U.S. carrier Spirit Airlines, long known for its no-frills service, said on Wednesday it was pushing ahead with plans to rebrand itself as a premium airline as it emerged from bankruptcy protection after four months. The Florida-based airline - also known for its bright yellow livery - had filed for bankruptcy protection last November, after years of losses, failed merger attempts and heavy debt levels. It was the first major U.S. carrier to file for Chapter 11 since 2011 and it reported a net loss of $1.2b last year. As part of its turnaround strategy, the company has said it would shift its focus away from price-conscious customers to more affluent travelers, in a move it estimates would generate 13% more revenue per passenger. To attract customers, the airline plans to redesign its loyalty program and enter into alliances with other carriers. "Today, we're moving forward with our strategy to redefine low-fare travel with our new, high-value travel options," said CEO Ted Christie, who the company said would remain at the helm. The company said the financial restructuring has reduced its debt by about $795m by converting debt into equity. It also received a $350m equity investment from existing investors to support its future initiatives. The lower debt and greater financial flexibility have left it better-positioned to return to profitability, Spirit said. The company said its newly issued shares were expected to trade in the over-the-counter marketplace and it aimed to relist on a stock exchange when it was "reasonably practicable."<br/>
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WestJet Airlines says it has delayed a flight from Calgary to Ottawa due to a security concern. WestJet did not say it was cancelled, but the Calgary International Airport departures board indicated it had been in the early afternoon. WestJet says no other flights have been delayed. Neither the airport nor WestJet have confirmed the nature or the specifics of the threat. Calgary police say they are helping the RCMP, which is leading the investigation.<br/>
Toronto-based Porter Airlines says it has cut back on marketing for U.S. destinations amid the ongoing, everchanging trade war between Canada and the United States. “We’ve scaled back marketing our U.S. destinations, as some Canadians may view this negatively,” the airline said in a statement to INsauga.com. “It’s important to note that Porter has increased its U.S. presence by approximately 150% year-over-year as part of our overall growth. Schedules are filed months in advance and always have near-term adjustments.” But it’s the time in the season when capacity transitions to summer schedules, Porter said, where 75% of peak capacity is planned for domestic travel. Meanwhile, travel agency Flight Centre Travel Group Canada recently said February bookings to American cities dropped 40% from the same month in 2024, while one in five customers cancelled their trips to the U.S. over the past three months. Porter said they’re “mindful of the overall economic situation and are monitoring booking patterns.” “We initially saw some softening of select U.S. leisure markets, but Canadians are continuing to travel to the U.S.,” the airline said. Porter operates in 16 U.S. cities and flights are still operating.<br/>
LATAM Airlines is seeking to terminate its codeshare agreement with Brazilian regional carrier Voepass as early as the second half of this year, according to two people familiar with the matter. The move would deliver another blow to Voepass, which is already facing a potential bankruptcy protection process, after Brazil's aviation regulator earlier this week suspended the company's operations on safety concerns, months after a deadly crash. Discussions on terminating the agreement have been underway for months, the sources said. While a final decision has not yet been made and no contract has been signed, the talks have narrowed to a potential agreement termination window between July and October, although the dates remain subject to change, one of the people said. LATAM declined to comment. Voepass did not immediately respond to a request for comment. LATAM does not disclose its sales numbers through codeshare deals. Its partnership with Voepass is one of a total of 18 agreements.<br/>
EasyJet is investigating an incident in which a pilot reportedly flew too close to a mountain, triggering a warning alarm. The pilot has been stood down from duty by the low-cost carrier pending an investigation into the incident on February 2. According to a report originally in the Sun newspaper but widely picked up by British media, the episode took place as the Airbus A320, which had set off from Manchester, England, descended toward the popular Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt. According to the Sun, the flight came within 771 feet of the mountain’s peak at an altitude of 2,329 feet. There were up to 190 passengers and crew onboard flight EZY2251 when a siren alert sounded in the cockpit after the Ground Proximity Warning System was triggered, the Sun reported. The pilot reacted by leveling up the plane, which landed safely. Confirming the episode, a spokesperson for the UK government’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which investigates civil aviation accidents and serious incidents, told CNN in an email: “We are aware of an incident involving an aircraft on route from Manchester, UK to Hurghada, Egypt on 2nd February. We are making enquiries and liaising with our counterparts in Egypt.” EasyJet told CNN in a statement that the pilot is currently grounded while an investigation is carried out. “Safety is the number one priority for all our pilots, they are trained to the highest industry standards, subject to rigorous testing and monitored closely,” the airline said, adding: “The flight landed normally and as we have an ongoing investigation, the pilot remains stood down from duty in line with procedures.”<br/>
Air Baltic had an average of eight Airbus A220 aircraft simultaneously grounded over spare engine shortages last year, and expects the situation to continue in 2025. The figure is lower than the nine it recorded the previous year, and the carrier states that the overall performance of the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G powerplant is “slightly improving”, as indicated by reduced removal rate and fewer problems such as bearing oil leakage. Air Baltic recorded a 12% hike in revenues to E747.5m last year. This included E146m generated by its wet-lease business, up by 46%, with 17 aircraft flying for other European carriers over the summer. But being unable to operate at full capacity, and having to wet-lease older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from other operators during summer, contributed to a full-year net loss of E118m. “There were cases when sourcing of [wet-leased] capacity was impossible due to no suitable aircraft being available in the market on short notice,” it adds. Up to nine aircraft were wet-leased at one time last year, although this was down on the 13 in 2023. The carrier recognised E40m of an estimated E80m impact from accelerated depreciation of engine parts.<br/>
El Al Israel Airlines on Wednesday reported a nearly five-fold jump in net profit in 2024, as one of very few carriers serving Tel Aviv after foreign airlines halted flights because of Israel's war in Gaza. El Al said it earned a record $545m last year, up from $117m, as revenue rose 37% to $3.4b.<br/>
Scoot (TR, Singapore Changi) plans to add around one dozen extra aircraft to its fleet this year, a mix of narrowbodies and widebodies, on top of the E190-E2s it is presently inducting, CEO Leslie Thng told reporters last week. Scoot also plans to add four to six new destinations to its network. In addition to four E2s still to be delivered from a 2023 order, Thng said the new aircraft would include seven to nine A320s and three B787s. The ch-aviation fleets module notes Scoot already operates a mix of these aircraft types, including fourteen A320-200s, six A320-200Ns, nine A321-200NX, eleven B787-8s, and ten B787-9s. Scoot's aircraft order book includes twelve A320-200Ns, six A321-200NX, two B787-8s, one B787-9, and the four E190-E2s. Thng says the airline would use the extra aircraft to increase frequencies on some existing routes and begin flights to new cities, though he did not name the candidate destinations. "We're still working on the details," he said. "For new flights and new destinations, there's a whole process that we need to go through, not just to look at projected demand, we also need to see whether we can operationalise."<br/>
Vietnamese low-cost airline Vietjet Air will launch non-stop flights from Singapore to Phu Quoc island in southern Vietnam from May 30, becoming the second airline to do so from Changi Airport. The announcement comes three months after Scoot launched direct flights to Phu Quoc on Dec 20, 2024. The budget arm of Singapore Airlines operates the route five times a week on Embraer E190-E2 regional jets. Vietjet’s new one hour and 45 minutes route will operate four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays on an Airbus A320. The flight from Singapore will depart at 1.05pm and arrive in Phu Quoc at 1.45pm local time, while the return service will leave the island at 3.45pm and reach Singapore at 6.30pm. Singapore is one hour ahead of Vietnam. Bookings opened on Vietjet’s website from March 11. This will be Vietjet’s fourth direct route between Singapore and Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang. Phu Quoc, which is known for its wildlife and beaches, houses the Phu Quoc National Park, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Noting that the island boasts over 80,000 hotel rooms and welcomes millions of visitors annually, Vietjet chairwoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao said she hopes the new route will help to connect the two hubs of tourism, economy and culture, unlocking opportunities for cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam. “We aim to transport over half a million passengers annually, opening this door for Singaporeans and international travellers to experience the unique beauty of this island gem,” she added.<br/>
AirAsia Philippines has revived its initial public offering (IPO) plans, targeting a public listing within the next 12 months to fund its expansion, according to the company’s top executive. “My confidence in the Philippines has grown because finally the airports are being sorted out. I think now with the airport development that is happening in Manila, we can start to see Manila as one of our important hubs,” AirAsia Group CEO (CEO) Anthony Francis Fernandes said during a briefing on Wednesday. Capital A Berhad, the owner of the AirAsia Aviation Group, recently secured approval from the Malaysian stock exchange for its regularization plan to exit its PN17 status, a classification issued by the Malaysian bourse for companies in financial distress. As part of its restructuring, Capital A will focus on non-aviation businesses while retaining an 18% stake in aviation. Its aviation business will be under AirAsia X Berhad (AAX). “We are exploring having a direct listing on the Philippine Stock Exchange. We might be looking at selling 20-30% once aviation is sorted out,” Fernandes said, adding that the company is more interested in a public listing than selling to a private investor. AAX earlier announced a mutual agreement with Capital A to extend the timeline for completing the proposed acquisition of the group’s aviation business. <br/>
Sarawak's own airline, AirBorneo, will replace its existing ATR fleet with new aircraft when the current lease period ends, says state Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin. He said AirBorneo would take over MASwings Sdn Bhd's existing fleet following Sarawak's acquisition of the airline from Malaysia Aviation Group to ensure uninterrupted operations, especially for rural air services. "We must maintain these services, so all the existing aircraft will be used under lease," he told reporters after announcing a Hari Raya road safety campaign on Wednesday (March 12). MASwings' fleet includes eight ATR 72-500 and six DHC-6-400 Twin Otter aircraft. The Twin Otters serve rural air service routes, flying to 11 STOLports (short take-off and landing) from Miri. Lee said arrangements would be made to acquire new ATR 72-600 aircraft to replace the existing ATR fleet as its lease expires in two years' time. However, he said no decision had been made so far on replacing the Twin Otter aircraft.<br/>