News

Following last week’s news that U.K.-based Flybe is up for sale, Reuters this week reported that Virgin Atlantic is interested in the regional carrier, which has suffered from falling demand, a weaker pound and high fuel costs. In a four-line statement, Virgin Atlantic, which is 49 percent owned by Delta, stated that: “Virgin Atlantic has a […]

Singapore Airlines announced Thursday that its budget arm, Scoot, will take over several SilkAir routes ahead of SilkAir’s planned merger with mainline Singapore Airlines. Scoot will also be expanding its fleet with this merger, taking over 14 of SilkAir’s Boeing 737-800s. The Singaporean flag carrier has been undertaking a three-year restructuring process to cut costs […]

Indonesia AirAsia X, a joint venture between Malaysian long-haul carrier AirAsia X and Indonesia AirAsia, has announced that it will be ceasing scheduled operations beginning January 2019. The carrier will still remain in operation but will operate as a non-scheduled commercial airline going forward. Indonesia AirAsia X was intended to operate as a long-haul carrier, […]

Qatar Airways’ brainchild, Italian carrier Air Italy announced it had signed a codeshare agreement with South American oneworld alliance member LATAM Airlines. The new agreement involves a codeshare in LATAM’s two daily flights between Brazil and Italy. Passengers to and from flights JJ8110 from Sao Paulo Guarulhos to Rome and LA8062 from Sao Paulo to Milan […]

Azul Brazilian Airlines and Copa Airlines announced a codeshare agreement that will connect two large networks in Latin America. Now Copa customers can use Azul’s network in Brazil with 101 domestic destinations, 52 not served by any other airline and Azul clients can use Copa’s presence in many Latin America and Caribbean destinations. The benefits […]

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), an airline industry group that speaks on behalf of several major carriers, has penned a formal letter to the nation’s aviation ministry requesting assistance in obtaining unsecured loans to offset ongoing losses. As reported in Bloomberg, airlines are “facing challenging times and substantial losses in the domestic environment,” according […]

Two mainstream Japan-based carriers, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, have introduced new methods to prevent pilot drinking incidents. According to Mainichi Shimbun, Japan Airlines pilots have failed breathalyzer alcohol tests on 19 occasions since last August. The failed tests have caused 12 domestic delays due to pilot switches and the incidents were announced as […]

The next phase in the ongoing Brexit situation took place this week with the release of the draft withdrawal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom. The 585-page document outlines the process of how the U.K.’s membership will cease and what possible agreements need to be in place pending its exit. As such […]

Dubai-based Emirates announced that its half-year profits suffered an 86 percent drop on Thursday. The news comes after the carrier, one of the largest in the Middle East, was hit by sudden hikes in oil prices. With fuel costs making up a third of the airline’s expenses and rising by 42 percent, the carrier saw […]

Just two days after announcing Jacksonville, Florida as its next destination, Spirit Airlines added a 70th city to its route network on Thursday. The airline held an employee conference at its headquarters in Miami to celebrate flights to the Live Music Capital of the World, where employees cheered at the news and were treated to […]