Two more carriers are joining the CommonPass mobile app initiative to establish a common platform for digital information sharing in order to restart international traffic after it has been drastically reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic have joined United Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines in supporting the mobile phone application developed by The Commons Project Foundation with the support of the World Economic Forum. The Commons Project is a “non-profit public trust established to build…
International Airlines Group (IAG) — the parent company of British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, among other carriers — seems to be looking to reduce the price it would pay to acquire Spanish carrier Air Europa, below the value of 1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) at which both carriers had…
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has reportedly given approval for the return of the Boeing 737 MAX to the region’s skies. The agency had reported on Sept. 11 that test flights of the aircraft had been completed in Vancouver, Canada due to Covid restrictions. Data from those test…
British Airways has announced its chief executive Alex Cruz has stepped down from his role with immediate effect, bringing an end to a four-year spell at the top of the British flag carrier. The announcement will bring smiles to many within the airline and to many of its frequent flyers…
Austrian registered short-haul airline LEVEL Europe has ceased trading with immediate effect citing the Covid-19 crisis for its application for insolvency. The carrier commenced operation in 2017 as ANISEC Luftfahrt, a subsidiary of Spain’s Vueling, operating six aircraft from the Airbus A320 family. The airline operated from Vienna to destinations…
The British government’s new COVID-19 quarantine policy, effective from June 8, has sprung escalating tensions between some of the country's largest airlines and the government itself. British Airlines, specifically, launched legal action in a bid to block the planned 14-day self-isolation plan for arrivals beginning Monday. In addition to a…
International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways, has announced a first-quarter (Q1) loss for 2020 of €535 million ($579 million). This compares with an operating profit of €135 million ($146 million) for the same period last year. Unsurprisingly the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) impacted the consortium’s operations for…
British Airways has announced that it might cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 45,000 employee workforce, as the global coronavirus pandemic is having unprecedented consequences for airlines as the skies are emptied out for a prolonged period of time. The airline had previously agreed to furlough 22,000 jobs, taking…
The U.K. government has supported action by European authorities to allow airlines to defer the payment of charges for air navigation services. This will include charges for both the U.K. and European airspace being deferred for up to 14 months for the period between February to May 2020. According to…
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…
