Federal officials said Monday they are investigating a recent close call between an Allegiant Air plane and a private jet in which pilots of both aircraft received collision-threat warnings and took evasive action. The FAA said the incident happened July 23 near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. It’s the latest in a series of close calls that led the FAA to convene a special safety summit earlier this year. The FAA said an air traffic controller in Miami told the crew of Allegiant flight 485 that had taken off from Fort Lauderdale to turn east at 23,000 feet, and it crossed in front of a Gulfstream business jet that was heading north. Pilots of the Allegiant Airbus A320 took evasive action after getting an automated alert about another aircraft at the same altitude. The pilot of the Gulfstream jet got a similar warning and also took evasive action. The Allegiant plane returned to the Fort Lauderdale airport, and a flight attendant was treated for injuries, the FAA said. The National Transportation Safety Board said Monday that it was gathering information about the incident before deciding whether to open an investigation. The FAA and NTSB are investigating about a half-dozen incidents this year in which planes came closer together than they should. In many cases, one or both planes were still on the ground. The closest occurred in February, when a FedEx cargo plane coming in to land passed over the top of a Southwest Airlines that had been cleared to take off from the same runway. The head of the NTSB said the planes came within about 100 feet of each other.<br/>
unaligned
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has suspended its review of a joint venture between ultra low-cost carrier (ULCC) Allegiant Air and Mexico’s Viva Aerobus, putting a wrench in the carriers’ already-delayed plans for expansion in each others’ home markets. “We are hereby suspending the procedural schedule… for our review of this matter,” the DOT wrote in a filing published on 31 July. “The department reviews applications for antitrust immunity to US carriers and their foreign partner carriers based on the complete implementation of a liberalised air transport agreement between the United States and the country of the partner carrier,” DOT says. “Recent actions undertaken by the government of Mexico affecting US carrier operations at [Mexico City’s] Benito Juarez International airport call into question the existence of this predicate.” In an accompanying letter to Mexico’s under-secretary of transportation in the ministry of infrastructure, communications and transport, the DOT writes, “Given these circumstances, we are not able to further consider the Viva/Allegiant case pending additional information demonstrating compliance with, and full implementation of, the terms of the US-Mexico air transportation agreement.” At the Mexico City airport, airlines have been subject to capacity restrictions, and Mexican authorities have in the past seemed intent on forcing passenger airlines to move operations from that airport to the new Felipe Angeles International airport, which also serves the Mexico City region. Allegiant responds to the DOT’s move by saying, “We hope the United States and Mexico can resolve their differences over the bilateral agreement quickly, so travellers from both countries can benefit from the Allegiant/Viva joint venture.” ”Through that venture, the public will gain greater access to affordable airfares and more convenient travel options that will allow them to enjoy the incredible leisure and entertainment experiences that await them in both countries,” Allegiant adds. The two ULCCs first announced the transborder commercial collaboration in late 2021, and Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) approved it in October 2022. The airlines had originally targeted the alliance to go into effect in the first quarter of 2023.<br/>
Western Global Airlines has reached a deal with creditors that would allow the cargo carrier to keep operating while it reworks its debt load in a potential bankruptcy, according to people familiar with the matter. The distressed carrier has lined up $77.3m of bankruptcy financing at a rate of 9% over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate to fund the company’s operations while in Chapter 11 protection, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The cargo airline is expected to seek court protection from creditors in the coming days, the people said. The deal includes a roll-up of debt held by founder and CEO Jim Neff while other creditors, including bondholders, will provide about 50% of the financing, said the people. It also puts Neff in position to retain control of the company following its emergence from bankruptcy, they said. A representative for Western Global declined to comment. The airline has been considering options including a bankruptcy filing to address its debt load while facing dwindling liquidity for months, as Bloomberg previously reported. Neff last month bought the airline’s secured debt — trading at a steep discount — as he sought to keep the company alive through a restructuring, Bloomberg reported. In the process, he irked at least some investors because his status as a loan holder has put him ahead of unsecured bondholders in the repayment line.<br/>
Pilots and management at Aer Lingus Regional operator Emerald Airlines will meet for a second time in two weeks in a bid to resolve a dispute over trade union recognition. Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA), a branch of trade union Fórsa, at Emerald have suspended all industrial action pending the outcome of talks with management on a dispute that dates back to April. The sides met on Monday morning to discuss the union’s claim for recognition. Neither issued a statement afterwards but it is understood they will meet again in mid-August to continue talks. Fórsa earlier confirmed that pilots had suspended all industrial action, including notification of a one-day strike planned for August 4th, ahead of meeting management. Katie Morgan, the union’s national secretary, said it hoped to reach agreement with Emerald to negotiate a collective agreement covering pilots’ terms and conditions. Emerald is a separate company to Aer Lingus, but operates the IAG member airline’s regional service, mostly connecting Ireland with Britain, under a contract.<br/>
Azerbaijan Airlines is to merge its operations with its subsidiary operator Buta Airways, and unify them under the main carrier’s AZAL brand. Buta Airways was established as a low-cost division in late 2016 and has been serving a network comprising several destinations in Russia, as well as Turkey and the Middle East. The carrier operates a fleet of Embraer 190 regional jets. Azerbaijan Airlines says it will merge with Buta and offer its flights under the AZAL name from October this year. “Combining the best qualities of both airlines, the merger will further expand the opportunities for our passengers to travel at affordable rates,” it adds. It says the decision will provide “convenient travel planning” for customers. Azerbaijan Airlines says Buta passengers will be able to access the “same affordable prices” but with a “superior level of service”.<br/>
A passenger on a flight by a low-cost Indian airline was surprised on Monday when she arrived at a completely different part of the Indian sub-continent from her intended destination. Wasifa Jan intended to fly from Indian capital New Delhi to Srinagar, the state capital of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir region. Instead, she somehow boarded a flight bound for the western city of Pune, about 150km from Mumbai. Both flights were with low-cost carrier SpiceJet, and the error came to light only after the Pune flight landed at its destination. Jan was then flown back to New Delhi and put on a flight to Srinagar, Indian media reported, citing a SpiceJet spokesman who apologised for the incident. “We have personally reached out to the affected passenger to offer our apologies, and are arranging for her travel to Srinagar on Monday itself,” the spokesman said. The incident was at least the second over a six-month period involving a passenger boarding the wrong domestic flight, the Times of India news website said.<br/>
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has renewed the air operator certificate of grounded Jet Airways, following months of uncertainty over the airline’s revival. A statement from the airline’s parent, the Jalan-Kalrock Consortium, says the DGCA greenlit the renewal on 28 July. The move, it adds, “revalidates the confidence of the Indian aviation regulator in the revival of Jet Airways”. The news is a welcome reprieve for the long grounded carrier, which in recent months had its revival thrown into question following legal woes and the abrupt departure of its CEO-designate Sanjiv Kapoor in May. While Kapoor’s successor has not been named, the consortium has beefed up the airline’s board of directors and announced a new finance chief for the airline. Debt-laden Jet Airways collapsed in 2019 – as the country’s largest privately-owned carrier – after running out of cash. A resolution plan from the consortium - comprising tycoon Murari Lal Jalan and Kalrock Capital - received court approval in June 2021, and Jet clinched its its air operator certificate from Indian regulators in May 2022. Plans to relaunch operations have been pushed back several times, amid reports of a legal wrangle between the airline’s new owners and creditors over the revival plan. In its latest statement, the consortium says it “remains fully dedicated” to reviving the airline. “[The consortium] will continue to work closely with all relevant authorities, industry partners, and stakeholders in reviving Jet Airways in coming weeks,” it adds.<br/>
Hainan Airlines will launch a new direct air route linking China's Shenzhen and Italy's Milan in September, the operator announced Monday. The new service, to start on September 20, will make three round trips per week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. This is Hainan Airlines' third direct flight to ply routes between China and Italy, following the Chongqing-Rome and Shenzhen-Rome services. The new air route will support cultural and economic exchanges between the two nations, the company said.<br/>
Bonza is to significantly expand its operations by adding a third base in the Gold Coast, which it will use to fly to 11 destinations from November. The surprise announcement will also see the new airline initially ‘wet lease’ two aircraft, meaning another airline will operate the services under the Bonza brand. It comes after the low-cost carrier last month said it would axe five of its 27 routes just months after its launch in a move the business said would reduce cancellations across its network. On Tuesday, Bonza said it would now fly from the Gold Coast to 11 existing destinations: Albury, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne Avalon, Melbourne Tullamarine, Mildura, Rockhampton, Townsville and the Whitsunday Coast. The airline’s CEO, Tim Jordan, said the announcement would create more “depth” in the network by connecting existing Bonza destinations to the third base. “New routes from the Gold Coast also mean locals from South Brisbane down to Northern NSW regions, like Ballina and Byron Bay, have the chance to explore their own backyard with low-cost flights to regional locations like Mildura, Bundy and Townsville, to name a few,” he said. “We’ll be adding new destinations to our route map that will fly from the Gold Coast, and we continue to welcome conversations with airports around the country as we fulfil our mission to connect communities.""<br/>