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.”
TATL
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.
XL Airways halts ticket sales
French discount carrier XL Airways halted ticket sales on Thursday evening. That’s bad news for the LCC and could potentially spill over to the business class market as well, bringing La Compagnie down with it.
Viasat extends its SAS reach with long-haul planes
Viasat’s high-speed inflight wifi connectivity will soon fly farther on SAS. The two announced a deal at APEX EXPO this week for two new types to be retrofitted with the Ka-band connectivity solution. Unlike the current short/mid-haul SAS fleet these planes are intended to fly transatlantic routes with the Viasat hardware on board.
Trying to make sense of the new WOW Air plans
As detials on the new WOW Air plans emerge the business model remains an interesting proposition. With a heavy focus on cargo in a softening market and premium passenger experiences with low fares it is unclear how this company will truly deliver for its investors.
United bets big on premium leisure with 2020 transatlantic expansion
When you fly a plane with 30-50% fewer seats than the competition the business case must be incredibly strong. For United Airlines the new 763 High J layout is proving a valuable tool in its transatlantic market expansion, including new routes announced today for 2020.
Can Delta’s pilots derail a joint venture success story?
Delta’s recently approved Joint Venture for transatlantic operations hit a small speed bump as the carrier’s pilots filed an objection. While unlikely to be taken too seriously by the Department of Transportation the filing does highlight challenges the carrier will face in future contract negotiations.
737 MAX grounding kills off Norwegian’s smaller TATL operations
Norwegian’s experiment flying single-aisle aircraft across the Atlantic is coming to an end. The carrier will shutter its six remaining routes connecting Ireland with North America effective 15 September 2019.
PaxEx Update: 9 August 2019
Another business class double bed concept, more first class on regional jets and a lot about the A220 top this week’s PaxEx news. Check it out!