Ryanair Holdings Plc is set to launch flights from Paris Orly airport starting in 2025, according to French airport coordinator Cohor. The Dublin, Ireland-based low fare passenger airline obtained Paris slots to connect the Italian city of Bergamo and the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. In the region, Ryanair has so far been providing flights from the Beauvais airport, which is further away from Paris than Orly. A total of more than 8000 slots have been redistributed by Cohor, with the Spanish airline Volotea also being awarded slots. <br/>
unaligned
AirBaltic is pushing its planned initial public offering back to the first half of 2025 or later as its advisers suggest waiting for improved market conditions in the European sector. The Latvian airline, which had previously said it would consider an IPO in the second half of 2024, will instead look to do it "if there's a better outlook for European airlines", airBaltic CE Martin Gauss told Reuters on Monday. That means the timing of the planned flotation could stretch into the second half of next year, or even later, although an announcement on its pre-IPO investor could come sooner, Gauss said, adding this could technically till be this month. Reuters previously reported that Germany's Lufthansa was one of the companies in talks for a strategic investment in airBaltic. European airlines have struggled with supply chain delays, labour disruption, surging prices and limits to airspace this year, with many reporting weaker than expected financial results, putting pressure on sector valuations. Gauss added that the ongoing inspections to RTX's Pratt and Whitney engines are dragging out and that the company's compensation is not enough to make up for airBaltic's loss in revenue from grounding the affected planes. Two years ago, he said airBaltic would have expected the engine issues to have been addressed by now. He is being told by executives that the inspections could drag on for another two years.<br/>
Angola plans to continue restructuring state-owned airline TAAG next year before initiating the carrier’s privatization process in 2026. Transport Minister Ricardo Viegas d’Abreu said Monday the aim is to sell a direct stake in the 86-year-old airline to a partner that will help reduce operating costs and bolster TAAG’s global presence. “Right now TAAG is restructuring the fleet,” Viegas d’Abreu said in an Bloomberg Television interview in Luanda, the capital. “2026 will be the year where we will start engagement and negotiations and talks of the privatization of TAAG.” The Luanda-based airline’s biggest attraction lies in its links to Angola’s provinces and regular flights to Portugal and Brazil. TAAG has relied on government support for decades to make ends meet and posted a net loss of 90b kwanzas ($97.5m) in 2023. The privatization of TAAG takes place as Angola invests billions of dollars in a new airport and rail infrastructure in a bid to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy away from oil. It also comes as the government prepares to announce the winner of a tender to operate Luanda’s newly built $3b international airport.<br/>
Hong Kong Airlines’ relaunch of direct flights to Vancouver in January is expected to offer the most competitive option among carriers operating similar routes. The airline said on Monday that the twice-weekly Vancouver routes, to start on January 18, would provide passengers with more travel options between the two cities. The Vancouver-bound flights will depart on Tuesday and Saturday evenings, and the return services to Hong Kong will leave on Wednesday and Sunday in the early hours. The route, which was first launched in June 2017 but suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic, was the carrier’s first North American destination. “We are thrilled to welcome Vancouver back as Hong Kong Airlines’ first North American destination,” said Yan Bo, the carrier’s chairman. “The route will further strengthen our Asian network and offer global passengers more diverse and convenient travel options, connecting Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, Oceania, and North America.” A check by the Post of the three airlines’ websites showed that economy class return tickets in January offered by Hong Kong Airlines cost HK$9,491 (US$1,220), while Cathay Pacific Airways was HK$13,281. Air Canada’s fare was HK$15,661, or 65% more expensive than Hong Kong Airlines. A spokesman for Hong Kong Airlines said the number of flights had fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels this year, with an average passenger load factor – or the rate of seats filled – of about 85%.<br/>
Low-cost operators AirAsia Group and AirAsia X saw an increase in revenue in what they note has traditionally been a low season, with travel demand remaining strong amid network and fleet growth. AirAsia, which is the process of being divested from parent Capital A, disclosed a positive EBITDA of MYR578m ($130m) for the three months ended 30 September, up about 50% year on year. Revenue for the quarter grew 15% to MYR4.5b “despite being a seasonally slow quarter”, the airline group states. AirAsia also cites “favourable” fuel prices and the strengthening of the Malaysian Ringgit against the US Dollar among reasons for an improvement in its earnings. AirAsia Aviation head Bo Lingam says the group is “optimistic” about its year-end outlook, and is boosting its fleet to meet demand. The airline group, which has units in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Thailand, grew its fleet to 221 aircraft, of which 181 were operational. By the end of the year, Lingam says the group will be taking delivery of five new Airbus A321neos, to be placed in its Thai and Malaysian carriers. “We expect to maintain high load factors exceeding 85% and robust average fares, driven by year-end festivities,” he adds.<br/>