Air Canada has been fined US$250,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for operating flights in prohibited Iraqi airspace under its codeshare agreement with an American airline. The agency says between October 2022 and January 2023, Air Canada flew a “significant number of flights” between the United Arab Emirates and Canada using a United Airlines designator code in airspace prohibited by the FAA to U.S. operators. It added that several flights took place after the agency’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) issued an investigation letter to Air Canada. “By operating these flights in this manner, Air Canada violated the conditions of its authority to operate and engaged in air transportation without the proper DOT authority,” the agency said in a statement on Friday. Since October 2020, U.S. air carriers have been banned by the FAA from flying below a certain level over Iraqi airspace. In its defence, Air Canada said it has always been aware of, and has always complied with, the U.S. agency’s policy on flights over conflict zones and that it took “immediate action” upon receiving the notice that its codeshare flights may have violated its rules. The airline added that it has served the Dubai to Toronto route for years “without incident” and that the specific incidents cited were “unplanned, inadvertent, limited in number, and of brief duration.”<br/>
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Portugal said it wants TAP SA to keep its hub in Lisbon and routes that are strategic for the country, as the government plans a privatization of the state-owned airline. “We will never give up the hub in Lisbon,” Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said at a conference in Mafra, Portugal on Friday. “If we don’t have guarantees that safeguard those routes, we will take the reins of managing the operation. That’s not what’s in the government’s program.” The government in July reaffirmed its plans to privatize TAP, adding that the terms of the sale remain to be defined. Air France-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and IAG SA, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, have publicly stated their interest in TAP. The Lisbon-based airline’s biggest attraction lies in its links to Brazil, of which it’s the largest European provider. It also maintains a strong presence in Africa and operates a number of flights to North America. Besides carrying tourists who have been visiting Portugal in greater numbers, TAP’s flights link a global diaspora of the country’s citizens and also connect the mainland to the Madeira and Azores archipelagos in the middle of the Atlantic.<br/>
Lufthansa has become the latest European airline to announce cuts to its China network, citing a disadvantageous market environment reflected by heightened costs. First reported by Aeroroutes, as of end-October, Lufthansa will be suspending flights entirely on its Frankfurt to Beijing route, leaving Munich as the only hub with links to the Chinese capital. It is worth noting that while these cuts to mainland China are significant, Lufthansa also offers flights from Frankfurt and Munich to Shanghai. Lufthansa has decided to end flights on the FRA to PEK sector as of October 26. This is also reflected on the carrier's booking platform, which does not list any non-stop Lufthansa-serviced options on the sector. Instead, codeshare partner Air China becomes the only remaining passenger operator flying between the two cities. Lufthansa currently offers daily flights on the route, per Bloomberg, using an Airbus A340-300. It planned to reduce this to five weekly for this coming winter season. According to ch-aviation data, the carrier has 17 planes in its fleet, seven of which are listed as inactive and stored at Teruel Airport. <br/>
New York City Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges of accepting bribes and illegal campaign contributions from Turkish nationals, as the Democrat resists mounting calls from within his own party to resign. Adams, 64, entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker at his first appearance in the case in Manhattan federal court. He wore a dark blue suit with a purple dotted tie, and stared straight ahead as Parker explained the five felony counts he faces, including bribery and wire fraud. "I am not guilty, your honor," Adams said when Parker asked for his plea. His lawyer, Alex Spiro, said he would file a motion to dismiss the charges next week. Adams is next due in court on Oct. 2. In the indictment unsealed on Thursday, federal prosecutors said Turkish diplomats and businesspeople illegally funneled money to Adams' campaign and showered him with luxury travel perks, including business-class airplane tickets, opulent hotel stays and meals at high-end restaurants. In exchange, Adams in 2021 pressured city officials to allow Turkey's new 36-story consulate to open despite safety concerns, according to prosecutors. After the hearing, Spiro told reporters the accusations rested on the assertions of an Adams staffer who falsely implicated Adams. He minimized the severity of the charges, and said he expected them to be dismissed. "This isn't even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case," Spiro said. According to the indictment, Adams accepted free travel from Turkish Airlines worth tens of thousands of dollars while serving as Brooklyn borough president and paid $600 to stay two nights at a luxury suite in the St. Regis hotel in Istanbul, well below the actual cost of $7,000. Prosecutors said Adams would fly on Turkish Airlines even when it was inconvenient. "You know first stop is always Istanbul," he wrote in a 2017 text message when his partner expressed surprise that they were flying from New York to Paris through Istanbul, according to the indictment. Turkish Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.<br/>
Turkish Airlines has canceled several flights scheduled for Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 because of an ongoing strike by airport staff in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The airline announced the cancellation of the “TK 1941 Istanbul-Brussels” flight planned for Monday and multiple flights on Oct. 1, according to a statement released on Sunday. On Oct. 1, Brussels Airport is expected to face major disruptions as all flights will be grounded because of the large-scale union strike. Around 50,000 passengers will likely be affected by the protest.<br/>
Bahrain's national carrier Gulf Air has announced the expansion of its longstanding partnership with Thai Airways, further strengthening its commitment to providing passengers with seamless travel options across their combined networks. This enhanced agreement will significantly increase the number of destinations available to travellers of both airlines. As per the deal, Gulf Air will add 10 new destinations to its network via Thai Airways, bringing the total number of codeshare routes to 14, while Thai Airways will add 6 new destinations to its network via Gulf Air, thus bringing the total number of codeshare routes to 8, said a statement from Gulf Air. The expanded partnership will provide Gulf Air passengers with greater access to domestic points within Thailand, as well as key cities across Asia and Australia served by Thai Airways. The codeshare flights will offer seamless connectivity and a more convenient travel experience for passengers of both airlines, it stated. "Gulf Air customers will be able to book travel to additional cities in Thailand such as Chiang Mai, and Phuket, as well as destinations in countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia," said a Gulf Air spokesperson.<br/>
Air New Zealand’s chief operational integrity and safety officer David Morgan has stepped down from the airline’s leadership team. Morgan, who is also the airline’s chief pilot, will leave his management role in early 2025 as the airline looks to find a replacement. Following his departure, Morgan will return to the flight deck, where he continues to operate Air New Zealand’s Airbus A320 family fleet. He joined the airline in 1985 as a pilot, before becoming part of the airline’s flight operations team in 1996. Morgan has held the position of chief operational integrity and safety officer since 2006, overseeing flight operations, as well as people safety and sustainability functions. “David has given a lifetime of service to Air New Zealand and across nearly four decades has been at the helm through the highest of highs and some of the toughest periods in the airline’s history,” the airline states. Morgan’s departure is the latest leadership shake-up within Air New Zealand – in June the Star Alliance operator announced the departure of its chief corporate affairs officer as part of a “wider review of costs”.<br/>
Those in the deep south will soon have fewer options to get to the North Island as Air New Zealand pulls the pin on its Invercargill to Wellington service. The flights will stop from January 19, 2025, the airline has announced. Air New Zealand general manager domestic Scott Carr said the decision has come down to global engine maintenance issues putting aircraft out of service, coupled with a softening of demand domestically. “As a result, we have had to make the tough decision to no longer operate the direct Invercargill to Wellington service from 19 January 2025. “Customers will still be able to fly to Wellington via Christchurch. We will be adding additional flights between Christchurch and Invercargill to ensure there is sufficient capacity.“ Those who are already booked to travel will be re-accommodated, the airline said. “We know this change may cause inconvenience for some, but we want to assure our customers that we remain committed to connecting Invercargill to our wider network via the direct Christchurch and Auckland services.” Carr said a significant amount of care and planning goes into ensuring its domestic network services communities as well as possible, while also ensuring its operations are financially sustainable.<br/>