EasyJet has converted 580 of 1,400 UK pilot licenses to Austrian ones as the carrier continues to prepare for a no-deal Brexit March 29, 2019. The process to rewrite EasyJet’s 1,400 pilot licenses to Austrian ones began in November. The CAA and Austria’s aviation authority Austro Control have been working together to transfer the licenses. “Most of the pilots that operate Austria-registered aircraft have an UK pilot license,” an Austro Control spokesperson said. “That’s why it is important that licenses to be rewritten to Austrian ones.” Depending on the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, UK-issued pilot licenses after the UK leaves the EU could be no longer valid within the EU, an EasyJet spokesperson said. The number of Austrian line pilot licenses in general will increase by about 70%. <br/>
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A Bulgarian family is challenging a Ryanair condition stating that only Irish courts can hear some disputes with passengers over compensation. Ryanair’s conditions say that in some circumstances only Irish courts can hear disputes over EU rules for compensating passengers for cancelled or delayed flights. Bulgarian judges have asked the ECJ to rule on the condition after three members of a family sought compensation from Ryanair for a delayed flight. They took their case to the Sofia City Court, which Ryanair’s lawyers argued did not have the jurisdiction to rule on the claim. The petitioner's law firm argued previous European court rulings allowed the family to take its claim either in the country where the flight took off or the jurisdiction where it was scheduled to land. <br/>
Technical and administrative issues caused a Scoot Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight to be delayed 56 hrs.—the second extended delay for the LCC’s 787s in less than a month. The most recent incident occurred Dec 18 when an “aircraft equipment limitation” delayed an Athens-to-Singapore flight, forcing 321 passengers to disembark, Scoot said. By the time the passengers re-boarded, the pilots had exceeded their flight-duty limits and the aircraft was grounded. The flight was rescheduled for the following day, but flight approvals were rescinded by air traffic control after the aircraft was pushed back. Scoot mounted another 787-8 to Athens and the passengers arrived in Singapore Dec 21. Nov 26, a Scoot 787 flight from Tokyo-Narita to Singapore was delayed 26 hrs. because of a fuel system problem. <br/>
WOW Air has confirmed it is axing service to at least 4 more US cities as it restructures amid a cash crunch. “We have decided to stop serving Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York JFK and Dallas/Fort Worth, so they will not feature in our schedule for 2019,” a WOW Air spokeswoman said. “Having said that we will continue to serve our other destinations in North America.” It remains to be seen if WOW will be able to do that. The carrier says it will cut its fleet nearly in half, going from 20 planes to just 11 as it seeks to cut costs and raise cash. The fleet reduction has led to speculation about cuts to other US destinations. WOW made its latest downsizing move as it entered into talks with Indigo Partners to take an undisclosed stake in the carrier. <br/>
Chilean ultra-LCC JetSMART has begun flights to Argentina after obtaining an operating certificate from the Argentinian govt. Having secured a certificate of exploitation of aero-commercial services, JetSMART began flying direct to Cordoba and Mendoza in Argentina from Santiago and La Serena in Chile. Flights to Buenos Aires, the Argentinian capital, followed. JetSMART was founded in 2017 by US private equity firm Indigo Partners, which specialises in ultra-LCCs. The airline operates 9 Airbus A320-200 narrowbodies and expects to add 2 more aircraft by March 2019, with plans for a fleet of 100 by 2026. JetSMART now offers 26 domestic routes and international flights to Lima, Peru, as well the new Argentina destinations. The LCC plans to begin direct flights to Arequipa, Peru, in April. <br/>
Air Tanzania has become the first African carrier to take delivery of the Airbus A220, which will be used to further develop the carrier’s domestic and regional market as well as open new routes to India and the Middle East. “With the addition of the A220 in our fleet, we are confident that we will expand our footprint in the growing African markets and beyond, as we unlock additional routes and regain our position as a key player in the African air transport market,” Air Tanzania MD and CE Ladislaus Matindi said. The aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW1500G geared turbofan engines, offering at least 20% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft. The A220 has a range of up to 5,020 km. <br/>
Nigerian start-up Green Africa Airways has committed to purchasing up to 100 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, Boeing said Dec 21. Split between 50 firm orders and 50 options, the deal is valued at US$11.7b if all purchase rights are exercised. Boeing described the transaction as “the largest aircraft deal ever for the African continent.” Green Africa Airways, which has secured its air transport license from the Nigerian govt, was founded in 2014 by Babawande Afolabi, a former Morgan Stanley investment banker. Afolabi is now the airline’s CE. The Lagos-based carrier “aims to offer safe, quality and affordable air travel and be a significant contributor to the economic development of Nigeria and the African continent.” <br/>
Flyadeal has tentatively agreed to order 30 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets, and place options on a further 20. Flyadeal is the low-cost arm of Saudia, and initially commenced services with Airbus A320s last year. It has since expanded to a fleet of around a dozen of the type. Its CE, Con Korfiatis, said earlier this year that the airline was preparing to select either the A320neo or 737 Max as the basis for a 50-strong order. While the carrier is an A320 operator, Boeing says it has reached a US$5.9b agreement with Flyadeal to supply the 737 Max. Boeing states that the commitment is subject to finalisation. Saudia DG Saleh bin Naser Al-Jasser says Flyadeal has been “received very positively” since its launch. He says the carrier is set to expand “rapidly”. <br/>
The Fair Work Commission has ordered Tigerair pilots to call off planned industrial action that could have disrupted flights in the days before Christmas. The Australian Federation of Air Pilots threatened last week to implement a "go-slow" and other measures starting Friday after negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement broke down. But the workplace tribunal Thursday ordered the union to cancel any industrial action. Tigerair pilots voted last Thursday overwhelmingly in favour of protected industrial actions that could result in flights being delayed. That would have included pilots refusing to fly jets with minor, non-safety related defects; refuse to start work within 90 minutes of being called in from stand-by; and conduct in-air go-slows but not exceeding certain speeds or taking route short-cuts. <br/>
Germany is to ban flights in and out of the country by Iran's Mahan Air, which is under US sanctions over allegations it ferries troops and supplies into Syria in support of president Bashar al-Assad, a newspaper reported Friday. Bild said the German govt had taken the decision to stop Mahan Air from operating its flights to Dusseldorf and Munich after intensive deliberations on US demands. A German govt spokesman said he could not comment on the report which said Mahan Air would be banned in January. The US govt has sanctioned several companies for their links to Mahan Air, including a Thai aviation company and a Malaysia-based sales agent. Mahan Air says on its website that it also operates flights to Paris, Barcelona, Milan and Athens. <br/>
Newly formed Yemeni airline Queen Bilqis Airways launched regular commercial flights Saturday from the port city of Aden to the Jordanian capital Amman, airport officials said. Kjeld Binger, CE of Airport International Group which operates Jordan's Queen Alia airport, said the privately owned airline would operate 3 flights per week between Amman and Aden. The Yemeni capital Sanaa's international airport remains closed to international commercial flights as it has been since a Saudi-led military coalition imposed a no-fly zone after the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement took over the capital. The airline officials did not say who owns the new airline. A group of Yemeni businessmen recently bought certain operating rights from the national airline which suspended flights to Sanaa after the Houthi takeover. <br/>