Emirates grounded 20 aircraft during Ramadan as the Islamic month’s timing this year exacerbated a seasonal slump in demand from Persian Gulf passengers and business travellers from outside the region, according to airline company president Tim Clark. The planes will start returning to service following the month-end Eid al Fitr holiday in about 2 weeks, with the fleet reaching peak capacity by September or October, Clark said. The aircraft are a mix of Boeing 777s and superjumbo Airbus A380s, according to a spokeswoman, with the double-deckers due to resume flying first. “Demand for travel is down significantly in the Muslim world,” with Ramadan’s start coinciding in 2018 with the generally weaker period of May, Clark said Monday. He added that traffic had fallen 50% from a month earlier. <br/>
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The president of Emirates airline said the rare combination of higher fuel prices and a stronger dollar, which usually move in opposite directions, represented a "double whammy" for the group and this would have to be managed. "We have very strong summer bookings at higher prices," Tim Clark said, adding that the airline was monitoring trends for any sign that higher ticket prices were leading to a drop in demand. IATA has warned that rising fares as airlines seek to make up for higher costs could temper growth in air passenger demand. Asked if he saw any sign that this point had been reached, Clark said no because the airline had managed to raise prices for the summer without hurting bookings. "The velocity of growth (in bookings) exceeds what we had seen last year," he said. <br/>
Southwest Airlines Monday said it now expects its Q2 unit revenue to decrease by about 3% from the year prior, primarily driven by lower bookings in the wake of a fatal engine blowout in April. The carrier said ticket purchases have fallen in the weeks since an in-flight engine blowout April 17 that shattered a window and killed a passenger, in the first passenger fatality on a US commercial airline since 2009. Southwest reduced its marketing campaigns after the incident, causing the drop in bookings, the airline said. In response to sharply higher fuel prices and current revenue trends, Southwest also cut its full-year capacity growth projection to the low 4% range, compared with its previous plans to grow in the low 5% range year over year. <br/>
Hawaiian Airlines is pleased with the performance of its initial Airbus A321neos and expects to have 11 of the aircraft by the end of this year, CE Peter Ingram said. The carrier has 3 A321neos, with another scheduled for delivery next week, Ingram said. Despite delivery delays, the aircraft has been “absolutely great in operation,” Ingram said. It has been meeting all specifications in terms of fuel burn, and is on target in meeting Hawaiian’s expectations. Deliveries were paused in February after problems were identified with Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan engines delivered to some customers. At that point Hawaiian had 2 A321neos in operation, and both engines on one of the aircraft were affected by the latest issues. But this aircraft was back in operation within a week after spares were provided. <br/>
Wizz Air’s fleet has reached 100 aircraft, a milestone the fast-growing LCC celebrated by unveiling a special livery on an Airbus A321 in Budapest. Wizz Air, which has already expanded rapidly since its launch 14 years ago, said it will “continue to develop its network and stimulate underserved markets with the lowest fares, as it drives towards its ambition of becoming one of the top 5 airlines in Europe.” The airline would open more than 100 new routes in 2018 and 2019 and has a further 268 aircraft on its order books scheduled for delivery up until the end of 2026, which will bring its fleet up to almost 300 aircraft. The group also plans to focus strongly on digitalisation to improve customer focus and make the business more efficient. <br/>