EasyJet is negotiating with Air Berlin administrators for 25 of the bankrupt carrier’s remaining aircraft at Berlin’s Tegel Airport. An agreement for that many jets would make the airport EasyJet’s second-biggest base after its operations at London Gatwick. Talks for the Airbus SE A320 jets are ongoing and subject to regulatory approval, the Luton, England-based discounter said late Friday in a regulatory filing. A deal would be a key victory for EasyJet, allowing it to secure lucrative slots directly into Berlin. An update will be provided if and when appropriate, EasyJet said in the regulatory filing.<br/>
unaligned
Passengers have described terror aboard an Indonesia AirAsia flight to the holiday island of Bali after the flight crew announced an emergency and oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling before the airliner turned back to the Australian city of Perth. Flight QZ535 returned safely on Sunday to Perth Airport, where many of the 145 passengers spoke to media about the fear and confusion on board, after the plane lost cabin pressure and plummeted suddenly. Australian media reported that the plane plunged more than 6,000 metres less than 30 minutes after takeoff that morning “The panic was escalated because of the behaviour of staff who were screaming, looked tearful and shocked,” passenger Clare Askew told reporters. “Now, I get it. But we looked to them for reassurance, and we didn’t get any. We were more worried because of how panicked they were,” Askew added. The budget Indonesian airline said in a statement engineers were examining the plane at Perth.<br/>
Emirates has lost appeals over compensation liability for delayed flights outside of the EU after UK judges originally reached contradictory rulings in two similar cases. The two cases, both brought in Liverpool, involved Emirates services from Manchester – one to Bangkok and the other to Sydney – operating via Dubai. Outbound flights from Manchester were delayed in both instances, and the onward connections from Dubai were missed, leading to a substantially late arrival at the final destination. In the Bangkok case the judge ruled that the connecting flights should be treated separately, and that Emirates was right to compensate only for the Manchester-Dubai sector under EU passenger rights legislation. But in the Sydney case the outbound Manchester-Dubai flight was not delayed sufficiently to qualify for compensation. The judge ruled, however, that the entire service should be considered, even though the Dubai-Sydney sector was external to the European Union, and held Emirates responsible. Appeal court judges have stressed that the European Court of Justice has previously ruled that liability for compensation depends on delay in arriving at the final destination. They have upheld an appeal against Emirates by the passenger in the Bangkok case, and dismissed Emirates' appeal against the passengers in the Sydney case.<br/>
Emirates has embarked on a multi-million dollar campaign to promote its network, as well as its Dubai hub, and encourage people to travel.<br/>Said to be worth US$15m, the campaign features the iconic soundtrack “Don’t stop me now” by British rock band Queen. The song, released nearly 40 years ago, was found in a scientific study to be the most uplifting or “feel-good” tune on the UK charts in the past 50 years. In the one-minute video that was released on Sunday, Emirates features key destinations and the airline's onboard features. The campaign utilises a visual storytelling style that shows "a picture within a picture" and culminates in Dubai, with a soundbite on how the airline connects the world via Dubai. “Emirates and Dubai have always been inextricably linked. Each day, Emirates operates more than 500 flights that connect Dubai to the world, and the world through Dubai,” said Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ divisional senior VP for corporate communications, marketing and brand. <br/>
Hainan Airlines, a unit of China’s HNA Group Co., moved to increase its stakes in three domestic carriers for 5.6b yuan (US$850m), continuing a buying spree as Beijing steps up scrutiny of the parent company’s acquisitions. Hainan Airlines plans to buy 10.3% of China Xinhua Airline Group, 37.6% of Changan Airlines and 49.4% of Shanxi Airlines from minority holders, the carrier said in a filing to the Shanghai stock exchange. Part of the investment is from another HNA affiliate, according to the filing. After the deal, Hainan will hold 62% of Xinhua, 73% of Changan and 97% of Shanxi. The Changan and Shanxi transactions require shareholder approval. The purchase is the latest step by the nation’s fourth-largest airline to grow through acquisitions without HNA’s backing. <br/>
A Cebu Pacific plane carrying more than 180 passengers and crewmen veered off the runway after landing in a central province, prompting the pilot to order an evacuation of the aircraft, officials said Saturday. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said all passengers and crew of Cebu Pacific airline's Airbus 320 aircraft were safe following late Friday's incident, which caused the plane's front landing gear to get stuck in a grassy area at the end of the runway at Iloilo province's international airport. More than 40 domestic and regional flights have been cancelled and airport crews were working to remove the stalled aircraft, which was partly blocking the runway, to allow flights to resume Saturday night.<br/>
Pakistan International Airlines, the national flag carrier of Pakistan, posted a net loss of $433m for 2016, a jump of 36% over the loss of $310m incurred in the previous year, a media report said. The state-run carrier’s accumulated losses continued to soar mainly due to non-stop flights on several loss-making routes, according to a bourse filing. PIA continued to fly on several loss-making routes to Europe and the US. PIA has decided in principle to temporarily suspend flights to and from New York, said the adviser to Prime Minister on Aviation, Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan. PIA was not booking seats for the New York flights for November onwards. The carrier has also lost much business on domestic routes to international airlines under the open skies policy of the government. The government has allowed Gulf airlines, particularly UAE carriers, to operate to and from multiple airports in Pakistan, which is driving up PIA losses. The airline has developed a new business plan under new CEO Musharraf Rasool Cyan. The plan, besides giving a new business strategy, would also demand a bailout package next week.<br/>
A drone hit an airplane landing at a Quebec City airport this week, the first time an unmanned flying object has collided with commercial aircraft in Canada, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Sunday. No injuries were reported in the incident, which happened on Thursday at Jean Lesage International Airport and involved a plane belonging to Quebec-based Skyjet Aviation. “I am extremely relieved that the aircraft only sustained minor damage and was able to land safely,” Garneau said. There were six passengers and two crew members on board the airplane at the time of the collision, according to local news media reports. Drones are not allowed within 5.5 km (3.4 miles) of Canadian airports, helipads and seaplane bases. Operators who put aircraft at risk face steep fines and jail time under Canadian law.<br/>
SalamAir, the Oman-based budget airline, is planning to have 20 aircraft in its fleet within the next five years, adding at least three aircraft every year to achieve that target. The carrier, which launched operations earlier this year, also plans to be flying to around 30 short- and medium-haul destinations in five years. Those destinations will mainly be within the GCC, the broader Middle East, South Asia, and the CIS states, according to Mohammad Ahmad, CEO of SalamAir. “Today we have three aircraft — all Airbus A320s … For next year, we are putting a plan of bringing three to four more aircraft, and we are in negotiations to choose those aircraft. We will then add 4-6 aircraft per year starting 2019,” the CEO said. He added that SalamAir is currently looking at all options for its new aircraft including Boeing’s 737 model, and will “proceed with the best deal” for aircraft.<br/>