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German leisure carrier Condor has unveiled a new “brand identity” that will see its aircraft painted with a striped livery intended to evoke colours and designs associated with holidays. The operator’s aircraft will be variously adorned with yellow, red, blue, green and beige stripes on a white background, in a brand refresh inspired by “parasols, bath towels and beach chairs”. Six of Condor’s aircraft will operate with the paintwork during the 2022 summer season, the airline states, comprising a mix of Airbus A320s, A321s and Boeing 757s. The carrier’s first A330neo – which is due to enter service in the autumn – will also feature the livery, Condor having selected the type for its long-haul fleet-modernisation programme in July last year. Condor’s logo has also been updated, the airline notes, with “finer, more dynamic lines”, while the “Condor” lettering on the fuselage is now all-lower-case. “Condor has undergone a transformation over the past two and a half years, from a subsidiary of a vertically integrated travel group to an independent airline that looks back proudly on its history and tradition, while at the same time embarking on the path to the future,” says Condor chief executive Ralf Teckentrup. “We want to express this unmistakably through our corporate identity: Condor is vacation and Condor is unmistakable – like our new design, with which we are now launching into the future.”<br/>

Europe’s largest low-cost airline Ryanair has warned its losses for the year to March 31 will be towards the lower end of its predictions. The Dublin-based airline said it expected pre-exceptional losses for the financial year just ended to be in the E350mn to E400mn range. It previously gave a range of E250m to E450m for the period. It also said passenger numbers had recovered to 97mn for the year, against 27.5m for the year to March 31, 2021, but were still well below the 149m annual figure before the pandemic. CE Michael O’Leary has warned that the European airline industry’s recovery has slowed in recent months, because of lockdowns imposed late last year to combat the Omicron coronavirus variant, and then the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While people have begun flying again in significant numbers, Ryanair has kept ticket prices low outside busy periods to encourage people to book, O’Leary said last week. Mark Simpson, an aviation analyst at Goodbody, said the changes to Ryanair’s financial guidance were “slightly disappointing”, but added that investors’ focus “remains on the build-up of demand over the next two months” as the peak spring and summer season begins. O’Leary has predicted a rapid recovery over the next 12 months thanks to pent up demand for travel, when he expects Ryanair to carry more than 150mn passengers and swing back into profit, partly because it is well hedged against rising oil prices. The airline said on Monday it had hedged 80% of its expected fuel requirements over the next 12 months.<br/>

Travellers embarking on Easter trips faced chaos on Monday as more flights were cancelled by struggling airlines and cross-Channel rail services were hit by major delays. Airlines are suffering from staff shortages related to coronavirus sickness, leading to flights being grounded. Eurotunnel warned its vehicle-carrying Le Shuttle rail services from Folkestone, Kent to Calais, France were delayed by three hours due to “a train stopped temporarily in the tunnel”. The travel disruption is affecting many families heading abroad for the Easter school holiday, which is the first since the UK’s coronavirus restrictions for international travellers were dropped. EasyJet cancelled 62 flights scheduled for Monday, after axing at least 222 flights across Saturday and Sunday. A spokesperson for the airline said: “As a result of the current high rates of Covid infections across Europe, like all businesses easyJet is experiencing higher than usual levels of employee sickness.” The spokesperson added that the number of cancellations “represents a small proportion” of the total of 1,645 planned for Monday. British Airways cancelled at least 115 flights to or from Heathrow Airport on Monday, although only a handful were last-minute cancellations caused by coronavirus-related staff shortages.<br/>

Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has signed an agreement with Texel Air, a Bahraini registered airline and MRO, to explore cooperation opportunities including charter agreements, engineering and maintenance activities. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Captain Waleed AlAlawi, Acting CEO of Gulf Air and John Chisholm, Chairman of Chisholm Enterprises which is the parent company for Texel Air. Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “We are always looking to discover ways to enhance our commercial partnerships, and to get involved in every related sector of the aviation industry, we are very impressed with this collaboration with Texel Air and look forward to embarking on mutually fruitful relations for the two parties. “Gulf Air currently serves its network with a combination fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Renowned for our traditional Arabian hospitality, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain is committed to being an industry leader and developing products and services that reflect the evolving needs and aspirations of its passengers.”<br/>

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has asked its cockpit crew not to observe fast while flying to ensure flight and passenger safety. In this connection, Aamir Bashir, General Manager of Flight Services, issued directives to the pilots of the national flag carrier in an intra-organisational circular. The instructions have been issued in the context of PIA’s last plane crash in 2020 as Flight 8303 from Lahore to Karachi crashed on the last Friday of Ramadan that year. The crash took the lives of 98 persons while two passengers survived. Initial probe reports suggested human error had a role in the crash, as the pilots didn’t follow the set flying procedures before landing. “Focusing on specific human issues such as diet and its relationship to flight performance could help reduce the rate of pilot errors and accidents. Proper nutrition is essential to meet the physiological demands of flying,” said the PIA circular. Poor or irregular eating habits can be a contributory cause of decreased pilot performance. Research has shown that low blood glucose levels, especially during the fasting period, contribute towards decreased cognitive function. This is especially relevant for aircrew personnel given the physiological demand placed upon them, the circular added.<br/>

The country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, has suspended some pilots after simmering anger among them over continued pay cuts imposed at the beginning of the pandemic led to calls for mass sick leave on Tuesday. “We confirm that a handful of IndiGo pilots have been suspended from duty for indulging in activities that are in contravention to the terms of their employment and in violation of the code of conduct of the Company,” the airline said. Several pilots said they were shocked by the airline’s disciplinary action. The airlines’ pilots have been “frustrated” at steep pay cuts that continue to be in place at the airline despite revival in demand for air travel for the past few months, and ebbing of COVID-19 cases. For the past two years, pilots have seen a salary cut of 28%, while their flying allowances have been halved. Last week, a few pilots had given a call for reporting sick on April 5 to protest the pay cuts as well as discussed forming a union of IndiGo employees, followed by a “grand union” of employees across various airlines. IndiGo responded to these internal murmurs by partially reversing its pay cuts last week. It reduced 28% of pay cuts to 20% for pilots and 38% for examiners to 30%. It also promised that additional revision of up to 6.5% would be implemented from November 1, 2022.<br/>

An April Fool's prank tweeted by staff at budget airline Thai Vietjet could lead to criminal charges after an activist lawyer filed a complaint with police alleging it had insulted Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Police will decide later whether to pursue a criminal case under strict "lese majeste" laws - which make defaming the monarchy punishable by up to 15 years in prison - against staff of the airline, an offshoot of Vietnam's Vietjet Aviation. Thai Vietjet's official account tweeted on April 1 that the airline was launching a new international route between the Thai province of Nan and Munich in Germany, which stirred online anger and threats of boycotts among ultra-royalists. The offending tweet was later removed and the airline apologised the next day saying senior management had not known about the tweet that advertised a "flight route between a province in Thailand and a city in Europe, which led to many public reactions". The tweet did not mention King Vajiralongkorn, 69, who has a home in Germany where he spends time with Royal Noble Consort Sineenat Wongvajiraphakdi, who was born in Nan province. The king granted Sineenat the title of royal consort shortly after his 2019 coronation. He had earlier in the year married a member of his personal bodyguard unit, who became Queen Suthida. Student-led protests in recent years have seen some activists openly criticising the king for time spent outside the country, among other things. At least 183 people have been charged with insulting the monarchy since the protests began in 2020. Airline CEO Woranate Laprabang responded to the online royalist outrage by saying the staff responsible had been suspended pending an investigation.<br/>

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) aims to attract 1.75m tourists from short-haul markets this year as more countries reopen, and will partner with Thai AirAsia (TAA) to bring in at least 18,000 package tours over the next few months. Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and the South Pacific, said the authority has to actively promote tourism as airlines are resuming international flights, borders are being lifted, and people are learning to live with Covid-19. TAT wants 1.1m tourists from Southeast Asia to visit this year, given that they can now largely travel without restrictions, while cross-border tourism could get even easier. Thanet said TAT has partnered with TAA to boost international visitors by launching joint promotions in different countries to attract at least 18,000 inbound package tours between April and July. The goal is for Vietnam to account for 11,000 package tours, mainly from independent travellers and families with children, and 3,000 Singaporean tours, made up of millennials and young couples. Meanwhile, the campaign is also targeting the medical and wellness segments from Malaysia and Cambodia, which is expected to secure 1,000 package tours from each country. The goal for Australia is around 200,000 tourists, while for India it is 450,000.<br/>

Cebu Pacific is expecting to restore over 100% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity this month, after it ramped up its network with the easing of pandemic travel restrictions. As the summer peak season approaches, the airline has noted a 200% increase in its average daily flights for both domestic and international combined – from about 100 flights per day in 2020, to about 300 at present. Flights from Manila to key domestic destinations, such as Boracay and Cebu, have already exceeded the flight frequencies of 2019. The airline currently operates 96% of its pre-pandemic domestic capacity. The improvement has enabled CEB to carry more passengers and boost its cargo service which means faster and more efficient movement of goods across its widest domestic network. “It is encouraging to see and feel travel confidence returning. We thank our passengers for their continued trust, and we will endeavor to live true to our promise of providing safe, affordable, and accessible air travel,” said Lance Gokongwei, President & CEO at Cebu Pacific. <br/>

Virgin Australia is offering a raft of discounts and extra air miles to business customers, traditionally a stronghold of Qantas Airways Ltd., as part of a longer-term bid to lock in one third of the domestic air-travel market. The Bain Capital-owned airline on Tuesday rolled out a loyalty program specifically targeting Australian businesses. New members can get cheaper fares, and the carrier will give air miles to companies that sign up as well as staff that travel, it said. Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka is betting the pandemic has made corporate customers more price conscious. The airline also plans to lay on more flights on the key business routes linking Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane as it claws back share from Qantas. Virgin “intends to hold its market share at 33% over time,” it said. The airline carried 34% of passengers in Australia in January this year, up from 22% in November 2020 when it emerged from administration, according to the competition watchdog. <br/>