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A Lufthansa flight that experienced “significant turbulence” was diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport and seven people on board were taken to area hospitals, officials said. Flight 469 from Austin, Texas, had been headed to Frankfurt, Germany, but landed safely Wednesday evening at the airport in Virginia, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Michael Cabbage said. Crews responded to the flight and took seven people to hospitals with injuries that were believed to be minor, Cabbage said. The Airbus A330 reported severe turbulence at an altitude of 37,000 feet (about 11,300 meters) while flying over Tennessee, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. The agency is investigating. Passenger Susan Zimmerman, 34, of Austin, Texas, said one of the pilots told the cabin that the plane had fallen about 1,000 feet (about 305 meters) during the sudden turbulence. “It felt like the bottom just dropped out from underneath,” she said in a phone interview. “Everything was floating up. For a moment, you are weightless.” The brief but severe clear-air turbulence about 90 minutes after takeoff led to the unscheduled landing as a precaution, Lufthansa said in a statement. The passengers received medical attention and Lufthansa ground staff were working to rebook travelers, the airline said. There were 172 passengers.<br/>

Lufthansa Group has extended the contract of chief executive Carsten Spohr for another five years, alongside that of its chief financial officer Remco Steenbergen. Spohr has led the Euroepan airline group since 2014 and his contract has now been extended until December 2028. Lufthansa board chairman Karl-Ludwig Kley says: “Carsten Spohr successfully lead Lufthansa as chief executive for the past eight years. During this time, he has not only mastered the most difficult crises and challenges but has also been responsible for the most economically successful years in the group’s history. "With his experience, competence and personality, he is the right person to also master the challenges ahead.” Steenbergen joined Lufthansa as chief financial officer at the start of 2021. His contract has also now been extended until the end of 2028. "Remco Steenbergen joined Lufthansa during the company’s most severe financial crisis, which was combined with tight regulation of the company. As chief financial officer, he played a major role in quickly overcoming this difficult situation. At the same time, he was able to set strong impulses and lay important foundations for a successful realignment of the finance department,” says Steenbergen. Lufthansa Group will tomorrow report its financial results for 2022, having in December raised its full-year operating profit forecast to around E1.5b after a strong end to the year.<br/>

Scandinavian airline SAS has entered into a sale and leaseback agreements with lessor Aviation Capital Group for ten new Airbus A320neo planes, securing long-term financing for the aircraft, the carrier said on Thursday. "We continue to make progress with our transformation plan and these new sale and leaseback agreements are an important part of that," SAS CE Anko van der Werff said. SAS, which is undergoing a US Chapter 11 restructuring, has renegotiated contracts with many of its aircraft lessors as part of big cost cuts.<br/>

Turkish Airlines is continuing work on establishing its low-cost unit Anadolu Jet as a standalone operation, though has set no firm plans on a possible IPO for the carrier. Airline chairman Ahmet Bolat was reported last year as saying it would consider IPOs and joint ventures as potential strategic options for Anadolu Jet and Turkish Cargo. "We have the teams set up internally to work on both projects,” said Turkish Airlines chief financial officer Murat Seker, asked about the plans during a full-year results call today. "We are not in a rush for either one, but Anadolu Jet might be a little earlier – depending on the fleet [plan] and [Istanbul] Sabiha Gokcen capacity increase. We have taken the preliminary steps to prepare both of our operations to serve as separate entities." Turkish Airlines launched budget operation Anadolu Jet in 2008, establishing its presence at Sabiha Gokcen airport. Last year it flew a new high of 16.1m passengers. "Anadolu Jet started its international operations two years ago and it is increasing its fleet. It’s reached the size of 64 aircraft in 2022 and this year it will reach 80 aircraft," Seker says. "Separating it as a full-blown, low-cost carrier is not a straightforward task. It requires a new reservation system, which we have tendered recently. Its PSS [passenger service system] is going to be ready in about a year’s time," he explains. "So we are taking the necessary steps to prepare it for carving it out, but we don’t have a specific date. It’s going to take more than a year before Anadolu Jet can serve it’s own customers under its own roof." He adds: "Cargo is less complicated, yet with the cargo operation we are still working on the right strategy to carve it out. There are pros and cons in either strategies. It is a little early to share details on it."<br/>

Singapore Airlines (SIA) on Thursday said that it will consider feedback from customers before it comes to a decision on the use of paper serviceware on its medium- and long-haul flights. SIA announced a trial of the serviceware in economy class and premium economy class on selected flights in a Facebook post on Tuesday, saying that the new containers could "retain heat and moisture better than the current casserole dish" and would also allow the airline to serve "soupy and gravy-rich main courses" on its longer routes. However, the announcement was met with some criticism and confusion on social media. Some commenters said the move made SIA appear "cheap" and that it was a cost-cutting measure despite the airline’s recent increase in profit. "Sorry, but you should be using proper crockery in Premium Economy like other airlines. Very disappointing," one said on SIA’s Facebook page. Several Reddit users also likened the new containers to the outration meal boxes used by the Singapore Armed Forces. A spokesperson for the airline said: "SIA will take on board customer feedback as well as operational considerations before deciding if this will be expanded across all medium- and long-haul flights." The spokesperson also provided some clarifications regarding the serviceware and rejected the suggestion that the new containers would help to cut costs. "The new serviceware is made of Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, and will replace the disposable plastic casserole dish," the spokesperson said. "This will help to reduce the amount of single-use plastics on board the aircraft ... there are no cost savings by switching to the new serviceware from the casserole dish."<br/>