Ryanair’s latest change to its cabin-bag policy has triggered fury among passengers. But the carrier insists the policy will benefit travellers thanks to more punctual departures. The allowance of free bags remains the same: a large case no more than 10kg and 55 x 40 x 20cm, plus a smaller bag no bigger than 35 x 20 x 20cm. Travellers take these through security to the departure gate. But unless the passenger pays extra for priority boarding, the larger case will be removed at the aircraft gate and placed in the hold. The change was announced last summer. It was initially planned to be introduced Nov 1, but was postponed until Jan 15 as the airline sorted out the problems with pilot rostering which led to mass flight cancellations. <br/>
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Former Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda has re-emerged as a potential bidder for Niki, the Austrian airline he founded whose messy insolvency proceedings may derail an agreed sale to IAG. Lauda weighed in after an Austrian court appointed an administrator for Niki Friday, in response to legal action brought by a passenger rights group seeking to recover money it says the airline owes. That turn of events followed the reversal of an earlier decision by a Berlin court to locate the insolvency in Germany. The German administrator had agreed on a sale of Niki to IAG. "I will, of course, make an offer for Niki by Jan 19," Lauda told Germany's Handelsblatt business daily, referring to a deadline set by the court in the Austrian town of Korneuburg. Lauda did not say how much he was prepared to bid for Niki. <br/>
Mexico's Interjet has grounded 4 Sukhoi Superjet 100s and is cannibalising the aircraft for parts to keep its remaining 18 SSJ100s operational. The aircraft are being stored in hangars in and around Mexico City. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that of the 4 SSJ100s in storage, at least 3 have been in storage since as early as May 2017. They were delivered to Interjet between 2013 and 2015. Interjet's CE Jose Luis Garza had previously acknowledged engine issues on the airline's SSJ100s, saying that the PowerJet SaM146 power plants require additional ground maintenance. However, he downplayed the issues in Nov 2017, characterising the engine issues as more of a "nuisance" than a serious concern. Interjet has another 8 SSJ100s on order. <br/>
A Boeing 737-800 of Pegasus Airlines left the runway at Turkey’s Trabzon airport and ended up halfway down a steep embankment over the Black Sea Jan13. All 162 passengers or six crew escaped without injury. The aircraft had just landed at Trabzon, a city on the northern Turkish Black Sea coast, Saturday night when it apparently slid off the runway, the edge of which is a short distance from the embankment. Images from the scene Sunday morning showed it hanging precariously above the rocky shoreline. The carrier said: “All 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew have been disembarked safely from the aircraft. There has been no loss of life or injury to anyone on board.” <br/>
WestJet has hired 3 new VPS to the senior leadership team as the carrier prepares for expansion. Gandeephan Ganeshalingam was named VP-lean and continuous improvement; Stuart McDonald as VP & chief technology officer; and Scott Groh as VP-crew resources. WestJet president & CE Gregg Saretsky said, “As we continue on our path to becoming a global, full-service carrier, the additional bench strength provided by our newest leaders is key to this exciting initiative.” Gandeephan joins WestJet from GE Canada, where he most recently served as chief innovation officer. McDonald most recently served as VP-strategic Initiatives, and VP-employee enablement at TD Bank. Groh most recently worked for Qatar Airways as SVP-crew resources, flight operations. <br/>
Costa Rica's civil aviation agency suspended local airline Nature Air Friday, 2 weeks after one of its small planes crashed near a tourist beach, killing 2 Costa Rican pilots and 10 US citizens. Ennio Cubillo, director of the civil aviation agency, informed Nature Air in a letter that it "preventatively" suspended all operations because several key employees were no longer with the company. "It doesn't directly have to do with the accident," said a civil aviation source. Nature Air's pilot training director died in the crash on New Year's Eve. Nature Air's operations manager quit this week and its aerial security director has requested a leave of absence. "Nature Air doesn't have, at the moment, a reliable and effective management structure to guarantee the execution of safe air operations," said the letter from Cubillo. <br/>
Fly Jamaica Airlines has again come under heavy public scrutiny following an early morning protest at Norman Manley International in Kingston Saturday. The protest was sparked by passengers who were left fuming after their Fly Jamaica flight to New York was delayed again. The passengers, who were to leave the island from Thursday, could be heard chanting, “we want justice,” as the flight which was set for Saturday morning was delayed until 3:00 pm. Fly Jamaica CE Paul Reece dismissed the claim that the flight was scheduled to leave Thursday. “That is not true. The airplane was rented from National Airlines to move the passengers and they behaved in a disorderly manner. They threatened the crew last night and the crew said they are going home,” said Reece. <br/>
Pakistan will try to privatise its national airline before general elections due this year, privatisation minister Daniyal Aziz said, as the ruling party seeks to restart sales of state-run businesses. Pakistan International Airlines, haemorrhaging money and losing market share to Gulf-based rivals, has been hit by management turmoil in recent years and a 2016 plane crash that led to 47 deaths. The privatisation of loss-making entities that were draining the exchequer was a key priority for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party when it swept to power in 2013. Despite some initial success, the PIA privatisation process stalled in 2016 after staff protests caused havoc with PIA operations and the govt passed a law that effectively made it impossible to privatise the airline. <br/>