United will likely cut more routes to secondary cities in coming months due to an acute shortage of pilots forSpeaking during the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 earnings call on 20 January, United chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said the airline has cut service to 20 cities so far and that more route reductions are coming. “We know the impact on these communities, we alert them ahead of time, we know it’s a big deal for them,” he says. “However, we are facing a pilot shortage on our regional aircraft – not on our mainline aircraft – and we expect that shortage to continue for a while, including for the rest of 2022. We do expect there will be a few more communities that we will have to remove from the network. We are still working out those details,” Nocella adds. He says United has “a lot of aircraft that we will under-utilise for the foreseeable future”. Executives say the problem is “not unexpected” and will continue for “for the next year or two”. The coronavirus pandemic accelerated pilot retirements in 2020 as airlines cut costs, shed employees and put aircraft into long-term storage. Now, as demand rebounds and the industry quickly returns to pre-pandemic levels, cracks have opened in airlines’ planning and staffing.<br/>
star
Airlines that had canceled US flights over concerns about interference from 5G wireless signals are returning to their usual schedules after AT&T and Verizon Communications agreed to delay the start of service near airports. ANA and Japan Airlines are both set to resume normal flights Thursday, and Philippine Airlines said Wednesday that it plans to continue service as usual. AT&T and Verizon agreed Tuesday to postpone rolling out 5G service near airports after airline CEOs warned of "significant operational disruption" from the expansion of 5G into a band of frequencies near those used by vital aviation systems. Japan's ANA and JAL were among those that canceled flights as the Wednesday start date approached, along with Emirates and Air India. Major US carriers did not announce any suspensions. The turmoil affected not only passenger service, but also cargo flights, raising the stakes even higher. Japan's Nippon Cargo Airlines canceled two flights between Tokyo and Chicago. "Limited supply means that space is tight, and lead times may be longer than usual," a representative at a freight forwarder said. The problem lies in the wireless companies' use of C-band frequencies for their new 5G networks. AT&T and Verizon together spent about $70b in an auction for C-band spectrum, which is seen as providing a good balance between coverage and data capacity.<br/>
Ahead of its imminent takeover by the conglomerate Tata Sons, Air India has sought the approval of bondholders to bring forward the dates of maturity of two series of bonds sold in September 2011, The Economic Times newspaper reported after seeing copies of the letters. The carrier managed to raise about INR55b rupees (US$739m) through the state-guaranteed bonds, which were sold mainly to wealthy individuals and retirement funds. The 15-year and 20-year bonds carry interest rates of 9.84% and 10.05%, respectively. Air India is reportedly seeking to prepay the non-convertible debentures (NCDs) at a premium at a clean price - without accrued interest between coupon payments - instead of at par value, a move it claims will shield investors from incurring any loss in the current “soft interest rate regime.” The development has led some investors to call Air India’s request an “unprecedented move,” but the company insisted it would ensure bondholders suffer no losses, having revised the terms for repurchase. The company asked the bondholders to submit a reply by January 19, failing which “it will be deemed approval from your end.” An unnamed “senior government official” explained to the newspaper that because the bonds have government guarantees they must be disposed of before the airline is transferred to its new owner. “As the guarantee attached to the two sets of papers is irrevocable and unconditional, it cannot be passed on to any other entity, particularly a private-sector acquirer,” explained Ajay Manglunia, managing director at Mumbai-based financial services firm JM Financial. “The local debt market does not have any such precedent, but it is essential for Air India.”<br/>
Police have arrested and charged an Auckland man after two incidents overnight where a laser was pointed at aircraft. The first incident occurred at around 2.54am where an Air New Zealand flight had a laser pointed at the cockpit. Data from FlightRadar.24.com shows NZ1108 from Sydney flying into Auckland airspace at the same time as the reported incident, at a height of around 9000ft. Around an hour later, the police Eagle helicopter also had a laser pointed at it for a number of minutes. Following further enquiries, the Eagle flight crew were able to locate the offender’s location at a Blockhouse Bay address, where Police arrested and charged a 28-year-old man with two counts of endangering transport. "Pointing lasers at helicopters, or any other aircraft, is not a laughing matter. It's an incredibly dangerous act that puts the crew and any passengers at risk of serious harm," a police spokesperson said. Air New Zealand confirmed NZ1108 had been the target of the laser attack. “The pilot of the B787-9 aircraft followed the standard process and alerted Air Traffic Control. The incident was reported to Police, and a person has since been arrested and charged with Endangering Transport,” Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan said. “Safety is paramount for Air New Zealand and we want to thank Police for their swift response and action, and holding the person responsible to account. “Laser strikes are potentially dangerous and can put our pilots, passengers and crew at risk. We’re incredibly grateful for the work the Police have done and continue to do when these incidents occur.” <br/>