Norwegian Air said Monday that summer traffic is running well but expressed concern about Rolls-Royce engine problems. In 2018, Norwegian Air expects delivery of 11 new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, powered by Rolls-Royce motors. Rolls-Royce said earlier on Monday that a problem with engine compressors, which has grounded some Boeing planes, has spread. “As we have communicated earlier our summer traffic is performing well but our Dreamliners are a concern”, spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen told Reuters. “We have taken into account that airplanes could be put on the ground and rented additional capacity for that opportunity. Some of our flights are impacted and they have been replaced by our wet-leases,” Sandaker-Nielsen said.<br/>
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Most times it's bad weather or bird strikes that delay flights. This time it was an alligator. Anthony Velardi says his plane had just landed at the Orlando International Airport on Monday when he spotted the large reptile casually lumbering across the tarmac toward a pond. He posted a 10-second video on Facebook. Velardi says the Spirit Airlines flight had to wait about five minutes before it could taxi to the gate. He says an airport truck arrived at the pond to make sure the alligator didn't return to the runway. <br/>
Virgin Australia said Tuesday CE and MD of Virgin Australia Group John Borghetti will not be renewing his contract post Jan. 1, 2020. Australia’s second-biggest airline will start a search for a successor, it said. The decision comes at a tumultuous time for the Brisbane-based company, with Air NZ ending its seven-year alliance with Virgin Australia in April, turning partners into rivals in the hotly competitive route between the two countries. The airline also scrapped its plans to potentially go private earlier this year, fueling concerns that a major Chinese shareholder, HNA Tourism, may be about to exit.<br/>
Cabin crew at Ryanair in the UK will be represented by a union for the first time after Unite signed a recognition agreement with the airline. About 650 staff working from Ryanair’s UK bases could be covered by the deal, with the union able to represent them in talks on pay, hours and holidays. The news follows similar agreements with two Italian cabin crew unions five days ago, when the airline said it hoped to sign more recognition deals in the coming weeks. The rights for crew came after months of talks following Ryanair’s announcement late last year that it would recognise unions – a move prompted by a shortage of pilots. Many crew members remain indirectly employed via agencies such as Crewlink and will not come under the remit of the Unite deal. Unite, which represents more than 25,000 cabin crew across airlines operating from the UK, said it had secured full consultation rights and collective bargaining for Ryanair’s employees, from whom three union representatives will be drawn, with paid time off for union duties. The Unite general secretary, Len McCluskey, said it was a “historic agreement and a significant step by Ryanair”, and urged all crew to join the union.<br/>
China’s Spring Airlines plans to introduce much longer routes when it begins receiving Airbus A320neo family aircraft in the second half of this year. Nonstop flights as far as Australia are planned, the Shanghai-based LCC said. India and the Russian Far East will also be connected to Shanghai nonstop, Spring said. The airline has 45 A320neos and 15 A321neos on order, according to Aviation Week Intelligence Network data. These aircraft are scheduled to begin arriving in H2, opening up the possibilities of longer routes, Spring said. The A320neo family aircraft will be powered by CFM Leap-1A engines.<br/>
A volcanic eruption in Hawaii will likely dent bookings and revenue in the second quarter, Hawaiian Airlines said. A powerful eruption at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano started early last month, forcing evacuations of nearby residents. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Hawaiian said it expects Q2 revenue for each seat it flies a mile, a key industry metric, will come in 0.5% lower to 1.5% higher than it did a year ago. The airline previously estimated revenue would be flat to up as much as 3%.<br/>