Hawaiian Airlines will reinstate nonstop flights to American Samoa, the only scheduled passenger airline to fly to the US territory in the south Pacific Ocean, after an almost 18-month break. The Honolulu-based carrier says on 8 September it will operate two direct flights monthly between Honolulu and Pago Pago, beginning on 13 September through December. “We are delighted to bring American Samoa back into our network and welcome guests who have been patiently waiting for our flights to restart,” says Hawaiian’s Brent Overbeek, senior vice-president for network planning and revenue management. The airline will use 278-seat A330s for the route, it says. American Samoa is comprised of seven islands and atolls in the South Pacific, and is about 4,130km southwest of Hawaii. The territory has been largely isolated since Hawaiian Airlines stopped passenger air service in March 2020 at the request of the American Samoa government, the carrier says. <br/>
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Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines restarted flights on 8 September after an 18-month coronavirus-driven pause. The Toronto-based carrier has relaunched service at the city’s secondary airport, Toronto City Billy Bishop, and at Montreal, Ottawa and Thunder Bay, Ontario. In the next 10 days, Porter will add further domestic destinations, with flights to the USA to begin on 17 September, it says on 8 September. “Our passengers and team members have been waiting for this day to arrive,” says CE Michael Deluce. “We currently have over 900 team members who have put in countless hours to get everything ready for our return to service, with more being recalled or hired every week.” Porter shut down operations on 20 March 2020, as the coronavirus crisis was beginning to make itself felt across the world. <br/>
Weeks after federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra mandated that federally regulated airline employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the WestJet Group announced it will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 30. “Protecting the health and safety of our guests and employees remains our number one priority, and vaccinations are our best line of defence,” Mark Porter, WestJet executive vice-president of people, said Wednesday. “Aviation has been one of the hardest-hit industries, and we believe requiring all WestJet Group employees to be vaccinated is the right thing to do and ensures the safest travel and work environment for everyone in WestJet’s world.” Porter said the vaccine as a requirement for employment is “essential to the safe restart of travel across Canada.” The Calgary-based airline said there will be evaluations and accommodations for those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical exemptions. Testing will not be provided by the airline as an alternative for vaccination.<br/>
Ryanair has warned it will begin selling the shares of some of its UK investors after they broke its ownership rules that shifted after Brexit. The carrier said Wednesday it has appointed a broker to begin the forced sale of around 1m shares purchased this year by non-EU nationals, mainly UK nationals or institutions that bought the stock on their behalf. The airline has been forced into the drastic action by the UK’s departure from the Single Market at the start of the year. EU rules demand that airlines based in the bloc are majority owned and controlled by nationals of the bloc, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. This enables airlines to fly freely between two destinations within EU borders. For nearly 20 years Ryanair has barred non-EU individuals from buying shares in the company, and reiterated its stance in the run-up to Britain’s departure. Institutions and individuals in the the UK have been prevented from buying new shares since the start of the year. UK shareholders who had held stock before January have been able to keep their holdings but are barred from attending or voting at annual meetings. The total held by UK investors amounts to a fraction of the more than 1.1bn Ryanair shares available on the market. Ryanair warned investors in February to begin disposing of their stock to comply with its rules. The airline said on Wednesday that the appointed broker will sell their shares in the market over the coming weeks, “independently of, and uninfluenced by, the company”. “The net proceeds of such sale(s) will be transmitted to the relevant investors in due course,” it added. It also said it could begin further forced share sales “from time to time” in the future, without warning.<br/>
Britain is lagging the aviation recovery in the rest of Europe due to confusing COVID-19 restrictions and its airports will struggle in the coming winter, Ryanair executives said Tuesday. "Most European markets are recuperating ... the exception is the UK (where) there's this continued confusion," said Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair DAC, Ryanair Group's largest airline. "It’s going to be a difficult winter for us - we’re stimulating (passenger numbers) with lower fares." While it would not be difficult to reach high passenger volumes over Christmas in Europe, British airports would likely struggle over the period, Ryanair Group CEO Michael O'Leary told reporters in a separate event in Rome on Wednesday. "Places like Heathrow and Gatwick (are) struggling with ... Brexit border controls and COVID," O'Leary noted. Both executives referenced travel debacles this summer when the UK abruptly changed the risk classifications of destinations thousands of Britons were holidaying in, causing frustration and anger amongst tourists forced to book expensive diagnostic tests and undergo lengthy quarantines. "People remember what happened in Portugal, and more recently Montenegro," Wilson said. "They need certainty and we've seen bookings reflect almost exactly people's level of confidence."<br/>
EasyJet plans to raise more than GBP1b from a share sale, as the UK airline prepares to compete for customers amid the tentative return of leisure travel, people familiar with the matter said. The London-listed carrier could announce plans to raise fresh funding from selling equity as well as debt as soon as this week, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. No final decisions have been made and the size, structure and timing of any transaction will depend on investor appetite and market conditions, the people said. A representative for EasyJet declined to comment. EasyJet has raised more than GBP5.5b in liquidity since the start of the pandemic as coronavirus shutdowns brought the global airline industry to its knees. The airline will “will continue to review its liquidity position on a regular basis and, as part of the capital structure review, assess all further funding opportunities,” it said in its quarterly earnings note in July. The company’s shares have risen 32% in the last 12 months, giving it a market value of 3.6 billion pounds. <br/>
AirAsia Group posted a smaller loss in Q2 amid a jump in revenue, even as an enhanced lockdown dampened sales during an ongoing slump in travel, a bourse filing showed on Wednesday. Revenue was 160% higher at 370m ringgit, boosted by cargo revenues. Under its digital arm, revenue from its logistics business tripled while the fintech unit revenue was 56% higher. Net loss for April-June was 41.6% lower at 580m ringgit ($139.66m), compared with a loss of 992m ringgit a year ago when the airline hibernated its fleet at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Passengers carried for the quarter surged 272% to 758,746 while load factor - which measures how full a plane is - rose nine percentage points to 68%. AirAsia said it continued with cost containment measures, including cutting headcount and salaries while managing its capacity to match demand. The group is in negotiations with lessors to restructure lease terms, it said. "By the end of the third quarter of 2021, we will have completed two batches of lease restructuring and expect to complete the full exercise by the end of 2021," Group CEO Tony Fernandes said.<br/>