The US FAA has proposed fining Spirit Airlines $146,500 after employees allegedly mishandled hazardous materials, thus violating US Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations. The FAA said on 22 March that employees at Miramar, Florida-based Spirit had offered five separate shipments of compressed oxygen cylinders to FedEx for air transportation. The FedEx employees “rejected one of the shipments because the box in which the compressed oxygen cylinder was packed was damaged, did not adhere to the flame penetration resistance test requirements, and was not properly marked or labeled,” the FAA says. The violations occurred in August and September 2022, and the cylinders were meant to be transported to New York from Detroit. The employees who committed them had not completed appropriate training ahead of time, the FAA says. Spirit has 30 days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the regulator.<br/>
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New Pacific Airlines has cancelled flights on its last remaining scheduled route between Ontario, California and Nashville, Tennessee, as the struggling start-up carrier pivots to an entirely charter-based business model. The last set of round-trip flights between Nashville and Ontario International airport outside of Los Angeles are scheduled on New Pacific’s website for 5 April. No New Pacific flights are available for booking beyond that date. The carrier tells FlightGlobal on 25 March it still has ”a long-term plan to relaunch scheduled service”, but it will now focus on using its trio of older Boeing 757s for charter operations. Passengers who had booked flights between Ontario and Reno, Nevada late last week received abrupt notices that their flights had been cancelled, forcing some to purchase tickets with other carriers. Formerly known as Northern Pacific Airways, the Anchorage, Alaska-based carrier has operated a mix of scheduled passenger flights and charters since launching in July 2023. Last week, the carrier indicated that it was switching to a charter-based model after struggling to catch on with its scheduled service.<br/>
Haitian airline Sunrise Airways was set to begin flights to Miami on Monday as more US citizens were evacuated amid gang violence in the island nation. The airline on Sunday announced that direct flights between Cap Haitien and Miami and Les Cayes to Cap Haitien with connections to Miami would be available through April 7. Sunrise Airways had been forced to cancel domestic flights after three planes were struck by bullets amid the gang fighting, but it will operate flights for three days this week, allowing those with U.S. green cards, Haitian nationals and other people with necessary documents to leave the country. US airlines have grounded operations in Haiti after gangs stormed the Port-au-Prince airport on March 4, with charter flights serving as the only option for people to flee. The Florida Division of Emergency Management said Sunday that 21 Americans arrived in Orlando on a state-sponsored flight after they could not get out by other means. It said that flight brought the total of US residents rescued from Haiti to 35. <br/>
A “service interruption” that hit the website of ultra-low-cost carrier Flair Airlines Ltd. on the weekend was still ongoing Monday, preventing customers from booking flights just days before the busy Easter weekend. “We are currently experiencing a service interruption,” a message on the website said Monday. “Please check back soon. We look forward to taking you to your next destination.” Customers have reported online that airline’s website has been down since Saturday. The airline has not responded to requests for comment on the outage. The website issue came after the Globe and Mail reported on March 22 that the discount carrier cut more than 600 flights from its spring schedule as it faces financial woes. Flair, however, released a statement refuting the report, calling it misleading. Flair CE Stephen Jones said the article incorrectly implied that Flair made flight reductions due to financial difficulties. “This is simply false, and it is imperative to set the record straight and dispel these accusations,” Jones said in the statement sent to Financial Post. The Globe report, which cited data from aviation data company Cirium, said the airline has eliminated a number of flights departing its major hubs, including Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, for March, April and May. The article claimed Flair made cost-saving cuts to its domestic network even as it added holiday routes after the failure of low-cost rival Lynx Air.<br/>
Ryanair Holdings’ outspoken head said the sweeping management changes made at Boeing were “much needed,” in one of the first public comments from an executive at a major airline since CEO Dave Calhoun announced his departure. In a statement titled “Ryanair welcomes Boeing management changes in Seattle,” the Irish budget carrier said it believed the changes were “necessary and good for Boeing and its customers” soon after the planemaker announced the CEO will depart at the end of this year. The company also said Chairman Larry Kellner will not stand for reelection. Stan Deal, head of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, will retire immediately with COO Stephanie Pope replacing him. Last week, Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s CEO, said any Boeing management changes should target Seattle, where he said the performance has been unacceptable. The carrier has been vocal about its frustration over delivery delays that it said would hamper its ability to grow in the crucial peak summer travel season. “We look forward to working with Stephanie Pope to accelerate B737 aircraft deliveries to customers, including Ryanair in Europe, for Summer and Autumn 2024,” O’Leary said.<br/>
Romanian start-up carrier Bees Airlines has secured an air operator’s certificate from the country’s regulator. The carrier is aiming to operate international non-scheduled services from Bucharest’s primary Henri Coanda airport. Bees Airlines says it plans to serve routes to holiday destinations including resorts in Turkey and Egypt. The carrier will use a fleet of Airbus A320 jets. Similarly-named and -branded Bees Airline had been the brand of a Ukrainian carrier serving leisure routes with Boeing 737-800s. But it halted services in February 2022 when the country’s airspace was closed as a result of the conflict, and lessors demanded the evacuation of aircraft. Its air operator’s certificate was subsequently cancelled by the Ukrainian state civil aviation service. Romania’s Bees Airlines says it has “passed all necessary procedures” and obtained the AOC enabling it to commence operations.<br/>
Swiss carrier Edelweiss intends to be the first carrier in the country to introduce Airbus A350s, and has unveiled initial long-haul routes for the type. Edelweiss will bring in the first A350-900 in April next year – one of six joining the fleet to replace Airbus A340-300s. It has disclosed that Las Vegas will be the opening destination to which the aircraft is assigned. “Before the aircraft is deployed on long-haul routes, it will fly to various short and medium-haul destinations in the first few weeks,” says the Lufthansa Group carrier. Edelweiss will serve the US city three-times weekly with the twinjet from mid-May. When a second A350 enters service, scheduled for July 2025, the airline will operate it from Zurich to Vancouver. Edelweiss will take delivery of a third A350 at the beginning of October, with a fourth arriving in the winter season.<br/>
AirAsia Philippines is expecting stronger demand for travel as it anticipates 100,000 travelers this week alone, the low-cost carrier said on Monday. With this, AirAsia Philippines is ramping up its operations and deploying additional manpower to cater to higher passengers during the Holy Week. The airline said its president and CE president, Ricardo P. Isla, personally inspected check-in counters to ensure operational efficiency and readiness. “All counters are fully operational, with additional manpower and standby team deployed to accommodate the expected influx of tourists during this period,” AirAsia Philippines said. “Beyond safety, the airline is also focused on enhancing customer experience by partnering up with Locally PH. Hundreds of Locally products have been handed out to guests, adding a refreshing touch to their journeys,” it added.<br/>