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Lufthansa, which narrowed its losses in 2021 but remained in the red, said it could not provide a detailed outlook for 2022 due to the war in Ukraine and the pandemic. The airline said it expected significant improvement in operating results for the rest of the year after a challenging Q1 2022. "We are very sure that air traffic will experience a strong upswing this year," said CE Carsten Spohr. "Now we are leaving the crisis behind us mentally and - in view of the strong booking figures this year - also in business terms." But major uncertainties regarding developments in Ukraine and the economic and political fallout, as well as uncertainties regarding the course of the pandemic, did not allow the company to provide a detailed financial outlook, Lufthansa said. Moscow has closed its airspace to European and US aircraft after European states and the United States banned Russian flights. Airlines are bracing for potentially lengthy blockages of key east-west flight corridors and preparing for further disruptions to its passenger and freight businesses.<br/>

Lufthansa has no plans to take a majority stake in Alitalia’s successor ITA Airways, the German airline’s CEO said on Thursday, telling investors not to worry about his pursuit of a business that racked up years of losses before its relaunch. Lufthansa has teamed up with shipping group MSC to express an interest in ITA and could soon be given access to its books after the Italian government detailed ways to sell the slimmed down airline. MSC has said it would take a majority stake in ITA, with Lufthansa as a junior partner. Asked whether Lufthansa wanted a majority stake in ITA, CEO Carsten Spohr said that was “far away” from its intentions. He said the German airline would look carefully at ITA’s finances, referring to Alitalia’s years of losses and failed attempts to clinch an alliance. “We know what we are doing in Italy, no worry,” said Spohr. “I hear my shareholders - don’t worry we know there is a legacy.” It was the Italian government that put the two suitors together. “The government linked us up with MSC, and they asked us for a blind date, and we fell in love,” said Spohr. The CE met MSC’s Italian owners - the Aponte family - in person as he regarded this as crucial for a common project of this size, he said. <br/>

Lufthansa Group CE Carsten Spohr describes plans for a new AOC within the group as a “second CityLine” operation, noting it could be of similar size and would have the same terms for staff as the regional unit. The new AOC is in part being developed as a home for pilots at the former Germanwings operation, which suspended flights in 2020. The airline say negotiations are continuing over the remaining Germanwings pilots still without work. Spohr provided more details of the new AOC operation, saying he welcomed the chance to clarify the plans. ”We are going to have something I call a second CityLine, which plans to launch operations in spring next year, and it’s going to serve several purposes,” he explains. ”On the one hand it offers a contingency solution for about 250 highly-trained captains and pilots at Germanwings who will otherwise become unemployed at the end of this month. Secondly, we reached an agreement with the pilots’ union that will not allow CityLine to operate aircraft with more than 75 seats from 2026, so we are offering the employees of CityLine a perspective. Thirdly, we believe… the mix of how we operate our hubs at Frankfurt and Munich will shift towards are airlines with good unit costs,” he says. Spohr notes the new airline will accommodate about 250 captains, similar to the number CityLine currently has.<br/>

Japan’s two largest airlines have cancelled flights to Europe because of worries about flying over Russian airspace, in the latest disruption to aviation stemming from the conflict in Ukraine. ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines are among the first airlines to suffer disruption on journeys from Asia to Europe. Airlines typically travel over Russian airspace when flying between Europe and north-east Asia as the route known as the “Great Circle” offers the most direct journey. ANA cancelled several flights for Thursday and Friday, and said those scheduled on or after Friday will be rerouted. “This will result in longer flight times, and there may be changes in departure and arrival times as well as delays,” it said. JAL said it had cancelled flights after having considered various risks. The company added that it would announce a flight schedule for Friday and beyond “as soon as it is decided”. European airlines also face long new routes to Asia, following a spate of retaliatory flight bans between Moscow and Europe, the US and Canada. Japan has so far resisted calls by the US to join such restrictions. Avoiding Russian airspace adds more than 1,000 nautical miles and 150 minutes to a flight between Paris and Tokyo, and 855 nautical miles and 105 minutes between Amsterdam and Beijing, according to Eurocontrol, the European air traffic manager.<br/>

Air New Zealand will soon be interviewing new pilots to join the company for the first time in two years. An ad on the airline’s recruitment page says it is taking expressions of interest from pilots wanting to join Air New Zealand in its turboprop fleets as first officers. “Here, you'll find yourself in the right-hand seat of an ATR or a Dash 8 Q300,” the ad says. Turboprop first officer is an entry level position for pilots. They are second in command of the aircraft and their role is to assist the captain. To be considered candidates must meet a range of requirements including holding a commercial pilot licence as well as clocking up 500 hours total flight time, 25 night hours and 40 hours instrument flight time, the ad says. The positions are based in Auckland, Christchurch, Napier, Nelson, New Plymouth and Wellington.<br/>

There were scenes of jubilation and celebration at Gold Coast Airport on Wednesday, after the first flight from Aotearoa in more than seven months touched down. The passengers aboard the Air New Zealand A321 neo received a special Gold Coast welcome back when they entered the terminal, as well as a performance from the Biren Aboriginal Dance Group, entertainment from a singer-guitarist, theme park characters and gift packs of Tim Tams. The flight arrival coincides with a further easing of restrictions for fully vaccinated Kiwis who no longer need to self-isolate when they return to New Zealand from Australia. Queensland Airports Limited CEO Chris Mills said demand for the initial Air NZ services had been strong. <br/>