Norwegian made many changes in recent months as it sought to shore its finances. The latest news from the airline, however, is a massive shift. Reports indicate that the airline will halt long-haul operations from Stockholm and Copenhagen effective with the end of the IATA Winter 2020 season on 29 March 2020.
Airplanes and Airports
IndiGo faces major setback in A320neo service due to GTF PW1100G engines
India’s largest airline has a major problem. After multiple inflight engine shutdowns IndiGo must replace all its PW1100G engines with an updated model. And Indian regulators are now looking to ground aircraft ahead of a January 2020 deadline, concerned that sufficient progress on the repairs is not being made.
Avatar’s incredible, hypocritical plan to fly 747s across the USA
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Thales PureFlyt brings an "entirely connected" upgrade to aircraft FMS
Thales is set to deliver an “entirely connected” flight management system (FMS) upgrade in the middle of the next decade. PureFlyt is billed as the FMS of the future designed to incorporate data from multiple sources, internal and external to the aircraft, making aircraft operations more efficient.
Emirates expands access to India with SpiceJet codeshare deal
Emirates passengers will gain access to six new Indian destinations via its Dubai hub thanks to a new codeshare agreement with SpiceJet.
PaxEx Update: FTE Asia edition
AirAsia is (still) making big moves in the ASEAN region and digital bag tags are evolving to a level that might be useful soon. Plus some news on IFE/C going active and getting profitable. The 2019 Future Travel Experience Asia was a great show and these are just a few of the highlights.
Norwegian declares itself "fully funded through 2020 and beyond"
Norwegian’s financials, or potential lack of such, have raised eyebrows in the aviation world for some time now. Hoping to put those fears to rest – and continue selling seats as it heads into the traditionally slower winter season – the carrier announced the closing of a ~$275 million financing round. The company declared, “After the completion of the transactions, Norwegian is fully funded through 2020 and beyond based on the current business plan.”
Melbourne scores its first long-haul service with TUI UK
TUI’s latest play in Central Florida opens up a new gateway to Orlando. There’s just one small problem: It is not in Orlando. But maybe that doesn’t really matter??
Come PLAY in Iceland: Another new airline launches in the wake of WOW Air
A new low cost carrier is set to fly in Iceland. PLAY airlines intends to launch sales before the end of the year, connecting passengers between Keflavik and European destinations. The company expects to expand to North American destinations in Spring 2020, using Iceland as a hub to connect passengers between the two continents.
IAG snaps up Air Europa to boost Latin American operations
Consolidation continues in the global aviation market, this time delivering a shift in transatlantic services. International Airline Group announced this morning its intentions to buy Air Europa. The Spanish carrier will become part of the Iberia operation within IAG though remain an independent brand, at least to start. The deal is valued at 1 billion euro and full integration is expected by 2025.