1 OCTOBER 2018
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: Richard Quest, CNN
- Aberdeen in noise study
- Aeroflot SSJ100 bonanza
- Airbus chases China order
- Arora sets opening date
- CEO quits at Air France
- Cobalt looks ahead
- Date set for longest route
- Emirates trims Edinburgh route
- Expansion at Aer Lingus
- Korean Air celebrates
- Learn to fly at Biggin Hill
- Lotus celebrates 70 years and expansion
- Major order for CTT
- McNamara lands IATA UK job
- Meals boost by American
- More cutbacks at Norwegian
- New BA CityFlyer flights for London City
- Ryanair blames competitors
- Schnadt takes over at flybmi
- Stansted – St Petersburg
- ON TOUR: The Far North – Norway and Russia part 2
- OCTOBER CRUISE ISSUE
- AND FINALLY: Music in the air
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Airbus chases China order
A US$18bn (about £13bn) order with Airbus for 180 A320neos for China could be back on the cards thanks to China’s escalating trade war with the US, according to the Bloomberg news agency.
Stansted – St Petersburg
Russian low-cost carrier Pobeda Airlines, part of the Aeroflot Group, is launching direct service to St Petersburg from Stansted on 12 October, serving Russia’s second largest city four times a week by Boeing B737-800 NG.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Richard Quest, CNN
Richard Quest (56) is probably the most experienced aviation journalist around today. A Liverpudlian, and called to the Bar, he joined the BBC as a trainee reporter in 1985, moving to New York in 1989 to become the North American business correspondent. He joined CNN in 2001 and continues to present a variety of programmes mainly related to commerce and air travel. He has written two books on MH370. This SOAPBOX was published in The Daily Telegraph on 10 September 2018.
"British Airways is still one of the world’s great airlines. The problem is, it’s not as great as it once was but it could be again.
Aberdeen in noise study
Proposed measures to manage and mitigate the impact of aviation-related noise are being put before the public, local authorities and other key stakeholders by Aberdeen International Airport as part of a new consultation.
Arora sets opening date
What is likely to be the largest hotel opening in the UK this year takes place at Heathrow later this month as the Arora Group unveils the combined Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn Express at Terminal 4.
Cobalt looks ahead
Cypriot airline Cobalt will shortly open a fleet review as it looks ahead to 2020 and beyond, chief commercial officer Paul Simmons tells BTN.
Date set for longest route
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is set to take the next big step in its development next week as it launches the world’s longest commercial flight – a 9,000nmi (16,700km) journey from its home base to New York Newark, with an average flight time of 18hr 45min.
Korean Air celebrates
Thirty years of serving the UK were celebrated last week by Korean Air with a special gathering at the British Museum, where the airline has sponsored the multi-media guide for visitors since 2009.
Lotus celebrates 70 years and expansion
Exclusive car manufacturer Lotus celebrated 70 years since its creation in a North London small lock-up workshop by the late Colin Chapman with a massive party at its Hethel, Norfolk headquarters last Saturday (29 September).
Major order for CTT
Growing demand for passenger comfort fuelled by longer flights and modern aircraft has resulted in another successful year for inflight humidity systems specialist CTT, with a major line-fitting order for the Business Class cabin of an entire Airbus A350-900 fleet just announced.
More cutbacks at Norwegian
Aviation taxes in Scotland are being blamed by Norwegian for a decision to end its transatlantic services between Edinburgh and New York and Boston next year. The airline is also scrapping flights linking Edinburgh with Barcelona and Tenerife.
Ryanair blames competitors
Staff at competitor airlines were blamed by Ryanair last week for stirring up another round of strikes that caused the Irish carrier to take the unusual step of “pre-cancelling” 150 flights scheduled for Friday.
Schnadt takes over at flybmi
A “robust restructure and long-term succession plan” for flybmi was announced last week by Airline Investments Ltd (AIL) group CEO Peter Simpson, with current flybmi CCO Jochen Schnadt becoming managing director from 11 October.
OCTOBER CRUISE ISSUE
CLIA UK & Ireland, the official trade body, has launched the UK River Cruise review 2017 which reveals another year of record growth in 2017 for the river cruise sector; passenger numbers rose by 21%, and total bed nights were up by 24%, against 2016.
AND FINALLY: Music in the air
Delayed easyJet passengers at Geneva Airport last weekend were given the chance to escape the usual frustrations thanks to the power of music.
Aeroflot SSJ100 bonanza
A 50th Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) arrived last week at Aeroflot to complete two separate delivery contracts with the manufacturer.
Named after the Russian artist Vasily Polenov, it flew for the first time on Wednesday between Moscow, Sochi and Simferopol.
CEO quits at Air France
The Air France-KLM saga took a new twist last week when long-serving Air France CEO Franck Terner resigned in the wake of the appointment of the new group boss and former Air Canada chief operating officer Ben Smith.
Emirates trims Edinburgh route
Frequencies on Emirates’ new Edinburgh route which begin today, Monday, are to be cut from daily to five-a-week between 28 October and 1 June, except during the peak Christmas and New Year period.
Expansion at Aer Lingus
A big expansion of North America services is promised by Aer Lingus next year with the arrival of new long-haul narrowbody aircraft. Dublin – Montreal is set to start on 8 August as the first route, using the new Airbus A321neo(LR), leased from Air Lease Corporation.
Learn to fly at Biggin Hill
The application process opened last week for two flying scholarships from the Nick Davidson Memorial Trust charity, to begin in the spring of 2019 at the EFG Flying School at Biggin Hill Airport.
McNamara lands IATA UK job
Flybe director of communications Simon McNamara starts a new job today, 1 October, as IATA’s London-based area manager, UK and Ireland following a compeditive recruitment initiative.
He will report to regional vice-president for Europe Rafael Schvartzman.
Meals boost by American
Passengers on US domestic flights with American Airlines lasting more than 3hr are being given the option of eating from a new “light and healthy” Mediterranean menu as the carrier continue to expand its in-flight food choices.
New BA CityFlyer flights for London City
In a further boost to its London City Airport (LCY) presence, BA CityFlyer is to add extra winter frequencies on the Berlin, Dublin and Prague routes from 10 November and to Geneva from December and launch a three-a-day service to Munich from 16 February 2019.