Coronavirus

Lithuanian narrowbody wet-lease specialist Avion Express is seeking creditor protection as it battles the ongoing financial impact of the COVID-19 downturn.

Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers believes airlines could emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with a more flexible approach to capacity planning, while airports will be forced to speed up their digitalization plans.

Defense officials have said UK plans to develop a laser directed energy weapon are “on-track” despite the program suffering a year-long delay.

Air traffic in Europe fell to 35.5% of 2019 levels in the week to Nov. 29, Eurocontrol figures showed, as COVID-19 travel restrictions and national lockdowns continued to affect demand for travel.

Australasian airlines have grounded almost all widebodies, but some carriers see opportunities post-COVID-19.

“It’s been a hard year, and people are tired of being pent-up. But we can’t let our guard down,” Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian says.

Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s MD of Air Hub Development, tells ATW’s Chen Chuanren about what the hub airport is doing to facilitate international travel and how the pandemic is spurring automation.

Joint-venture partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic have separately announced COVID-19 testing trials on specific transatlantic routes.

Ask the Editors: The certification campaign may be long and expensive, but most of the development money has been spent.

ICAO’s council has adopted decisions on eligibility units and sustainability certification, clearing the path for the implementation of CORSIA, the carbon-offsetting scheme for airlines.

Condor expects to operate up to 75% of its pre-crisis capacity next summer after COVID-19 vaccines have become available and quick testing infrastructure is established.

The number of unique city-pair connections has dropped by more than 7,000 this year and London has lost its crown as the world’s best-connected city, according to a report published by IATA.

Ask the Editors: Mandating something that most people will not have access to for months makes little sense for airlines.

The numbers of airline accidents and accident fatalities are tracking down this year, although a factor in the decline will be the big drop in flights caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Estonia’s Nordic Aviation Group (Nordica) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Polish flag-carrier LOT to buy out the latter’s 49% holding in Nordica subsidiary Xfly.

Pilots at Delta Air Lines have approved an agreement to avoid furloughs of more than 1,700 pilots scheduled for the end of November.

Air cargo volume is set to grow by just over 13% in 2021, about twice the pace at which world trade was expected to expand, the International Air Transport Association predicts.

Qantas and low-cost subsidiary Jetstar are planning to ramp up their flying in December in response to the easing of state border restrictions in Australia.

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary expects passenger volumes to reach 70% of pre-COVID levels in 2021, especially if vaccines can be made widely available by the spring.

Pilot training and simulator leader CAE of Canada is buying the Canadian-based assets of TRU Simulation + Training from Textron for $40 million in cash, the companies announced Nov. 25.

IATA has called for more support from European governments for their airlines, including a further extension to a slot waiver.

Athens-based Aegean Airlines will operate less than 20% of last year’s capacity over the 2020/21 winter season.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the latest airline to seek to restructure its debts and aircraft leases as it looks to survive the COVID-19 crisis.

IATA believes that the Asia-Pacific region could lead on its initiatives to revive air traffic and is calling on governments to implement them as the airline body continues to hold multilateral talks.

All regions face an uphill climb from the COVID-19 crisis, but the starting point for African carriers is much further down the mountain.