Ryanair pilots in Portugal are set to strike next week, piling the pressure on the airline. Portuguese pilots union SPAC said Wednesday that its pilots would be holding a 24 hour strike Wednesday, Dec 20. This is the same time that Irish pilots in Ryanair who are members of Ialpa intend to undertake strike action. SPAC said that “deeply regrets that potential disruption to passenger travel plans may arise. It is the Pilots who hold the key to opening the door to growth and expansion that will maximise returns to shareholders,” the union said. SPAC said that the strike was “not due to payments”. It said that the strike would be cancelled “if the Ryanair administration shows openness to constructive dialogue with a view to collective bargaining and recognition of the SPAC Business Commission as negotiator”. <br/>
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Swiss regional carrier Darwin Airline has been forced to concede bankruptcy after a period of serious financial problems. Its plight will cause further headaches for the airport of Lugano in southern Switzerland, where it is based. A fortnight after seeing its fleet grounded by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, the company informed its 250 staff Tuesday that bankruptcy was imminent. It is the outcome of several months of speculation and efforts to turn around the fortunes of the small airline, which was attached in July to Adria Airways, themselves belonging to Luxembourg fund 4K Invest. However, the decline of Alitalia earlier this year, as well as the more recent dissolution of Air Berlin, had negative knock-on effects on Darwin, notably by increasing competition in a crowded market and discouraging further investment. <br/>
Norwegian has acquired 28 weekly slots at London Gatwick from Lithuanian leisure carrier Small Planet Airlines. Norwegian, which announced the slot purchase Wednesday, said planning is now underway to decide how the summer 2018 slots will be used. “London Gatwick is at the heart of our global growth ambitions, so securing these crucial new slots will allow us to offer our passengers even more new routes, additional flights and affordable fares. Together with the launch of new routes to Argentina, Chicago and Austin in 2018, gaining extra capacity at London Gatwick is another huge boost as we get ready for our biggest ever year in the UK,” Norwegian CCO Thomas Ramdahl said. Norwegian is the third-largest airline at London Gatwick, with 4.6m annual passengers. <br/>
Spirit Airlines’ CE Bob Fornaro will leave his post Jan 1, 2019, the airline said Wednesday. Ted Christie, the airline’s CFO, will take over the top role. Before that, Christie will become Spirit’s president this coming Jan 1, when he will also take a seat on the board of directors. Christie joined Spirit in 2012, and since has been promoted from senior VP to executive VP. Fornaro joined Spirit in January 2016, following the abrupt departure of long-time CE Ben Baldanza. He has prioritised improving the airline’s reliability, cost structure and customer service. The airline has faced other challenges during Fornaro’s tenure, including pressure brought by legacy carriers’ rollout of unbundled fares as well as operational issues stemming from pilot labour actions and storms. <br/>