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Portugese Government Takes Majority Stake in TAP Air Portugal
Portugal’s government has agreed to pay €55 million ($62 million) to increase its stake in TAP Air Portugal, the national airline, to prevent the carrier from going bankrupt. The government will own a 72.5% stake in the airline, up from the 50% stake it’s held since partially privatizing the airline in 2015. The government is […]
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JetBlue Will Not Furlough Pilots Until 2021, Delta Announces Furloughs Beginning Oct. 1
JetBlue’s Air Line Pilots Association Master Executive Council (MEC), a union that represents JetBlue’s pilots, has voted to approve a Letter of Agreement (LOA) with JetBlue that prevents JetBlue pilots from involuntary furloughs until May 1, 2021, per an internal email obtained by AirlineGeeks. The protections will prevent furloughs under any circumstances and protect all […]
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El Al Suspends Operations Indefinitely
El Al Israel Airlines has canceled all flights and suspended operations indefinitely. All flights, including passenger and cargo services, have been stopped. The announcement comes as the carrier reported massive losses over the first half of 2020 and after the airline’s pilots refused to fly amid a labor crisis. El Al’s CEO, Gonen Usiskhin, ordered […]
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UAE Bars Flights from Pakistan
The United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) announced Sunday it will not receive passengers coming from Pakistan until a lab is established to test them for the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the novel coronavirus currently spreading around the world. The GCAA’s decision applies to transit flights operating from Pakistan, a statement […]
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Qatar Airways Outlines Fleet Renewal Plan, Set to Retire 777-300ER and 777-200LR Jets
Qatar Airways has announced its plan to retire and replace many of its existing aircraft in the coming years. Different fleet types will leave Qatar’s fleet in favor of newer, more efficient and exclusive aircraft and products from this year through 2028. The airline’s announcement was led by a plan to phase out its entire […]
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Qantas Prematurely Stores Last 747-400s
Qantas has prematurely retired its final Boeing 747s in response to dwindling demand amid the coronavirus pandemic. AirlineGeeks first reported the airline’s final 747 flights in March 2020. The first of its last two superjumbos left Sydney on Tuesday around 9:30 a.m. It flew first to Los Angeles. From there, it will fly one last […]
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JetBlue Adds 30 New Routes, Expansion of ‘Mint’ Services
JetBlue announced on Thursday that it will add 30 new domestic routes throughout the summer and fall with a focus on leisure and Visiting-Friends-and-Relatives (VFR) routes, a press release said. The carrier says that these markets are showing some signs of strength. “With business travel facing a less certain recovery timeline, the new routes offer […]
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United Airlines Offers Cabin Crews Additional Incentives to Accept Buyouts
United Airlines improved a voluntary exit package for its flight attendants and extended the application deadline for the buyout on Tuesday, adding that it needs “a lot more people to sign up” to avoid involuntary layoffs once CARES money runs out at the end of September, Reuters reports. The deadline to accept the buyout was […]
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Optimistic U.S. Airlines Reintroduce Hundreds of Airplanes to Service
The Big Three legacy carriers in the United States, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, will place substantial numbers of aircraft back into service in the coming months as demand for air travel continues to rise in the U.S. American Airlines Group will take over 200 aircraft out of storage in June […]
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As Chinese Government Plans to Allow International Carriers, U.S. Eases Restrictions
The Chinese government will allow international airlines to operate into China at limited capacity. The announcement followed the United States’ decision to ban Chinese carriers from entering the U.S. starting June 16, a move made in retribution to a similar move made by China. Foreign airlines originally banned from operating in China amid the coronavirus […]