Moscow orders airlines to hold leased planes hostage amid growing sanctions March 10, 2022 The Kremlin today threatened to impound the aircraft leased to Russian airlines, casting doubts over the fate of 780 planes worth a total of $10bn. According to a draft law proposed by the Russian transport ministry, carriers should be required to pay leases in rubles for the whole of 2022, de facto allowing them not [...]
UK impounds aircraft following new round of aviation sanctions against Russia March 9, 2022 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said today UK authorities had impounded an aircraft following a new round of aviation sanctions against Russia. “There is one such aircraft on the ground at the moment at Farnborough that I’ve essentially impounded whilst we carry out further investigations for the last few days – and it’s very important that [...]
Aeroflot cancels all international flights except for Minsk as sanctions continue to bite March 8, 2022 Russian carrier Aeroflot has suspended all international flights except for Minsk after a growing number of countries imposed restrictions following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The Rosaviatsiya, Moscow’s federal air transport agency, recommended airlines to cut down on the number of international flights because they could see their leased aircraft detained, Russian news agency TASS [...]
Menzies reverses Covid losses while it extends NAS deadline March 8, 2022 Aviation services firm Menzies has reversed the losses sustained because of the pandemic and reported this morning a $76m underlying profit. In the year ended 31 December, the group registered a 27 per cent increase in revenue, up from $1.06bn to $1.35bn, while its operating profit went up to $59m from a loss of $124m [...]
Surging oil prices slow down aviation’s recovery March 7, 2022 The post-pandemic recovery of some airlines could be badly affected by the ongoing increase in oil prices. Prices today hit $130 per barrel, the highest level since 2008, amid fears of tightening supplies as both the US and Europe weigh in on a Russian oil ban after the Kremlin waged war in Ukraine. According to [...]
Lufthansa’s shares go down as airline says it has no plans for majority stake in ITA March 3, 2022 Lufthansa’s shares have gone down 8.09 per cent today as the German carrier announced it has no plans to gain a majority stake in Alitalia’s successor ITA. Chief executive Carsten Spohr told investors today not to worry about the takeover, as owning a majority stake in ITA is “far away” from his intentions. “We know [...]
Aviation software company Sabre cuts ties with Russia’s Aeroflot following Ukraine invasion March 3, 2022 Aviation software company Sabre announced today it has cut ties with Russian airline Aeroflot following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The Texas-based group said it has terminated its distribution agreement, removing Aeroflot’s content from its global distribution system – which is used by global travel agencies and websites to book and service flight reservations. “We are [...]
Air Force One’s sister plane sent on training flight following Kremlin’s nuclear threats March 3, 2022 Air Force One’s sister plane, $200m Doomsday plane, was reportedly sent on a four-hour training flight following Russia’s nuclear threats to the West. Designed to become a flying government control centre in the event of a nuclear conflict, the Doomsday plane was seen on Monday taking off from a military base in Nebraska, the i [...]
Jet2 becomes first UK carrier to drop mandatory mask policy March 3, 2022 Passengers are no longer obliged to wear a face mask aboard Jet2 flights, as Jet2 was the first UK carrier to drop the requirement. “It’s no longer a legal requirement to wear a face mask at our airports or onboard our planes,” the airline said in a statement. “However, as per UK government guidance, we [...]
Aviation expects numbers to exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2024 March 1, 2022 The aviation industry expects traveller numbers to exceed pre-pandemic levels starting from 2024. According to a forecast by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), overall numbers will reach 4 billion in 2024, 103 per cent up on 2019 levels. Even though the impact of Omicron has caused a slight shift in near-term recovery predictions, the [...]