Earlier this year, Norwegian Air Shuttle painted the face of Freddie Laker, the late pioneer of “no-frills” flying, on one of its planes as a signal of its ambitions to crack the low-cost long-haul transatlantic market. The fast-growing group has become a disruptive force within the European airline industry over the past few years, leading the charge in bringing down the cost of long-haul flying and forcing rivals to respond with their own budget services. But analysts and investors are starting to worry about Norwegian’s rapid expansion, after a difficult year. “They are not profitable this year in what is a very good year for the airline industry,” says Andrew Lobbenberg, an aviation analyst at HSBC. “The underlying business is losing considerable sums of money. This is not sustainable, something has to change.” <br/>
unaligned
Out in western Canada, the airline world is about to watch a unique business experiment. If it goes as planned, in a few years there will be a new favourite carrier battling for your airfare dollars, regardless of whether you’re a penny pincher or a rich banker. WestJet, which flies Boeing 737s in Canada much the same way Southwest Airlines does in the US, is embarking on a radical shift to become a global-network airline, replete with fancy foods, plush beds up front and 9 new, spiffier airport lounges and many more top-dollar business customers. Simultaneously, it’s launching an ultra-low-cost airline called Swoop to pursue those with the smallest budgets. This “high-end, low-end” strategy comes as airlines the world over struggle to combat the grand ambitions of lower-cost rivals. <br/>
Belavia Belarusian Airlines has ordered another Embraer E195 jet, scheduled for delivery in 2018. The firm order has a list price value of US$53.5m. Following Belavia’s firm order for 2 E-Jets (1 E175 and 1 E195) announced at the Paris Air Show in June, the new contract will bring the airline’s Embraer fleet to 7 aircraft—4 E195s and 3 E175s—when deliveries are completed in 2018. According to the airline, the acquisition is an essential part of Belavia’s fleet renewal initiative. Configured in a dual class, the E195 will replace the carrier’s existing Boeing 737-500. “Our Embraer fleet is allowing us to open up new destinations such as Brussels, but also to increase the number of flights on our existing routes—our customers demand the flexibility that more frequencies provide,” Belavia DG Anatoly Gusarov said. <br/>
A German govt minister has suggested holding talks with Kuwait over its national airline's refusal to transport Israeli citizens, which he says is "fundamentally unacceptable." A Transport Ministry spokesman said Friday the acting transport minister, Christian Schmidt, criticised the practice in a letter to Kuwait Airways. The letter follows a German court ruling last month that the airline didn't have to transport an Israeli man on a flight from Frankfurt because it would face legal repercussions at home in Kuwait if it did. Susteck said Schmidt wrote that "we will examine all appropriate steps to prevent such cases in the future, and consultations could be helpful in this." Any such talks would address the countries' bilateral air transport agreement. <br/>
Ryanair will end its partnership with GDS provider Amadeus Dec 15, after both parties were unable to reach a renewed commercial agreement, the carrier announced Dec 8. In Sept 2014, the two companies entered into a partnership making Amadeus Ryanair’s second GDS as part of a drive to attract more business customers. The LCC began listing fares on the platform from Nov 1 the same year. Ryanair said it will continue to service travel agents through its GDS partnerships with Travelport and Sabre, whose commercial agreements remain unchanged. Ryanair assured customers this move will not impact access to the carrier’s low fares, which are still available on the company’s website. <br/>