Air China launched a mobile check-in service Friday, becoming the second Chinese carrier after China Southern Airlines to offer the option ( ATWOnline, April 9). CA started trialing the service on April 30 and said it received positive feedback from passengers. It will be available on all domestic routes from Beijing save Tibet, while CZ offers it only on Guangzhou-Zhengzhou flights.
EU and Canada Wednesday signed a far-reaching open skies agreement under which airlines from each side may operate freely without any restrictions on the number of carriers or flights between any airport in the EU and any in Canada. Agreement contains provisions for a phased easing of restrictions on control and ownership of carriers, leading to the right to set up airlines in the territory of the other party in the third phase and the right to own and control 100% of a foreign carrier in the fourth phase. "This will generate major benefits for consumers and airlines. .
The Yemeni Ministry of Transport plans to announce an international tender for companies wishing to develop and operate the Sana'a and Aden airports the Yemen Post has reported.
US Dept. of Transportation's Office of Inspector General issued a report warning that the US ATC system is vulnerable to "cyber attacks" because FAA has not adequately protected the commercial software- and IP-based technologies it increasingly is using to collect and disseminate information to facilitate ATC services. "The need to protect ATC systems from cyber attacks requires enhanced attention," the report stated. "Web applications used in supporting ATC systems operations are not properly secured to prevent attacks or unauthorized access.
Blue Wings had its operating license reinstated by the German LBA Monday and said it plans to restart scheduled flights from its Dusseldorf base to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Karaganda and Beirut, as well as its European charter service, as soon as possible ( ATWOnline, May 5).
American Airlines launched a third daily Boston-London Heathrow service and a seasonal daily BOS-Paris Charles de Gaulle flight, as well as a daily Dallas/Fort Worth-Madrid service aboard a 767-300. AirAsia Indonesia will launch Bali-Perth service on July 17 aboard an A320. Safi Airways will launch Kabul-Frankfurt service on June 15.
UK Secretary of State for Transport Geoff Hoon yesterday urged President Barack Obama's administration to commit to completing a Stage 2 open skies agreement by June 2010 "with the headline objective of liberalizing all foreign ownership in airlines to give European and American carriers a bigger home market and the ability to operate like any other competitive international company."
Virgin Atlantic Airways is replacing its London Heathrow-Mumbai service with a codeshare agreement with Indian operator Jet Airways, to be introduced tomorrow.
Passenger traffic through Dubai International Airport is still on the rise and the hub was "still in positive growth territory", said chief executive Paul Griffiths.
Saudi Arabia will invest more than $12.3 billion (46bn Saudi riyals) to overhaul its airports until 2020. And is setting up a new company to manage its 27 hubs according to a senior civil aviation authority official the Gulf Times reported.
Air China is expected to establish a branch company in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, following the collapse of parent CNAC's deal with East Star Airlines.
Air Arabia Maroc will launch operations Wednesday with a four-times-weekly service between its Casablanca base and London Stansted operated by a new A320 ( ATWOnline, Nov. 13, 2008). It will add four-times-weekly flights to Marseille Friday and Brussels South Charleroi on May 10, thrice-weekly flights to Bergamo on May 12 and Lyon on May 14 and a daily to Paris Charles de Gaulle on May 16.
United Airlines and US Airways joined Continental Airlines in announcing reduced schedules to Mexico owing to the swine flu's impact on travel demand ( ATWOnline, May 4). From today, UA will cut its weekly roundtrip flights to Mexico in May to 24 from 51 and in June to 52 from 90. US will cut 38% of its scheduled capacity to Mexico between May 10 and July 1 through the use of smaller aircraft and reduced frequencies. No destinations will be cut by either airline.
