Southwest said late Tuesday morning that flights had resumed after a brief pause caused by a technological problem. The airline said in a statement that a connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost when a firewall supplied by a vendor went down early Tuesday. The airline said that it had worked quickly to minimize disruptions and that it appreciated the patience of its customers and employees. Southwest did not immediately cancel many flights, but more than 1,700 were delayed, representing more than 40% of its schedule for the day, according to FlightAware, an aviation data firm. Additional delays are likely as the disruption ripples throughout the airline’s network. At the airline’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration had also briefly stopped Southwest flights from taking off. The disruption comes just a few months after a meltdown around the Christmas holiday that cost Southwest more than $1b, frustrated millions of travelers and brought on tough scrutiny from federal lawmakers and regulators.<br/>
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Iran's sentencing of 10 alleged perpetrators in the downing of a Ukrainian airliner was criticised Tuesday by Canada and other countries whose citizens were aboard the flight, saying the "sham trials" lacked impartiality and transparency. Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after its takeoff from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board. Most were Iranians and Canadians, including many dual nationals. Tehran on Sunday sentenced 10 members of the armed forces, including a commander, to prison after finding them guilty of involvement in the plane's downing. But in a joint statement, a coordination group representing Canada, Sweden, the UK and Ukraine said the verdicts "must not distract the world from Iran's failure to meet its international obligations and take responsibility for its actions". "Neither the trials nor the verdicts announced this week brings truth or justice to the families of the victims, as the entire process -- starting with Iran's biased investigation into the downing -- lacked the necessary impartiality and transparency," it added. The statement noted that the families of the 176 victims were "still waiting for the justice they deserve".<br/>
The union representing WestJet pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike mandate Tuesday, casting clouds of uncertainty over Canadians' travel plans. The Air Line Pilots Association said its 1,600 WestJet pilots can launch a strike as early as May 16 — the Tuesday ahead of the May long weekend, which typically kicks off the summer travel season for thousands whose itineraries could now be upended. The workers' issues revolve around job protection, pay and scheduling at the airline and its discount subsidiary Swoop, said Bernard Lewall, who heads the union's WestJet contingent. "If you're trying to attract new pilots or retain the experienced ones that we have, there's got to be some definition of a career path for them. And because there's three different airlines under the umbrella of WestJet flying the same airplanes, all with different wages and working conditions, there really isn't that defined career path," he said in a phone interview from Calgary. "It is no longer a career destination." Some 240 pilots left the carrier last year, followed by about 100 so far this year, most of them to other airlines, he said. Around 95% of pilots took part in the strike vote, with 93% of them in favour of the mandate. Pilots could also opt for more restrained job action such as refusal to work overtime, Lewall noted. WestJet COO Diederik Pen said in a statement that strike authorization is a "common step" by unions during labour negotiations and "does not mean a strike will occur."<br/>
Moves are reportedly under way to replace struggling national carrier Air Malta with a new operation after the European Commission indicated it would not suport a fresh state aid package for the airline. The Times of Malta on 16 April reported that, while further talks are planned, the Commission is likely to block a planned E300m ($329m) state injection into Air Malta and that the latter was likely to be shut down and immediately replaced by a successor carrier. Air Malta chairman David Curmi was subsequently quoted by the same paper as saying the aim is for a “largely seamless” transition to the new carrier by end of the year. “We are nearing the end of long, difficult and complex discussions with the European Commission, which did not want a photocopy of Air Malta. We showed the Commission that we mean business,” he is quoted as telling the Times of Malta. “We created a five-year business plan and we are close to concluding on that. If we stick to this plan, then we will have a national airline that makes business sense.” Asked about the issue during a television interview on 18 April, Malta’s finance minister Clyde Caruana said a definitive decision has not been taken and that fresh talks with the Commission are scheduled. ”Once agreement has been reached on all points, I will communicate this decision as a government, both to the workers as well as to all those with an interest in this sector,” he says. A move to form a successor carrier would echo the approach taken in Italy. National carrier Alitalia ceased operations in October 2021 and was immediately replaced by new national operator, ITA Airways. The Commission has recently ruled that two rounds of Italian financial support for Alitalia were illegal under state aid rules.<br/>
EasyJet raised its full-year profit guidance on the back of strong bookings and higher ticket prices, boosting the airline’s recovery from the pandemic as demand for travel has defied the economic slowdown. The UK airline on Tuesday said it would probably beat market expectations of full-year pre-tax profits of GBP260m for the 12 months to the end of September. The forecast was more than double its previous guidance in January, of more than GBP126m in profits before tax. Shares in the carrier rose more than 1%t on Tuesday afternoon. Airlines across Europe have reported consistently strong bookings throughout the year, which easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren put down to consumers “prioritising spending on travel”. The industry’s recovery from the pandemic has been further bolstered by passengers’ willingness to pay higher ticket prices. The rising prices are in part driven by airlines passing on increased costs, including fuel. EasyJet said pricing was “strong” over the winter, with the revenue it makes from each passenger seat rising 40% to GBP66.46 during the six months between October and March. The rise included higher so-called ancillary revenues, such as customers paying extra to carry-on or check-in luggage. The airline expects the trend to continue into the summer, with revenue per seat forecast to rise about 20% year on year during the April to June quarter. The metric reflects both ticket prices and how full planes are. “We have to cover the costs of inflation pressure and fuel we are seeing,” Lundgren said. Analysts at Goodbody said the “very strong pricing trends” had driven the airline’s improved earnings guidance, and said they expected investors to “again reappraise the strength of the summer season to the upside both for easyJet and the sector”. EasyJet increased its flying schedules by 40% between January and March, and expects to return to “around” pre-pandemic capacity levels over the summer. Its growth plans are similar to those of British Airways but well short of Ryanair, which is already above its 2019 capacity. EasyJet reported “robust” operations over Easter despite the impact of French air traffic control strikes, and industry executives hope the smooth getaway will reassure passengers who fear a return of last year’s travel disruption, which was caused by industry-wide staff shortages.<br/>
Ryanair has aggressively battled online travel agencies over the years, seeking to bar them from selling its flights, and recently was dealt setbacks in separate litigation against Lastminute.com in Switzerland and Booking.com in the US. Ryanair has fought aggressively to get passengers to go directly to its own website to book their flights. In Switzerland, Lastminute.com announced last week that it had won a court case several weeks ago related to the selling of Ryanair flights. Following a 15-year legal battle with the the airline, the Supreme court in Switzerland granted Lastminute.com the right to sell Ryanair flights.The Supreme Court decision was called “a major milestone” by the online travel and leisure retailer as well as “a win for consumers,” Lastminute.com stated. The court cited Ryanair’s propensity to launch aggressive campaigns about sales of its flights on third-party websites, ruling that this was “contrary to the Federal Law Against Unfair Competition.” The court ordered Ryanair to pay Lastminute.com 49,000 Swiss Francs ($54,522) in compensation. Two parallel appeal decisions confirmed that Lastminute.com and its subsidiary BravoNext acted lawfully and will be allowed to continue offering customers the option to compare alternative prices for Ryanair flights through websites such as Lastminute.com, Volagratis.com and Bravofly.com. A lower court found that Lastminute.com did not violate any intellectual property rights laws or any breaches in contractual obligations with Ryanair. “The court case wins in Switzerland took 15 years, but eventually, the selling of Ryanair flights was vindicated and confirmed as lawful,” Lastminute.com spokesperson Kirsten Beacock said in an email. “The judgment called out the aggressive media campaign by Ryanair as unfounded — but we would like to draw a line under this and we will be reaching out to Ryanair to try and move forward from this.”<br/>
Virgin Atlantic Airways is gearing up for a milestone transatlantic flight later this year that will be powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) under a UK government-funded initiative. To be operated between London Heathrow and New York JFK airports at some point in the fourth quarter, the sortie will be conducted using a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-engined Boeing 787-9. Luke Ervine, Virgin Atlantic’s head of sustainability, says the long-haul carrier has already selected the two sources of SAF that will be blended together to “create an absolutely drop-in solution”. He says that approach was necessary to make sure “no modifications to the aircraft” are needed – a vital step that will also aid a future roll-out of the fuel. “The industry needs a drop-in solution so we don’t have to change any of the infrastructure,” he says. Ahead of the flight, Virgin and Rolls-Royce will conduct ground tests of a Trent 1000 at the latter’s Derby facility to ensure full compatibility with the SAF blend. “That process, and all our technical reviews with Boeing and Rolls-Royce will really help to identify if there is anything additional to test,” says Ervine. Additional pre-flight challenges revolve around the transport and storage of the fuel at Heathrow and JFK, alongside the return-to-service plan after the event. Virgin is also working with air navigation service providers on both sides of the Atlantic as it also looks to realise efficiency gains during the demonstration. Other project partners include Imperial College London, the University of Sheffield, environmental consultancy ICF and carbon specialist RMI. <br/>
Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi says the low-cost airline may use incoming Airbus A321XLRs for direct flights from London to the Gulf, where it already has a joint venture operation in Abu Dhabi. He has also pledged to return to the Ukraine market as soon as it is safe, and ruled out acquiring rival airlines, stating that it makes more sense for Wizz Air to focus on organic growth. Addressing an Aviation Club luncheon in London on 18 April, Varadi said the Budapest-based airline is keen to expand its presence in the Gulf and surrounding region. “The Middle East is transforming and we want to be part of it,” he says. “There are lots of growth opportunities in the region as well as in central Asia. We want to continue our footprint going east.” The all-Airbus operator has 47 A321XLRs on order, for delivery from late next year. Varadi rules out entering the transatlantic market as other budget carriers have done, and says flights to African countries such as Kenya and Nigeria are “interesting but some way off”. Instead, he says, the airline’s “focus is on our existing footprint, which takes in an area from the UK to the Middle East”, with a non-stop connection between London and Abu Dhabi or Dubai – a seven-hour flight – the most likely first step. Wizz Air was one of the overseas carriers most exposed to the Russian and Ukrainian markets when the conflict intensified in February last year, with 11% of its capacity there at the time. The airline instituted a “military-style airlift” to evacuate 280 Ukrainian employees who wanted to leave the country, together with their families, and find them other roles in the company, he says. “Wizz will be one of the first airlines to go back to Ukraine when the war is over,” he states. Varadi says Wizz Air is unlikely to take part in any major airline consolidation in Europe, suggesting that low-cost carriers like his are “good at growing organically and stimulating markets, so don’t need [merger and acquisitions]”. “We are more interested in organic growth. We are interested in assets that become available like slots, but we are not interested in buying bad airlines,” he says. <br/>
An El Al pilot caused controversy Tuesday by delivering a preflight message likening the government’s attempt to radically reshape the justice system to the events in Nazi Germany that preceded the Holocaust. The incident occurred on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, drawing angry public reactions and condemnation from the national carrier, which said the message doesn’t reflect its values and promised a thorough probe. “Things like the Holocaust are potentially carried out in a dictatorship, and we are fighting in Israel to remain a democratic country,” the captain said in Hebrew and English at the end of boarding for flight LY7 from Tel Aviv to New York. The pilot, who said he is the son of a Holocaust survivor, later apologized to those on board.<br/>