Europe's top aviation-safety official said that pilot rustiness following global groundings at the height of the coronavirus crisis may have been a factor in the fatal crash of a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane. It's reasonable to ask whether the tragedy of the Airbus SE A320 jetliner that hit a suburb of Karachi in May, killing all but two of the 99 people on board, would have happened without the Covid-19 pandemic, European Union Aviation Safety Agency executive director Patrick Ky said Tuesday. "The pilots did not seem to be as fluent in the way they were conducting their flights as they should have," Ky said in a media briefing arranged by the A4E association of European airlines. "If you haven't flown for three months, six months, you need to be retrained in some way in order to come back." Flight PK8303 initially touched down without deploying its landing gear, damaging the engines, which failed during a second landing attempt. That led the jet to crash short of the airport. The pilots were distracted by a conversation about the virus, according to initial information on the event. Planes themselves also need extra attention to ensure that they're airworthy after standing idle for a length of time, according to Ky. "From a safety perspective, we were concerned with the return to operations," he said. "An aircraft is not like a washing machine. You need to perform a certain number of tasks in order to ensure it is safe."<br/>
unaligned
European governments should focus on developing coherent air travel policies as airlines struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than shielding national carriers, easyJet CE Johan Lundgren said Tuesday. Lundgren blamed some of the slump in traffic on "tremendous confusion" over differing restrictions and quarantine measures. "There needs to be a common approach when it comes to the things that have to do with testing (and) quarantine," Lundgren said during an online event hosted by Airlines for Europe (A4E). Pressure on the sector is intensifying as the travel slump drags on longer and deeper than many had expected, increasing the threat to weaker players as well as the prospect of a new round of government bailouts. With 4.2m European flights and E140b in revenue already lost to the crisis, according to Eurocontrol data, airlines have condemned quarantines as a disproportionate response and a major travel deterrent. Seeking to restore order amid policy chaos, the EU is struggling to persuade governments to embrace common risk assessments and principles governing travel rules. Beyond that, a coordinated global approach is key to restoring long-haul travel, said Sebastian Mikosz of the IATA. "We are not at the stage of the recovery, we are still at the stage of the survival," he said. "If you have any form of quarantine (it's) absolutely equivalent to closing the market."<br/>
SpiceJet, one of the world’s biggest customers for Boeing’s now-grounded 737 Max jets, said an interim offer of compensation from the US planemaker is higher than what the Indian budget carrier recognized earlier. SpiceJet, India’s second biggest airline, has been using an unusual accounting method to book income on expected compensation from Boeing in the past few quarters. SpiceJet, which had 13 Boeing 737 Max jets in its fleet when they were grounded worldwide, has added 8.6b rupees ($117m) as other income from compensation and related foreign exchange gains in the past five quarters, the company said. Based on current advanced discussions and an interim offer from Boeing, “which is higher than the amount recognized by the company,” SpiceJet is confident of collecting that amount, it said in its quarterly earnings statement to stock exchanges. However, its auditors S.R. Batliboi & Associates, cautioned in a report posted on stock exchanges that “there is no virtual certainty to recognize such other income and related receivable.” SpiceJet’s comments may provide some insight into the costs Boeing may incur for compensating carriers worldwide over lost revenue, which is expected to run into several billions of dollars. <br/>
Ryanair has claimed before the High Court that travel restrictions introduced by the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic are “nonsensical”, “outrageous, confusing and detrimental” to the public and its business. The airline claims the international travel restrictions are unlawful and amount to a disproportionate interference of the rights of the airline and its passengers. In its action against An Taoiseach, Ireland and the Attorney General, it wants various orders and declarations, including an order setting aside the measures announced in late July. The State parties, in opposing the action, argue the measures are not mandatory and are advisory in nature. Ryanair has no legal basis to bring its challenge against the measures, they argue. Aer Lingus, a notice party to the case, is supporting Ryanair’s action. Opening the case, Martin Hayden SC, with Eoin O’Shea, for the airline, told Mr Justice Garrett Simons his side does not accept the State’s argument the measures are advisory and restrict people’s freedoms. Travel advice was being converted into something it was not designed to do in a “nonsensical” manner, he said. Story has details.<br/>
Italy’s civil aviation authority is meeting with Ryanair on 16 September to discuss allegations of non-compliance with the country’s coronavirus-related health measures. ENAC notes that despite speaking to the airline about similar issues in early August, it is still receiving “reports regarding Ryanair’s incomplete compliance with the provisions planned in Italy to limit the health risk derived from coronavirus on board the aircraft departing and arriving at national airports”. The previous allegations – denied by the Irish carrier – included claims from ENAC that social-distancing requirements were not being met, and came with a threat that Ryanair’s Italian services could be suspended. This time, the authority will also “verify compliance” by Ryanair with the requirement that all passengers complete Covid-19 self-declaration forms, noting that the lack of adherence contributes to the lengthening of the checking process at airports. It cites Milan Bergamo airport – Ryanair’s largest Italian base – where passengers have been waiting for excessive periods inside the facility in recent days, ENAC claims, “as evidenced by videos”.<br/>
El Al filed to hold a government-mandated 505m shekel ($148m) share offering on Wednesday that will enable it to receive a state bailout package. El Al has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and the government has for months offered to intervene to help it avoid bankruptcy. It has reported losses for two years running, racked up debt to renew its fleet and suspended flights when Israel closed its borders and furloughed most of its employees. In a prospectus filed with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on Tuesday, El Al said it will issue 753.35m new shares, with Israel’s government intending to buy 393.75m. This will put the airline under government control until a buyer for its stake is found. After the offering, El Al -- controlled by Knafaim Holdings -- will receive a $250m bank loan that will be 75% backed by the state.<br/>
Trying to turn its empty seats to an advantage, Alaska Airlines announced a two-day airfare sale Tuesday that should delight pairs of passengers traveling together who dreamed of having their own row. Instead of a simple two-for-the-price-of-one sale, Alaska's "Get the Row with BOGO" promotion guarantees that two people traveling together will have a third seat that's left empty. Given that Alaska has already been blocking middle seats on its mainline flights for social-distancing purposes during the coronavirus pandemic anyway, a promotion that puts two people in a row for three might not be viewed as a giant challenge. But the Seattle-based carrier says the move is aimed at appealing not only to those who seek more comfort, but personal safety. "Our hope is with this offer ... our guests are given further peace of mind while traveling," said Sangita Woerner, the airline's senior VP of marketing and guest experience. Alaska says the BOGO – buy one, get one – sale on its website is limited to travel through Oct. 31, when its guarantee of blocked middle seats for all passengers ends. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. PDT Wednesday. Customers still have to pay taxes and fees on the second seat, though. The sale doesn't apply to Alaska's regional aircraft because they only have two – not three – seats on each side of the aisle.<br/>
Russia’s Utair Group is expecting to return to its strategic course from 2022, as the impact of the air transport crisis begins to subside. Utair Group states, in a H1 briefing, that the crisis might “drag on” until the beginning of the peak season of 2021, but that it plans to resume its strategic plans the following year. These plans are focused on improving operational efficiency, with a review of optimal aircraft utilisation models, renewal of the fleet – including cabin reconfiguration – and reduction of aircraft maintenance time. It will develop hub operations at Moscow Vnukovo but also increase the number of regional hubs to bypass the capital. Utair Group adds that it wants to optimise sales channels and fare-control mechanisms, and implement IT tools to centralise purchases. Passenger numbers halved over the first six months, cutting revenues by 44% to Rb14.5b ($193m). The company’s Q1 revenues accounted for Rb10.5b of this figure – indicating a heavy loss of sales for Q2 30 June. Its net loss for the first half reached Rb2.83b, under Russian accounting standards, following a near-Rb1.8b net loss in Q1. Utair says it has responded to the crisis by “drastically” cutting costs including expenditure for fuel, airport services, leasing, and distribution – halving its outlay for these items and reducing pre-tax losses by Rb400m.<br/>
Emirates has upgauged the aircraft deployed for its newly restarted Dubai-Moscow service to an Airbus A380. The Middle Eastern carrier resumed twice-weekly flights to the Russian capital on 11 September using a Boeing 777-300ER, but now says it will operate the route with an A380 from 18 September to meet “strong passenger demand”. Moscow will join Cairo, Guangzhou, London Heathrow, Paris and Toronto as cities served by Emirates with A380 equipment. The airline says it will “gradually expand” deployment of the double-deck aircraft “in line with demand and operational approvals”. Emirates began reactivation of its A380 fleet in mid-July, reintroducing the superjumbo on flights to London and Paris. The airline’s 115-strong fleet of A380s had been parked since late March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. While weakened demand for air travel has led other airlines to exclude the A380 from their operations – either in the short term or altogether – Emirates has stood by the type.<br/>
Gulf Air CE Kresimir Kucko is to step down from the role at the end of September after almost three years at the helm. Kucko, who formerly led Croatia Airlines, was appointed CE of the Bahrain-based carrier in November 2017. The airline points to his achievements during his tenure in significantly cutting costs at the carrier, while increasing its revenue and reducing operational losses. ”This was achieved in a challenging operating environment characterised by fluctuating fuel prices, growing competition and, most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic which has impacted the global aviation landscape,” Gulf Air says.<br/>
A new airline says it will offer service between Waterloo and Ottawa, Toronto, Windsor and Montreal going forward. Pivot Airlines says it has reached an agreement with the Region of Waterloo to provide the service once it receives regulatory approval. Brock Henderson, Pivot’s VP of operations control, said that “tickets are anticipated to cost between $90 and about $250 plus taxes and fees.” He described Pivot Airlines as “a new company which draws from a legacy of 25 years as a partner carrier for two different Canadian major airlines.” Henderson says it is also looking to expand to two other Ontario markets which have recently lost service with an eye towards cross-border travel down the road. “Our legacy is in transborder travel and we will also be closely monitoring the situation in the United States for future expansion plans,” he said while noting that it will likely be at least a year before Pivot offers trips south of the border. Henderson says the company is still working out details on when its planes will begin to carry passengers.<br/>