EgyptAir Airlines is poised to expand its fleet with a flurry of deals for long-range and short-haul aircraft, including a US$1.1b order for Bombardier’s C Series jets, people familiar with the matter said. The airline is expected to announce a firm order for 12 CS300 jets as early as Tuesday at the Dubai Air Show, said the people. The airline is mulling acquiring options to buy another dozen of the single-aisle planes, said one of the people. EgyptAir is expected to unveil a deal for at least 6 of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners, said people familiar with the discussions. Airbus has also been in talks to secure a commitment for its A320neo single-aisle jetliners, the people said. The shopping spree, following months of negotiations, marks an expansion push for the carrier after it weathered slumping tourist visits and a fatal crash last year. <br/>
star
After a 51-day strike by 730 Avianca pilots, the airline announced that it will resume normal operations as of Monday. The strike by the Colombian Association of Civil Aviators (ACDAC) union was lifted Friday, even though a final verdict on the legality of the action has yet to be handed-down by a judge of the Supreme Court. Avianca claimed the strike was illegal when more than half its pilots walked-off the job Sept 20. Despite the ACDAC’s demands for increased salaries and benefits packages that would put them on par with pilots flying with airlines in other countries, the union voted to lift the strike after Carlos Alfonso Negret, the country’s ombudsman, broke the 7-week stalemate between the senior management of Avianca Holdings and striking pilots. <br/>
United Airlines plans to grow its hub at Denver International airport to 400 daily departures in 2019, potentially pushing it ahead of other hubs to become the second busiest. The "proposed" growth comes on the continued strong performance of the Denver hub, says captain Rob Biddle, United's chief pilot for Denver, in a letter to pilots Nov 10. "At that level we will surpass both [Houston Intercontinental's] and [Newark's] current daily totals respectively," he says. United is scheduled to operate an average of 363 daily departures from Denver in December. By comparison, it operates 521 from Chicago O'Hare, 484 from Houston Intercontinental and 377 from Newark. The carrier has grown in Denver since 2013. While its departures from the airport are down about 1% over the period, seat capacity is up more than 20%, schedules show. <br/>
United Airlines' latest move to upgrade its domestic economy cabin in-flight catering has proved to be a big break for a small New York City-based condiments maker named Sir Kensington's. United has just introduced a Smoked Gouda Cheeseburger in the economy cabin on domestic flights longer than 3.5 hours, as well as select flights to Canada. Priced at US$9.99, each burger is served with packets of 3 condiments — ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise — from Sir Kensington's, marking the company's first foray into the airline business since it began some 7 years ago. The new tie-in with United also comes just months after Sir Kensington's was acquired by food and consumer products behemoth Unilever in April. United took great pains to ensure the new burger would be a desirable culinary addition on board. <br/>
United Airlines announced Monday that it has resumed service between Newark, New Jersey and New Delhi after toxic smog grounded the carrier earlier in the day. The Indian capital’s air quality, notoriously poor, was especially bad this week — 10 times worse than Beijing, the world’s most polluted air. Some areas of New Delhi were polluted up to 40 times the level the WHO deems safe. United compared the smog to environmental disasters such as hurricanes and volcanoes. Although smog has occasionally prompted airlines to ground planes in the past, it’s typically due to the danger it presents with respect to visibility, as opposed to a health hazard. After cancelling the flights, they said they would allow passengers to change flights free of charge, or help them find seats on other carriers. <br/>