking a deal for post-Brexit aviation, saying the industry needs a year’s notice to plan schedules after Britain leaves the EU. Kenny Jacobs, the airline’s chief marketing officer, also painted a gloomy picture of the prospects of securing a deal. He cautioned that other EU member states could block the UK’s continued access to the EU’s “Open Skies” area. The warning is the starkest yet from an airline about the potential consequences of Brexit. EU regulation is deeply embedded in the UK’s aviation agreements. Jacobs acknowledged that the UK govt had said it was inconceivable the UK would leave the liberalised European Open Skies area following the Brexit negotiations. But Jacobs warned: “There isn’t a plan and we need to see a plan.” <br/>
Norwegian Air Shuttle plans to offer transatlantic flights on 10 new routes between the US and Europe with tickets starting at US$65 one way, putting pressure on US and European rivals to compete, it said Thursday. Norwegian is expanding its network of flights to the US starting in mid-June after receiving long-awaited US approval in December for its Irish subsidiary Norwegian Air International to operate routes across the Atlantic. Established US carriers have been forced to consider restricted cheaper fares and redesigned cabins with more seats to win budget-conscious travellers to compete with Norwegian and rival Wow Air. Norwegian's $65 fares will be for a one-way ticket to UK and Irish destinations from smaller airports in New York state, Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut. <br/>
Grupo Viva Aerobus posted a 2016 net profit of MXP765.8m (US$37m), a 69.2% increase over the company’s MXP452.7m 2015 net income. The airline’s 2016 net income margin was 12.3%, up 2 points from 2015. Viva Aerobus’ full-year operating revenue in 2016 totaled MXP6.2b, up 41.4% over MXP4.4b in 2015. Operating expenses increased 43% year-over-year to MXP5.5b. The LCC’s operating income for the year was MXP668.2m, up 29.2% from 2015. Passenger traffic at Viva Aerobus increased 43.4% in 2016 to 6.5b RPKs; capacity increased 38.1% to 7.6b ASKs. Total load factor for the year was 85.1%, up 3.2 points from 2015. The airline ordered 52 A320 family aircraft in 2013—40 A320neos and 12 A320ceos—and said it expects to receive another 30 new aircraft in the next 4 years. <br/>
Nigerian carrier, Arik Air, which was recently taken over by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) following huge indebtedness, has been suspended from IATA Billing and Settlement System (BSP). However, IATA clarified that the airline is still a member of the global body. IATA Area Manager, South West Africa, Samson Fatokun said Wednesday that the organisation is working with the new management of Arik to resolve the development. “The airline’s suspension from the IATA financial systems does not affect its IATA membership or IOSA registered status. Arik Air remains a member of IATA and a fully IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registered airline”, said Fatokun. <br/>
US subscription-based airline Surf Air will launch in Europe in May, targeting people who fly business class in a potential challenge to the continent's traditional airlines. Surf Air Europe will start connecting London to Zurich during the week and Ibiza in Spain at weekends, operating a subscription model where customers pay a US$2,180 monthly fee for unlimited travel. It will later add routes to Cannes, Munich and Milan, Surf Air Europe CE Simon Talling-Smith said. The London-headquartered airline will try to better what its sister company, Surf Air, has done in California. Launched 3 years ago, that company now has 3,000 members. Surf Air has ordered 45 Swiss-made Pilatus eight-seat jets ahead of the launch and a similar-sized order of Embraer planes to serve longer routes will be placed later this year. <br/>
Fort Lauderdale has been expanding its airport, adding a new runway and larger terminals. The total number of gates is expanding to 14 from 10. The added space is convincing some airlines to increase their flights to and from the city, and that could pinch profits for some carriers. More competition often means lower prices, and Morgan Stanley sees revenue per available seat mile falling by mid-single-digit percentages. Morgan Stanley says that JetBlue and Spirit Airlines could feel the most pressure. Fort Lauderdale represents about 15% of JetBlue’s capacity, says a JetBlue spokesman. But even though competition may be rising, JetBlue sees South Florida as a “large underserved market” with more expansion capabilities. JetBlue plans to continue to “grow thoughtfully” in the market. <br/>
Terrifying footage taken by a passenger shows the moment a plane crash landed on the runway of an Amsterdam airport in strong winds this afternoon. The FlyBe aircraft was caught in strong winds, and it’s right landing gear collapsed before the dramatic landing at Schiphol airport. FlyBe flight 1284 had already battled fierce winds as Storm Doris batter the UK, with winds of up to 144km/h. The Bombardier Q400 aircraft had originally taken off from Dundee, stopping in Edinburgh, before flying on to Amsterdam. "All 46 passengers disembarked as normal when the aircraft arrived on stand," the airline said. Another Flybe aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot shut down one its engines due to a technical fault. The incident happened on the service between Glasgow and Birmingham Thursday. <br/>
As many as 7 passengers aboard Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-743 (Karachi-Madina) Jan 20 were forced to stand throughout the over 3-hour flight after the airline boarded excess passengers in a serious breach of air safety regulations. PIA management appears to have taken this lightly as no action has been taken against those responsible for the situation. According to sources, PIA staffers have been trying to shift culpability onto each other and the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, has not taken punitive action against the airline or its staffers. The boarding passes issued to the extra passengers were hand-written. The computer-generated list, provided to the aircraft crew by the ground traffic staff, did not mention the excess passengers. <br/>