Allaying fears among a growing number of Israelis using Air India flights to Delhi, the carrier has rubbished as "baseless" the claims in certain sections of the Israeli media that it is on the verge of bankruptcy. Some Israeli media outlets recently reported that Air India was trapped in huge debt running over a billion and may collapse soon. They also advised Israeli passengers, who have booked their tickets on the carrier, to take necessary steps to recover their money. "Air India strongly refutes the canards being spread by a section of the media in Israel and a few web/online portals about the airline being on the verge of collapse. This is totally baseless, false and hatched to malign the image of the organisation and thwart its rising graph by vested interest," said the airline. <br/>
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TAP Air Portugal’s Airbus A321LR took its first commercial flight over the weekend, the airline said, operating from Lisbon to Prague. “Registered as CS-TXA, this is the company's first narrowbody aircraft with enough fuel capacity to operate in transatlantic flights, offering the premium comfort of long-haul airplanes,” TAP said. The carrier is in the process of modernising its fleet—by the end of this year it is scheduled to receive 37 new Airbus aircraft split between the A320neo, A321neo, A321LR and A330neo models and 71 new aircraft by 2025. TAP said April 4 when its first A321LR, which is equipped with 168 seats, arrived from the manufacturer, that it was first airline in the world to operate the A330neo and the A321LR simultaneously. The A321LR will allow it to expand its connections on the US east coast and in northeast Brazil. <br/>
Star Alliance continues to open renovated branded lounges in key markets where no member carriers have a main hub. May 7, the alliance re-opened its branded lounge at Paris Charles de Gaulle in France. The lounge was first opened in 2008. The 980 sq-m facility offers seating for more than 220 guests and features stylish elements inspired by Parisian design and architecture. The lounge is located behind passport control in Terminal 1 at the highest point of the terminal building—levels 10 and 11—and provides a panoramic view of the airport from the upper floor. The Star Alliance member airlines that operate from Paris CDG Terminal 1 are: Aegean Airlines, Air China, ANA, Asiana Airlines, EgyptAir, EVA Air, SIA, THAI, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines. <br/>