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United Airlines says it plans to resume flights to Israel next month, reviving a route that was suspended in October at the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The airline said Wednesday that it will start flights from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv with a stop in Munich on March 2 and March 4. United said it hopes to begin daily service on March 6 and to add a second daily flight as soon as May. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines also stopped flying to Tel Aviv after the war started and have not announced when service might resume. Germany's Lufthansa and its affiliates Austrian Airlines and Swiss brought back flights to Tel Aviv in January, followed by Air France. Other European carriers have said they plan to restart flights to Israel this spring. United said it conducted “a detailed safety analysis” and consulted security experts and government officials in both countries before deciding to resume the flights. The airline said it also worked with the two unions that represent its pilots and flight attendants. The Chicago-based airline said it will evaluate whether to resume flights this fall to Israel from San Francisco, Chicago and Dulles airport outside Washington, D.C.<br/>

A United Airlines flight travelling to Los Angeles was diverted to Chicago after a reported bomb scare, prompted by a note in the plane bathroom. The aircraft landed safely at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport at around 7.40am local time on Wednesday, according to the FAA, and all passengers were evacuated. The Boeing 787 departed from Newark Liberty International Airport and was headed to Los Angeles International Airport, before crew members reported the “security concern”. Following passenger evacuation, the aircraft was searched at a remote location at O’Hare Airport. According to a preliminary police report, per CBS, a note was found in the bathroom stating the plane would blow up. The outlet also reported that a bomb-sniffing K-9 unit found one suspicious bag, and a robot was deployed to move it away. Police are questioning the passenger who checked that bag and an airline source said the dog connected a scent from the threatening note and the bag, CBS reported.<br/>

Air Canada is launching a pilot project in Hamilton and Waterloo Region that will allow travellers to check in at local airports before before being whisked off to Toronto Pearson Airport in the “luxury” of a bus. While the service will not be available from Hamilton International Airport and Waterloo International Airport until May, Air Canada says passengers can now book the new service. A spokesperson for Air Canada could not provide an exact price for the service, noting that it will be a apart of the fare. “The pricing will be included in the overall fare, so there is not a flat rate,” the spokesperson said in an email. “It will be as if you just buy a normal airline ticket with a connecting flight and pay one total price.” Air Canada is offering the service in partnership with a company called Landline. The company currently has partnerships with United Airlines in Denver and Sun Country Airlines in Minnesota, according to its website. It also runs shuttle services in those areas. “Air Canada is focused on improving regional services and through this innovative partnership with The Landline Company, we are connecting communities and extending our network by offering customers a convenient, stress-free multimodal option,” said Alexandre Lefevre of Air Canada. “We will look to further expand our regional network in Canada through our Landline partnership, as it also advances our sustainability programs by potentially removing tens of thousands of vehicles from the road each year.” The buses, which will be fully decked out in Air Canada branding, will travel six times daily between Toronto and Hamilton as well as between Toronto and Breslau.<br/>

A warning from home carrier Singapore Airlines that ticket prices were coming under pressure as costs are also rising sent its shares down nearly 10% on Wednesday, casting a shadow over the Singapore Airshow. The Asian airline's biggest one-day share price plunge since the global travel industry ground to a halt in March 2020 because of COVID-19 came after its December quarter earnings missed market expectations on Tuesday. It underscored broader aviation industry concerns about supply chain constraints and a more cautious outlook in Asia as China's international travel recovers from the pandemic at a slower pace than in much of the rest of the world. At the air show, Taiwan's Starlux Airlines placed an order on Wednesday for five Airbus A350 freighters - with an option for five more - and three A330neo wide-body passenger jets, a day after rivals Boeing and COMAC of China announced sales of their own. Starlux wants to become a transit airline for passengers from Southeast Asia to North America and to take advantage of cargo flows from South Asia to North America, CEO Glenn Chai said. But even as the orders rolled in, Singapore Airlines said on Tuesday that high fuel prices, inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints were presenting challenges to airlines globally. "Passenger yields continue to come under pressure from increased competition as capacity restoration continues across the industry," the airline added. The carrier's net profit, while still strong, has fallen for two consecutive quarters after reaching a record in the June quarter last year, when it was buoyed by strong post-pandemic summer travel demand. "Last year was pent-up demand, revenge travel," Mabel Kwan, a Singapore-based managing director at Alton Aviation Consultancy, said on the sidelines of the air show. "What is going to take over is longer term macroeconomic fundamentals."<br/>

Air New Zealand has reported a first-half profit of $129m after tax, down 39% on the same period last year. In an announcement to the NZX on Thursday, the national carrier said the drop in profit was “expected” after it recorded one of its highest-ever results following the return of air travel when borders reopened. Passenger revenue for the airline was up 21% to $3.1b, driven by a significant increase in international capacity. Overall capacity was up 29% on the first half of the 2023 financial year and demand was stable in most markets. However, the airline’s operating costs, including fuel, had risen by 21% due to the increase in long-haul flights. Non-fuel operating costs were up about 5% or $100m, on top of a 15% to 20% increase over the last four years. The continuing increases were impacting the cost of running flights and the airline was reviewing fares and capacity. Chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh said despite the short-term challenges, the airline was in a “fundamentally strong” position, and would pay a dividend of 2 cents per share for the first half. “While we have reported a solid first half result, it is against the backdrop of significant ongoing supply chain issues, particularly the additional Pratt & Whitney engine maintenance requirements on our A321neo fleet, which will see up to five of our newest and most efficient aircraft out of service at any one time across the next 18 months at least.” CE Greg Foran said Air New Zealand had made schedule changes and leased additional aircraft to help manage the temporary loss of the A321neo planes.<br/>