Emirates may feed its appetite for new pilots with recruits from ailing neighbour Etihad Airways and cash-strapped discounter Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, according to an internal memo from the Gulf carrier. Hong Kong Airlines has also contacted Emirates about opportunities to temporarily transfer some cockpit crew, according to the document. Pilots at the unit of beleaguered HNA Group are Airbus SE-rated, meaning they could be trained to fly the Mideast company’s A380 superjumbos. “The current situation with several airlines in financial difficulty globally leaves Emirates in a good position to be sourcing and selecting good-quality pilots,” the memo says. It said the airline recruited 52 pilots last month, the highest number since August 2016, and that the number of viable applications it’s receiving “is higher than the number of candidates that can be invited.” Emirates declined to comment on the communication, which was dated Jan. 29 and appeared to be a meeting report. A spokeswoman said there are sufficient pilots for current operations, though the airline will “continue to welcome qualified candidates.” Norwegian Air said it’s not uncommon for members of any company’s workforce to seek opportunities elsewhere. <br/>
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Norwegian Air Shuttle is consolidating the team that runs its long-haul flights in London as the debt-laden carrier seeks to add executive talent at a unit crucial to its survival in the ultra-competitive discount market. The company is building a 16-strong contingent in the city, leaving just a few dedicated staff at its main base in Fornebu, near Oslo, Matthew Wood, its senior vice president for commercial long-haul and new markets, said in an interview. Norwegian picked London as the main office for the long-haul business to help tap a bigger pool of international expertise after establishing Gatwick airport, south of the capital, as its biggest intercontinental hub. The operation serves 11 US cities plus Buenos Aires, to be joined by Rio de Janeiro from March 31. The airline has been working on the office changes for nine months, according to Wood, who previously split his time between London and the group’s Scandinavian headquarters. He still travels regularly to Oslo for meetings. Norwegian is due to report earnings on Thursday.<br/>
Thai AirAsia X will launch four-times weekly services from Bangkok Don Mueang to Brisbane from 25 June, making it the first AirAsia-branded carrier to serve the Queensland capital. FlightGlobal schedules data shows that the flights, which will be operated by Airbus A330-300s, will compete with Thai Airways International’s four weekly Boeing 777 services that fly to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport. “This new route to Brisbane will not only increase traffic between Thailand and Queensland, but importantly provide guests with a low-cost option to explore Bangkok and the more than 130 destinations found in AirAsia’s network,” says AirAsia X Group CE Nadda Buranasiri. The decision by the carrier to launch flights to Brisbane is unusual, given that AirAsia X has served the greater Brisbane region from the nearby Gold Coast airport since it launched in 2007. It appears that the carrier was granted a number of incentives to fly to Brisbane, with the airport noting that the services were secured with support from the Queensland state government.<br/>
Boosted by higher fare and ancillary revenue, Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines posted a Q4 net profit of $92m and saw revenue increase for the period, despite higher fuel and personnel costs. The ultra-LCC’s Q4 net profit was down 62.8% compared to its 4Q 2017 $247m net profit, which included a one-time, non-cash tax credit as a result of US tax reform legislation. Similarly, full-year net income declined 62.5% year-over-year (YOY) to $156m, compared to its $415.5m net profit for full-year 2017. But the airline sees the 4Q performance as evidence of “our momentum as we head into 2019,” president and CEO Ted Christie said. In 2018, Spirit added 21 routes to its network, five of them seasonal, and expanded its international footprint into Latin America and the Caribbean. The airline also took delivery of five Airbus A320ceos and two A320neos during the quarter, ending the year with a fleet 128 aircraft. “Throughout 2019, we will continue to see growth opportunities in large domestic leisure destinations and near-field international destinations,” Christie said. “In addition, as the opportunities present themselves to grow in large gate-constrained metros, we will do so as this is where many customers who have otherwise been priced out of the market with high fares live and where many leisure customers want to go.” Spirit’s Q4 operating revenue was up 29.5% YOY to $863m, compared to $666.2m in Q4 2017, and full-year revenue rose 25.7% to $3.3b, compared to $2.6b in 2017. Fare revenue per passenger flight segment was up 9.3% to $60.45 in the quarter, and non-ticket revenue climbed 5.2% to $56.70.<br/>
Chorus Aviation has firmed a previously announced agreement to purchase nine new Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets. The news from the Halifax-based regional airline company comes several days after Chorus announced it signed a new agreement with Air Canada under which it would add the nine CRJ900s. The aircraft will have Bombardier's Atmosphere cabin – a cabin update announced at last year's Farnborough air show – and will carry 76 seats, including 12 first-class seats, 20 preferred-economy seats and 44 coach seats, Chorus says. The company has said the CRJ900s will be delivered in 2020. Jazz already operates 21 CRJ900s for Air Canada, according to regulatory documents. Bombardier says the deal has a list-price value of $437m and reaffirms "the value that the CRJ series brings to airlines". The sale provides a needed lift to Bombardier's CRJ product line, which has faced intense competition from fast-selling Embraer E-Jets.<br/>
Brazilian airline Azul will replace more of its aging E-Jet fleet, made by local manufacturer Embraer SA, with larger planes from Airbus SE this year, the carrier said in a securities filing on Wednesday. Azul, which launched with an all-Embraer fleet in 2008 and started adding Airbus A320s in 2016, said its new fleet plan will add 12 more Airbus narrowbodies this year and remove 15 Embraer E195s. Azul will also add six of Embraer’s next-generation E2 jets in 2019, four more than previously planned.<br/>
A tyre exploded and flew off an aircraft tug on Tuesday as the machine was pushing a plane at Hong Kong airport, endangering workers nearby, it has emerged. At least one worker was driving the tug and two “wing walkers” were standing either side of the Hong Kong Airlines plane when the explosion took place. It happened only seconds after the aircraft began pushing back from the departure gate for its flight to Seoul. Closed-circuit TV footage shows the tyre and an unidentified piece of the wheel separating, and pressurised air shooting out. The video appears to suggest the tyre had been incorrectly pressurised. The tyre shoots off at high speed and ends up about 10 metres away under an airport jet bridge, which passengers use to enter and exit planes. The unidentified piece flies out of shot in the footage.<br/>