Overwhelmed and understaffed, Heathrow Airport says it cannot guarantee safe and reliable operations without massive cuts to the number of passengers passing through. The airport proposed a cap of 100,000 departing passengers per day for the remainder of the summer to alleviate pressures. Emirates is refusing to cooperate.
Airplanes and Airports
airBaltic bullish on spoke growth
When it comes to creating a new base for an airline choosing a spoke on the network is an uncommon choice. And doubly so when most of the destinations served are hubs of other airlines. But airBaltic likes to do things a bit differently. And CEO Martin Gauss believes the carrier can repeat that model thanks to airline partners and cities keen to grow a far-reaching version of air connectivity.
Air Canada, Emirates link up with codeshare, loyalty reciprocity
It is not, perhaps, quite the level of strange bedfellows pondered by Shakespeare in The Tempest, but a new strategic partnership agreement between Air Canada and Emirates is certainly an interesting development.
MAX 10 on the ropes: What’s an airline (or congresscritter) to do?
Boeing currently holds orders for more than 700 737 MAX 10 aircraft across 20 airlines*. It is the second most ordered variant of the MAX family. And if the company is forced to upgrade the flight deck to meet new safety certification requirements those could all be at risk.
Spirit wins Newark slots, with conditions to keep them
pirit Airlines led the legal charge to ensure the slots Southwest Airlines abandoned at Newark would be reallocated. Now, after much legal wrangling, the carrier won the rights to those 16 slots.
Deutsche Bahn confirms Star Alliance intermodal partner membership
Deutsche Bahn will make its intercity train network available to airlines in the Star Alliance network from 1 August 2022.
Cathay Pacific plans a return of JFK-Vancouver flights, with a catch
In late 2019 Cathay Pacific announced plans to halt flying from Hong Kong to JFK via Vancouver. Next month, however, the carrier seems keen to bring back the service, likely driven at least in part by COVID-related policies.
Chinese airlines place massive Airbus A320neo family order
China’s three state-owned airlines will boost their combined fleet by more than 300 planes, with a major Airbus A320neo order announced today. Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern will each take about 100 single-aisle aircraft, all expected to be delivered between 2024-2027.v
Reliability challenges mar Breeze A220 launch
Breeze Airways kicked off the summer by bringing its A220 fleet online. Eventually that should be good news for passenger comfort. But the teething pains the carrier is experiencing today are bad news for passengers and the airline alike, especially as peak summer travel hits.
Irish Defence Forces could help staff Dublin Airport security
As summer travel disruptions continue at Dublin Airport the Irish government is stepping in to help. The military will stand ready to assist with security at the airport for six weeks this summer.