Perimeter Aviation has committed to resolving complaints by Manitoba First Nations communities who claim the airline is not meeting the needs of their communities and want Transport Canada to investigate what they call a monopoly on air transport in Canada's North. Perimeter Airlines CEO and President Joey Petrisor said the company took concerns raised by the Anisininew Okimawin Nation seriously and would work with its stakeholders to resolve their concerns. The Anishininew Okimawin or Island Lake Tribal Council in northeastern Manitoba represents four First Nations communities along Island and Red Sucker Lakes. "Perimeter Aviation has been serving the North for over six decades. This longevity of service has been achieved through ongoing investment in our infrastructure, continuous training, and by working with and supporting the communities we serve. There have been challenges along the way, with the most recent being the impact of the industry-wide shortage of pilots, aircraft mechanics, and supply chain issues. This has created service issues which Perimeter Aviation is committed to addressing and has made significant strides to improve," Petrisor said.<br/>
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Italy's price cap on flights to Sicily and Sardinia is "illegal and unenforceable", Ryanair group CEO Michael O'Leary told Reuters on Tuesday, adding the budget airline had lodged a complaint with the EC. Speaking in Rome, O'Leary said Ryanair could respond by reducing domestic flights to Sicily by as much as 15-20% this winter, shifting its focus instead to international routes to the southern Italian holiday island. Last month, the government banned airlines from raising fares to Sicily and Sardinia beyond a level "200% higher" than the average price for flights to the two islands, a move aimed at stemming price increases over the peak holiday periods. Ryanair, the largest airline operator in Italy, quickly spoke out against the move which O'Leary said had not been properly thought out. "They (the government) have no idea how their own decree will work," he said. "What average air fare? The average air fare in August, the average air fare in November, the average air fare on a Tuesday, the average air fare on a Friday?" "You ask these simple questions and they don't know," he added. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso hit back, telling reporters that Italy "is a sovereign country and won't allow anyone to blackmail it". O'Leary said Ryanair remained committed to growing over the long term in Italy, regardless of the government's moves. "We have set out for investors that we have 400 aircraft deliveries over the next 10 years and we want to place up to 100 new aircraft in Italy in the next 10 years. We plan to grow from 50m to 100m passengers in Italy," he said. He expects the company's annual meeting this week comfortably approve a 300 Boeing aircraft order.<br/>
A Russian passenger plane with 170 people on board made a successful wheels-down emergency landing in a field Tuesday, and no one was seriously injured, officials said. The Airbus A320 belonging to Ural Airlines was flying from the Black Sea resort of Sochi to Omsk in eastern Siberia when the crew reported a problem with the hydraulic system and requested permission for the plane to land at Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk, which has a longer runway. Ural Airlines Director General Sergei Skuratov said the pilots later realized they did not have enough fuel to make it and decided to land instead in a field about 200 kilometres (about 125 miles) west of Novosibirsk. Officials said no one was hurt, but two passengers required medical assistance for hypertension, and several others received checks for small bruises. Russian media carried footage of a plane sitting in a field with no visible sign of damage, and they cited passengers praising the crew's skill and composure. The plane's captain, 32-year-old Sergei Belov, had pilots for a father and a grandfather. Russian prosecutors launched an investigation of the emergency landing. Skuratov rejected allegations that it resulted from poor plane maintenance amid the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies over Russia's military action in Ukraine.<br/>
Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) will become the first airline to operate in and out of Saudi Arabia's new Red Sea International airport, which is on track to open this year along with the first three resorts at The Red Sea destination. Red Sea Global, the multi-project developer behind the world’s most ambitious regenerative tourism destinations, The Red Sea and Amaala, Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudia and daa International, the operator of Red Sea International airport, in this connection. Initially the airport will open for domestic flights to and from Riyadh and later Jeddah, before expanding to handle international flights from 2024. “In 2016, His Royal Highness, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, set out a vision for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A vision for a thriving country, one that was recognized as a global hub, where people from all around the world would come to experience the best of Saudi culture, hospitality and nature,” said John Pagano, Group CEO of Red Sea Global. “When the first commercial flight lands at Red Sea International, it won’t just be a point of personal pride for Red Sea Global. It will be a milestone moment for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in making that vision a reality. It is fitting, therefore, that the Kingdom’s flag carrier, Saudia, will be first to operate from our destination.” <br/>
Saudi Arabia’s biggest airline and another shareholder will list a 30% stake in cargo firm SAL Saudi Logistics Services Co. in a Riyadh initial public offering, as the kingdom’s market for listings picks up after a slow start to the year. Saudi Arabian Airlines, also known as Saudia, and Tarabot Air Cargo Services Ltd. are offering 24m shares in the cargo firm in the Tadawul listing, according to a statement on Tuesday. Saudia currently owns 70% of SAL while Tarabot owns 30% of the firm. The bookbuilding period for institutional investors will run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 while retail buyers will be able to place orders from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, according to SAL’s prospectus. SAL joins a growing pipeline of companies looking to list in the Persian Gulf’s biggest market, buoyed by a 12% rally in the benchmark index since a March low on more stable oil prices and optimism from earnings. <br/>
Taiwanese start-up carrier Starlux Airlines is continuing its trans-Pacific expansion with plans to launch thrice-weekly flights from Tapei to San Francisco on 16 December and a new route to Seattle in 2024. The carrier said on 12 September that booking is now open for the Tapei-San Francisco route, which will be flown with Starlux’s flagship Airbus A350-900s. Starlux plans to ramp up to daily service to San Francisco starting in March. The planned flights to San Francisco ”align with the airline’s expansion objectives”, Starlux says, adding that ”this new route will especially cater to the city’s vast Asian diaspora”. “With San Francisco’s proximity to Silicon Valley and status as a significant political, economic and tourism hub, the ’city by the bay’ has established itself as a top travel destination,” says Glenn Chai, chief executive of Starlux. “And with one-third of its population of Asian descent, our new route will cater to these travellers’ needs too, whether they are visiting family, vacationing or travelling for work.” ”Starlux strives to continue expanding and is also planning a new Seattle route next year,” Chai adds. The Taipei-San Francisco route would be the carrier’s second destination on the West Coast of the USA. In May, Starlux launched its first flights to the US West Coast, using its A350-900s to fly passengers from Taipei to Los Angeles. Starlux has recently stepped up its flight frequencies to Los Angeles to daily.<br/>
Vietnam low-cost carrier Vietjet Air has entered a memorandum of understanding with the USA’s Carlyle Group for $550m in funding for future 737 Max deliveries, with the first 12 examples going to Thai Vietjet Air in 2024. The MOU will see Carlyle Aviation Partners, a unit of the Carlyle Group, fund an unspecified number of 737 Maxes from Vietjet’s 200-unit 737 Max orderbook, says Vietjet. The MOU was signed during a visit by US president Joe Biden to Vietnam. Biden’s visit also saw compatriot Vietnam Airlines commit to ordering 50 737 Maxes. Of the 12 737 Maxes to be delivered in 2024, Vietjet confirms that the first few deliveries will be for Max 8s. In September 2022, Vietjet said that Thai Vietjet will receive 50 737 Maxes. Vietjet adds that its 737 Max deliveries will take place for five years from 2024. Vietjet has not given detailed guidance on the overall mix of 737 Max variants it will receive but issued an artist’s impression showing three variants – the Max 8, Max 200, and Max 9 – in Vietjet livery. Vietjet’s 737 Max orders stem from a 2016 order for 100 aircraft and a 2019 order for an additional 100 aircraft. Both orders were signed during visits by sitting US presidents to Vietnam, with Barack Obama witnessing the 2016 order and Donald Trump the 2019 order. Original plans had called for Vietjet to take its 737 Maxes between 2019-2023, but the carrier had yet to take its first example when two fatal crashes in October 2018 and March 2019 caused a global grounding of the type that dragged on for nearly two years.<br/>