After months of playing coy, Frontier Group Holdings acknowledged on 29 January it has “significant interest” in creating the USA’s fifth-largest airline through the acquisition of ailing ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) Spirit Airlines. “We are prepared to commit all the resources necessary to acquire Spirit,” the Denver-based airline company reveals in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. It is not Frontier’s first dance with Spirit, which Frontier attempted to acquire in 2022 before JetBlue Airways stepped in with a more lucrative all-cash offer. That $3.8b proposal was blocked by a federal judge on anti-competitive grounds, with prosecutors at the US Department of Justice arguing it would eliminate a low-cost carrier from the market and harm budget-sensitive consumers. Frontier Group Holdings, parent of Frontier Airlines, maintains its acquisition proposal would deliver “greater value” to Spirit’s stakeholders than the current standalone business plan for Spirit’s post-bankruptcy revival. A letter to Spirit shareholders from Bill Franke, chairman of Frontier’s board of directors, and CE Barry Biffle asserts that Frontier’s proposal ”represents a compelling opportunity for your creditors and stockholders to receive a significant premium for their investment in Spirit, with greater value than the proposed transaction as described in the plan”. <br/>
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Start-up carrier BermudAir is charting an early growth plan with delivery of the airline’s third and fourth Embraer E190 regional jets expected in March. Both of the jets will be sourced from a lessor, though a spokesperson for the airline on 29 January declined to provide further details. BermudAir’s two in-operation E175s are owned by Florida-based lessor Azorra, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium. The 96-seat E190s will boost BermudAir’s on-demand charter operations as well as its scheduled passenger service to the East Coast of Canada and the USA. “The Embraer 190 offers greater capacity for both travellers and cargo, featuring approximately 1,000 kg more cargo space and an additional range of 1,000 kilometres compared to the Embraer 175s in BermudAir’s current fleet,” BermudAir says. One of the two incoming E-Jets will serve as a “dedicated spare and on-demand charter aircraft”, while the other will “enable BermudAir to increase frequencies to existing markets and to expand into additional markets”, the company says. <br/>
BMO, Porter Airlines and Mastercard are launching a new credit card option for travellers looking to earn points for the airline’s reward program VIPorter. They say the new BMO VIPorter Mastercard credit card suite will help travellers earn VIPorter points through everyday purchases. The new card is expected to be available this spring. Porter president Kevin Jackson says the launch is the first of many changes that will create value and recognition for VIPorter members. The companies say the new card will allow VIPorter members to earn points for redemption across Porter’s network, as well as introduce the redemption of points on Porter’s growing list of airline partners. Porter has been growing its network across North America and signing deals with other airlines including a joint venture with Air Transat.<br/>
Latvia’s Air Baltic is to provide the initial fleet for a Uruguayan start-up carrier branded SUA Lineas Aereas, which aims to commence operations later this year. Air Baltic is to supply up to five Airbus A220-300s via a wet-lease agreement from October. The carrier states that it will also provide pilot training and other operational support – such as expertise, IT and automation – to SUA, which is based in Montevideo. SUA plans to start services by the fourth quarter of this year, with a network spanning key routes to Argentina, Brazil and Chile. “Through this alliance, we will benefit from Air Baltic’s expertise in key areas such as fleet management, operational efficiency, and staff training, equipping us with the tools needed to develop a customer-focused operation,” says SUA CE Antonio Rama. He says Air Baltic’s support will be “critical” to the new carrier’s early development phase. SUA aims to provide direct connections for passengers who have limited or inconvenient options, says Air Baltic chief Martin Gauss. “This partnership reflects our commitment to fostering innovation and improving air connectivity globally,” he adds.<br/>
Ryanair is confident that Boeing will ramp up its production of 737 MAX jets to 38 per month this summer and will be allowed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to then increase that to 42, the airline's CEO said on Wednesday. Michael O'Leary, whose airline is one of the largest customers of the 737 MAX, was speaking after meetings with Boeing management in Seattle earlier this month. He said Ryanair expects to take delivery of the last 29 of its current 737 MAX order between August and November this year. In quarterly results on Monday he said they would be delivered by March 2026. "Those deliveries are ...dependent on Boeing getting monthly production up to 38 by the end of this summer, and then getting permission from the FAA to go up to 42," O'Leary told a news conference in London, referring to the U.S. FAA. The FAA placed a cap on production of 737 MAX planes in January 2024 over safety concerns after a mid-air panel blowout. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told Reuters on Tuesday the planemaker expects to reach a production rate of 38 airplanes a month on the 737 MAX program, and by the second half of the year, get approval from the FAA to increase production above that rate. "I'm pretty confident under the Trump administration, they will be much more pro-American manufacturing and American jobs... much more supportive of Boeing's recovery," O'Leary said.<br/>
Ryanair CE Michael O'Leary said Britain should focus on adding capacity at airports other than London's Heathrow and lowering passenger taxes as he laid out plans to deploy an extra 100 aircraft in the UK in the next eight years. British finance minister Rachel Reeves has just given the government's backing to a long-delayed new runway at Heathrow Airport as part of her plan to revitalise the country's sluggish economy. O'Leary said on Wednesday he did not expect Heathrow's third runway to be built any time soon. "You could grow today in Manchester or Birmingham. You could grow at Stansted," O'Leary told reporters in London. "I don't personally think a third runway in Heathrow is likely. I suspect a second runway in Gatwick is more deliverable," he told reporters. Ryanair is due to receive 300 new aircraft in the next eight years, and a third of those will go into Britain, which accounts for about 40% of its business. The company plans major investment in other British airports along with the 100 aircraft. O'Leary said the British government should focus on developing other airports in places like Bournemouth or Edinburgh and lowering passenger taxes if it wants to boost economic growth.<br/>
The CE of Europe's largest airline has put customers on notice it will prosecute disruptive passengers as between two and three flights a week are diverted due to poor behaviour on Ryanair flights. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary told Sky News: "If passengers continue disrupting our flights, we will sue you for the cost of those diversions and those disruptions." He later told Sky's Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge: "Airports are still the only places where there are no licensing laws. You could be buying pints at 6am in the morning. Who needs to be drinking pints at 6am in the morning? "We're trying to be a bit more sensible. Just behave. We don't allow you to drink and drive. All we're saying is drink a little less before you fly, and then let everybody have a better flight experience."<br/>
A passenger flight operated by the Russian airline Pobeda, en route from Dubai to Moscow, safely landed in Astrakhan, a city in southern Russia, after issuing a distress signal over the Caspian Sea, Interfax news agency reported citing Russian emergency services. The Boeing 737 issued the emergency signal due to a fire detector warning in the luggage compartment, Interfax said. All passengers and crew members were unharmed, it added.<br/>
Israeli tourism group Kavei Hufsha is set to launch a new Israeli airline. The group, co-owned by Ami Cohen and Arnon Englander, already operates two European airlines—Blue Bird (Greece) and Tus Airways (Cyprus)—and is now seeking to expand its operations with an Israeli carrier. "We have begun the process with the Civil Aviation Authority to obtain a license for a new Israeli airline," Cohen told Ynet on Tuesday. "This airline will operate alongside our existing carriers, not replace them. They will continue to serve Israel, while the new airline will complement them. It will be owned by Kavei Hufsha and serve as a sister company to Tus Airways and Blue Bird. We are a privately owned group and intend to remain so." The new airline is expected to increase competition in Israel’s aviation sector, particularly against El Al, Israir and Arkia, which dominate flights to popular vacation destinations. However, by the time the airline becomes operational, foreign carriers are expected to have resumed full operations in Israel, following disruptions during the recent war. During that period, only Israeli airlines operated flights, leading to significant price hikes<br/>
A small aircraft carrying oil workers in South Sudan's Unity State crashed on Wednesday, killing 20 people, an official said. The plane crashed at the Unity oilfield airport on Wednesday morning as it was heading to the capital Juba, Gatwech Bipal, Unity State's information minister, said. Bipal said the passengers were oil workers of the Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC) a consortium that includes China National Petroleum Corporation and state-owned Nile Petroleum Corporation. He said among the dead were two Chinese nationals and one Indian. Bipal gave no more details on the circumstances that led to the crash. Media reports had initially put the death toll at 18 but Bipal told Reuters two survivors had later died. One person survived. Several air crashes have occurred in war-torn South Sudan in recent years. In September 2018, at least 19 people died when a small aircraft carrying passengers from the capital Juba to the city of Yirol crashed.<br/>
Nigerian carrier Max Air is suspending domestic operations for three months, following the landing incident at Kano involving a Boeing 737-400. The carrier states that the 90-day suspension – from 31 January – is a “pro-active step” which will enable it to conduct an “internal operational evaluation”. “We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause,” it says. “But we believe this investment in safety and reliability will enhance service quality for years to come.” The 737 came to rest on its nose, after its nose-gear either collapsed or failed to extend properly, as it landed at Kano on 28 January. Nigeria’s Safety Investigation Bureau has opened an inquiry into the occurrence. None of the 59 occupants was injured. The cause of the occurrence has yet to be determined.<br/>
Uganda Airlines announced the suspension of its flights to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where several embassies were damaged, looted, and even set on fire amid mass demonstrations. The decision was made on Tuesday after violent protests targeting foreign embassies against the dire situation in Goma, the capital of the DRC’s eastern province of North Kivu, and the “inaction” of the international community, reports Xinhua news agency. Protesters were seen on the city’s main arteries, disrupting traffic, blocking commercial activities, burning tyres, and chanting slogans in front of the embassies of the United States and other Western countries and the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Part of the exterior of the French embassy was set on fire by protesters, while the nearby Ugandan embassy was also set on fire and looted. Sounds of detonation were heard in the neighbourhoods where the Rwandan embassy and the US consular service are located.<br/>
A man was arrested after opening the emergency exit on a domestic flight minutes before it was to take off from an airport in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan on Tuesday. IndiGo flight 6E 6033, bound for Bengaluru in southern India, was scheduled to depart the Jodhpur airport at 10.10am local time. The cabin crew had just begun the safety demonstration when a passenger, later identified as Axis Bank employee Siraj Kidwai, reportedly opened the emergency exit flap. Kidwai claimed it was accidental and not intentional. The incident caused disruption on board, and led to a 20-minute delay in takeoff, NDTV reported. The pilots and the cabin crew “followed standard operating protocols” and alerted airport security. “Today, during the safety briefing before the departure of flight 6E 6033 from Jodhpur to Bengaluru, a passenger opened the emergency exit flap. The crew immediately followed standard operating procedures. The passenger was disembarked and handed over to law enforcement officials for investigation,” an IndiGo spokesperson said. Kidwai was handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force for questioning.<br/>
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Wednesday dispatched officials and set up an emergency response team in joint with the National Fire Agency to investigate the cause of a fire that broke out on an Air Busan flight Tuesday evening. At 10:26 p.m., the Air Busan plane, an Airbus A321-200, bound for Hong Kong from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, caught fire at its tail before takeoff. All 176 people on board -- 169 passengers and seven crew members -- managed to evacuate safely by 11:31 p.m. Seven people were being treated for injuries as of Wednesday afternoon, with four of them being crew members with chest discomfort due to smoke inhalation and three with tailbone and back pain sustained while evacuating. With testimonies of some passengers suggesting the fire broke out in an overhead compartment, acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on Wednesday ordered a thorough investigation into the case. “With some passengers even having suffered injuries while evacuating, swift follow-up measures are called for,” Choi said in his message released by the Finance Ministry. According to the Transport Ministry’s aviation technical information system, the Air Busan aircraft had been in service for over 17 years, with no accident history in the past 12 years. Airplanes come under tighter inspection by the ministry after 20 years of service. Meanwhile, passengers were quoted in local news reports as saying the fire appeared to have started from baggage stored in an overhead luggage compartment at the back of the plane.<br/>