Portugal's government plans to resume the sale of flag carrier TAP in 2025, the country's infrastructure minister said, after receiving interest from more than a dozen potential buyers. A previous Socialist administration approved the privatisation of at least 51% of TAP in September 2023, but the sale did not go ahead as Portugal held a snap election in March which was won by a centre-right alliance. "We will start the process of privatising the company in 2025 and, to that end, we have listened to all interested parties", said Miguel Pinto Luz. The infrastructure minister told a parliamentary committee late on Thursday that TAP "has also been strengthening itself in financial terms, with operating results in line with or higher than its European peers". "Whatever the final privatisation model," Pinto Luz said, TAP's brand and its Lisbon hub will be maintained, adding that "strategic routes to the Portuguese diaspora", which includes Brazil, Angola, Mozambique and the U.S., would not be reduced. Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who had previously insisted on a total privatisation of TAP, signalled a month ago that a partial sale was a possibility. Pinto Luz said "there have been expressions of interest from more than a dozen national and international interested parties," including from outside Europe. The government has confirmed meetings with Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and British Airways-owner IAG.<br/>
star
Italy’s former national carrier Alitalia has started procedures for the collective dismissal of its remaining 2,059 employees, its administrators told unions. The move comes as the successor to bankrupt Alitalia, ITA Airways, faces hurdles in its merger plans with German Lufthansa. According to Italian media reports, merger talks stalled after the Italian Economy Ministry refused Lufthansa’s suggestions to adjust the price for a 41% stake in ITA Airways. Lufthansa is arguing that the government-owned Italian airline would lose value due to its poor performance in the fourth quarter of the year. Lufthansa said it would adhere to the 2023 terms of the contract for its investment in ITA, adding it “had signed the necessary remedy package by the agreed deadline.” Meanwhile, Alitalia, which is under the special administration and moving toward final liquidation, plans to fire its remaining employees until the end of the year. The final cuts include more than 1,100 flight attendants and 82 pilots and become effective in January, according to a letter sent this past week by the administration to the airline unions.<br/>
Turkish Airlines is working closely with the Indian government to increase the number of flights between Türkiye and India, a senior official told ET. Turkish Airlines currently operates 14 weekly flights, aiming to offer travellers more options by increasing this number to 28. Ahmet Olmuştur, CCO of Turkish Airlines, said increasing connectivity with India aligns with the airline’s goal of providing comprehensive travel options for potential visitors. Türkiye’s popularity as a holiday destination has grown among Indian travellers, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. In the first half of 2024, the country received 165,000 Indian visitors, including travellers from tier 2 and 3 cities, a 33.2% increase from a year ago. Among the tourist hotspots in Istanbul are Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. Some visitors seek to explore Cappadocia's unique rock formations, Pamukkale's travertine terraces and thermal springs, the resort town of Bodrum, and Antalya’s beaches and ancient ruins. "We are strategically planning to expand our routes to major Indian cities, tapping into the rising demand for international travel there,” said Olmuştur. “India has emerged as a pivotal market for Turkish tourism, and we anticipate this trend to continue growing annually.”<br/>
A New York woman has sued EgyptAir for $5m in damages, claiming that a "scalding beverage" was splashed on her as she boarded the flight from John F. Kennedy Airport to Cairo, according to a report in NY Post. The woman has been identified as 35-year-old Esraa Hezain who said she suffered "second-degree burns" from the hot liquid. As per the Brooklyn federal court documents, the incident took place in February earlier this year as the beverage, kept in a "lidless cup" of tea flew off a "defective" seat tray and splashed over her. After the beverage was served, the flight encountered "significant turbulence" that led to the incident. The suit alleged that the flight crew "failed to suspend service prior to the turbulence or issue a warning of the impending turbulence". Hezain's attorney, Abram Bohrer informed the outlet that his client had suffered second-degree burns to her lower abdomen, her right inner thigh and buttocks. "For the price of a lid this didn't have to happen," he said. EgyptAir had not commented on the incident as of the last update.<br/>
India’s airlines are set for a landmark week, with two milestones days apart, that will redefine the competitive landscape in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. Vistara operates its final flight on Monday before its planned merger with Air India kicks in the following day, marking the end of a complex and messy two-year long process. On Thursday, market leader IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., debuts its business-class cabins on select routes as it ventures beyond budget travel for the first time. The two developments mark major changes for India’s two largest airlines as the carriers expand and foray beyond their traditional areas of expertise. By incorporating the Singapore Airlines Ltd.-owned Vistara into the much larger but unprofitable Air India, the Tata Group has taken on one of the most complicated aviation mergers globally that included navigating pilot protests which led to dozens of canceled flights this year. The union will be a crucial test of the coffee-to-cars conglomerate’s ability to improve the quality of Air India’s services and turn around the loss-making carrier it bought from the Indian government in 2021 without losing the brigade of loyal Vistara fliers. The challenge for the no-frills IndiGo, meanwhile, will be to revamp its image — it’s like India’s Ryan Air — and dent Air India’s supremacy in the premium sector. “All the jabs that Air India and IndiGo are taking are aimed at each other’s strategy,” said Ajay Awtaney, founder of LiveFromALounge.com, a local aviation analysis platform. “It’s now a two-player game.” While Vistara’s routes, schedules, in-flight products and crew will stay the same for now, its aircraft will be identified using a separate Air India airplane code. Even as the two merging airlines try to reassure passengers there will be minimal disruption, travelers and aviation enthusiasts across India are mourning the end of Vistara.<br/>
Singapore Airlines signaled profitability will remain under pressure despite expected “robust” demand for travel in the second half of the fiscal year, as it reported a slump in profit. The airline’s net income fell 59% to S$290m ($220m) in the quarter ending Sept. 30, which spans the lucrative peak summer-travel period. Revenue rose 2% to S$4.8b. Net fuel costs, after hedging, rose 10.6% in the period. Costs more broadly jumped almost 14.7%, outstripping the incremental revenue growth. Yield, a key indicator of airline profitability, slid again by 6.5% to 10.1 Singaporean cents per kilometer. “The operating landscape will continue to be competitive,” the airline said in a statement Friday. “The Group will remain nimble and agile, adjusting its passenger network and capacity to match evolving demand patterns.” The city-state’s flag carrier continues to grapple with a host of challenges from greater competition, geopolitical challenges and inflationary cost pressures. Singapore Airlines earlier this week pledged to invest S$1.1b to overhaul the seats in its long-haul aircraft, including all-new first-and business-class products, to maintain its world-leading premium offering.<br/>