Lebanon’s flag carrier is parking some of its fleet in Turkey as a “precautionary measure” amid growing tensions in the region. Middle East Airlines is storing five of its 24 plane overnight in Istanbul Airport, and said it has an “emergency plan” that it will implement if it needs to, according to a company statement. The measures are similar to those the airline took during the Israeli attacks on Lebanon in 2006, in which Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport was bombed. MEA said the decision to park planes in Istanbul will not affect daily operations, and all flights are running as scheduled. Israel is evacuating residents close to the border with Lebanon to allow for potential military action against the pro-Iranian Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. On Tuesday, Lebanon’s state news agency reported that the Israeli army shelled villages in the south of the country. Carriers have scaled back flying to Israel amid an escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas after a surprise attack by the Palestinian militant group on Oct. 7. Israeli flag carrier El Al remains one of the few airlines still operating to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, alongside a scaled down service by Dubai’s Emirates and FlyDubai, as well as Ethiopian Airlines Group.<br/>
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Yemen's national airline resumed international commercial flights from Sanaa airport on Tuesday, Yemeni officials said, after a row between the country's warring parties over control of the carrier's funds. Yemenia Airways had suspended last month the only commercial flights from the Yemeni capital, controlled by the Iran-aligned Houthi group, after the Saudi-backed administration accused the Houthis of blocking airline funds. Houthi officials denied this. Two officials, including Yemenia sales director Mohsen Haydara, said the flights resumed on Tuesday, and that an airplane that had been stranded at Sanaa airport since last month had taken off early in the day. Haydara said the airline had scheduled six weekly flights to Amman. It was unclear if the dispute was resolved. Sanaa airport was reopened in April 2022 after nearly a decade of war between a Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi group, following a UN-brokered peace deal.<br/>
Regional carriers Air Nostrum and CityJet have formally joined forces to create a European regional airline alliance, nearly five years after a tie-up was first proposed. The agreement announced on 17 October involves the creation of SARA – the Strategic Alliance of Regional Airlines – with Air Nostrum parent Air Investment Valencia taking an 80% stake and CityJet parent CF Miga Investment Holdings taking 20%. The agreement stops short of the merger that was mooted pre-Covid, with the parent companies continuing to hold 100% stakes in their respective airlines and units. Speaking to FlightGlobal, Air Nostrum CE Carlos Bertomeu – who also becomes CE of the new alliance – states: “The idea is to make a strategic [European regional airline] group with common decisions and synergies.” He describes the alliance as a “holding company” and notes that it will expand through organic growth and “targeted M&A”. The announcement comes after the tie-up was cleared by the EC for the second time in March this year – a moved made necessary by the restructuring of the partnership to reflect the financial realities faced by the two operators as they emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic. Those financial realities – including the restrictions on Air Nostrum’s investments as a result of the state aid it received during Covid-19 and those relevent to CityJet after it went through the Irish examinership process – meant a deeper merger was not possible. Still, Bertomeu’s belief is that the rationale for forming the alliance is as strong today as it was in 2018, when a tie-up was first proposed at the Farnborough air show: namely that a US-style, consolidated regional airline sector will develop in Europe, with external platforms increasingly providing the capacity. With that in mind, the alliance is aiming to increase its fleet to more than 100 aircraft over the next three years, from around 74 today. “In the future I think that majors, our clients, will arrive at the conclusion that this is the kind of thing that is better externalised and better with somebody they can trust, with experience, and we deliver that,” he states. Air Nostrum does the majority of its flying for Spanish flag-carrier Iberia, while CityJet undertakes wet-leasing for operators including SAS, Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines.<br/>
A child who was scalded by boiling water on an Aer Lingus flight has settled her High Court action for E23,000. The girl was seven and travelling with her mother on a flight from Shannon Airport to Lanzarote on November 30th, 2019 when the incident happened. It was claimed that a cup of tea was ordered and a cup of boiling water was being put on a tray when the incident occurred. The girl suffered a burn injury to her right arm. Róisín Loughnane, now aged 11, from Birr, Co Offaly, had through her mother, Caroline Mitchell, sued Aer Lingus over the incident. She was on an afternoon flight from Shannon when it was claimed that, suddenly and without warning, she sustained an injury when a cup of boiling water being served by an air host was caused to spill on her. It was claimed there was a failure to protect the child from a foreseeable risk and an alleged failure to have any proper or adequate system for the service of a cup of boiling water on the aircraft. It was further claimed that the cup of water was served at a temperature likely to scald and it was caused to spill on the child. Cold running water was put on the burn and Róisín was given first aid on the flight. The child was brought to her doctor on December 9th, 2019 and later examined in hospital. A medical report read in the court said the burn injury caused blistering and pain but it was noted that it was a superficial injury and healed well.<br/>
An airline’s decision to enforce “child-free” zones during flights has prompted an internet frenzy, with upset passengers questioning the division. In August, Corendon Dutch Airlines – the sister company to Turkey-based Corendon Airlines – announced it would be trialing an “Only Adult zone” beginning 3 November. All flights from Amsterdam to the Carribean Island of Curacao will have 102 seats at the front of Airbus A350-900 and nine with extra legroom, designated as an adult-only area. Instead of sitting next to a crying baby or whiny child for a long flight, passengers will have the opportunity to be placed in a quiet section separated by walls and curtains. If a traveller wants to ensure they’re not seated next to a teenager 16 years old or younger, they’ll have the option to pick a seat far away for an additional cost. Securing a spot in the child-free area will cost E45 ($47.67) for one flight and E100 ($105.94) for the seats with extra leg room. “On board our flights, we always strive to respond to the different needs of our customers. We are also the first Dutch airline to introduce the Only Adult zone, because we are trying to appeal to travellers looking for some extra peace of mind during their flight,” proclaimed Atilay Uslu, chairman and founder of Corendon. “We also believe this can have a positive effect on parents travelling with small children. They can enjoy the flight without worrying if their children make more noise.” Following the new movement, which sees airlines prioritising placing children away from adults who aren’t their guardian, people have been debating whether the policy is necessary or upsetting.<br/>
Hainan Airlines is to expand its Russian network, as it launches flights from Dalian in China’s northeast to Vladivostok from 19 October. The airline will operate weekly flights with Boeing 737-800s, it states. The launch marks the first direct Russian connection for Dalian, a major industrial hub, and is Hainan’s first international point from the city. Hainan was the first Chinese carrier to publicly announce it would be resuming operations to Russia in July 2022, joining a small number of airlines operating to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Hainan in its latest statement notes that Vladivostok is one of the “key economic centres” in Russia’s Far East. “In the future, the Dalian-Vladivostok route will further facilitate cultural exchanges and economic and trade exchanges between China and Russia,” the carrier adds. Hainan, for its part, is also expanding its operations in Dalian, which is the capital of Liaoning province, where strategic investor Liaoning Fangda is headquartered. The carrier currently has 20 domestic points from Dalian, including to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the south, as well as to Nanjing, Chongqing and Beijing. Separately, two low-cost operators,Jetstar Asia and Indonesia’s TransNusa, have announced new routes to Mainland China. Singapore-based Jetstar Asia will launch twice-weekly flights from 28 December, between the city-state to Wuxi in China’s southeastern Jiangsu province. It is the low-cost carrier’s second China route, after Haikou on Hainan island. Jetstar Asia says it will double frequencies from 15 January, with all flights operated by its Airbus A320s. Airline chief Barathan Pasupathi says: “China is an important market and following the successful launch of our services to Haikou earlier this year, we’re excited to add another Chinese city to our growing list of destinations and believe Wuxi has the right dynamics to be a successful route.” Jakarta-based low-cost carrier TransNusa, it is marking its foray into the Chinese market with thrice-weekly flights to Guangzhou, to be operated by its A320s from 16 November. <br/>
Cebu Pacific is looking to order 100-150 narrow-body aircraft from either Boeing or Airbus worth up to $12b in what could be the Philippines' largest jet purchase, the budget carrier said on Tuesday. The two planemakers have until year-end to submit proposals, said Cebu Pacific, which aims to more than double its fleet by 2035 to take advantage of a long-term travel boom across Southeast Asia following the pandemic. "To service the Filipino market over the next 20 years, Philippine carriers will need to quadruple in size," Cebu Pacific CEO Michael Szucs said. The Philippines' prospects are driven by high economic growth, a young population and proximity to regional hubs, Szucs said. The $12b figure was based on list prices, said the airline's president, Alexander Lao. Airlines typically get discounts on big orders worth at least half the headline price, analysts say.<br/>The Inquirer newspaper on Tuesday reported that Cebu Pacific will seek out the best offer in a winner-takes-all deal, quoting CEO Szucs. Cebu Pacific is the Philippines' largest budget carrier, operating a fleet of 73 Airbus and ATR aircraft, which will increase to 91 by end-2024. Cebu Pacific, which flies to 35 local destinations and 25 international locations, booked a net profit of 3.75b pesos ($66.1m) in the first half, reversing a 9.5b net loss a year earlier.<br/>
Tony Fernandes has never been one to dwell on protocol. After all, the AirAsia chief shook up aviation with a disruptive Malaysian budget carrier that challenged full-fare rivals across the region. Now, some of his LinkedIn followers say he crossed a line. Readers excoriated Fernandes after he posted a picture of himself shirtless, receiving a massage as he sat at an office conference table and presided over a conference call. “Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting,” Fernandes said in the now-deleted post on his LinkedIn page. He said a female colleague had suggested the massage after what he termed a stressful week. The post triggered a public backlash, with some commentators calling it inappropriate for an executive to indulge in bare-chested personal care while also purportedly running the company. Rebecca Nadillo, a strategy and branding executive with previous stints at Meta and ad agency BBDO, was among the followers who criticized Fernandes. “I don’t think the women in your company would feel comfortable or safe in this context, and given you’re the boss, they likely won’t challenge you or say anything,” she wrote. Hers was one of about 100 responses, many echoing Nadillo, urging Fernandes to clean up what they judged to be a personal misstep. Fernandes said he’d just endured an 18-hour flight and was in pain, and that the massage was a spontaneous suggestion by somebody in the Indonesia operation. “You can never really explain the thought process behind a post, so I deleted it,” he said in response to a request for comment. “I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”<br/>
Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia's Chief Development Officer David Marr, who was assigned to lead the airline's plans for an eventual initial public offering (IPO), has stepped down from his role, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The company's CFO Race Strauss will now assume management of the IPO, the spokesperson said in an emailed response to Reuters. "A significant amount of this work is now complete and while we are committed to an IPO as soon as practicable, the timing of an actual listing is dependent on capital markets conditions." U.S. private equity firm Bain did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment on the announcement. Marr, who is also a former CFO of the airline, had moved into the newly-created role of chief development officer in March. He will remain available to Virgin in an advisory capacity through the IPO process. Last week, Reuters reported citing sources that Bain Capital had postponed IPO plans for the airline to next year.<br/>