US charter carrier IAero Airways has formally filed for liquidation after ceasing operations and reaching an agreement to sell assets, including its Boeing 737 fleet. IAero had entered US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September last year. But subsequent efforts to sell the company failed and the only viable bid, from an entity linked to US company Eastern Airlines, involved picking up IAero’s assets. Filings to the Southern District of Florida bankruptcy court state that IAero “ceased normal operations” on 7 April. In a formal request on 12 April to convert the Chapter 11 proceedings to Chapter 7 proceedings – a move to liquidation – the company and its affiliates say they “no longer have an operating business to rehabilitate”. The filing says a Chapter 7 trustee could oversee the collection and monetisation of its remaining assets. “[We] believe that conversion of the Chapter 11 cases…to Chapter 7 will inure to the benefit of the…creditors and all other parties,” it adds. Hearings on 8 and 10 April, centred on approving the proposed sale of assets to Eastern Airlines, resolved various objections.<br/>
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A contractor bears the blame for delayed refunds to Lynx Air customers, the insolvent airline says, adding that the hold-up will also hurt company stakeholders. Lynx, which ceased operations and filed for creditor protection in late February, claimed in court filings that the firm hired to handle bookings, Texas-based Sabre Corp., has hampered passenger reimbursements. The ultra-low-cost carrier said it had planned to carry out refunds directly, “without the need for customers to contact their credit card providers to submit chargebacks.” “Unfortunately, Sabre Corp. … has refused to assist with customer refunds,” according to an affidavit from Lynx’s interim CFO and filed with the Alberta Court of King’s Bench. That leaves the airline no choice but to work with its credit card processor to deal with chargebacks for would-be travellers whose flights were cancelled, the filings state. While customers wait to have their purchases reimbursed, the company’s investors may also have a harder time recouping their own cash from Lynx. “The chargeback process is expensive, and this will therefore result in significant chargeback fees to the applicants” — Lynx — “to the detriment of their stakeholders,” the carrier stated. <br/>
The union representing WestJet Encore pilots says a tentative deal has been struck with their employer, days before the pilots had threatened to go on strike. In a statement released Monday afternoon by the Air Line Pilots Association, the head of the union’s WestJet Encore contingent says the tentative agreement brings “wages and working conditions significantly more in line” with those of other regional pilots across the country. Carin Kenney also says it “delivers on providing better job security, industry-standard pay, and more flexible schedules to allow for a better work-life balance.” Pilots with WestJet’s regional subsidiary approved a strike mandate on April 2 by 97%, according to the union, and they were in a legal position to strike on Wednesday although they would have needed to serve 72-hours notice before walking off the job. The tentative deal must still be approved by the 355 members it covers, and the union says it’s still setting a timeline for a ratification vote.<br/>
Italy's antitrust regulator ordered Ryanair Monday to stop limiting or blocking the sale of its flight tickets by travel agencies, as it probes the Irish budget carrier's possible abuse of its leading market position.<br/>Ryanair, which has become Italy's largest carrier, has eight days to present its counter-arguments and request a hearing, the watchdog, known as AGCM, said in a statement. AGCM opened the investigation in September. Ryanair is urging customers to book directly on its website for the cheapest tickets, ease of managing changes and requesting refunds, saying that unauthorised online travel agencies add fees and do not share booking details with the carrier. Ryanair is also in a dispute with the Italian government which is trying to hold down the price of domestic flights to its main islands at peak times. Il Messaggero newspaper had reported that the authority was concerned about Ryanair's actions causing "serious and irreparable" damage to travel agencies, other airlines and passengers. The daily added that Ryanair could be granted a hearing with the AGCM on April 18. In response to the report, Ryanair told Reuters by email that online travel agencies had misled AGCM. It added that the regulator had wrongly ignored a Milan Court of Appeal ruling in January that Ryanair's direct online sales policy was reasonable and helped sustain lower fares for Italian passengers. The airline said unauthorised online travel agencies continued to scam Italian passengers with hidden mark-ups and inflated prices for Ryanair services.<br/>
Estonian ministers are suspending discussions with two companies which had sought to acquire the troubled carrier Nordic Aviation Group, although efforts to privatise the company will continue. The ministry of climate change says two entities had submitted binding purchase offers. But one has been determined to be “financially insufficient”, and both contained additional terms which could not be agreed. The ministry adds that there were also unanswered questions about the origin of funding for the second offer. Nordic Aviation Group, which operates under the Nordica brand, emerged in 2015 as the government looked to a successor for the collapsed flag-carrier Estonian Air. But the country’s national audit office found last year that the government did not have the necessary capabilities to serve as Nordica’s owner, and recommended that it sell the airline and its associated aircraft lessor Transpordi Varahaldus. Accountancy company Ernst & Young Baltic, in collaboration with Baltic law firm Fort, also presented conclusions of a special audit of Nordica to the Estonian parliament in February this year, which revealed concerns over several aspects of risk management within the carrier. This special audit had analysed management decisions taken over the course of January 2020 to July 2023.<br/>
Kazakhstan carrier Air Astana has agreed a partnership deal with Italian leisure carrier Neos, including a codeshare and service co-operation on Boeing 787 flights next year. The carriers have signed a memorandum of understanding under which Air Astana will codeshare on the Italian carrier’s flights linking Milan Malpensa with Almaty. The partners are also considering the creation of a joint venture covering routes between Italy and Kazakhstan. Air Astana will also tap Neos’ experience operating Dreamliners as it prepares to introduce three 787-9s next year. The partners plan to, where permitted, share technical and operational insights gained from their respective flights with the type. Neos took delivery of its first 787 at the end of 2017. Air Astana CE Peter Foster says: ”We are delighted to enter a strategic partnership with Neos and look forward to exploring initiatives together so we can better serve our mutual customers. This agreement will provide Air Astana passengers with more flexibility, convenience and choice of flights between Kazakhstan and Italy.”<br/>
Scoot, a subsidiary of SIA, welcomed the first of its Embraer E190-E2 aircraft at Singapore Changi Airport Monday. The new Explorer 3.0 is the first of nine scheduled to arrive in the city-state, from now until the end of 2025. After being handed over to Scoot from Embraer’s production facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, the aircraft departed the country on April 12 to arrive in Singapore today, where it recived a water cannon salute upon arrival. “This milestone marks the start of a new chapter for Scoot and it is made possible with the hard work of our staff and support of our valued partners including Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Changi Airport Group (CAG), Embraer and SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC) who have worked closely with us over the past year to ensure that the E190-E2 aircraft are ready for entry into service,” says Leslie Thng, CEO of Scoot.<br/>