Lufthansa will return five aging Airbus SE A340 jets to service in order to boost the availability of first-class seats as travel demand continues to rebound from the coronavirus crisis. The wide-body jets will be brought out of storage and commence flying in time for next summer, a spokeswoman for the German company said by telephone. The decision to bring back the A340s alongside five already back in service follows a decision to resume flights with A380 superjumbos, the biggest planes in the Lufthansa fleet. The moves mark a shift in thinking on the high fuel-burn models, which at the height of the pandemic had seemed likely to be permanently retired, as they have been at some other major carriers. Lufthansa aims to deploy the A340-600s, the longest Airbus model in its fleet, at its main Frankfurt hub in order to broaden its offering of premium berths, German aviation website Aero Telegraph reported earlier. The plane’s 297 seats include eight in first class, 44 in business and 32 in premium economy, it said. The A340s returned to service this year have been deployed in Munich, and while the A380s also offer first class, only three of the double-deckers may be brought back, according to Lufthansa’s latest thinking. The carrier’s Boeing Co. 747-8s also feature the class, as will a new fleet of Airbus A350-900s, though deliveries aren’t due until later this year. Still, the move may prove controversial with environmental lobbies, with the four-engine A340s ranging from 14 to 19 years old and significantly less efficient than the latest models. The Frankfurtflyer newsletter, which reported on Lufthansa’s A340 plans last week, said likely destinations to be served by the aircraft include New York, Hong Kong and Bogota.<br/>
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Türkiye’s flag carrier Turkish Airlines, and Mongolia’s flag carrier, Miat Mongolian Airlines recently signed a codeshare agreement on direct flights between Türkiye and Mongolia along with further flights connecting via İstanbul. On the agreement Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal EKŞİ stated: “Both flag carriers enhanced their solid collaboration via signing this codeshare agreement and by increasing frequencies reciprocally between Istanbul and Ulaanbaatar. As a result, more Turkish and Mongolian passengers will be able to visit these two unique and beautiful countries, Türkiye and Mongolia. Besides, we will connect more destinations in light of the existing beyond points in the newly signed codeshare agreement.” Miat Mongolian Airlines CEO Munhktamir stated: “This is an important milestone in the cooperation of both companies. The agreement will enable the customers of both airlines with greater choice and connectivity. Turkish Airlines is an important airline globally with wide range of network and the cooperation with such an elite airline is a great privilege for us.”<br/>
Air India faced criticism on Thursday from the aviation regulator for its handling of an unruly passenger on a flight from New York in November, and also acknowledged that a second similar incident occurred last month on a flight from Paris to Delhi. Air India had said in a statement released on Wednesday that it had banned a male passenger for 30 days in compliance with regulations following an incident on a Nov. 26 flight from New York to Delhi in which the man, while apparently inebriated, urinated on a fellow female passenger. The airline, which is owned by Tata Group, said it had reported the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India's air safety watchdog, for further action. DGCA, however, said on Thursday that it had sought details from the airline on the incident, but at first glance it appeared that Air India had not complied with provisions related to the handling of an unruly passenger onboard. "The conduct of the concerned airline appears to be unprofessional and has led to a systemic failure," DGCA said in its statement. The watchdog said it had issued a notice to the airline's executives and the pilots and cabin crew members on the flight asking them to explain within two weeks why action should not be taken against them for failing to uphold regulations.<br/>