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 flights has subsequently been analyzed by a Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) in the U.K. Bloomberg reported comments from Patrick Ky, executive director of EASA, saying that the analysis “is…
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…
International Airlines Group (IAG) announced Thursday that chief executive officer Willie Walsh will step down from his current role and the board of IAG on March 26 and will formally retire on June 30. The chairman of IAG Antonio Vázquez praised Walsh’s achievements at the multi-national airline holding company which…
IAG announced the purchase of Air Europa for a value of one billion euros. The holding company of Iberia, British Airways, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and Level said that the operation "offers significant potential synergies in terms of costs and revenues." IAG informed that the acquisition should be completed in the…
