Plug and Play, the global innovation platform based in Silicon Valley, announced Star Alliance as the recipient of the accelerator’s annual Corporate Innovation Award. The award recognises exemplary corporate partners in the Plug and Play ecosystem that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to engaging tech startups and have achieved outstanding results in driving digital innovation. More than 400 global corporate partners are engaged with Plug and Play worldwide. “We've been working with Star Alliance and some of their member carriers since 2017 and they are by far the most innovative and digitally minded airline alliance,” said Saeed Amidi, Founder & CEO of Plug and Play. “The number of startup engagements Star Alliance has been able to secure puts them on top of our travel and hospitality ecosystem.” Star Alliance is the first global airline alliance to partner with Plug and Play. It was recognized this year for its leadership as a partner to travel and hospitality startups. Together, Plug and Play and Star Alliance have brought together 126 emerging tech companies in the travel industry over three years. A dozen products from those companies are being tested by various member airlines in the Alliance. <br/>
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Greece is set to provide up to E120m in state support for Aegean Airlines as part of a wider capital increase for the Greek carrier. In a briefing today, a spokesman for the Greek government says the move is part of a plan to strengthen the country’s largest carrier and is in line with similar state support measures provided by other European governments during the crisis. It also notes the move secures further private funding for the carrier’s capital increase. ”The Greek state will receive special options (type warrants), for the purchase of shares of the company, which it will be entitled to exercise under specific conditions and for a certain period of time. It is noted that the total amount of state support is expected to reach €120 million,” the spokesman says. “In addition, private participation is foreseen at half of the state aid, ie €60 million… which will come from the shareholders of Aegean.” The government spokesman says the state support is already being evaluated to ensure formal approval by the EC.<br/>
Shares of Japan’s ANA Holdings Tuesday sank as much as 4.2% after sources said the country’s biggest airline plans to raise about 200b yen ($1.9b) by selling new shares to bolster its balance sheet. ANA Holdings will hold its first share sale since 2012, Reuters reported on Saturday. The company said in a statement on Tuesday that nothing has been decided on new share sale. ANA’s stock was down 2.9%, as of 0130 GMT, against a 2.6% jump in the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average, as trading in Tokyo resumed after a long weekend. The airline has forecast a record operating loss of $4.82b for the year through March 31 due to the pandemic.<br/>
South African Finance Minister Tito Mboweni again expressed his doubts about the need for a national airline less than a month after agreeing to find the cash for a 10.5b rand ($685m) bailout of the stricken carrier. In a series of late-night tweets, Mboweni asked his near 1 million followers whether the country requires state-owned South African Airways or whether a private company should be given the chance to come in and fill the gap left by its demise. “Where there is a market gap, a vacuum in a market, an airline will emerge to fill the gap! Will it!?” the minister said. Mboweni’s opening gambit, “OK. What should we do on SAA?” came as a surprise as his own mid-term budget statement in October appeared to have answered that question following months of uncertainty. The 10.5b rand -- to be drawn from other budgets including the police and education -- would be used to finalize a business-rescue plan that called for cash for severance packages, ticket refunds, creditors and other needs. The National Treasury didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on whether this is now in jeopardy. Responding to public criticism of his musings, Mboweni tweeted that people should “grow up” and that he was merely stating his “democratic view.” The airline’s administrators said they couldn’t immediately comment.<br/>
In anticipation of a potential revival in international travel, AirAsia.com has partnered with Turkish Airlines to allow it to enhance its strong pan-Asia flight network. The collaboration will enable airasia.com to tap into Turkish Airlines’ comprehensive destination map, which is the world’s largest in terms of the countries and international points flown by a global carrier, the low-cost carrier said Monday. AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes said airasia.com welcomes the opportunity to promote Turkey as a major gateway to Europe, to prepare the airline once borders gradually reopen next year. “Today airasia.com with its comprehensive portfolio of travel and lifestyle products is well poised to promote the best that Turkey and the wider European market have to offer. We will continue to collaborate creatively with other industry players to stimulate travel demand and complete our product offering as the one-stop platform for all our customer’s travel and lifestyle needs, ” he said. While using its virtual interlining technology, airasia.com will now be able to combine Turkish Airlines’ extensive flight inventory with AirAsia flights and offer itineraries with attractive discounted fares from normal fares.<br/>