Germany's Lufthansa Group and its unit Swiss International Air Lines have cancelled all passenger and cargo flights to and from Tel Aviv with immediate effect through Aug. 8, spokespeople for the airlines said on Thursday. "The reason for this is the current development in the region," a Lufthansa spokesperson said. The German airline group has also extended a halt on its flights to and from the Lebanese capital Beirut through Aug. 12, according to the spokesperson. Swiss International is suspending flights from Zurich to Tel Aviv through Aug. 8 and to Beirut through Aug. 12, a spokesperson for the company said. A number of airlines have cancelled or suspended flights as Lebanon braces for retaliation from Israel since a strike on Saturday in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 12 children and teenagers. Hezbollah has denied blame.<br/>
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A Lufthansa flight captain refused to land in Israel on Thursday amid rising tensions between Israel and Lebanese group, Hezbollah, according to Israeli media, Anadolu Agency reports. The flight was scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv from Munich, Germany, but the captain refused, citing that his crew were not prepared to fly to Israel, the Israeli public broadcaster, KAN, said. Instead, the flight landed at Larnaca Airport in the Greek Cypriot Administration. The airline initially informed passengers that the plane would land in the Greek Cypriot Administration for “technical reasons” and then it would be decided whether the flight would continue to Tel Aviv. There was no comment from Lufthansa yet on the report. According to KAN, several international airlines cancelled their flights to Israel amid a growing escalation along the border between Israel and Lebanon. <br/>
Croatia Airlines is expecting to introduce a second Airbus A220 in December, having newly taken delivery of its first at the end of July. The carrier is replacing its current fleet of 12 aircraft – comprising two A320s, four A319s and six De Havilland Dash 8-400s – with 15 A220s by 2027. Croatia Airlines, in a first-half financial disclosure, says the transition period to the beginning of fleet replacement has been characterised by “increased cost exposure”. “In order to carry out the planned flight schedule, it was necessary to hire aircraft in the short term,” it states, adding that the leases were needed to bridge Airbus fleet maintenance. Over the first half Croatia Airlines generated revenues of E116m, up 3% as passenger numbers increased by 5%. Although the airline was narrowly profitable in the second quarter, it posted net loss of E9.5m for the six months ending 30 June. The carrier notes that increased costs of E10.4m linked to the short-term leasing, as well as higher maintenance expenditure, exceeded this loss figure. Croatia Airlines says its securing of slots at airports and investment in new routes will produce benefits when the a larger number of A220s is put into operation next year.<br/>
Polish flag-carrier LOT has received its first Embraer 195-E2 regional jet, one of three it is leasing from US-based company Azorra. LOT had disclosed in early May that it had signed for the aircraft for introduction this summer. The initial aircraft (SP-LEA) was flown on 30 July from Embraer’s facility in Brazil, via Recife and the Canary Islands, to Warsaw. It will commence services with the twinjet on 11 August, either to Oslo or Zurich. The airline is already an operator of Embraer E-Jets, the first of which – an E170 – it brought into the fleet 20 years ago. “With these [E2] aircraft, we will increase the frequency of flights to selected European cities, offering passengers a high level of comfort in the latest-generation fleet,” says CE Michal Fijol. He says the modernisation is part of the company’s ‘Destination Eco’ initiative. Commonality of the cockpit will allow LOT’s E-Jet piltos to “transition smoothly” to the E2 fleet, says LOT’s Embraer fleet manager Piotr Strzalkowski. “After undergoing training, pilots will be able to fly both types.” LOT will have all three leased E2s in operation by the end of the third quarter, the carrier states. The type is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1900G engines. Embraer commercial aircraft chief Arjan Meijer says the LOT delivery – undertaken “in double-quick time” through the Azorra agreement – takes the number of E2 operators to 17.<br/>
Meal services on Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights will no longer be suspended automatically when the seat belt sign lights up, unless pilots deem it necessary. The national carrier has reverted to standard in-flight procedures 10 weeks after a man died and dozens were injured on the turbulence-hit Flight SQ321. An SIA spokesperson told The Straits Times that the airline on Aug 1 ended a safety time-out that was imposed after the turbulence incident on May 21. This means hot beverages, including soup, will continue to not be served when the seat belt sign is switched on, but the rest of the meal and drink service can carry on at the discretion of the crew. This was not the case under the tighter rules. Under the stricter protocols, cabin crew also had to sit down and fasten their seat belts when the seat belt sign was lit. Now, the pilots may ask cabin crew to return to their seats and suspend service where necessary. The carrier said its pilots will continue to decide whether to suspend or continue with in-flight service, depending on their assessment of weather and operational conditions. SIA took a more cautious approach to managing turbulence in the air shortly after the SQ321 incident. Reports about the modified service routines came out on May 23, two days after the embattled flight from London to Singapore, which experienced sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar during breakfast service.<br/>