Ukraine International Airlines said on Sunday it had extended the suspension of its regular and charter flights until March 23 due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace to civilian users. The country's biggest airline stopped operating services on Feb. 24 after Russia invaded Ukraine, targeting airports and other critical infrastructure, prompting the government in the capital Kyiv to introduce martial law and close its skies. "Currently, passengers of cancelled flights can take advantage of the free change of flight date for an unused ticket," UIA said. It said that reimbursement according to its rules will be possible from March 26, 2022.<br/>
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Hong Kong International Airport, previously one of the busiest in the world, is eerily quiet these days as government flight bans and quarantine restrictions have choked off most passenger services. Yet local startup carrier Greater Bay Airlines is pushing ahead with plans to launch passenger flights as soon as summer and is further building up its fleet and workforce. This week, the airline reached what CE Algernon Yau called a "key milestone" -- winning a five-year license from Hong Kong to operate scheduled flights on up to 104 routes. "Honestly, we hope we can start with the mainland first ... Beijing and Shanghai together," Yau said. Other target routes he cited include Taiwan, Japan and South Korea and Southeast Asia. Since Jan. 8, Hong Kong has banned inbound passenger arrivals from eight countries, covering leading flight markets including the U.S., the UK, the Philippines, India, Australia, France and Canada. Nepal was later added to the ban, which was extended this week to April 20. Many major carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, have had to suspend routes to the city for two weeks at a time as a penalty for carrying COVID-positive passengers. Other carriers, especially from Europe and the US, have halted services due to Hong Kong's onerous quarantine restrictions for flight crew. The government has also barred passengers from 150 countries from using Hong Kong airport for transit purposes. As a result, Hong Kong airport received just 183 passengers on Thursday, according to Immigration Department records. Before COVID, Hong Kong would typically see 500 passenger flights landing a day, many with hundreds on board.<br/>
Dubai's Emirates could cancel an order for Boeing 777X passenger jets if the model's entry into service slips beyond the end of 2023, the airline's president was reported saying. "Honestly, if it goes beyond 2023, and it goes on for another year, we probably cancel the program," Tim Clark told industry publication AirlineRatings. "What else can we do? We can’t continue the way we are. Boeing really needs to get their act together and get this aircraft sorted." Emirates is the world's largest international carrier, according to industry data, and largest user of wide-body jets. "Don’t forget the aircraft was originally designed for delivery in April 2020; it’s now 2024 if we are lucky. You’ve now got a four-year delay with the programme. If they got another year on it, we are going to question if this is fit for purpose or not, what’s the problem with it?" A Boeing spokesperson said it "remains focused on executing the comprehensive series of tests and conditions to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the airplane’s design". Boeing will continue to work closely with customers, the company said. Emirates is the largest customer for the upgraded version of Boeing's 777 mini-jumbo. The upgrade is facing additional scrutiny and certification delays in the wake of a safety crisis over the 737 MAX. <br/>
Bangkok Airways suffered more losses in 2021, as the coronavirus impact continued to depress Thailand’s tourism market. Operating losses for the full year ended 31 December 2021 were Bt2.5b ($77.9m), narrowing from an operating loss of Bt3.3b a year earlier, says the carrier. Overall revenues dived 44.5% to Bt5.7b. Passenger revenue at the airline business fell 78.7%, while revenues at the company’s airport business declined 75.7% - Bangkok Airways owns and operates airports at Samui, Trat, and Sukhothai. Net losses ballooned to Bt8.5b from Bt5.3b a year earlier. The sharp revenue drop reflects that Covid-19 impacted all 12 months of 2021, but only the last nine months of 2020. Moreover, Thailand suffered a third wave of the pandemic in April 2021, causing Bangkok Airways to suspend flights from July to September. The airline adds that the Thailand ‘Sand Box’ scheme for vaccinated travellers did little for its results in Q4. In 2021, Bangkok Airways carried just 536,000 passengers, down 71.5% from 2020. The year saw flights flown fall by two thirds to 8,694, ASKs fall 73.4%, and RPKS fall 75.2%.<br/>