A focus on network expansion and multiple initiatives to improve customer service appears to be paying off for Avianca’s cargo division, which outperformed the vast majority of the air cargo sector in the first half amid an industrywide downturn. While most airlines saw cargo business tumble by a third to a half during the period, the Colombia-based carrier’s cargo revenues only contracted 17% from a year ago to $326m. Sales were 30% higher than budgeted because management anticipated the market normalizing after a supercharged two years of freight demand associated with pandemic distortions of the global economy. In 2022, Avianca transported more than 450,000 tons of cargo on freighters and 128 passenger jets, including large Boeing 787s. More than 50% of the airline’s transported cargo is flowers, fruit, vegetables, meat and other perishable goods. Avianca Cargo currently operates six factory-built Airbus A330-200 cargo jets, with access to an additional five freighters operated by Mexico-based cargo subsidiary AeroUnion. It also has four leased A330-200 and A330-300 converted freighters on the way. One of each is expected to arrive in the first half of 2024 and the other two between the fourth quarter of 2024 and the first half of 2025.<br/>
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Copa Airlines CEO Pedro Heilbron, speaking at the CAPA Latin America Aviation & LCCs Summit, stated "We try to be as environmentally responsible as possible, but we should not be in the same boat as more developed countries and economies". Heilbron said: "Latin America is an underdeveloped part of the world, and aviation is also underdeveloped in Latin America. We depend on aviation for economic growth and prosperity". He added: "It would be very unfair to restrict the growth of aviation in Latin America".<br/>
Lufthansa Group, parent company of one of the world's largest airlines, today announced the public launch of an NFT-based loyalty program that rewards participating passengers with digital collectibles that can unlock added benefits. All of the group’s airlines—which include Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, and others—are participating in the Uptrip loyalty program, letting passengers collect digital trading cards when they fly on one of the airlines. The cards are themed based on particular destinations, aircraft used in the airlines’ respective fleets, and even specific holidays. By amassing all of the cards needed for certain themed collections, Uptrip users can unlock special perks on the airlines, including free in-flight Wi-Fi, access to airport lounges, redeemable airline miles, and more. Uptrip is also planning to add a trading feature, letting users fill in any gaps in their collections. Uptrip comes out of the Lufthansa Innovation Group, and is built on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network. Uptrip was previously soft-launched and tested with over 20,000 users, the company said, who collected a total of more than 200,000 digital trading cards.<br/>
With both its pilots training facilities shut temporarily by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India plans to send its flying pilots abroad to undertake their simulator training to keep them available for flying its aircraft. Sources tell CNBC-TV18 that Air India is planning to pull out its trainee pilots, who have currently been scheduled for such an exercise in Singapore, Bangkok etc. and instead send its flying pilots to undergo the mandatory exercise. The DGCA earlier this week suspended training at Air India's Mumbai & Hyderabad facilities after finding certain lapses in its spot checks. The regulator will allow the airline to use these facilities only after it has suitably addressed the concerns raised by it to its satisfaction.<br/>
ANA will resume flights from Shanghai to Tokyo and Osaka in October, with tickets for some flights expected to go on sale from September 1. According to an announcement from the airline, two flights, NH959 and NH960, between Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Tokyo's Narita International Airport, which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, would resume from October 2. The routes would be flown every Monday, Tuesday and Friday with ticket sales available on ANA's official site. In addition, the suspended NH975 and NH976 flights between Pudong airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport would also resume from October 2, with flights on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets are available on the official site. The Tuesday flights would resume from October 10 and tickets will go on sale from Friday. The NH973 and NH974 flights between Pudong and Osaka, which now fly on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, will add another flight on Tuesdays from October 10, taking the round trip four times a week. Ticket sales will start on Friday.<br/>