Etihad Airways Appoints Antonoaldo Neves New CEO, Replacing Tony Douglas

Monday, October 24, 2022 at 01:42 PM ET

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An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. (Photo: AirlineGeeks)

After its ownership was transferred to Abu Dhabi Wealth fund ADQ, UAE flag carrier Etihad Airways appointed Antonoaldo Neves — the former chief of TAP Air Portugal — as the new group CEO, succeeding Tony Douglas, who took on a new role to head Saudi Arabia’s new $30 billion national carrier, RIA, Arabian Business reported.

Douglas, who led Etihad’s operations since January 2018, will leave the Abu Dhabi-based carrier and will serve during his transition period as an advisor to the Board of ADQ Aviation and Aerospace Services Company.

Etihad’s New Boss

Incoming chief Neves was CEO and a board member at TAP Air Portugal, the National Airline of Portugal, where he successfully led a major turnaround to create a more valuable company, which significantly contributed to tourism development in Portugal.

Before TAP, Antonoaldo was the President of Azul Airlines in Brazil, where he successfully led the company to an initial public offering in the U.S. Antonoaldo was also a partner at McKinsey and Company, where he developed the long-term plan for the aviation sector development in Brazil.

Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Tony has led Etihad through some of its most challenging times and has successfully turned the airline into a profitable and sustainable business over the past five years as part of its initial transformation program. As we’re entering our next phase of sustainable growth, we are confident that Antonoaldo will build on Tony’s legacy. We thank Tony for all the hard work he has delivered. Etihad will continue to serve Abu Dhabi as the national airline of the UAE, delivering world-class services and exceeding global benchmarks shortly.”

Neves on his part commented, “Etihad Airways is a globally well-known brand in the industry. I’m excited to embark on this new role and build on the solid foundation left by Tony and the management team. I am confident that Etihad will prosper into new heights and continue its journey of sustainable growth.”

The outgoing chief Tony Douglas also said, “I am proud to have served as Etihad’s chief executive officer over the past five years. The unprecedented challenges stemming from macroeconomic conditions faced by the industry were successfully navigated through prudent measures undertaken to position Etihad on a sustainable path for the future. I am appreciative of all the support provided by my Etihad colleagues and looking forward to further supporting the evolution of the wider Abu Dhabi aviation ecosystem.”

A New Flag Carrier

Saudi Arabia’s new airline, RIA, is scheduled to launch operations in the last quarter of 2022 and is forecasted to bring fierce competition to the Middle East’s commercial aviation landscape by rivaling the market’s leading carriers including Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.

According to Arabian Business, other senior Etihad executives are expected to follow in Douglas’ footsteps and join the airline in the upcoming months.

The airline, which is fully funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is a key pillar in the kingdom’s $100 billion investment in aviation planned over the coming eight years, as part of the Vision 2030 program objectives to diversify the country’s economic portfolio and reduce its reliance on oil exports.

According to industry sources, RIA’s initial operations will be primarily regional, with a fleet of Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Victor Shalton

Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.

JSX Adds Two More Destinations

Joey Gerardi

Monday, October 24, 2022 at 11:08 AM ET

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Jack Dawin

A JSX Embraer E-145 on the FBO ramp at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mateen Kontoravdis)

Dallas-based JSX has announced the addition of two more destinations to its route map. This comes just a month after its last new destination announcement last month when it announced Gunnison/Crested Butte in Colorado. The two destinations they have announced are Orlando, via the Orlando Intl. Airport, and Rifle which is located in Colorado. Each new destination will have two nonstop destinations, adding another four to the airline’s ever-growing route map

Orlando flights will start on Dec. 15, 2022, operating to Dallas Love Field on a once-daily basis. Other flights will operate from Westchester County in New York beginning on Dec.22, 2022, and will also operate on a daily basis from Orlando. Orlando will be the third destination the airline serves in the state of Florida, the other two being Destin-Executive, which they serve during the summer months, and Miami Intl. which sees year-round service from Westchester, Winter seasonal service to Dallas Love Field, and Summer seasonal flights to Destin-Executive.

The second city they have announced is Rifle, Colorado, a community that from the looks of it has never seen airline service and JSX will be the first airline to operate here. Adding another airport to the airline system in the United States. From here they will start flights on Dec. 16, 2022, and operate to Dallas Love Field two-to-three times a week. In addition, they will also start nonstop flights to Burbank, Calif. on Jan. 12, 2023, which will also operate on a two-to-three time-a-week basis. Service to Rile will be winter seasonal, but the airline has yet to announce when the flights will end in the springtime and continue as far out as the airline is booking flights, the end of March 2023.

JSX current route network as of Oct.24, 2022 (Photo: JSX)

Rifle, also appears on the airlines’ website as Rifle/Aspen/Vail, the latter two of which are popular ski towns in the area. It is also odd that they are showing as both are at least an hour’s drive from Rifle during good weather when snow isn’t affecting the driving time and the highways aren’t a complete mess. Aspen is 1 hour and 15-minutes, and Vail is 1 hour and 30-minutes, again, this driving time is an estimate during good weather. Grand Junction, Colo. is another bigger city that is located only an hour’s drive from Rifle, closer than either Vail or Aspen yet it isn’t listed anywhere on the carrier’s site as an alternative for that city.

As the flights were just announced and are still months out, they have not yet announced where they will be departing from at either airport but are expected to be either an FBO or a private terminal. All flights are scheduled to operate on the carriers Embraer E135 or E145 both of which have 30-seat.

Onboard the recently refurbished JSX E-145. (Photo: AirlineGeeks: Mateen Kontoravdis)

Joey Gerardi

Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.

Air France-KLM Move to Support Electric Aircraft with Ampaire

Mike Mangano

Monday, October 24, 2022 at 11:06 AM ET

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Jack Dawin

Air France Industries KLM Maintenance & Engineering is moving to support electric aviation. Photo: Air France Industries KLM Maintenance & Engineering

Aircraft support provider Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) has taken steps to support electric aircraft, signing a memorandum of understanding with US electric aviation pioneer Ampaire. The move, announced on October 19, means the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) giant will accelerate its familiarity with the electric aviation field with the guidance and assistance of Ampaire.

With the new MoU, both companies will aim to develop training for ground engineers as part of a global network, install upgrades for modified aircraft, as well as further collaborate for extended support of a 19-seat aircraft. According to KLM E&M Executive Vice President Ton Dortmans, Ampaire was selected due to its approach being “visionary and also extremely methodical and practical, which means these beneficial technologies can be already introduced in the very near future.”

As part of AFI KLM M&E’s future plans, the company aims to set itself up as the preferred electric training partner, contemplating the benefits of using augmented and virtual reality technology in the process.

Ampaire, having already tested its hybrid-electric aircraft on airline routes, intends to reach the goal of fully electric aircraft with modified hybrid aircraft as a stepping stone. In a statement, Ampaire CEO Kevin Noertker said that “AFI KLM E&M’s powerful global network and strong expertise will give operators everywhere high technical confidence in new propulsion systems.”

More MoU’s Signed for Electric Aviation

In addition to the Ampaire memorandum of understanding, Air France Industries KLM Maintenance & Engineering is showing further interest in electric aviation, having also signed an MoU with French hybrid-VTOL start-up Ascendance Flight Technologies. The MoU allows for the potential to collaborate line maintenance, component repair, mechanics training and airworthiness management.

Despite Ascendance ‘start-up’ status, Air France Industries Executive Vice President Géry Mortreux stated: “we are very interested in electric and hydride electric propulsion technologies, which are set to be future business drivers over the next decade.” He further added that “this type of cooperation is in the general interest (of aviation) and is a further illustration of the general mobilization of our industry to decarbonize aviation – a collective effort in which AFI KLM E&M is of course fully involved.”

In return, Ascendance CEO Jean-Christophe Lambert said “in parallel with our efforts to develop a new type of aircraft, it is very important for us to prepare the future of its operations today, in conjunction with the best experts in our industry. Maintenance is obviously at the center of our customers’ concerns and this collaboration with AFI KLM E&M is a major step towards providing them reliable solutions.”

Ascendance is currently developing its ‘Atea’ VTOL aircraft, a five-seat alternative to helicopters, with the goal of readying the vehicle for operations by 2024. According to Ascendance, Atea will have “a range of 400 km, a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 80% and a fourfold reduction in noise emissions, it is suitable for urban and regional use.

Mike Mangano

Mike’s love affair with flight and mechanical objects in the sky began at an early age, fascinated by space documentaries and the vintage Flight Simulator ’95. He currently works as an instructor for UAVs and is training to receive his Private Pilot Licence with the goal of working in manned flight instruction. An avid reader of all things aviation and manned space flight, Mike stays close to developments in aerospace while reminiscing and sharing the rich history of flight with others. He loves writing, engineering and science.

Amazon Air Adds Ten Airbus A330 Freighters to its Fleet

Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo

Monday, October 24, 2022 at 11:03 AM ET

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Edited By:

Jack Dawin

An Amazon Prime Air 767 touching down in Miami. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Amazon Air, the cargo airline of Amazon.com, Inc. which operates exclusively for Amazon’s parcel transportation business, has signed a lease agreement for ten converted to freighters (P2Fs) Airbus A330-300. The new aircraft will be added to the fleet that currently consists only of ATR and Boeing aircraft. In total, Amazon Air has a fleet of 88 aircraft, 55 Boeing 767-300ER, 28 Boeing 737-800 BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter) versions and 5 ATR 72-500F.

The airline, founded in 2015, is headquartered in Hebron, Kentucky. In 2017, it changed its name from Amazon Prime Air to Amazon Air to differentiate itself from its namesake service of autonomous package delivery to customers via drones, which is currently under development. Until January 2021, the airline had relied on wet leasing its aircraft to other operators, but in late 2020 it purchased four Boeing 767-300s, previously flying for Qantas and then WestJet. The airline however will continue to lease aircraft from its fleet using external crew, maintenance and insurance.

Amazon’s airline last week decided to expand its fleet, signing an agreement to lease ten A330-300P2Fs from Altavair, a global leader in aviation financing. The aircraft will be operated for Amazon by Hawaiian Airlines, the flag carrier of the U.S. state of Hawaii, as well as the 10th largest commercial airline in the United States, and a deep connoisseur of Airbus A330-200s with a total in its fleet of twenty-four.

Although both the A330-200 and A330-300 are suitable for conversion, the longer fuselage A330-300P2F is particularly suited for cargo transport due to its high volumetric payload capacity with low-density cargo.

The ten aircraft will be converted from passenger to cargo by the company Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), a joint venture between ST Aerospace and Airbus, whose A330P2F (passenger-to-freighter) conversion program began in 2012. EFW is a Dresden-based company currently a center for Airbus P2F aircraft conversion with associated maintenance.

Philippe Karam, Director of Amazon Global Air Fleet & Sourcing said the new A330-300s will be both the first Airbuses in the fleet, but will also be the newest and largest aircraft for Amazon Air, enabling the logistics company to deliver more packages to its customers on every flight, faster, more efficiently and over longer distances. The first A330-300P2F aircraft is expected to join Amazon Air’s fleet in late 2023.

Airbus A330s possess advanced technology, including fly-by-wire flight controls, and an extremely capable platform for cargo conversion, due precisely to the number of aircraft converted over time. Since the Airbus A330 entered service in 1994, more than 1,700 aircraft have been ordered and more than 1,500 have been delivered, providing ample knowledge for Passenger-to-Freighter conversions for many years.

Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo

Vincenzo graduated in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering with an aeronautical curriculum, focusing his thesis on Human Factors in aircraft maintenance. In 2022 he pursued his master's degree in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Palermo, Italy. He combines his journalistic activities with his work as a Reliability Engineer at Zetalab.

COMAC ARJ21: Opening China’s Regional Network?

Lei Yan

Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 09:37 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

The Comac C909, formerly known as the ARJ21. (Photo: COMAC)

For many aviation enthusiasts outside of China, the COMAC ARJ21 is not an aircraft that they are often familiar with. The “Advanced Regional Jets of the 21st Century” was only operated by Chinese carriers as of this moment. Since the certification of COMAC ARJ in 2014 and its first flight in 2016, a total of 79 aircraft have been delivered to carriers. Before ARJ21 went into service, many people looked pessimistically at the future of this jet. However, this jet may have stimulated the long-ignored regional jet market of China, and paved the way for the larger COMAC C919 that will finally deliver by the end of 2022.

The design of COMAC ARJ21 resembles the design of the MD-80 series. The jet can carry 90 people and fly 2,200KM. Such capacity and range can fit into a sizable regional market globally, however, the operational efficiency and economic performance of ARJ21 are still slightly short of its competitors, such as Embraer’s E-series jets.

Since 2016, COMAC ARJ21’s operation has been quite limited, and the aircraft’s average daily usage was below par. Chengdu Airlines, an airline that is partially owned by COMAC, was the sole operator of the jet and has only operated ARJ21 in a handful of airports. COMAC took the feedback and experience of operating ARJ21 and installed improvements on its products.

In 2019, the opportunity finally came for COMAC ARJ21. The big three airlines, Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern, each ordered 35 ARJ21. Those carriers have little experience operating regional aircraft or managing regional networks. Many speculated that those orders were political tasks, which was very likely, considering all three airlines are state-owned.

New Regional Horizons

Previously, regional flights in China are mainly operated by regional airlines with relatively small networks. Those airlines do not have a lot of opportunities to gather regional passengers to a hub and connect them further. Route planning tends to tilt towards the airport which offers a higher subsidy. China still has a large portion of the population that has no access to air transportation, and the lack of a regional network is one of the factors causing the situation.

In May 2020, COMAC ARJ21s were delivered to Air China, China Southern, and OTT Airlines (a subsidiary of China Eastern) on the same day. Air China positioned its ARJ21s in Hohhot, China, mainly eying on the vast regional market of Inner Mongolia; China Southern used its ARJ21s operating regional flights in the Guangdong area, aiming to solidify its market share in Southern China; China Easter used its ARJ21 for some low-throughput routes, and increased frequency to improve passenger satisfaction.

Outside of everybody’s expectations, the ARJ21 was a perfect complement to the big three airlines all mainline aircraft fleet. Especially during the COVID-19 period, ARJ21 is enough to support the reduced traffics, and maintain air connections between cities. The advantage of a big airline is that they have an extensive network, and ARJ21 did not only thrive in such a network but also unveiled new opportunities for those carriers.

Last month, COMAC C919 was certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, marking the milestone for COMAC to deliver its first mid-sized mainline aircraft. The experience from ARJ21 certification and operation surely contributed to the certification process for C919.

COMAC ARJ21 may have been a political task for Chinese carriers, but it demonstrated the potential and robustness of regional flight markets, drawing major players into the field. The operational experience from ARJ21 gives the Chinese a path to develop even bigger aircraft. As the Chinese regional markets expand, it is foreseeable that foreign players, such as Airbus’ A220 and the Embraer E175, will also have a chance to compete in this market.

Lei Yan

Lei is from Inner Mongolia, China, and now lives in Guangzhou. He grew up in an aviation family, where his passion began. During his time at Penn State University, he studied Industrial Engineering specializing in operations research, and he graduated with an honor’s thesis on airport gate assignment optimization. Now, he is a Purchasing Manager with Procter & Gamble. In his free time, he enjoys flying, reading, and wandering around the city.

Aer Lingus Resumes Flights to Miami

Aviacionline

Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 11:36 PM ET

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Edited By:

Vanni Gibertini

An Aer Lingus A330 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Parker Davis)

On Friday Oct. 21, Aer Lingus resumed its non-stop services between Dublin (DUB) and Miami (MIA) with two weekly flights. The airline’s last operation on this route was on March 27, 2020, operated on an Airbus A330-200.

This will be the airline’s second destination in the state of Florida, complementing its operations from Orlando (MCO) to the Irish capital and Manchester (MAN).

According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Ireland’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) 56,937 passengers were mobilized in 2019 between Dublin (DUB) and Miami (MIA). The Irish airline will have an offer of 1,878 seats per week on this route for this northern winter season, this represents a 20% increase in capacity compared to 2019 levels.

«As the only airline operating direct flights to Miami from Ireland, we are also able to serve the UK and European market thanks to the seamless connections we offer to travelers transiting through Dublin,» said Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer.

«Restarting our Miami service is further evidence of our ambition to continue to grow our network in North America,» Carberry added.

Flight Itinerary

Dublin – Miami Flight EI 141 DUB 15:40 – MIA 19:55 Friday and Sunday.
Miami – Dublin Flight EI 142 MIA 22:00 – DUB 11:15+1 Friday and Sunday.

From November 2 the company adds an additional service on Wednesday increasing its operation to three weekly flights. This route will be seasonal and will be available from October 21, 2022, to March 24, 2023.

Flights will be operated on Airbus A330-300 aircraft with a capacity of 313 seats in two classes (30 Business Class/283 Economy) and promotional fares are available from EUR 159 each way.

The resumption of service between Dublin (DUB) and Miami (MIA) is part of the growth of the carrier’s transatlantic network, complementing the launches of the new route to Cleveland (CLE) and the return of Hartford (BDL) for the 2023 summer season schedule.

Aer Lingus offers routes between Ireland and the United States to New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Philadelphia (PHL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Orlando (MCO), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA) and now to Miami (MIA).

The article was written by Rainer Nieves Dolante

Aviacionline

Avelo Airlines To Open Its Fourth Base

Aviacionline

Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 12:10 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

The Avelo aircraft is seen during the Avelo Air aircraft shoot at Hollywood Burbank Airport on April 07, 2021 in Burbank, California. (Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Avelo Air)

Avelo will open its fourth base in Wilmington (ILG) starting in February 2023. The U.S. airline’s current hubs are Burbank, New Haven and Orlando.

Initially, Avelo will serve five popular non-stop Florida destinations from ILG: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Avelo Airlines Founder, Chairman and CEO Andrew Levy said, “The Delaware Valley region wants and deserves more affordable, convenient and reliable air travel. Avelo was founded with a simple purpose – to Inspire Travel. Our very low fares and nonstop flights to five sun-soaked Florida destinations coupled with the fast and seamless experience at Wilmington Airport will make traveling easier than ever. We appreciate the warm reception and support Avelo is receiving from Delaware Governor John Carney, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and so many other government and business leaders here. We look forward to welcoming everyone aboard Avelo’s first ILG flight in February.”

Orlando (MCO): inaugural flight – February 1 (Monday, Friday and Saturday).
Fort Lauderdale (FLL): inaugural flight – February 2 (Thursday and Sunday).
Tampa (TPA): inaugural flight – February 2 (Thursday and Sunday).
Fort Myers (RSW): inaugural flight – February 3 (Monday and Friday).
West Palm Beach (PBI): inaugural flight – February 4 (Wednesday and Saturday).

Aviacionline

Alaska Airlines Sees Strong Third Quarter Results

Chase Hagl

Friday, October 21, 2022 at 08:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Benjamin Pham

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 on final Approach to SeaTac (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

On Thursday, Alaska Airlines released its results for the third quarter ending Sept.30 of this year. The announcement comes with positive feedback, as the company showed great recovery from its last two years — a difficult time for the entire aviation industry.

The Seattle-based carrier set an airline record in terms of total quarterly revenue. Alaska Airlines brought in a total of $2.8 billion, as a result of strong pricing and an uptick in passenger air travel.

“I am incredibly proud of our entire team for the strong results they delivered in the third quarter, through the busiest travel season in two years,” stated Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci in a press release. “We ran an industry-leading operation with completion rates over 99% every month. We set a new revenue record and our double-digit pretax margin will likely lead the industry. Alaska and Horizon also ratified three major labor deals. This is a strong foundation that we look forward to building on in 2023.”

Alaska’s $2.8 billion in total revenue is up 45 percent from last year’s third-quarter results of $1.9 billion and 2019’s pre-pandemic reported revenue of $2.3 billion — a 20 percent difference.

The primary revenue maker for the airline is its passenger market, bringing in $2.6 billion of the total revenue, with cargo racking up $67 million in revenue and Mileage Plan and others bringing in the remaining $147 million.

During the three-month period, the airline carried 11.4 million passengers with a revenue per Available Seat Mile (RASM) of ¢17.30, up 28 percent from last year’s ¢13.50. These results can be attributed to Alaska’s, “strong pricing, a robust demand environment, and the execution of our commercial roadmap.”

The record quarter resulted in a net income of $40 million for the airline, or $0.31 per share. This is down $154 million from the carrier’s third-quarter income in 2021.

Airline’s Notable Moves

Alaska Airlines had many contributors to the success of the third quarter. A major contributor to the success of a company begins with its employees. On that note, the carrier was the first major carrier to ratify a new labor agreement with mainline pilots, ratified a pilot retention agreement in September with 700 Horizon Air pilots represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT). T

he carrier also ratified a two-year contract extension in August with nearly 5,700 Alaska Airlines employees represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). From an operation standpoint, Alaska Airlines achieved a 99 percent completion rate for both mainline and regional for the quarter, a large contributor to creating customers who keep coming back.

In the ongoing attempt to drive economic benefits through cost savings as well as continuing the transition to single fleets, Alaska retired six Airbus A320 aircraft and nine Bombardier Q400 aircraft during the quarter. In return, they received five Boeing 737-900 aircraft in the third quarter, bringing the total number of 737-900s in our mainline fleet to 33. Additionally, they began to retrofit their 737-800 fleet with new interiors.

Chase Hagl

Chase Hagl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. His love and passion for Aviation landed him in Orem, Utah where he obtained a B.S. in Aviation Management with a minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University. Chase currently works as a flight attendant in Charleston, SC and is also the primary Inflight ASAP ERC representative for startup airline, Breeze Airways. His experience in the aviation industry spans back four years, working in areas including agriculture application, customer service, maintenance, and flight ops. In his free time, Chase enjoys road biking, astronomy, and flying.

Canadian Carriers Announce Codeshare and Interline Agreements

John Flett

Friday, October 21, 2022 at 06:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An Air Transat A321 featuring a special "Kids Club" sticker on its livery. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Canadian airlines Air Transat and Porter Airlines announced a bilateral codeshare this week for select flights on each other’s networks. The codeshare agreement encompasses Porter Airlines’ domestic flights to and from Toronto’s Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Halifax, Canada and a number of Air Transat flights to and from Montreal, Canada’s Pierre Trudeau International Airport.

“We have found an ideal partner in Air Transat to launch Porter’s first codeshare agreement,” said Kevin Jackson, Porter Airlines’ Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Connecting passengers in two of our most important markets, Toronto and Halifax, with Air Transat’s European and North American network is a great benefit. This is just the beginning, as we intend to expand Porter’s own network to create many more travel opportunities between our two airlines.”

Air Transat has a leisure travel focus and operates a fleet of Airbus A321-200, Airbus A321LR, Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A330-300 aircraft. According to Air Transat’s website, the airline flies to 60 destinations in the Americas and Europe. Porter Airlines operates a fleet of De Havilland Dash 8-400 to a range of Canadian and U.S. destinations in addition to international routes in collaboration with partner JetBlue.

Michèle Barre, Air Transat’s Vice President, Network, Revenue Management and Pricing said, “We are delighted that our codeshare agreement with Porter Airlines is taking off. Our respective networks are highly complementary, with Porter serving Toronto and Halifax, and Air Transat serving some 15 countries. This will provide both our passengers with an expanded, yet seamless experience, and is perfectly in line with Air Transat’s strategy initiated earlier this year to develop our network through alliances.”

Air Transat is using its flight designator code on flights operated by Porter Airlines between Toronto City and Montreal as well as between Halifax and Montreal. Passengers on Porter Airlines flights can then connect to Air Transat destinations by transiting through Montreal.

The codeshare agreement will allow connections to and from London, Paris and Lisbon, Portugal this winter with domestic routes and several warmer, leisure destinations popular with Canadians. Transit codeshare connections to other parts of the United States are scheduled to be added by the end of 2022.

Other Regional Partnerships

Earlier this week, Calgary, Canada-based WestJet announced a ‘reciprocal interline relationship’ with British Columbia, Canada-based Pacific Coastal Airlines. The cooperation agreement is the first for Pacific Coastal which operates to 17 airports in its home province and a number of other destinations with its affiliate, Wilderness Seaplanes.

“Pacific Coastal Airlines is proud to partner with WestJet on our first interline,” Johnathan Richardson, Vice President of Customer and Commercial, Pacific Coastal Airlines, said. “We look forward to working together to connect the communities we serve and bring them exciting new options for their global travel needs.”

John Weatherill, WestJet’s Chief Commercial Officer added, “This new interline complements our network growth in Western Canada and the strong schedule we’re bringing to the communities we serve directly and through our partners like Pacific Coastal.”

John Flett

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry. During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team who created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff balancing a mix of corporate and social content. John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. John has held the positions of course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university. In addition he is contracted as an external instructor for IATA (International Air Transport Association) and has been a member of the Heathrow Community Fund’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

Amid Internal Tensions, ITA Airways Board Removes its Executive President

Aviacionline

Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 03:54 PM ET

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Edited By:

Pablo Diaz

ITA Airways aircraft at Rome Fiumicino Airport. (Photo: ITA Airways)

In a brief statement this Thursday, ITA Airways’ — the Italian State-owned airline that is the effective successor of Alitalia — confirmed that the company’s Executive President, Alfredo Altavilla, was stripped of “all [of its] powers” in the airline by the airline’s board of directors.

Altavilla had been running the airline from the start, serving as the Italian Government’s bet, after a successful record of accomplishment in the automobile industry.

The move had been in the making for some weeks now, the move being “ordered by a resolution on October 12”. Now, the press release adds, “the attribution of those powers [goes] to the Chief Executive Officer Fabio Maria Lazzerini”.

Corriere della Sera’s aviation journalist Leonard Berberi reported, on the 12th, that the situation between Altavilla had its breaking point when Altavilla refused to give “sensible”, “route-by-route” profitability information to the consortium headed by private equity fund Certares. The situation between Altavilla, the board and Lazzerini was already difficult for months.

Certares is leading the privatization efforts of ITA Airways, and the sale has the commercial participation of Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. Effectively, the move will give Lazzerini control of the privatization process — and to the granting of information to Certares.

“The Board of Directors”, finished the short announcement, titled only “ITA Airways Press release” or “NOTA STAMPA” [sic] in the Italian version, “reiterated that the Company’s main task is to remain focused on the industrial plan, continuing along the road taken that is providing better results than expected, with the aim of consolidating the relaunch of ITA Airways and protecting the company’s workers who have taken the challenge”.

This article was originally published at Aviacionline.

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