A French court on Wednesday ordered a Yemeni airline that operated a passenger plane that crashed into the Indian Ocean in 2009 to pay damages to the flight’s lone survivor and the families of 65 French citizens who died. The Yemenia flight departed from Paris, picked up more passengers in the southern French city of Marseille and made a stopover in Sanaa, Yemen, where 142 passengers and 11 crew members boarded another plane to continue to the capital of Comoros, an island nation off Africa’s east coast. The aging Airbus A310 crashed about 15 kilometers (9 miles) off the Comorian coast on June 30, 2009 while attempting to land in strong wind. A total of 152 people were killed, a majority of them from Comoros. Yemenia, which is the flagship carrier of Yemen, was charged in the Paris court with “manslaughter and unintentional injuries.” The trial in the civil case ended in June. The company had denied responsibility. But the court ordered Yemenia to pay a total of E225,000 in damages to the survivor, Bahia Bakari, and to the families of the French victims. Yemenia’s lawyers said they would appeal. Bakari, whose mother died in the crash, said she was relieved by the court’s decision but that it would not erase the trauma and grief she has suffered. “It’s something that has impacted me, that will impact me all my life,” Bakari told The Associated Press after the verdict was issued. Bakari, who was 12 years old at the time of crash, survived by clinging to floating debris from the plane for 11 hours before being rescued. She suffered a broken collarbone, a broken hip, burns and other injuries. Now 25, Bakari gave powerful testimony in a packed Paris courtroom in May, earning praise for her bravery from judges and lawyers.<br/>
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Lufthansa Group is to bring its two leisure carriers Edelweiss and Eurowings Discover under one leader as the chief executive of the Swiss unit Bernd Bauer is to take on the same role at the recently launched German operation. Bauer has headed Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss since 2014, and will from October add responsibility for Eurowings Discover – the German leisure operation Lufthansa launched in July last year to tap the tourism market from Frankfurt and Munich. While the two airlines will have a joint chief executive, Lufthansa says they will remain independent in future and operate under their own brands in their respective markets. Both carriers retain dedicated management. Wolfgang Raebiger will serve as chief operating offer and Helmut Woelfel chief commercial officer at Eurowings, while David Birrer and Patrick Heymann will hold the same roles at Edelweiss. Lufthansa says the move will expand and strengthen the management team at Eurowings Discover. ”Edelweiss has a vast and decades-long experience in the tourism sector. It is the leading Swiss vacation airline based at Zurich airport. The development of Eurowings Discover in Germany was designed along its lines,” it says.<br/>
An engine fire sparked a rush to evacuate an Air India Express plane that was preparing to take off from Oman, leaving some passengers with light injuries, officials said Wednesday. Footage aired by Omani TV showed smoke billowing from the plane, which had been taxiing for departure for Kochi in India's south, as passengers streamed across the tarmac. Some of the 141 passengers received "minor bruises", the airline said, adding there was no fire warning in the cockpit and the smoke was spotted by another aircraft. "While it was on the taxiway, another aircraft reported observing fumes from one of the engines. However, there was no fire warning indication in the cockpit," a statement said. "As a matter of abundant precaution... the crew stopped on the taxiway and activated the onboard engine fire extinguishers." A relief flight will take the passengers to Kochi later on Wednesday, Air India Express added.<br/>
Lessor CDB Aviation has completed the delivery of the last of 10 Airbus A320 aircraft to Indonesian low-cost carrier and Lion Group affiliate Super Air Jet. The 10 A320s were delivered over a period of 18 months, says CDB Aviation, the Irish unit of China Development Bank Financial Leasing. “We are pleased to have been part of the launch of Super Air Jet as they eye further growth in their share of Indonesia’s domestic market, expanding their low-fare route network and connecting all key regions of the country,” says Ryan Barrett, CDB Aviation head of commercial. Super Air Jet commenced domestic operations in Indonesia in August 2021, two months after obtaining its air operator’s certificate.<br/>It is headed by Ari Azhari, who was formerly with Lion Group. Though the carrier’s ownership structure is unclear, it is understood to controlled by Lion founder Rusdi Kirana. Cirium fleets data suggests that Super Air Jet has 34 A320s, all of which are leased. Other prominent lessors with aircraft at the carrier are Avolon with 10 aircraft and Carlyle Aviation Partners with six.<br/>
Virgin Australia is reluctant to resume long-haul services even as demand for international travel soars, Chief Executive Officer Jayne Hrdlicka said, as the airline seeks to rein in costs and prepares for an initial public offering as soon as next year. “Anything that we did from a long-haul standpoint would have a very high hurdle on it,” Hrdlicka said in an interview at a CAPA Centre for Aviation conference in Adelaide. The airline said in a filing Wednesday that it may consider a return to long haul at some point. “There is a lot of demand right now for long-haul flying and not enough capacity, but you have to plan for the long term. You don’t invest significant amounts of capital in aircraft to solve for a moment in time,” the CEO said. Hrdlicka anticipates that Virgin Australia will return to profit in the year ending June 2023, laying the ground for a share sale -- possibly next year -- and at least a partial exit by the airline’s owner, US buyout firm Bain Capital. After collapsing under a mountain of debt at the start of the pandemic, Virgin Australia is now focused on keeping hold of one-third of the domestic passenger market and short-haul flights to destinations such as New Zealand. “We’re very focused on running the business and making sure that we’re in great form for eventual listing,” Hrdlicka said.<br/>
Australian airline Rex plans to add more Boeing Co. 737s within months, giving it enough jets for a nationwide network of intercity routes as it seeks to steal business away from troubled Qantas Airways. Rex, best known for flying small propeller-driven aircraft between regional towns, is fast building out a new jet division plying busy domestic routes including Sydney-Melbourne. The tiny airline is carving out market share partly because it’s proving more reliable than giant rival Qantas, which is beset by post-pandemic flight cancellations, delays and lost bags. Having added a seventh Boeing 737 last week, Rex could add two more by the end of 2022, director Chris Hine said in an interview at a CAPA Centre for Aviation conference in Adelaide. Those extra planes could potentially open up routes to Australia’s western seaboard, to Tasmania in the south, or to new destinations on the east coast, Hine said. “It’s probably a network that does start to have critical mass,” Hine said. “We haven’t made a decision as a board yet but there are various opportunities.” Rex’s new fast-jet business has helped the company more than double its pre-pandemic market share to 5%. Hine described Qantas’s current operational woes, which are piling pressure on CEO Alan Joyce, as Rex’s best advert. Rex could ultimately drive its market share to 10% or more as additional jets enter service, Hine said. “Every time we see an opportunity to grow that fleet, we’ll take it,” he said. Regional Express Holdings, as Rex is formally known, has previously said it plans to operate as many as 30 Boeing 737s.<br/>