Porter Airlines is doubling the number of routes it offers from Ottawa International Airport, with four new Canadian and US destinations. Starting March 27, 2023 passengers will be able to fly on daily non-stop flights between Ottawa and Boston, New York-Newark, Quebec City and Thunder Bay. Porter currently flies to Fredericton, Halifax, Moncton and Toronto City from Canada’s capital city. Porter will be the only airline providing year-round daily direct flights to Boston, Quebec City and Thunder Bay from Ottawa.<br/>
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Cyprus Airways is aiming to modernise its fleet with Airbus A320neos, and take the number of aircraft it operates to 11 by 2026. The carrier has outlined a strategic plan under which it will conduct services with four A320s next year – doubling its capacity from the current two – and expanding to six aircraft in 2024. It states that it will introduce the “young” extra jets “with a view to switch” to the re-engined A320neo by 2025, when it intends to be operating nine aircraft, and will increase the fleet to 11 the following year. Part of the fleet – around a third – will be used for wet-lease and charter operations, the carrier says, enabling it to bring in “steady” revenues. Cyprus Airways is looking to broaden its network to 18 destinations next year – adding services to Milan, Zurich, Prague, Basel and Cairo – and reach up to 30 by 2026. It has recently included Paris and Rome on its list of cities. “Cyprus Airways is strategically positioned to connect Europe with Asia, the Middle East and Africa,” says CE Paul Sies. “Our plan is based on having a lean organisation, having a strong brand, and ambition to succeed to grow and connect Cyprus structurally to Europe and beyond.” The carrier says 2022 has been a “year of recovery” and that it has undergone a “ruthless” restructuring of its network, operations, and pricing strategy. Cyprus Airways will operate a hybrid business model, it states, allowing passengers to build up their own travel requirements from a low-cost airline base. “To offer such scalability of services the airline has embarked on a digital transformation exercise to maximise its ancillary revenue, making sure that customers are always offered the best value for money,” it adds.<br/>
The trade union representing many pilots at Russian Airline Rossiya has advised that a decision was made to place 100 of its airline pilots on furlough as the airline continues to work through tough sanctions set on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Rossiya has advised that its decision to place 100 pilots on leave was not made lightly. It was due to the airline deciding to park multiple aircraft that were not used to be harvested for parts. For security purposes, and with sanctions in place for Russian carriers, the airline can no longer rely on imported parts. The Saint Petersburg-based airline currently has 26 Airbus A320 and Airbus A319 aircraft in its fleet, and according to Flightradar24.com, at least four of Rossiya's Airbus aircraft have not left the tarmac recently. With tough sanctions placed on Russia, multiple Russian carriers must look within their borders for parts, as Airbus, Embraer, and Boeing have stopped supplying parts to Russian operators. This has raised various issues and concerns regarding the safety of Russian aircraft as airlines resort to picking parts from their fleet. This cannabilism will eventually lead to the demise of airline fleets as more aircraft are picked for parts. According to Business Daily, the airline advised that the layoffs were necessary to ensure that mass retrenchment was avoided, given these 'emergency circumstances' the airline is in. Flight attendants at this stage will not be affected by the layoffs. However, pilots will be laid off on a rotating schedule for several days per month. This period is set to last between January 1st, to March 31st.<br/>
Embraer is in talks with Singapore Airlines to supply its Scoot unit with regional jets, giving the low-cost subsidiary a smaller aircraft capable of serving more destinations in the region. The airline is considering the Brazilian planemaker’s E-jets, which typically seat 80 to 146 passengers, on services within Southeast Asia, according to people familiar with the talks. Any potential order could eventually swell to as many as 50 aircraft over time, two of the people said. Talks are still ongoing and an agreement isn’t certain, said the people, asking not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. The market value of 50 Embraer 190-E2 jets was about US$1.61b in 2021, based on prices provided by aircraft appraiser Avitas, though customers typically negotiate steep discounts on orders. A spokesperson for Embraer declined to comment, while a Scoot representative said the company does not “comment on any confidential discussions that we may or may not have with our partners and suppliers.” Agreeing to a deal with the Brazilian planemaker will add a third aircraft manufacturer to Singapore Airlines, diversifying a fleet currently built around Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Singapore Airlines Group, which consists of its main flagship namesake carrier and its low-cost cousin, has never operated such a small plane in its recent history.<br/>
Capital A’s Teleport logistics unit has raised $50m to help finance new cargo aircraft, and to build out its cargo infrastructure. The company – formerly AirAsia Group – says the funds came from “large institutional credit investors” and will help boost its delivery capabilities in Southeast Asia. It will also use the funds to build hubs in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. In September, Teleport said it would add three A321 freighters as part of a strategy to boost capacity to the Chinese and Indian markets. The sister company to low-cost group AirAsia Aviation said the three freighters will be leased from BBAM, with the first example to be delivered in the first quarter of 2023. “Key to Teleport’s leadership in the next three years is the extension of our network coverage by air with the induction of A321F freighters starting in 1Q2023,” says Pete Chareonwongsak, CE of Teleport. “We aim to easily connect manufacturers, exporters and e-commerce directly to any Southeast Asian market.” Teleport has three primary focus areas in Southeast Asia: global freight forwarders looking for a regional network; e-commerce market places, and consumers seeking next-day parcel delivery.<br/>
The Osaka District Court on Wednesday sentenced a man who refused to a wear a mask aboard a Peach Aviation flight as part of COVID-19 measures — forcing the plane to make an unscheduled landing — to two years in prison, suspended for four years. The court found Junya Okuno, 36, guilty of obstructing the plane’s operation. He raised his voice requesting an apology from another passenger during the flight from Kushiro airport in Hokkaido in September 2020, alleging he was insulted for refusing to wear a mask, according to the ruling. A flight attendant had her arm twisted after trying to give the man, who is a former part-time staff member at Meiji Gakuin University, a piece of paper that requested he did not impede the safety of the flight. “It is a crime caused by his adherent beliefs and his attitudes show he has reflected little on his actions,” presiding Judge Jun Oyori said. After the ruling, Okuno, who appeared in court without a mask, walked closer to the judge, yelling, “this is like a witch hunt in the Middle Ages. I am innocent, and this is a false accusation.” The flight operated by Peach Aviation, an ANA Holdings subsidiary, arrived at Kansai Airport in Osaka Prefecture about two hours and 15 minutes late. Okuno had been removed from the flight during the unscheduled stop. His defense counsel argued he was innocent, saying his action did not constitute obstructing the safety of the flight. According to the ruling, in April 2021, Okuno refused to wear a mask at a restaurant in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, and was arrested after he hit a responding police officer in the face.<br/>
Lion Air Group's international flights are moving to Terminal 2F on December 16 at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta. The switch from Terminal 3 is part of a capacity balancing programme and will see all of the group's aircraft movements in the Indonesian capital operate through the Terminal 2 complex. The group's airlines include Lion Air, Batik Air, Batik Air Malaysia (formerly known as Malindo Air), and Thai Lion Air. According to Soekarno-Hatta Airport executive general manager Dwi Ananda Wicaksana, there are around 32 Lion Air Group international arrivals and departures at the airport every day, handling over 6,100 passengers. Following the switch, daily aircraft movements at Terminal 3 will decrease by 19% and daily passenger foot traffic will drop by 9.8%. Terminal 3 handles Garuda Indonesia Group airlines, Indonesia AirAsia, and all other foreign carriers, while Terminal 2 will become the exclusive domain of Lion Air Group airlines. Terminal 1 will continue to look after domestic Indonesia AirAsia, NAM Air, Sriwijaya Air, and Super Air Jet services.<br/>
Virgin Australia has moved to secure its prized Tokyo Haneda slots and will commence daily B737-8 roundtrip services there from Cairns on June 28, 2023. The airline faced losing the fiercely fought-for slots, awarded in early 2020, if it did not commit to starting flights in 2023. Subject to regulatory approval, the two-cabin class B737-8 will take seven-and-a-half hours to complete the sector, with a lunchtime departure from Cairns arriving in Tokyo early in the evening. The return leg to Australia will depart mid-evening and arrive at around 0600L (2000Z) the following day. Virgin Australia noted that the Cairns arrival and departure times will allow for easy connections to and from Sydney Kingsford Smith, Melbourne Tullamarine, and Brisbane Int'l. "It was a long time in the making for Virgin Australia," said CEO Jayne Hrdlicka in Cairns on Wednesday. "We've been looking at this for many months. Haneda for us is a logical place. It is the most important airport in Tokyo and attaches to the biggest catchment in Tokyo. We're really excited to connect Haneda to Cairns and the rest of Australia." The service is been underwritten by the Queensland government's A$200m Attracting Aviation Investment Fund. Neither Virgin Australia nor the government has disclosed the amount the airline is receiving to operate the flights, but the same fund has been used recently to attract other airlines to Queensland, such as United Airlines' freshly launched Brisbane-San Francisco, CA flights. Hrdlicka confirmed that the Haneda flights would not have been possible without government support.<br/>