After three years of operations European charter specialist Hi Fly intends to retire its A380 from service. The carrier chose to not renew the lease on 9H-MIP bringing a close to that era.
Airplanes and Airports
Bamboo Airways pushes towards US service
Bamboo Airways moved two steps closer to launching US service from Vietnam this week, though the timing for an inaugural flight remains reasonably far away.
Interjet lacks fuel, cancels flights for two days
Mexico’s Interjet cancelled all of its flights on Sunday and Monday, citing COVID19’s effect on cash flow and maintenance requirements. The carrier hopes to resume service on Tuesday, November 3.
Stagnation displaces Astronics’ recovery resurgence hope
The summer looked good for Astronics. The company saw green shoots of a recovery and was ready to resume its production of components for aircraft manufacturers and interiors suppliers. But as the summer came to a close so did that hope of a quick return to 2019 levels of production. And with the 737 MAX still grounded the company finds itself in what CEO Peter Gundermann describes as a “pretty tough” place.
Willkommen am #BER: Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport finally opens
It is eight years late. It is billions of euros over budget; more than triple the original estimates. It is probably not necessary given the pandemic-induced downturn in the industry. But Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport finally opened on Saturday afternoon.
Allegiant ditches advertising, improves conversions
As part of its cost-cutting efforts discount carrier Allegiant slashed its marketing budget in recent months. But conversion rates are up, and the company decided to make some of the cuts permanent as it thinks it found a better way to sell seats.
United launches pre-flight COVID testing to London
United Airlines is adding a new sort of pre-flight check to one of its routes: COVID-19 testing. All passengers (over the age of 2) on one of the company’s Newark-London flights will be required to take a test at the airport prior to departure. The test will be free of charge to travelers, with results returned before departure.
A fleet of salvage-priced planes
Does it matter that airlines are flying planes worth more in the scrap yard than they are to a new owner? Probably not, but United’s latest effort to secure a $3bn loan is an interesting insight into the world of aircraft valuation considerations.
Researchers link 59 Irish COVID cases to inbound long-haul flight
Nearly 60 cases of COVID-19 infection, including one ICU admission, were tied to a single long-haul flight arriving in Dublin over the summer. While stopping short of explicitly confirming the transmission on the plane, the report notes “the potential for in-flight/airport transmission exists in this outbreak.”
Delta, WestJet receive DOT approval for joint venture
Delta and WestJet scored a big win late on Friday as the US DOT issued a tentative approval for their proposed transborder joint venture. But the approval comes with a catch, requiring a shift of capacity at New York’s LaGuardia airport.