WestJet Announces Further Order For 42 Boeing 737 MAX 10s

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 08:00 AM ET

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A WestJet 737-700 lands at LAX. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Canada’s WestJet Group has announced an agreement to purchase 42 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft with the option to purchase 22 more. The Calgary, Canada-based consortium operates WestJet and Swoop the ultra-low-cost carrier and already has orders for 23 aircraft from the Boeing MAX family.

WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech stated, “With this additional order, the WestJet Group will accept delivery of no fewer than 65 aircraft in the next six years, at least 50 will be 737-10 aircraft, furthering our commitment to affordable travel options for Canadians and jobs for our company and the aerospace industry.”

The 737-10 is the largest of the MAX family with a potential capacity of up to 230 seats (188-204 in a 2-class configuration) and a range of 3,300 nautical miles. “The 737-10 will provide WestJet with additional capacity and unrivaled efficiency as the airline expands its network of destinations across Canada and around the world. We are proud that WestJet sees the value of the 737 MAX family and is adding the 737-10 to complement the 737-8 for outstanding capability, flexibility and improved sustainability,” Stan Deal the president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said.

WestJet has a long history with Boeing aircraft since it began operations in 1996 with three 737 aircraft. The group’s subsidiaries now operate Boeing 737 aircraft including the 737-8 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, though further investment in the latter has been paused ‘to focus instead on additional narrowbody growth’.

In Thursday’s announcement, Mr. Hoensbroech added, “The 737-10 will be a game changer, with one of the lowest costs per seat among mid-range aircraft. This will foster our low-cost positioning and affordability for Canadians. In addition, with its lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions, the 737-10 will further improve the environmental footprint of our fleet.”

Canadian Minister of Transport the Honourable Omar Alghabra stated, “Today’s announcement by WestJet is exciting news for Canadian travelers and our national air industry as a whole. As we enter post-pandemic recovery, investments like these in sustainable and affordable air travel will ensure that our air sector remains strong. I look forward to continuing the work our Government is doing with WestJet and air carriers across the country to make air travel safer, cleaner, and more affordable for everyone.”

Earlier this year, WestJet announced changes to its network strategy and utilization of aircraft with the growth in the 737 family of airplanes being a key pillar. Western Canada is a strong focus for the Alberta consortium with the Dreamliner being ‘centered’ in the region ‘for the time being. It was also stated that WestJet’s regional fleet of De Haviland Q400 aircraft will ‘shifted and rightsized’ with a focus on Western Canada.

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.

COMAC’s C919 Gains Certification from CAAC

Fangzhong Guo

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 06:00 AM ET

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Benjamin Pham

A Comac C919 conducting high-speed taxiing (Photo: COMAC)

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s (COMAC) C919 received its Type Certificate (TC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) on September 29, 2022. The milestone came five years after the type’s maiden flight in May 2017. Following certification, the company expects to deliver the first aircraft to its launch customer, China Eastern Airlines, before the end of this year.

C919 is a narrowbody airplane with 150 seats, directly competing with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family. Despite the similar designs, the aircraft only has a range of 2200 nm to 3300 nm, well below its competitors. However, the specification strikes an outstanding balance between cost and performance since the aircraft primarily targets the domestic market, whose longest route is only 2100nm.

Its predecessor, the COMAC ARJ21, took another 11 months after receiving its TC before the first delivery. However, COMAC has learned from its mistakes in the past, such as starting the Aircraft Evaluation Group early. It is confident in making the first delivery sooner for the larger jet.

Building up to the moment

Although the company never published any milestone dates, the public speculated that September 19 would be the certification date. However, the date has come and passed without any formal announcement. The company flew two of its test fleets to the country’s capital Beijing in preparation for the ceremony on Sept. 12.

As many have expected, the aircraft received its TC before October 1 – the country’s national day. It’ll be considered a gift for the country. Interestingly though, the authorities were not rushing to show off its achievements. It has asked its media outlets and other members at the ceremony to stay quiet until Sept. 30. There is no obvious explanation for this request.

After achieving its TC, the manufacturer will pursue the Production Certificate (PC) to mass-produce the plane under the approved type design. It took the company two years and three months before it received the production certificate for the smaller ARJ21 regional jet. However, it doesn’t mean the company can’t produce the plane without it. The CAAC must certify each airplane until it rewards the PC to the company.

The Shanghai-based company also has another aircraft pending certification. It flew a medical version of the ARJ21-700 jet along with the two C919s. It’ll likely receive its certificate in October.

Timeline

2008 – The C919 program was launched with a targeted first flight time in 2014.

2015 – The Shanghai-based company unveiled the first airplane at its factory in Shanghai during a roll-out ceremony following several delays.

2017 – C919 made its maiden flight on May 5, with its planned entry into service slipping into 2020.

2018 – The state-owned manufacturer grounded its test fleet for modifications, further pushing the first delivery into 2021.

2022 – The company announced the completion of its flight test campaign on July 23.

2022 – The company ferried two planes in its test fleets to Beijing Capital Airport on September 12.

2022 – CAAC awarded the Type Certificate to the C919 on September 29.

Fangzhong Guo

Fangzhong grew up near an OEM airport in northeastern China, where he developed his enthusiasm for aviation. Taking upon his passion, he's now working as an aircraft interior design engineer. Besides working in the aerospace industry, Fangzhong enjoys trying out different types of airplanes and seeing how airplane interiors have evolved. So far, he's flown on over 80 types of aircraft. He also planespots in his spare time. His rarest catches included the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and AN-225.

Ethiopian Airlines to Help In Launch of New Nigerian National Carrier, Nigeria Air

Victor Shalton

Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 07:00 AM ET

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Parker Davis

A rendering of what a Nigeria Air aircraft could look like. (Photo: Nigeria Air)

Ethiopian Airlines is the preferred bidder for the future Nigerian airline Nigeria Air, Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said last Friday. The Ethiopian national airline will own a 49% stake in the new Nigerian airline, while the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund will take 46% and the Nigerian federal government the remaining 5%.

According to Sirika, Ethiopian Airlines Consortium was the only bidder to have met the June 10 deadline for submission of bids under a request for proposal process launched on March 5.

“Few others attempted to submit but unfortunately could not meet the deadline. Since we did not collect the bids, we are not in a position to say who they are,” he said in a statement.

Ready for Launch

The aviation minister also said Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet is expected to approve the shareholding plan in the coming weeks. Nigeria Air will have an initial capital of $300 million and plans to operate a fleet of 30 aircraft within four years, he said. It will start its activity with a first line between the capital Abuja and Lagos, the commercial capital, and will add other routes later.

Nigeria Air will start its operations with a Boeing 737-800 fleet for now followed thereafter by Boeing 787 aircraft for international operations.

“We will initially bring in six Boeing 737s and between the third and fourth year, the airline will be able to acquire up to 30 aircraft,” Hadi Sirika said. And to emphasize: “Nigeria Air is a limited liability company which will have no government intervention”.

On June 6, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued Nigeria Air’s Air Transport License (ATL) after it had approved all interim executives in May 2022.

A “signature-ready” contract has been finalized with Ethiopian Airlines for the three 737-800s with a configuration of 16 business class and 150 economy class seats. Ethiopian Airlines will provide the initial crews and engineers while Nigerian Air recruits flight- and cabin crews, plus aircraft engineers.

The first aircraft is ready to arrive in Abuja for inspection by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), demonstration flights, and audit as part of certification requirements. In time, two more should arrive to complete the required three minimum.

Having identified the first three aircraft for the fleet, Nigeria Air will now finalize all necessary operations manuals and then go through the inspection and approval process for an air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the NCAA.

The overall share capital of around $300 million, provided by the preferred bidder is what will launch Nigeria Air to its full size of 30 aircraft and international operation within the next two years.

No further FGN funding will be provided above the 5% share capital of the next national Carrier of Nigeria, which was provided to launch Nigeria Air.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with 220 million people, is seeking to establish a national airline and airport infrastructure for its economic development. The former flag carrier Nigeria Airways, wholly owned by the Abuja government, went bankrupt and ceased operations in 2003.

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.

First All-Electric Commuter Airplane Takes Maiden Flight

Fangzhong Guo

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 09:54 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

Eviation Alice on final approach during its maiden flight. (Photo: AirlineGeek | Fangzhong Guo)

Eviation Alice – the first all-electric commuter plane – made its maiden flight on Wednesday from Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake, Wash. The airplane took off at 7:11 a.m. and landed 7:19 a.m. local time .

Despite being only 8-minute long, this is a historic moment for electric aviation. Alice is the first blank sheet design airplane of this size. Cape Air is the launch customer for this type and holds an order of 75 aircraft. GlobalX also inked a Letter of Intent for 50 of the company’s airplanes just a week before the first flight. In the meantime, DHL also holds an order for 12 cargo versions of this airplane.

The Airplane

Eviation Alice has a unique fuselage. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fangzhong Guo)

Alice can carry nine passengers and has a maximum range of 440 NM (815 km) with a payload of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). The airplane uses two MagniX Magni650 engines. MagniX had previously tested its smaller Magni500 engine on a converted Cessna 208 aircraft and is testing the larger Magni750 engine on a converted De Havilland Canada Beaver aircraft. The Singaporean Investment Group Clermont owns both MagniX and Eviation, which made Magnix the obvious choice to supply its engine.

The plane has evolved from its original configuration. When the company first launched the airplane at the 2019 Paris Air Show, the aircraft used a pusher motor and two smaller wingtip motors. The first prototype burned down during testing due to ground equipment faults.

On the other hand, the flight demonstrator features two rear-mounted engines, more akin to a traditional regional jet. It has a unique fuselage design, presumably to provide additional lift and increase energy efficiency. The company will use the flight demonstration program results to iterate the plane to its final production configuration.

Testing Timeline

Eviation Alice during ground testing at Arlington Municipal Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fangzhong Guo)

The Israeli company has been hinting at the approaching of this milestone for nearly a year now. It first started ground taxi testing at the company’s U.S. headquarter in Arlington, Wash, back in December 2021. The company had to pause testing after its sole test aircraft failed, causing the plane to skid the runway.

After receiving concerns from the community, the manufacturer relocated the test article. It trucked the plane to its current location – the home of its technology partner- AeroTEC’s flight test center at Moses Lake. After reassembling the airplane, the electric-plane maker started ground testing again and finally achieved its maiden flight. Moses Lake is a popular flight test destination for Boeing test flights, and it certainly provided a lot more convenience to the electric plane’s test program.

At the launch, the company expected an Entry into Service date in 2024. However, it has since been pushed back to 2026. Regardless of everything the company promised, the company still has a long way to go before reaching that milestone. It’s unknown how the company will achieve its goals when it’s only posting one engineering position at the peak growth time. Nonetheless, the first flight is a significant achievement, and the world will watch what comes next.

Fangzhong Guo

Russian Aircraft Relics in the Czech Republic

Mark Evans

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 07:00 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

Czech Air Force Yak 40 at Kunovice. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

The Czech Republic is a relatively new country having been formed in 1993. Prior to this, the country was part of Czechoslovakia which was a communist state until 1989. Sanctions placed on the country by the West meant that Russian aircraft were operated throughout the country.

During the Communist Rule, CSA was the primary carrier in the country. At the end, it was operating a wholly Russian fleet which included Ilyushin 18, Ilyushin 62, Tupolev 134, Tupolev 154 and Yak40 aircraft. The Czech Government also operated all of these types at some point ending with the Tupolev 154 and Yak 40.

It was only once the Iron Curtain fell and communist rule ended in 1989 that Czechoslovakia and other Eastern Bloc countries could start to replace their fleets with western-built jets. Most of them were retired within the first decade. Fortunately, many have been preserved and over 30 years later a large number can be seen in various museums or other establishments.

OK-EFJ Tupolev 134 — OK-EFJ (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Czech Aviation Training Centre:

At Prague, Czech Republic’s Václav Havel Airport, training is provided for aviation professionals including pilots and cabin crew. One of the CSA’s T134s has been partially preserved there. The cockpit section of OK-EFJ sits proudly inside inscribed with ‘20 years of service with CSA’.

Ilyushin 18 at Kbely Airport (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Prague Kbely Airport:

This was previously Prague’s main airport but is now used by the Government and Military. It is home to Kbely Aviation Museum with many aircraft on show. Of particular note are:

OK-NAA IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1960 until being written off in 1977.

OK-BYG / 0723 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1972.

OK-BYJ /1257 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1978.

The collection also includes some Antonov 24s and Ilyushin 14s along with many fighter and helicopter types.

CSA Tupolev 104 at Zruc Air Museum (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Zruc Air Museum:

Near the Town of Pilsen about 100km southwest of Prague sits an impressive private collection containing the following aircraft:

OK-NDF T104 – Operated for CSA from 1963 after starting life in 1959 with Aeroflot. CSA was the only other airline to operate the Tupolev 104 and became only the third airline to operate jet aircraft when the T104 entered service for them in 1957. It is displayed illustriously outside the museum in full vintage CSA colors.

1003 T154 – Operated for Czech Government from 2000.

OK-AFA T134 – Operated for CSA from 1971 – Fuselage section only attached to the cockpit section of OK-DFI.

OK-DFI T134 – Operated for CSA from 1973 – Cockpit section only attached to the fuselage section of OK-AFA.

SP-LHE T134 – Operated for LOT Polish Airlines from 1976. Missing its tail.

OK-PAE IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1961.

Again the museum contains various other aircraft or sections including an Antonov 24 and Antonov 30. Ilyushin 14s and Let 410s along with various fighter jets and helicopters.

Various Tupolev 134s at Zruc Air Museum (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Kunovice Aviation Museum:

Some three hours southwest of Prague near the Slovakian Border is another impressive museum where you can find the following:

OK-BYZ T154 – Operated for Czech Government from 1996.

OK-BYK / 0260 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1979.

Various other exhibits include several Let 410s, Let 610 and Ilyushin 14s.

Other Aircraft:

OK-FBF IL62 – Operated for Czech Government from 1974 and then CSA from 1981. Preserved outside Excalibur City shopping centre painted in a very interesting color scheme with Jet Restaurant titles.

OK-WAJ IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1967. Now preserved as a cafe near Bakov Nad Jizerou with Buggyra Air titles.

OK-EEA Yak40 – Operated for CSA from 1974. Now belongs to Seko Aerospace in the town of Louny. Painted in a blue color scheme with Seko Airlines titles and Reg OK-TSE.

Mark Evans

Mark has been interested in aviation since the age of eight when he first went plane spotting at Manchester Airport, England. Trips around various European airports in the following years and then to the USA as a teenager furthered his desire. This led to Mark wanting to work in the industry and at the age of twenty one was accepted to train as an Air Traffic Controller. After training and working for several years in England, Mark moved to Bahrain in the Middle East where he worked for six years. He then moved to Sydney, Australia where he resides today after twenty years in the profession. Mark's pursuit to see planes has seen him visit over 140 countries and territories, including places, like North Korea, Sudan and Iran. He has flown over 1,100 times, visited over 700 airports and can always be found researching his next trip.

Interview: Expedia VP of Airline Partnerships On the Changing Game for Airlines, Travelers

Parker Davis

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 06:31 PM ET

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Parker Davis

Construction of the Nancy-Bird Walton International Airport runway, Western Sydney. (Photo: Western Sydney Airport)

Air travel was dead in late-2020. Airlines had slashed their schedules to fractions of 2019 levels, potential travelers had hunkered down to protect themselves from Covid-19 and airports had little to do but sit idly by.

But where travel had disappeared, hope still shined that the end of the pandemic would be just around the corner. And to keep feeding on that hope, airlines were forced to adapt, encouraging customers to book flights knowing their plans were far from certain.

As a part of that plan, airlines brought customers levels of flexibility that were all but unheard of in years prior. That flexibility — fewer restrictions on flight changes, especially for completely different destinations or dates — helped to keep cash flowing in during a time when it was desperately needed.

But as customers have came back in force in both last year and this year, the environment has changed dramatically. Airlines have struggled to manage the whipsaw in demand even as passengers are clamoring for seats at prices that are sometimes multiples higher than in 2020 or even 2019.

A New Environment

Though the situation today and two years ago could not be more different, many of the passenger trends that emerged in 2020 have stuck around. Expedia Vice President of Global Air Partnerships Julie Kyse is seeing that ring true in flyers’ search for flexibility in their bookings.

“Having more flexibility has become even more important for travelers since the pandemic,” Kyse said. “People know that you may have to cancel your trip at the last minute. Covid is still out there. People are making smart decisions, but they want to be able to have flexibility as far as that’s concerned. So we are seeing more and more of them choosing fares that have that flexibility attached to it. At this point in time most of the airlines have gotten away from their cancel for any reason-type policies back to more normalcy, so it’s part of the fare product.”

Along those lines, customers are searching for more control in their reservations, something the company is looking to accommodate.

“We’re trying to institute what we’re calling Smart Shopping, which I’m hoping will be launched by the end of the year in some shape or form whereby a customer can come in and indicate what their preferences are,” Kyse said. “‘I’m a traveler, and it’s important for me to have a carry-on bag.’ Well, I’m not going to show you flights that are the cheapest that don’t have a carry-on bag included. I’m going to show you the flights that have them.”

First on the list: seats.

“We’re doing more and more seat assignment sales,” Kyse said. “We recently moved the seat assignment process up in the funnel. It used to be buried at checkout, but a lot of customers want to know where they’re oging to sit before they get to the checkout stage of their purchase. When we did that, we saw a 94% uplift on customers choosing their seats.”

With regard to ticket prices, Kyse and Expedia have seen similar trends to direct airline purchases, which Kyse attributes to continued pent-up demand rolling through 2022. This has come despite the fact that online travel agencies like Expedia are often connecting airlines with a different type of customer than will search for flights on airline-specific websites.

Customers also continue to book flights further out than before. That, along with universal increases for domestic and international searches on Expedia’s platform, is contributing to Kyse’s optimism for the state of the industry moving into 2023, as customers continue to both anticipate and contribute themselves to strong demand in the months ahead.

“One of the trends that we’re seeing is that more and more are looking to book further out. In the last three years, we were seeing really close-in bookings, within 30 days,” she said. “Our searches for three to six months out and six to nine months out, those searches have doubled. And I think that’s tied to people wanting to make sure they secure great prices.”

Parker Davis

Parker joined AirlineGeeks as a writer and photographer in 2016, combining his longtime love for aviation with a newfound passion for journalism. Since then, he’s worked as a Senior Writer before becoming Editor-in-Chief of the site in 2020. Originally from Dallas and an American frequent flyer, he left behind the city’s rich aviation history to attend college in North Carolina, where he’s studying economics.

U.K.’s Doncaster Sheffield Airport Ceases Operations

Pete Ainsley

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 02:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Parker Davis

Doncaster Airport (Photo: https://www.peel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/newdsa.jpg)

While the travel demand is on the rise in the U.K., Doncaster Sheffield Airport has announced it will begin winding down its operations due to lack of tangible proposals. The struggling airport will continue to work closely with the passengers to minimize the disruption. Doncaster Sheffield mainly provides flight operations to Europe from the U.K.

Earlier, Doncaster said that the airport was challenged by the impact of the pandemic and increasingly environment considerations. The circumstance of the airport was exacerbated in the wake of the withdrawal of Wizz Air from the airport in June. TUI became the sole airline at Doncaster as a result.

It is believed 3,000 jobs will be affected, well beyond the 800 people directly employed by the airport. According to local media, Manchester Airport Groups, which owns Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport, would offer job interview to all affected staffs.

The airport revealed that it is reeling from the high operating cost but lack of current or prospective revenue streams. Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor was “devastated” on the decision which may affect the local economy.

Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the U.K., pledged to save Doncaster. Earlier, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), which helps to oversee the area, had tried to do everything to save Doncaster and said a potential takeover the airport by a credible consortium could take place. SYMCA went even further by offering public money to the airport to fund its operating losses until Oct. 31, 2023. However, Peel, the parent company of the airport, turned down the proposal from the council.

“We will not accept any public sector grant to cover the costs of an airport that is not viable due to its lack of adequate forward revenues and high operating costs.” Steven Underwood, Chief Executive of Peel Group said.

According to Civil Aviation Authority, Doncaster handled 1.4 million passengers in 2019. In 2021, it handled nearly 310,000 passengers, the airport shared 5% of the market.

Peel Group acquired the airport site in 1999. Doncaster spread out its wings and became an international airport in 2005. But the airport fell short of making profit in spite of the increase of passenger numbers.

Last Carrier Standing

TUI, the only carrier at Doncaster, will operate its flight until Nov. 4.

“We’re incredibly disappointed about the decision to close Doncaster Sheffield Airport to passengers.” Andrew Flinthman, the spokesman of TUI in response to the closure of the airport.

“There are a number of other airports in the region that we operate from, including East Midland, Leeds Bradford and Manchester, so we will continue to offer great holiday options to a variety of destinations to those living in the area.” Flintham added. TUI has served Doncaster since 2005.

Pete Ainsley

Qantas Appoints New Jetstar CEO

Mike Mangano

Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at 02:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Benjamin Pham

A JetStar A321 in Sydney (Photo | AirlineGeeks | Hisham Qadri)

The Qantas Group appointed a new Chief Executive Officer for its budget subsidiary Jetstar, having made the announcement on Sept. 26. Selected to replace Jetstar’s current CEO, Garreth Evans, will be Stephanie Tully — the airline’s current Group Executive and Chief Customer Officer. The transition is expected to take place over the next month, with the formal handover aimed for November. The news follows an earlier announcement that Evans would be leaving the role by year’s end.

Executive Manager of Network, Revenue Management and Alliances, Markus Svensen, will fill the void left by Tully. Svensen — who is currently responsible for overseeing much of Qantas’ international and domestic commercial strategy — will also become a member of the Group Executive Committee, which reports to Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce.

In a statement, Joyce said that “these appointments come at an important time for us (Qantas Group). The team is working incredibly hard to overcome challenges facing the whole industry as it gets back on its feet, and the data shows we’re almost there,” adding that “managing this kind of executive renewal internally means we keep our momentum and can leverage a huge amount of corporate knowledge, including through the transition.”

Airline Faces Backlash

The announced changes to Qantas Group’s executive arrangement are the latest moves from the airline giant, still facing domestic backlash over its perceived customer service shortcomings. Last week, Qantas found itself the recipient of more anger as it was announced that it would be limiting vegetarian in-flight meal options, stating that “if the option on a particular flight is not suitable for vegetarians, we try to offer an alternative of a small sweet or savory snack which is vegetarian.”

In line with its recent pattern, the airline assigned blame to issues surrounding COVID, adding, “We had to make a lot of alterations to our service during COVID and we’re still in the process of bringing things back and updating others.”

Amid the pressure from customer and media scrutiny, including allegations that Qantas’ internal culture is “a ruthless regime of cost-cutting and out-sourcing”, the airline has been proactive in promoting the improvement of its on-time flight and cancellation percentages. Despite a drop in cancellations from 7.5% in June to 4.7% in August, it is still far behind its growing competitor Regional Express, having itself canceled only 0.8 percent in August.

Growing Opportunities for Australian Competition

The negative perception of Australia’s largest airline means, as a byproduct, a possible benefit for Australian airline competition. With Rex’s recent growth, continuing to expand its Boeing 737 fleet, and new Australian addition Bonza expanding its footprint, dissatisfied Qantas passengers will have additional options in both routes and price competition.

In June’s Australian Competition and Consumer Commission report on airline competition, despite the sheer weight of Qantas, “Canada’s experience suggests that Australia’s domestic market may be large enough to support more competition than the traditional duopoly of the Qantas Group and Virgin, such as that offered by Rex and Bonza.”

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.

Canada Ends Restrictions for Unvaccinated Travelers, Mask Mandate

Vanni Gibertini

Monday, September 26, 2022 at 11:25 PM ET

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Edited By:

Parker Davis

Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Credit Nieuport.com)

It has been almost two and a half years since the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the air transport industry, forcing airlines to slash their schedules and inducing governments to introduce strict restrictions on passengers’ mobility. While some countries started to progressively relax restrictions months ago, some governments have decided to take a more prudent approach keeping in place some of the new norms that had been introduced during the peak of the infection waves.

Last Monday, the Canadian government announced in a press release that all restrictions to international mobility that are still in place will not be extended beyond their current expiration date of Sept. 30, effectively restoring the situation that was in place until March 2020, before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

As of Oct. 1, all travelers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:

Submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;
Provide proof of vaccination;
Undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
Carry out Covid-19-related quarantine or isolation;
Monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of Covid-19 upon arriving in Canada.

Canada had so far allowed only vaccinated foreigners to enter the country and was imposing a 14-day quarantine on its unvaccinated citizens returning from an international trip. Furthermore, it was sample-testing international passengers entering Canada at one of its main points of entry, imposing 5-day isolation to those who tested positive. This was making some visitors, especially Americans, very reluctant to travel North of the border because of the possible risk of being stuck in a hotel room for five days with all the consequent disruptions to their plans.

The Government has also decided to scrap the very controversial ArriveCAN app, a cell phone application that international travelers wishing to enter Canada had to use to provide advance information to the Canada Border Services Agency before their arrival in the country. Unclear instructions, technical problems and a general difficulty to use this type of tool on behalf of older travelers caused numerous delays and long lines at airports and road crossings when traffic flows started to rebound, causing the general public to resent the solution and ask for its demise.

Transport Canada is also removing existing travel requirements. As of Oct. 1, travelers will no longer be required to:

Undergo health checks for travel on air and rail; or
Wear masks on planes and trains.

Air Canada Requests More Changes

Canadian carriers obviously welcomed the decision and expressed their satisfaction with the removal of the mandates.

“Air Canada welcomes the removal of these restrictions, acknowledging that air travel is safe and that the measures were not justified by science. We believe it will greatly facilitate travel, help stabilize the country’s air transport sector and support Canada’s economy. Customers and crew will still have the option to wear masks and we also encourage customers to monitor their own health to be sure they feel well and fit to travel,” said Craig Landry, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at Air Canada in a statement.

But the country’s biggest carrier also took the opportunity to encourage the government to do more for aviation and reform the air transportation system in Canada.

“While today’s announcement is a positive step, we urge the government not to lose momentum. Lessons learned during the pandemic should now be applied to streamlining the air transport system in Canada and to enact further reforms,” the statement read. “This includes improving processes, such as security and customs at airports, developing new trusted traveler programs, deploying new technologies and, more fundamentally, re-examining the user-pay model that finances air transportation in Canada, whose weaknesses and interdependencies were exposed by Covid.”

Unlike their counterpart in the U.S., airlines in Canada did not benefit from any kind of government subsidies during the difficult months of the pandemic when they had to ground most of their fleets and layoff most of their staff – they could rely on support funding that was made available to all businesses, but no air transport-specific program was launched. In addition to that, Canada is one of the few countries where the air transportation system is not seen as a strategic infrastructure for the country, and the cost of it is almost entirely paid by passengers.

Vanni Gibertini

Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.

Qatar Airways Wins the “Airline of the Year” Award by Skytrax

Vincenzo Claudio Piscopo

Monday, September 26, 2022 at 03:40 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Jack Dawin

A Qatar Airways Boeing 777 (A7-BEG) receives a water cannon salute as it arrives in Seattle. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Skytrax, a British civil aviation research company founded in 1989, is responsible for compiling special rankings devoted to airlines and airports to help travelers choose the airline best suited to their needs. Each year since 1999, it has introduced the Skytrax World Airline Awards, conducting international surveys to identify the best airports, the most efficient airlines, the best-qualified cabin and ground staff, the best-quality in-flight entertainment and catering, and other determinants of air travel.

Skytrax is among the industry’s best-known organizations for giving annual awards to airlines. This year’s Best Airline of the Year 2022 award was won by Qatar Airways. The airline has already won this award six other times, in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, when the airline was also the first globally to receive the Skytrax COVID-19 safety rating.

Qatar Airways, founded on Nov. 22, 1993, will soon celebrate its 25th anniversary this year. The airline is one of the largest and most diverse in the world, with more than 200 aircraft, including Airbus A320, A321, A330, A350, A380 and Boeing 777, Boeing 787. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer since 1996, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said being named World’s Best Airline has always been a goal since Qatar Airways was created, and winning it for the seventh time, while also garnering three other awards is a testament to the hard work of the entire staff. In fact, Qatar Airways won three more awards, in addition to Airline of the year, namely World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East, as it did in 2019.

With less than two months to go until the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the first in the Middle East, the emirate’s airline, Qatar Airways, has boosted its all-inclusive travel packages for fans who want to secure a seat at the world’s biggest soccer event. The tournament will take place in eight stadiums designed to evoke symbols of Arab culture. Al Bayt Stadium will host the opening match with a capacity of 60,000, while Lusail Stadium will host the tournament’s final, with a capacity of 80,000.

As a reminder, Qatar Airways, as FIFA’s Official Airline Partner since 2017, has already sponsored major events, including the 2019 and 2020 editions of the FIFA Club World Cup™ and the FIFA Arab Cup™, hosted in Qatar. In August, Qatar Airways 100 days before the start of the World Cup launched the Journey Tour in London, U.K. with an interactive bus that continues to tour 13 European cities, offering fans a variety of interactive experiences, including learning about the history of Qatar and the FIFA World Cup™ and meeting Sama, the first MetaHuman cabin crew.

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.