United Airlines said it would temporarily stop flying in and out of Kennedy International Airport in New York at the end of October after struggling to gain a competitive foothold there. In a note to employees on Friday, the airline said it had had “constructive” conversations with the Federal Aviation Administration about expanding United’s presence at JFK, where flights are tightly regulated. The agency was committed to making improvements, but such changes would take time, United said. “Given our current, too-small-to-be-competitive schedule out of JFK — coupled with the start of the winter season, where more airlines will operate their slots as they resume JFK flying — United has made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend service at JFK,” it said. The airline had formally restarted flights out of the airport last year after a five-year hiatus. United had offered service at JFK earlier in the pandemic by taking advantage of unused takeoff and landing authorizations, known as slots, that had been awarded to other airlines. But now that travel demand has recovered, those airlines have reclaimed those slots. The announcement comes amid a court trial in which American Airlines and JetBlue Airways are defending an alliance they formed in New York and Boston, which they argue is necessary to compete with the dominant airlines in those cities: United and Delta Air Lines. The Justice Department is suing to break up that partnership, arguing that it is anticompetitive.<br/>
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The Egyptian ambassador to Libya, Tamer Mostafa, accompanied by Consul General, Ahmed El-Mekkawi, inaugurated on Sunday the office of EgyptAir in Tripoli, after a hiatus of more than eight years. On the occasion, a ceremony was held and attended by the director of the EgyptAir, the director of the Dekheila company, the agent of the company in Libya, and the director of the Libyan company for handling and ground services. EgyptAir pays attention to Libya, especially with the presence of many Egyptians residing and working in the Libyan territories, as well as with the aim of promoting trade and economic exchange between the two countries.<br/>
The US and the UK are expected to approve the proposed operations under the Korean Air-Asiana Airlines acquisition deal as early as November, according to industry officials, Sunday. Korean Air expects that if approved by the US and the UK, it will have a positive effect on the European Union, Japan and China competition authorities to follow suit. Korean Air is said to be in negotiations with foreign airlines and domestic low-cost carriers to propose an alternative airline to operate instead of Asiana Airlines following the acquisition as the competition authorities require that Korean Air propose a new airline to operate on behalf of Asiana Airlines in order to maintain market competitiveness. Korean Air is reported to have recently signed a business agreement with domestic low-cost carriers to operate routes to Europe and the US. In the case of the Incheon-Los Angeles route, Air Premia will start service this month as a domestic airline, and the number of flights will be gradually expanded. Korean Air is also known to be in negotiations with Vietnam Airlines to take over some of its routes. The remaining US routes are expected to be taken over by US airlines such as United and Delta. The US Department of Justice is expected to interview Korean Air executives and managers this month and review measures proposed by Korean Air.<br/>British airline Virgin Atlantic is expected to launch new flights between <br/>
Tata Group-owned Air India is considering raising at least $1 billion in a funding round that could value the carrier at around $5 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Air India declined to comment, while Tata Sons did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The airline is in discussions with potential investors including private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds, Bloomberg reported. The fund raise plan comes after Air India earlier in the day announced 20 additional weekly flights to Britain and the United States. The carrier had said it would expand its fleet by more than 25%. read more It is targeting at least a 30% share of the domestic market over the next five years as it looks to rebuild its reputation after years of losses at the former state-run airline.<br/>