The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has discounted reports made earlier this week that the U.K. Chancellor (the U.K. Government’s chief financial minister) would only include airlines in any industry bailouts under consideration “as a last resort." BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said: “It is unhelpful that correspondence is leaked out of the context of discussions. It gives rise to the erroneous conclusion that there is no chance of any Government help for UK airlines.” Mr. Strutton was responding…
Following last week’s memo to employees entitled “The Survival of British Airways”, the U.K. carrier continues to implement strategies to deal with the continuously changing environment. BA has announced capacity cuts of 75% for their April and May schedules which will have a significant impact on the resources needed to…
The continued uncertainty and unprecedented disruption to the aviation industry due to the novel coronavirus pandemic will result in significant losses for airlines. Schedules are being constantly amended as governments seek to contain the spread of the virus by limiting passenger movement. In addition to the U.S. travel ban for…
Qatar Airways has increased its stake in International Airlines Group (IAG) from 21.4 percent to 25.1 percent with a $600m buy-up. The move comes a little over a week after Air Italy which Qatar Airways had a 49 percent stake in ceased operations. In announcing the increased shareholding Qatar Airways…
Qantas has reportedly advised its pilots that it will create a "new employment entity" to crew its planned ultra-long-haul flights from the east coast of Australia to London if it fails to reach an agreement with the pilots union in the next few weeks. The airline and the Australian and…
What is being billed as the ‘World’s Leading Partnership’ was launched this week by Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, KLM and Air France. The joint venture (JV) by the four airlines expands on existing JVs between the U.S. carrier and the U.K. and European carriers. Delta CEO Ed Bastian stated:…
In a move that will be welcomed by a number of its airline partners, Airbus announced this week that the company will increase the production capacity of its popular A321 at its Toulouse facility. Airbus Chief Operating Officer Michael Schoellhorn said: “We are enjoying an unprecedented high demand for our…
The U.K. government’s decision this week to defer a reported £100m ($130m) in Air Passenger Duty (APD) payments from Europe’s largest regional carrier Flybe has been met with celebration and criticism. The deal has given the airline, which is owned by a consortium including Virgin Atlantic's parent company, the opportunity…
International Airlines Group (IAG) announced Thursday that chief executive officer Willie Walsh will step down from his current role and the board of IAG on March 26 and will formally retire on June 30. The chairman of IAG Antonio Vázquez praised Walsh’s achievements at the multi-national airline holding company which…
Reuters has reported that 863 Airbus aircraft were delivered to customers in 2019 exceeding the manufacturer’s forecast target for aircraft deliveries. The news agency is citing ‘airport and tracking sources’ for the unaudited figure which the European manufacturer refused to comment on pending official confirmation later this month. If the…
