unaligned

Norse Atlantic Airways CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen brushed off comparisons to Norwegian Air and is confident the US will approve the new airline in time for its planned transatlantic launch later this year or in the first quarter of next year. “We have nothing to do with [Norwegian Air’s] NAI,” Larsen said. “We don’t see any reason why our application should be rejected.” But the comparisons are striking, if not wholly accurate. Norse Atlantic plans to offer low-cost flights between Europe and the US, on a fleet of former Norwegian Air Boeing 787s it leased from AerCap. The new airline launches just as Norwegian Air, in bankruptcy, pulled back from long-haul flights to focus on flights in the Nordics and the rest of Europe. These similarities were enough to re-open some of the wounds left by the bruising fight to approve Norwegian Air International (NAI), Norwegian Air’s Irish subsidiary, a few years ago. Unions and competing carriers on both sides of the Atlantic claimed then that Norwegian Air based NAI in Ireland to avoid Norway’s stricter labor laws. It took years for the US Transportation Department to approve NAI’s foreign air carrier permit, an unusual delay for a European airline. And many of those same objectors are back. <br/>

Kuwait Airways said on Sunday that its board of directors had accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Adel al-Sanea and had appointed Issa al-Haddad to the interim position. Sanea was appointed acting CEO last September, replacing Kamil al-Awadhi who has since joined industry lobby group, the IATA. No reason was given for Sanea’s resignation, which comes as airlines globally continue to be hit by the coronavirus crisis.<br/>

flydubai said it will operate its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in airspace where the regulator has approved it for passenger service. The Dubai-based budget carrier’s statement came in response to reports that India's aviation regulator had denied permission to Flydubai to operate the MAX to India or fly it across the country’s airspace. “It is for each regulatory body to set the requirements and timelines for return to service for the MAX aircraft,” said an airline spokesperson. “flydubai will only operate the aircraft where it has been approved to do so.” Last week, flydubai operated its first MAX aircraft from Dubai International Airport to Sialkot International Airport in Pakistan, after the airline met all the requirements outlined in the Safety Decision issued by UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority.<br/>

Malawi Airlines could be liquidated should its two shareholders, the Malawian government (51%) and Ethiopian Airlines (49%), fail to inject much-needed fresh capital. The Nation newspaper cited company documents last week as saying that the airline's board of directors had declared it to be technically insolvent during a meeting on March 25. According to the report, by February the carrier had cumulative losses of MWK14.09b (US$17.86m) against total debts of MWK13.83b (US$17.54m). “The directors have assessed the company and found it technically insolvent and not a going concern if shareholders do not inject equity into the company. The directors are of the opinion that the company cannot continue to trade in its current state without a rescue package, while there is still a significant gap between costs and revenue,” the resolutions said. The board said that Malawi Airlines' losses had started even before the pandemic, given intense regional competition from other southern African carriers as well as high operating costs. As such, while COVID has worsened the situation, shareholder failure to assist the airline would be the final blow.<br/>

With air travel crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic, AirAsia led by its founder Tony Fernandes – often touted as the “Richard Branson of Asia” – has been vigorously stepping up the budget carrier’s year-long diversification plan. As the pandemic’s true extent became apparent last May, the Malaysia-based regional budget carrier launched a food delivery business in Kuala Lumpur that gained traction among citizens who were at the time under a strict partial lockdown. The endeavour has since expanded to other Malaysian cities and neighbouring Singapore, with ventures in other hubs in Southeast Asia expected soon. Also in the works, according to recent interviews by Fernandes, are plans for offshoots in ride-hailing fresh grocery delivery air taxis, and drone delivery services.<br/>Fernandes has long touted AirAsia’s large digital customer base that he hoped would make it a “super app” much in the mould of regional behemoth Grab. “[There are] two ways to deal with life, you can put your head in the sand and cry and say life is unfair. Or we can go ahead and do something about it,” Fernandes said. “Why waste a crisis? We haven’t wasted this crisis.” <br/>

The ACCC has granted final permission for Virgin and Alliance to collaborate on 41 regional routes until 31 March 2023. Australia’s competition commission had earlier granted interim authorisation in November despite fierce opposition from Rex. The deal will allow Virgin to share information on cost, capacity, and flight schedules with Alliance in order to help serve smaller towns with its post-administration, stripped-back fleet, arguing that ceding market share to Qantas could result in more expensive fares for passengers. The 41 routes included services to regional towns from Brisbane, Alice Springs, Perth and Cairns. The full list is at the bottom of this article. In its initial ruling published in November, the ACCC said, “The co-operation will allow Virgin Australia and Alliance Airlines to share information, and to agree on service capacity, schedules and potentially revenue sharing on the routes on which they operate, including for new routes not currently serviced by either airline. The co-operation will mean that Virgin Australia and Alliance Airlines will not compete with each other on the routes covered by the agreement."<br/>