El Al Israel Airlines, which changed ownership hands this month, said Tuesday it would resume flights to more destinations in Europe and the US starting next week. Israel’s flag carrier said flights from Tel Aviv to Frankfurt and Amsterdam would restart October 18-19, followed by Los Angeles, Miami, Sofia and Kiev on October 25-26. Flights to New York, London, Paris and Athens have already resumed the last two weeks. El Al suspended scheduled passenger flights in March at the outset of the coronavirus outbreak when Israel closed its borders to foreigners and it remains unknown when its borders will reopen. But it operated some occasional passenger flights from the United States, Europe and Latin America for Israelis. Most of its workforce remain on unpaid leave but El Al has said it would gradually bring a small number of workers back. <br/>
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China Southern has announced pricing of an upcoming convertible bond issue that is set to raise CNY16b (US$2.4b) for the carrier. The bonds, convertible to mainland China-listed A-shares, will bear 0.2% interest in the first year, 0.4% in the second year, 0.6% in the third year, 0.8% in the fourth year, 1.5% in the fifth year and 2% in the sixth year, the airline says in a 12 October filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. On 15 October, China Southern will issue 160m bonds with a nominal value of CNY100 each. The issuance matures on 14 October 2026. The initial conversion price for the shares is set at CNY6.24 per share and the conversion period runs from 21 April 2021 to 14 October 2026. The number of converted shares will be determined by dividing the face value of bonds against the effective conversion price at the time of conversion, pegged to the airline’s share price. Last month, China Southern won approval from Chinese regulator the China Securities Regulatory Commission for the issuance, after announcing it in May.<br/>
Pilots of an Airbus A320neo jet in India shut down a Pratt & Whitney engine midair last month after it encountered problems, people familiar with the incident said, reviving concerns about the turbines that have been plagued by issues since their debut in early 2016. The twin-engine jet, operated by Go Airlines India, landed safely using its other engine in the western city of Ahmadabad on Sept. 19, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Both the engines’ turbines had already been modified following repeated glitches, the people said. Indian regulators are looking into faults in the engine’s heat-management and oil systems as possible causes, one of the people said. Airbus said the incident was an “identified topic” and referred questions about repair to Pratt. The latest problem adds another layer to the woes of Pratt, which is owned by Raytheon Technologies Corp. The new engine for narrow-body jets has cost $10b to develop but has faced delivery delays and multiple issues leading to midair shutdowns. IndiGo, the biggest customer for Airbus’s best-selling A320neo, decided last year to switch away from the engines, placing a $20b order instead with rival CFM International Inc. Outside of durability issues and delivery delays, Indian regulators have been concerned about Pratt’s so-called third-stage low-pressure turbine blades.<br/>
The CE of Ryanair’s mainline operation has warned the Irish government that the carrier is able to place its aircraft elsewhere in Europe, as he lamented the country’s current restrictions on international travel. Noting that Ireland does not have a state-owned flag carrier, Eddie Wilson states on Ryanair’s new podcast that should the airline and IAG-owned Aer Lingus move aircraft to elsewhere in Europe amid those restrictions, “there is nobody else coming” to serve the Irish market. He also highlights a similar issue in the UK, where airlines have been calling for urgent government help to survive the pandemic. “It will just go somewhere else,” he says of airline connectivity if less-draconian measures are in place in other European countries. Wilson notes that this outcome could be exacerbated by a structural reduction in the number of aircraft in service as the industry emerges from the pandemic.<br/>
UAE-based investors are intending to bid for the Israeli leisure carrier Israir, one of the country’s main operators. NY Koen Group, a diversified holding company located in Dubai, says it will be submitting a bid to purchase the airline. Israir has a mix of Airbus A320 jets and ATR turboprops. The carrier was the first in the country to order aircraft from Airbus when it signed for A320s in 2007. NY Koen Group says it is “excited” about the “opportunities” that acquisition of the airline, during an upcoming auction, would offer. It already has a Dubai-based aviation division, Aero Private Jet, which specialises in arranging business jet charter operations. The division – which claims to have access to over 7,000 aircraft, through co-operation with private jet owners – also has operations in Ukraine and Russia. NY Koen Group says it views acquisition of Israir as a “chance to expand [these] services”.<br/>
Air Arabia will be resuming a full schedule of passenger flights from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, starting October 15. The airport is slowly returning to its original capacity and resuming operations following a period of restricted services necessary to curtail non-essential travel after the COVID-19 outbreak. Passengers flying in and out of the facility will be required to follow protocol that it is in alignment with national efforts to control the spread of the virus. “This will enable us to continue serving the community and to support Ras Al Khaimah’s vital tourist, business and logistics sectors,” said Sanjay Khanna, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport. The airport is continuing to apply extensive measures to protect the community in accordance with various authorities’ directives as the country enters the ‘new normal’ phase, the statement added. Passengers entering and leaving UAE through RAK Airport need to possess adequate health insurance and a COVID-19 test result no longer than four days before travel. They also require to complete a health disclosure form. “We are glad to see the gradual resumption of operations from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport,” said Adel Al Ali, Group CEO of Air Arabia.<br/>
Canada’s Porter Airlines has pushed back its restart date for the sixth time as ongoing travel restrictions in Canada hamper the industry’s overall recovery in that country. The Toronto-based regional airline suspended operations in March due to the coronavirus health emergency, and says it now plans a 15 December restart. “We want to see our planes in the sky as soon as possible and are actively working to prepare for our resumption of service,” Porter said Tuesday. “However, the ongoing uncertainty presented by government travel restrictions, including border closures, is impacting our ability to operate flights. We are closely watching developments and know that Porter will be an important part of providing people with travel options as the economy recovers.” The government of Canada maintains some of the strictest travel restrictions in the world, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all inbound passengers. <br/>