unaligned

If you’re flying on Alaska Airlines starting in mid-January, don’t plan on boarding with your support pig or miniature horse. The airline, acting in the wake of new federal guidelines aimed at reining in a range of at times exotic animals that passengers have brought onto commercial planes as emotional support animals, kept it simple in announcing on Tuesday what it would allow: only qualified service dogs that are able to lie on the floor or be held in one’s lap. Ray Prentice, director of customer advocacy for Alaska Airlines, which said it was the first major airline to publicly change its animal policy in light of the updated federal guidelines, said the airline’s decision was a positive step. “This regulatory change is welcome news, as it will help us reduce disturbances onboard, while continuing to accommodate our guests traveling with qualified service animals,” Prentice said. The airline said that starting Jan. 11, it would permit only service dogs that are trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.<br/>

Ryanair and Wizz Air are to take away the voting rights of UK shareholders as a result of Britain’s exit from the EU. The airlines are acting to comply with EU ownership rules once Britain leaves the bloc on Friday. Ryanair said on Tuesday it had to “take steps” to ensure it would remain majority EU-owned and controlled to comply with European regulations. The Irish airline said in a stock market announcement it would issue restricted shares to non-EU investors, specifying that holders were not entitled to speak or vote at any general meeting. Speaking earlier this month, Ryanair CE Michael O’Leary said the airline would be about 60% owned by non-EU shareholders, once the UK was excluded from the bloc.  Wizz issued a similar stock market announcement. The Hungarian airline expects to serve about 60% of its investor base with restricted share notices. Without the action, the airline would have been 80% owned by non-EU nationals from January 1. Both airlines are enacting long-held plans to ensure they maintain their flying rights after Brexit.  EU regulations demand that airlines with EU operating licences, including BA-owner IAG and easyJet, are majority owned and controlled by nationals of the bloc, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. This enables airlines to fly between two destinations within EU borders. From January 1, UK nationals will be treated as non-EU and their shares will no longer count towards that ownership requirement.<br/>

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the newest national airline of the UAE, has confirmed that Athens will be its inaugural destination, with flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport starting on January 15, 2021. Fares start as low as AED129 ($35.10), with tickets already on sale on wizzair.com (which also has an Arabic booking website) and the airline’s mobile app. The airline is also to start flights from Abu Dhabi to Thessaloniki, starting on February 4, 2021 with fares starting at AED149 ($40.50). Kees Van Schaick, Managing Director of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, said: “The waiting is almost over for Abu Dhabi fans of our ultra-low fare airline. From January 15, 2021, a new model of air travel comes to Abu Dhabi, offering new choices and new competition, demonstrating that things are looking up for next year. Our network from Abu Dhabi will expand rapidly as destinations on our planned network are added to the ‘green countries’ list. Thanks to the support of the government and our local business partners in Abu Dhabi, we are fully prepared. We have the aircraft, we have the crew, we have the partners, and we are ready to fly."<br/>

Supermarket tycoon Rami Levy was set to become the new owner of Israir after his proposal to buy the airline was approved Tuesday by bondholders. Levy made the proposal through BGI Investments, which he controls along with food mogul Shalom Haim. The offer received initial backing earlier this month from the trustee overseeing the sale of Israir on behalf of bondholders for IDB Development Corp., a holding company that a judge declared insolvent in September and ordered liquidated. Under the proposal, BGI will pay NIS 162m ($50.4m) for a 51% stake in Israir. Levy, who will inject funds into the airline, will get a 24% stake and the bondholders 25%. At a later stage Levy’s and the bondholders’ shares will go to BGI. The proposal to purchase Israir still requires court approval. Levy is the owner of the eponymous supermarket chain and Haim is the controlling shareholder of Taaman Food Marketing. The winning offer beat out competing proposals from businessmen Yigal Dimri and Moti Ben-Moshe. An Israeli businessman based in the United Arab Emirates also offered to buy the firm.<br/>

Russian operator Rossiya aims to introduce a fleet of nearly 70 Sukhoi Superjet 100s by the end of next year, as part of a strategic overhaul of Aeroflot Group’s operations. Rossiya says the federal aviation regulator Rosaviatsia has included the Superjet type on the carrier’s air operator’s certificate, ahead of its commencing services with the twinjet type at the beginning of next year. It plans to open Superjet services from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Nizhny Novgorod on 1 January, with four daily flights, as well as a connection to Belgorod. These will be followed over the course of the month by flights to Nizhnekamsk, Magnitogorsk and Chelyabinsk as Rossiya starts building a regional network which will serve as a feeder to Aeroflot long-haul services. “As the airline’s fleet grows in the future, the number of destinations to which Superjet 100s fly will expand,” the carrier says. Rossiya says it intends to have 66 Superjets in its fleet by the end of 2021. Its operations have previously been conducted with foreign aircraft types including Boeing 777s, 747s and 737s as well as Airbus A320-family jets. Rossiya says Sheremetyevo, as a result of the strategic changes, is becoming “as important” as its St Petersburg station, where much of its fleet is located.<br/>

Emirates has shown off the new premium-economy cabin fitted to its latest Airbus A380, of which the airline took delivery in mid-December. It comprises 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cross-section, with up to 40in pitch, at the front of the A380’s main deck. Each has a 13.3in screen, in-seat charging point, as well as other features. The changes mean the A380 has a four-class layout with a total of 484 seats. Emirates says the remaining five A380s it has on order – due to arrive over 2021-22 – will similarly have the cabin, which is also set to appear on some of the airline’s Boeing 777X jets when they start arriving in 2023. The Dubai-based operator states that it is “considering” a retrofit of its current A380s following the premium-economy installation. Emirates has yet to disclose the routes on which it intends to deploy the newly-configured A380. “Until we have a viable number of seats in our inventory to bring to market, we plan to offer the Emirates premium economy experience as a complimentary upgrade to valued customers,” says Emirates Airline president Tim Clark. “While others cut back, Emirates is working hard to restore the products and services that we’ve had to suspend or adjust due to pandemic precautions.”<br/>

AirAsia Group, hit by the coronavirus pandemic that’s decimated passenger demand, is selling its 32.7% stake in AirAsia India to its partner Tata Sons for about $38m. The Malaysian low-cost carrier entered into an agreement with Tata Sons, which already owns 51% of the venture, according to an exchange filing on Tuesday. AirAsia Group last month said it was reviewing investment in its cash-strapped Indian affiliate, hours after its Japan unit filed for bankruptcy. The group has also stopped funding AirAsia India leaving the future of the company largely dependent on India’s Tata Group. CEO Tony Fernandes this month said AirAsia is evaluating its venture with the Tata Group, while the two expand their relationship in the digital business. “At the right time we will make the announcements, but definitely our strength is Southeast Asia and that’s where most of our expansion is going to be over the next two to three years,” he said Dec. 7. AirAsia India started flying in 2014 with a promise to break even in four months. But it’s never made money in what is one of the world’s most difficult markets, where high fuel taxes and cut-throat fares often make operations unprofitable.<br/>

South Korean start-up carrier Aero K received its air operator’s certificate for international and domestic air transport operations on 28 December. The airline was evaluated between October 2019 and December 2020, and the AOC was granted within the two-year validity period from when it received a business licence in March 2019, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) said Monday. Aero K can commence operations after the necessary procedures, which includes obtaining a route permit. The company’s finances were evaluated for its AOC application, given the ongoing global pandemic. According to MOLIT, Aero K held W48b ($44m) capital in March 2019, when it applied for a business licence, which along with plans for a capital expansion were deemed sufficient for its operations. The ministry states: “As a result of reviewing [Aero K’s] plan for [ensuring] financial soundness including the paid-in capital increase plan submitted by Aero K [to the relevant authorities], it was evaluated that additional capital expansion (more than W10b) in progress and sales after the commencement of operation could cover operating expenses such as labour, lease and maintenance for a certain period of time.”<br/>

OTT Airlines began scheduled flight operations on Monday, just over three days after the carrier secured its CCAR 121 and 135 AOCs from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. A statement said its inaugural flight was MU5159 Shanghai Hongqiao-Beijing Capital. Other sectors that will roll out from January 4 through 28 include Shanghai Pudong to each of Beijing Daxing Int'l, Nanchang, Hefei, and Wenzhou. OTT Airlines has been tasked with operating its parent China Eastern Airlines' incoming fleet of locally-made COMAC aircraft including thirty-five ARJ21-700s and up to twenty C919s. CAAC has given its consent for OTT to operate three ARJ21s in its initial phase of operations, growing to six in 2021, and eight in 2022. By 2025, all thirty-five ARJ21s should be in place and operational.<br/>

The Lao Airlines is suspending all charter flights to and from other countries to reduce the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 triggered by inbound travellers. According to the airline, the last charter flight on the Laos-South Korea route departed on Sunday, while the latest humanitarian flight bringing back Lao workers from overseas took place on Dec 13. Anyone entering Laos on a humanitarian flight must have all the necessary documents and spend 14 days at a designated quarantine centre. “We are suspending all charter flights based on an order from the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, ” local daily Vientiane Times quoted Director of Lao Airlines’ Commercial Department Noudeng Chanthaphasouk as saying Tuesday. “Based on this order, all charter flights will be suspended until Jan 23, ” said Noudeng. The only international route currently in service is a twice-weekly flight from Vientiane to Kunming in southwestern China. “We can’t be exactly certain how long charter flights will be suspended because we’re waiting to hear about possible new virus prevention measures laid down by the government. The planes used on the Vientiane-Kunming route are thoroughly cleaned after passengers disembark to ensure the safety of both passengers and crews, ” Noudeng said.<br/>