United Airlines plans to announce a major Boeing 787 Dreamliner order next week, two sources briefed on the matter told Reuters. Chicago-based United late on Thursday invited reporters to a "historic announcement" on Tuesday at the Boeing South Carolina factory that builds the 787 at an event that will feature the airline's chief executive, Scott Kirby, and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stan Deal. United and Boeing both declined to comment. Kirby told pilots attending a Denver training session in August that the carrier is planning to order more than 100 wide-body airplanes. In October, Bloomberg News reported United was nearing an order for more than 100 wide-body jets and was evaluating offers from Boeing and Airbus SE's (AIR.PA) A350. It is not clear how many 787s United may order. The announcement comes after Boeing suffered a significant setback this week when Congress failed to extend the Dec. 27 deadline for introducing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for two new versions of the 737 MAX as part of a must-pass defense bill. In October, Boeing said it was continuing to produce 787s at a low rate, and "will gradually return to five airplanes per month over time." Boeing said with strong demand and more than 400 wide-body airplanes in backlog "we anticipate higher production rates."<br/>
star
Emirates and Air Canada have expanded their partnership to offer frequent flyer members joint loyalty programme benefits. Emirates Skywards members can now earn and redeem Miles on all flights operated by Air Canada – accessing a network of more than 220 destinations worldwide. Aeroplan members will also benefit from earning and redeeming Points on all flights operated by Emirates – with access to more than 130 destinations across six continents, via the airline’s home and hub, Dubai. The agreement was signed by Dr Nejib Ben Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President Emirates Skywards, and Mark Youssef Nasr, Senior Vice President, Product, Marketing, e-Commerce, Air Canada and President, Aeroplan, at the Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai. Dr Nejib Ben Khedher commented: "We’re very pleased to be enhancing our partnership with Air Canada and officially kicking off our joint loyalty programme offering. Together, close to 40 million frequent flyer members will be able to earn and redeem Miles across a joint network of more than 350 destinations and enjoy selected benefits, such as lounge access. We look forward to opening new horizons for our loyal members and to also welcoming Aeroplan customers on-board Emirates with our award-winning products and exceptional services."<br/>
Colombia’s Avianca is streamlining its fleet with a goal of flying passengers exclusively with Airbus A320s and Boeing 787 Dreamliners by June 2023. The 103-year-old Bogota-based carrier is expecting deliveries of 16 A320neos, 11 A320ceos and three 787s in 2023, it said during a press conference at Avianca’s corporate headquarters in Bogota on 6 December. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the airline’s fleet also included A319s, A330s, ATR42s and ATR72s. “We’re moving to the 787, the 320neo and the 320ceo and we’re getting rid of everything else,” Frederico Pedreira, Avianca’s chief operating officer, told FlightGlobal during a 7 December interview in Bogota. Avianca will keep a few A319s as backup for scheduled services and charters, but will otherwise move forward with a more uniform fleet that will simplify the airline’s maintenance operations, Pedreira says. The company has orders for 88 new A320s through 2030. Following a broad trend among Latin American carriers, Avianca is transitioning to a low-cost business model in the wake of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2020, when Covid-19-driven travel bans grounded fleets across the region. The recovering airline has expanded its network to include 67 destinations in Latin America, the Caribbean and North America, with 22 routes introduced in 2022, and is also pursuing tie-ups with three fellow Latin Amerian carriers – Gol, Sky Airlines and Viva Air. Avianca plans to join Brazilian operator Gol as subsidiaries of a holding company called Abra Group. The transaction, expected go through in the first month of 2023, doesn’t need approval from the Colombian government because there is no operational overlap between the two airlines. Under the deal, which has been approved by Brazilian authorities, Avianca and Gol will keep their operations and brands separate, Pedreira says.<br/>
Portuguese flag carrier TAP is running a reduced service as its cabin crew stage a two-day strike to demand higher salaries and better working conditions. The strike, called by the national SNPVAC union representing cabin crew staff for Dec. 8-9, had already forced TAP to cancel 360 flights. The airline said it was only operating the "minimum services" decreed by a court. SNPVAC president, Ricardo Penarroias, told Lusa news agency the majority of TAP cabin crew had decided to walk out but said they were still available to negotiate with the airline to avoid further strikes until the end of January. Penarroias told Dinheiro Vivo news site that strikes over the Christmas and New Year period were on the table, a move that would have a significant financial impact on TAP, which has already lost 8 million euros in revenue due to the ongoing action. The ailing airline, 72.5% controlled by the Portuguese state, was saved by a E3.2b rescue plan approved by Brussels. It has reduced its fleet, cut more than 2,900 jobs and lowered wages in an attempt to return to profit in the next few years. However, SNPVAC has demanded the company unfreeze pay progression and respect maternity leave and rest periods. It described TAP's proposed labour agreement as "absolutely unacceptable". Surging inflation across Europe has seen millions of workers struggle with higher living costs, prompting unions to demand pay increases, often via strikes and protests. The pace of consumer price growth has slowed in Portugal but inflation is still near three-decade highs.<br/>
Cabin crew at airline SWISS will get pay rises of 4% to 18% under a new five-year contract agreed at the unit of Deutsche Lufthansa, the two sides said on Thursday. Rank-and-file members of the kapers union still need to sign off on the terms agreed in negotiations on a collective labour agreement (CLA), but the airline and union leaders hailed the deal that follows accords with SWISS ground and cockpit staff. "After some very tough negotiations, I am all the more delighted that we have reached agreement on a new CLA that delivers significant benefits for all our cabin crew members, in terms of both their remuneration and the plannability of their private lives," union official Reto Schmid said. The monthly starting salary will rise to 4,000 Swiss francs ($4,255) from January, and existing salaries will increase by at least 4% for all salary levels, the company said in a statement. "All in all, the improvements agreed under CLA23 will cost SWISS some 100m Swiss francs in additional investment over the next five years," it said.<br/>
SAS will launch 20 new routes in the summer of 2023, bringing its total to more than 5000 weekly flights to over 100 destinations. The new routes primarily focus on reliable beach destinations and boosting domestic and regional connectivity. The new summer program announced by SAS includes more than 200 routes with new links from all three Scandinavian capitals. The carrier has indicated it will continue to increase the number of flights on major domestic, Scandinavian, and international routes to meet a rise in demand for travel. Erik Westman, EVP & CCO, Network and Revenue management, expresses his optimism for the upcoming season: "We are pleased to present our program for this summer, and we are delighted to see a continuous increase in demand for travel. The summer offering includes several new destinations as well expanded capacity to already existing popular summer destinations. SAS will continue to add to our already extensive network during the coming months with several exciting new destinations. We look forward to a busy summer and to welcoming our passengers onboard.”<br/>
Türkiye's flag carrier Turkish Airlines has been honoured as the best design airline of Europe 2022. TheDesignAir awards selected the carrier as the "Design Airline of the Year" on Thursday for its touch points such as lounge, check-in islands, ticket offices and in-flight design and products. Ahmet Olmustur, the carrier’s chief marketing officer, said: "From the entrance to the check-in counters and lounges at Istanbul Airport, and to the new cabin and seat designs on board, we meticulously inject our Turkish Airlines brand identity at every touch point. With our traditional hospitality, we strive to make our passengers’ experience privileged by providing service beyond their expectations.” "Turkish has continued to excel at passenger experience, brand and customer service, and where some carriers have been cutting back, Turkish has continued to invest in enhancements both on the ground and in the skies,” said TheDesignAir.<br/>
Namibia's Airports Company on Thursday welcomed backed South African Airways to its fray of international airlines that call at the country flagship, Hosea Kutako International Airport, as the aviation industry revitalizes. The SAA, which landed on Thursday, last visited Namibia in March 2019 and with its return will join other airlines calling at HKIA that include, Qatar Airways; TAAG Angola; Ethiopian Airlines; German's Eurowings Discover; Airlink from South Africa; and FlyNamibia Airline, NAC spokesperson Dan Kamati told Xinhua Thursday. "We at NAC are excited with the return of SAA because it means more choices for visitors and travelers," Kamati said, noting that Qatar Airways also restarted its Windhoek-Doha route earlier this year in June. According to Kamati, the SAA will offer two-daily flights weekly between Windhoek and Johannesburg. Welcoming the development, Namibia's deputy minister of transport, Veikko Nekundi in a statement said the re-launch of SAA's service between Windhoek and Johannesburg will strengthen trade and tourism while fostering the existing ties on all fronts.<br/>
Korean Air is offering to ease entry for the UK’s Virgin Atlantic on specific routes in order to remedy competition concerns over its merger with Asiana. Virgin Atlantic is in line to join the SkyTeam alliance, of which Korean Air is already a member. The UK Competition and Markets Authority is opening a consultation on Korean Air’s proposals which were submitted to avoid an in-depth investigation into the tie-up. According to the authority, Korean Air has offered undertakings to enter a binding framework agreement with Virgin Atlantic to “facilitate its entry” on the specific routes of concern. Korean Air will also support entry by “one or more” alternative airlines in the event that Virgin cannot meet “certain entry conditions”, the authority adds. The authority is initiating a public consultation as to whether the proposals are sufficient to address its concerns. It is inviting views from interested parties until 23 December. The authority has until 23 March next year to consider whether to accept the undertakings, or a modified version of them.<br/>
Air India would spend more than $400m to refurbish the interiors of its entire wide-body fleet to attract more flyers after the carrier was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group at the start of this year, it said on Thursday. The refurbishment will involve introduction of a premium economy cabin, it said in a statement, adding that the first aircraft with refurbished interiors will enter service in mid-2024. "Air India has committed to attain the highest standards of product and service befitting of a world class airline. We know that, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard," the company said. The airline is working closely with partners to speed up the refit process and is leasing at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand new interiors in the meantime, it added. Once known for its lavishly decorated planes and stellar service, state-owned Air India was swept into a downward spiral due to mounting debt and ballooning losses. The carrier drew flak for poor maintenance and delays as it struggled to pay staff and suppliers on time. The troubled airline, which had been up for sale for years, was taken over by the Tata Group in January after winning a $2.4b bid.<br/>
New Air India has strong promoters and stakeholders, but it’s a long way from competing with airlines like Etihad and Emirates, IATA DG Willie Walsh said. “I think it is a very strong development for Air India. The combined entity of Air India and Vistara and particularly with Singapore Airlines taking 25.1% stake in the combined entity has to be seen as a positive development," Walsh said. But he cautioned that the recently privatized national carrier has a long way to go to rebuild its brand, which he said has been diminished over the last 25 years, losing significant domestic market to other carriers. IndiGo is the largest domestic airline in India with a market share of 56.7% as of October, followed by Vistara at 9.2%, Air India at 9.1%, and AirAsia India at 7.6%. The Tata group-run Air India brand now has four airlines under its umbrella—Air India, AirAsia India, Vistara and budget international carrier Air India Express. “If you look at where Air India was historically and where it is today, it is a long way to recover the lost ground that Air India has experienced over the last 25 years. So, if you look at how the Middle East hubs have developed during that period and what has happened to Air India during that period, they have gone in opposite directions," Walsh said.<br/>
Thai Airways International (THAI) has resumed its flights to Japan’s northern city of Sapporo due to higher demand during the tourist season. Two daily THAI flights connect Bangkok and Sapporo, the capital of the mountainous northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. Flight TG670 leaves Bangkok at 11.55pm and arrives in Sapporo at 8.20am the next day (local time). Flight TG671 leaves Sapporo at 10am (local time) and arrives in Bangkok at 3.50pm. The current schedule is valid until April 30 next year. THAI’s Sapporo flights, which were suspended after the Covid-19 crisis struck, have now become popular among travellers, particularly during the current high tourism season in Japan. The airline reported an average passenger load factor (cabin factor) of 75 per cent for the route. The national carrier is now flying to six airports in Japan — Tokyo (both Narita and Haneda), Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo.<br/>