Italian carrier ITA Airways expects passenger revenues to exceed its revised budget for the year as Italy’s government is reportedly closing in on a new decree aimed at reviving the stalled privatisation of the airline. ITA began operations in October last year, replacing Alitalia as Italy’s national carrier, and has now begun ticket sales on its new long-haul routes to San Francisco and Washington which start next summer. ITA Airways CE Fabio Maria Lazzerini says: ”We started with our flight operations only 14 months ago and by November 2021 we had only one intercontinental destination in our network, New York, at a time when air transport was at a standstill due to the pandemic context. Today, we offer nine intercontinental destinations in North and South America and Asia, and the new flights to Washington and San Francisco are proof of our growth. ”We expect passenger revenues in 2022 to exceed the value estimated in the budget, considering the reduction in the offered capacity versus forecasts due to the geopolitical context. The increase in destinations is a further confirmation that to achieve our goals it is necessary to focus on long-haul connections.” <br/>
sky
China Eastern Airlines, which received the world's first C919 earlier this month, announced the launch of a 100-hour verification flight starting Monday. Prior to the commercial operation, the test flights will fully verify the reliability of the preparation work conducted by China Eastern for the C919, confirming the home-grown large passenger aircraft can offer passengers a safe and comfortable journey, the CAAC News reported. After the test flights, the Shanghai-based carrier would receive a corresponding operation license issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, verifying its capability to operate the aircraft safely. C919's manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, or COMAC, delivered its first C919 jet to China Eastern on December 9, making China Eastern the first user of the model worldwide. As China's first self-developed narrow-body jet, C919 made its maiden flight in 2017, and will come into commercial operation in spring 2023.<br/>