star

Germany's Lufthansa will resume its flights to Tel Aviv from Thursday, according to an update from the company, one of a number of airlines to alter their schedules amid fears of an escalation in the Middle East conflict. The airline had announced in early August that it was suspending flights to the Israeli city, repeatedly extending the suspension measures until up to and including Sept. 4. Lufthansa said in an emailed statement late Monday that its flights to the Lebanese capital, Beirut, would remain suspended up to and including Sept. 30.<br/>Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza, triggered by a shock assault by the group's militants in October 2023, has stoked parallel hostilities between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, leading to concerns about a broader regional conflict.<br/>

Aerospace engineers have spent the better part of a century trying to cut weight from aircraft to save on fuel. Deutsche Lufthansa AG is now going the other way on some jets in order to give first-class customers a good night’s rest. The German group’s Swiss subsidiary will add a lead weight to the tail of some of its aircraft to smooth out a fore-to-aft imbalance caused by its new first class cabin, according to a statement from the company. Engineers will add the so-called “balancing plate” to compensate for the additional weight generated by a new arrangement that will feature lie-down beds and accommodate a maximum of four passengers per aircraft. “Swiss has decided to remain true to its promise and its aspiration of being a premium air carrier, by committing to retain its First Class cabin on its long-haul aircraft fleet,” the airline said, explaining the need for the weight. The measure will be introduced on Airbus SE A330-300 jets on flights to the US East Coast, Canada and the Middle East. The decision to consciously add weight comes as airlines face scrutiny over the environmental impact of flying. Air travel generates about 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. For Swiss, adding weight will further increase fuel burn and thereby the airline’s per-passenger carbon dioxide emissions. A single first-class passenger traveling on a round trip from Zurich to New York generates about 14 tons in carbon dioxide, according to climate offset website MyClimate. That’s about five times more than the emissions created by a traveler in economy class, where seats have become more slender and therefore lighter — contributing to the imbalance on the aircraft.<br/>

Greek carrier Aegean Airlines is positioning to take a stake of up to 21% in Spanish low-cost carrier Volotea by mid-2025 after participating in a round of fundraising with the latter’s shareholders. Announcing an initial E25m investment in Volotea on 3 September in Athens, Aegean says the pan-European operator is attractive because it serves secondary markets with a low-cost model that is complementary to its own focus on larger international and domestic markets from Greece. It comes after the two carriers formed a relationship in 2021 when they announced codeshares covering 100 routes in Italy, France, Spain and Greece. “Aegean and Volotea may have different operating models and products but are in many ways complementary and share a customer-focused philosophy,” says Aegean chair Eftichios Vassilakis. ”We are investing in Volotea because we believe in the strategy and potential of Volotea’s expandable model, but also to deepen our distribution reach into three highly significant source markets – France, Italy and Spain – and to join forces in providing more direct connectivity from these markets to regional airports of Greece.” The Greek carrier says it is taking part in two rounds of capital injections involving other Volotea shareholders with an aim to raise E100m for the growing Spanish business.<br/>

Turkey’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, Abdulkadir Uraloglu, said there are no immediate plans to privatize Turkish Airlines or its low-cost carrier AJet. Uraloglu said in an interview that last year’s decision to establish a new company for AJet and separate it from Turkish Airlines was driven by a plan to boost competitiveness, and not as a step toward privatization. “Turkish Airlines is already a globally recognized brand and Turkey’s national flag carrier.” he said. “It holds significant value for the country, and there are no questions about it.” The creation of a distinct brand was intended to give AJet more operational flexibility, allowing it to tailor its services to budget-conscious travelers without being constrained by the broader objectives of its parent company, he said. There is no plan to sell the business, the minister said. AJet, formerly known as AnadoluJet, has carved out a significant share of Turkey’s low-cost aviation market, which has become increasingly important as travelers look for more affordable options as domestic demand has been growing over the years. <br/>

Ethiopia’s state-owned airline suspended flights to Eritrea, the latest sign of a deterioration in relations between the two neighboring countries. The move by the Ethiopian Airlines Group, which came into effect on Tuesday, is the result of “very difficult operating conditions it has encountered in Eritrea that are beyond its control,” the carrier said in a statement posted on social media platform X. It didn’t elaborate. Ethiopia and Eritrea have a long history of adversary. They fought a three-decade war that resulted in Eritrea gaining independence in 1991, depriving Ethiopia of direct access to the sea. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed signed a peace deal with Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki in 2018, but ties have since been strained by Eritrea’s backing of an anti-government militia in Ethiopia. Addis Ababa’s quest to secure a port in the Gulf of Aden has also heightened regional tensions. In January, Abiy unveiled a proposal to secure access to a harbor in Somaliland — a semi-autonomous region of Somalia — in return for a stake in Ethiopian Airlines. Ethiopia also said it will consider recognizing Somaliland as an independent nation, triggering a war of words with Somalia. Ethiopia and Eritrea joined forces in a two-year war against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which controlled Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and was one of Isaias’ oldest foes. That conflict ended in 2022. “This matter annoyed Isaias a lot, because he did not want to stop the war except by completely eliminating the TPLF and its army,” said Negash Osman, chairman of the Eritrean National Council for Democratic Change, a coalition of political parties and civil rights groups. He warned that gains made since the conclusion of the 2018 peace deal had been erased and there was a risk of renewed fighting. <br/>

Singapore Airlines said on Tuesday it is inspecting the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines in its fleet of A350-900 planes as a precaution after Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways identified an engine component failure in one of its flights. There is currently no impact on Singapore flights operating with the A350-900. Cathay Pacific said on Tuesday it had inspected its entire Airbus A350 fleet after the in-flight failure of an engine part and found 15 aircraft with components that needed replacement. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the incident involved a problem with a fuel nozzle inside a XWB-97 engine, the Rolls-Royce model used on the A350-1000.<br/>

All Nippon Airways (ANA) will increase its flight frequency between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo starting on Sept 1. The two additional flights would increase the frequency of ANA flights between KLIA Terminal 1 and Haneda or Narita airports in Tokyo from 12 to 14 weekly. To celebrate, passengers arriving in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 1 and 7 would receive an envelope containing discounts and offers from ANA’s marketing partners including AEON, IPPUDO Malaysia (Non-Halal), MAiSEN Malaysia (Non-Halal), KLIA Ekspres, Books Kinokuniya Malaysia, Mitsui Shopping Park LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre and Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang. ANA stated that they would operate the additional flights using their state-of-the-art B787-9 Dreamliner. The aircraft features 246 seats, including 40 in Business Class, 14 in Premium Economy and 192 in Economy Class. <br/>

All Nippon Airways has applied the low-drag AeroShark surface film on a single Boeing 777 freighter, becoming the second Asian operator to use the film on its aircraft. The first 777F with the AeroShark film (JA771F) entered service on 3 September, operating a flight from Tokyo Narita to Chicago. ANA adds that it intends to apply the film on a passenger 777-300ER (JA796A), which will enter service early next year. ANA worked with AeroShark developer Lufthansa Technik for the application of the film on its 777F. “As ANA begins operations with two Boeing 777 equipped with [AeroShark] films, the airline will validate the effectiveness of this technology in ANA’s daily operation, with plans to expand its use across other aircraft of the same type,” the Star Alliance carrier states. The film, measuring 50 micormilimeters thick, replicates shark skin, and reduces aerodynamic drag on the airframe, lowering fuel consumption and emissions by 1-2%. About 830sq m of the film will be used to cover the fuselage and engine nacelles.<br/>

South Korea is back on Air New Zealand’s map as the national carrier restarts flights to the capital, Seoul. The service is seasonal and will operate from October 28 through to the end of March, 2025. There will be three flights a week on the airline’s Dreamliner 787, with 40,000 seats available over the five months. The route had been paused due to ongoing engine problems affecting the airline’s fleet. Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said Kiwis will be able to enjoy Seoul’s “world-class food scene” and a “modern and tech-savvy” city, with cargo to South Korea also playing an “important” role. “In the same period last year, we carried more than 2000 tonnes of cargo between the cities, with fresh produce like avocados, blueberries, and lamb heading to Korea from New Zealand. We’re expecting to see similar volumes of cargo transported between the cities this season.” Geraghty is part of a business delegation currently in Seoul along with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who called the direct flights “important” for tourism and trade.<br/>

New Zealand has been named the leading destination and Air New Zealand the top airline in the Oceania section of the World Travel Awards (WTA), among the travel industry’s most prestigious accolades. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand retained its title as the leading airline in the region for the 16th year in a row. The national carrier has been named the top airline in Oceania since 2019 and in Australasia, the previous category title, since 2009.<br/>