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☆ Flights are still being disrupted and rerouted after Iran's attack on Israel. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British low-cost carrier easyJet on Tuesday said it was extending its suspension of Israel flights for the remainder of the summer season, until Oct. 27, and would refund customers due to fly. Rival Wizz Air resumed flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday but said passengers may experience "schedule changes" and that it was monitoring the situation. Dutch airline KLM canceled flights to Israel until Apr. Air India said it had temporarily suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv and its Tuesday service was listed as canceled. Germany's Lufthansa Group said it had resumed flights to Tel Aviv, Amman and Erbil on Tuesday, but had canceled flights to Tehran and Beirut up until Thursday.

Organizations: Sunday, Wizz Air, KLM, Air, Germany's Lufthansa Group Locations: Ben Gurion, Iran, Tel Aviv, Israel, British, Air India, Amman, Erbil, Tehran, Beirut

☆ Germany's Lufthansa suspends flights to and from Tehran amid Middle East crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Germany's Lufthansa said on Wednesday it suspended flights to and from Tehran from April 6 until probably April 11, "due to the current situation in the Middle East". "We are constantly monitoring the situation in the Middle East and are in close contact with the authorities. Later, Tehran said that the shooting-down of the Ukrainian was a "disastrous mistake" by forces who were on high alert. In retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of an elite overseas unit of the Guards, Iranian forces fired missiles at military bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq on Jan. 3. More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in six months of Israeli bombardment of Gaza, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

Persons: Germany's, Iran's, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Israel Katz, Qasem Soleimani Organizations: Lufthansa, Frankfurt Airport, Germany's Lufthansa, Reuters, Bloomberg, Revolutionary Guards, Ukraine International Airlines, Tehran, Iranian Guards, Guards Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Tehran, United States, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Damascus, Washington, U.S, Baghdad, Ukrainian, Iraq, Gaza, Hamas

BERLIN (AP) — Ground staff for Lufthansa walked off the job at five major German airports on Wednesday, causing the airline to cancel hundreds of flights. Lufthansa said ahead of the strike that it expected to be able to operate around 10-20% of all planned flights. It said tickets could be rebooked free of charge, and tickets for German domestic flights could be converted to rail vouchers. In Frankfurt, the company canceled 80-90% of the planned 600 departures and arrivals by Lufthansa itself and subsidiary Air Dolomiti ahead of the strike, German news agency dpa reported. All Lufthansa departures from Berlin and Hamburg were canceled, as were most domestic flights from Duesseldorf.

Persons: Eurowings Organizations: BERLIN, —, Lufthansa, Frankfurt, Wednesday, Air, Munich Locations: Munich, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Germany

A Norwegian Air plane is refuelled at Oslo Gardermoen airport, Norway November 7, 2019. Norwegian Air (NAS.OL) said it had cancelled a planned evacuation flight from Tel Aviv to Oslo due to a lack of insurance cover. The Dutch foreign ministry said it would send a military plane to Israel on Thursday instead. Norwegian Air had been due to fly Norwegian and other Nordic citizens stranded in Israel out of the country on Thursday evening. Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) was sticking to its plans for evacuation flights on Thursday and Friday.

Persons: Lefteris, Anna Ringstrom, Bart H, Meijer, Tim Hepher, Terje Solsvik, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Airlines, Norwegian Air, Dutch KLM, Air, Norwegian, KLM, Air France, Nordic, Hamas, Lufthansa, Thomson Locations: Norwegian, Oslo Gardermoen, Norway, Rights STOCKHOLM, AMSTERDAM, Israel, Air France, Tel Aviv, Oslo, Paris

STOCKHOLM/AMSTERDAM, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Airlines wrestled with the safety risk of evacuation operations in Israel on Thursday, with carriers including Dutch KLM cancelling flights while sister airline Air France mounted a special relief flight chartered by the French foreign ministry. Israel's parliamentary finance committee meanwhile approved a plan to provide a state guarantee of $6 billion to cover insurance against war risks to Israeli airlines. The framework will grant Israeli airlines cover against war risks, thereby ensuring the continuity of air operations. Foreign airlines have struggled to find a common approach and the head of European budget giant Ryanair (RYA.I) said it was up to governments to plot the way forward. PATCHY RESPONSEGermany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said it was sticking to its plans for evacuation flights on Thursday and Friday, while continuing to ground commercial flights to Israel.

Persons: Ben Gurion, Ben Smith, Ed Bastian, Sasha Gainullin, Rafael Schvartzman, Obama, Anna Ringstrom, Bart H, Meijer, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Julia Payne, Carolyn Cohn, Steven Scheer, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Doyinsola, Terje Solsvik, Deborah Kyvrikosaios, Diane Craft Organizations: Airlines, Dutch KLM, Air France, Palestinian, Israel's, Norwegian Air, Insurance, Reuters, Foreign, Ryanair, KLM, Boeing, Lufthansa, Dubai's Emirates, Delta Air Lines, International Air Transport Association, Regulators, U.S . Federal Aviation Administration, Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, AMSTERDAM, Israel, Palestinian, Tel Aviv's, Ben, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Emirates, United States, Europe, U.S, Ben Gurion

☆ Which airlines have suspended Israel flights after Hamas attacks?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are airlines that have temporarily halted flights to and from Israel:AFRICARoyal Air Maroc cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, United Airlines (UAL.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv. EUROPEAll airlines owned by Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), including Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Brussels Airlines, cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Saturday. Norwegian Air (NAS.OL) cancelled flights from Copenhagen and Stockholm to Tel Aviv and return flights through Sunday. Portugal's TAP suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv without providing a time frame.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Britain's, Vueling, Alessandro Parodi, Joao Manuel Mauricio, Milla Nissi, Bernadette Baum 私 Organizations: Gaza, REUTERS, AFRICA Royal Air Maroc, Delta Air Lines, Sunday, United Airlines, American Airlines, Tel Aviv . United, Air Canada, ASIA Hainan Airlines, Cathay, HK, Korean, Germany's Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Saturday, Ryanair, Air France KLM, Norwegian, TAP, Sunday . British Airways, IAG, Air Europa, Italy's ITA, Aegean Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Air Malta, Virgin Atlantic, EAST Etihad Airways, . Gulf Air Locations: Sderot, Israel, Tel Aviv, AFRICA, ASIA, China, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Incheon, EUROPE, Europe's, France, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Hungarian, Iberia, Spanish, London Heathrow, Abu Dhabi, Gdansk

☆ Airlines suspend Israel flights amid Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Here are airlines that have temporarily halted flights to and from Israel:AMERICASOn Sunday, U.S. carriers United Airlines (UAL.O), Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and American Airlines (AAL.O) suspended direct flights to Tel Aviv. ASIAHainan Airlines (600221.SS), the only Chinese airline to fly between China and Israel, cancelled flights between Tel Aviv and Shanghai on Monday. EUROPEAll airlines owned by Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Monday. Britain's easyjet (EZJ.L) halted flights with Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday, and would adjust the timing of flights in the next few days. Portugal's TAP cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

Persons: Britain's, Finland's, Monday . Virgin Atlantic, Alessandro Parodi, Milla Nissi, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Israeli, El, Abu Dhabi International Airport, United, United Arab Emirates, Presidential Affairs, REUTERS, Sunday, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Tel Aviv . United, ASIA Hainan Airlines, . Cathay, HK, . Korean, Germany's Lufthansa, Air France KLM, Portugal's TAP, Iberia Express, Monday . Virgin, Etihad Airways, Thomson Locations: Abu Dhabi, United Arab, Handout, Tel Aviv, Israel, U.S, ASIA, China, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Incheon, EUROPE, Madrid, Gdansk

Air France-KLM has tended to let airlines it invests in keep their operations and branding. With the process still in its infancy, Air France-KLM has a chance to make a pitch to TAP now off the back of SAS. LONG FIGHT AHEADThere are remaining challenges for Air France-KLM as it looks to clear regulatory hurdles with SAS, including approval from American and European policymakers. Europe's airline industry has a history of cultural and political barriers to smooth integration, even within Air France-KLM itself. Air France-KLM is a member of the rival SkyTeam alliance.

Persons: Paris Charles de, Charles Platiau, IAG, James Halstead, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Tim Hepher, Matt Scuffham, Sharon Singleton 私 Organizations: Air France Boeing, Paris Charles, REUTERS, France, KLM, TAP, TAP Portugal, Lufthansa, LONDON, Air, Scandinavia's SAS, Ryanair, Wizz, Air France, IAG, Tuesday's SAS, SAS, Star Alliance, Reuters, Apollo Global Management, Union Locations: Paris, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Roissy, France, LISBON, Air France, Europe, Air, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, Portugal, Northern Europe, TAP's, Portuguese, U.S, Lisbon, Porto, Iberia, South America

RTX said on Monday it would have to pull 600 to 700 of its Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan (GTF) engines from Airbus A320neo jets for quality inspections over the next three years. The engine issue was first disclosed in July, but RTX made the extent of the problem clearer on Monday. The announcement caused waves up and down the industry, from component manufacturers like Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries to airline carriers like Germany's Lufthansa that rely on the popular Airbus jets. In July, RTX said microscopic contaminants were found in a powdered metal used in high-pressure turbine discs that are part of the GTF engine's core. RTX is one of two manufacturers of engines for the popular narrowbody Airbus A320neo, the other being CFM International, a joint venture between GE (GE.N) and Safran (SAF.PA).

Persons: Benoit Tessier, RTX, Guillaume Faury, Ken Herbert, Japan's IHI, Safran, Valerie Insinna, Rajesh Kumar Singh, Abhijith, Aniruddha Ghosh, Mehr Bedi, David Gaffen, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Raytheon Technologies Corporation, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Aerospace, Airbus, Pratt & Whitney, Washington D.C, Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Lufthansa, Raytheon, United Technologies, Capital, AIRLINES, HIT Aerospace, London, Melrose Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Aero, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, Wizz, Airbus A320neo, CFM International, GE, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Washington, RTX, New Delhi, Bengaluru

Visitor passes the Raytheon Technologies Corporation (RTX) logo at the 54th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 22, 2023. In July, RTX said a rare powder metal defect could lead to the cracking of some engine components and called for accelerated inspections affecting 200 engines by mid-September. Repair work that CEO Greg Hayes had initially expected would take 60 days is now projected to last up to 300 days per engine. An average of 350 jets could be grounded per year through 2026, with as many as 650 jets sitting idle in the first half of 2024. Disclosing higher-than-expected gross costs of $6-7 billion for dealing with the problem, RTX said it expected an up to $3.5 billion pre-tax hit to profits over the next several years.

Persons: Benoit Tessier, Pratt & Whitney, RTX, Greg Hayes, Safran, Hayes, Germany's, Robert Stallard, Valerie Insinna, Abhijith, Tim Hepher, Arun Koyyur, Nick Zieminski, Grant McCool Organizations: Raytheon Technologies Corporation, International Paris Air, Le, REUTERS, Pratt &, RTX Corp, Airbus, Pratt, Raytheon, GE, CFM, Boeing, Aero, Germany's Lufthansa, AIRBUS, U.S, Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Jefferies, Vertical Research Partners, Thomson Locations: Le Bourget, Paris, France, Clayville , New York, Washington, Bengaluru

☆ The CEO of Malaysia Airlines, Captain Izham Ismail, went from selling snacks as a child to running a fleet of airplanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Chris Johnston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Captain Izham Ismail started flying for Malaysia Airlines in 1979 and became its CEO in 2017. Yet despite coming from such a modest background, Ismail went on to become a pilot and then run Malaysia Airlines, one of the world's oldest carriers. Ismail started flying for Malaysia Airlines in 1979, became a captain and a decade later was selected for its senior management training scheme. After running one of its regional carriers and becoming group chief operating officer, Ismail was elevated to CEO of Malaysia Airlines in 2017. Malaysia Airlines has 11,000 staff, down from 35,000 two decades ago, and flies to almost 50 destinations, mostly in Asia, with 106 aircraft that are all leased.

Persons: Izham Ismail, Ismail, it's, —, Captain Izham Ismail, –, Mohd Rasfan, Khazanah, Christopher Mueller, He'd, Sabena, Mat Zain Organizations: Malaysia Airlines, Service, Bournemouth University, Philippine Airlines, MIT, Stanford, Boeing, Netflix, Aer Lingus, Germany's Lufthansa, Malaysian, British Airways, American Airlines . Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates Locations: Malaysia, England, Malaysia's, Istanbul, London, Court, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Ukraine, Russian, Malaysian, Asia

☆ No Singapore Airlines group A320neos with Pratt engines grounded - exec
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SINGAPORE, May 17 (Reuters) - None of the Airbus (AIR.PA) A320neo planes in the Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI) group with Pratt & Whitney engines are currently grounded over a lack of spares, Leslie Thng, CEO of Scoot, the airline's low-cost subsidiary, said on Wednesday. The engines have been under scrutiny since Go Airlines (India) Ltd filed for bankruptcy protection this month, blaming "faulty" Pratt engines for the grounding of about half its 54 Airbus A320neos. Scoot has 15 A320neo family planes in its fleet, while premium brand Singapore Airlines instead operates the rival Boeing Co (BA.N) 737 family. India's IndiGo (INGL.NS), Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) have said some of their aircraft have been grounded over issues with Pratt GTF engines at a time when spares are in short supply. Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes said in February that the GTF engines' reliability has not been up to expectations and that the company was working to fix problems.

☆ Sale of Italy's MPS should help create several big banks, says Meloni
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monte dei Paschi (MPS), of which the government owns 64% following a 2017 bailout, is seen playing a pivotal role in the consolidation expected among Italy's mid-sized lenders. After failing to clinch a sale of MPS to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021, the government is expected to seek another bank interested in buying its stake in the Tuscan lender. The government has just decided to renew Luigi Lovaglio's mandate as MPS chief executive for another term. We confirmed Lovaglio at the helm of Monte dei Paschi, the CEO successfully led the last capital increase, and now we must work to bring Monte back to the private market," Meloni said. "The government will not intervene, it is alert to check that there are no situations that jeopardise the national interest," Meloni told the newspaper.

The company's full-year operating profit of 1.51 billion euros ($1.60 billion) came after a loss of 1.6 billion euros a year ago. Fourth-quarter profit swung to 575 million euros from a loss of 42 million euros, in line with expectations. The balance sheet also improved, with net debt falling to 6.9 billion euros from 9 billion euros. However, operating profit was still 34% lower than the pre-pandemic 2019 level and passenger numbers had only recovered 72%. The company said it expects "further significant improvement" in operating profit this year.

REUTERS/Cole Burston/File PhotoFeb 24 (Reuters) - Airports are taking steps to avoid gridlock during the upcoming holiday travel seasons, with some limiting flights during peak hours to avoid the long lines and luggage piles that marred last summer. While smoother holiday travel is expected for Europe and North America, airlines and airports which learned tough lessons on holiday travel in 2022, are taking a more prudent approach as global traffic rebounds roughly to pre-pandemic levels. Despite extensive planning and hiring this year, some airlines and airports are still wrestling with industry staff shortages, including baggage handlers. Germany's Lufthansa AG (LHAG.DE) said it has cut summer flights by an unspecified amount due to shortages of personnel like ground handlers at airports in Frankfurt and Munich. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Canada Border Services Agency were not immediately available to comment on staffing.

☆ UK regional airline Flybe to wind down as rescue talks collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Flybe to wind down business as rescue talks endFurther 25 jobs affectedFeb 15 (Reuters) - British regional airline Flybe will wind up its business after rescue talks fell through, its joint administrators said on Wednesday, a month after the company cancelled all flights and entered insolvency proceedings for a second time in three years. The pandemic and resulting lockdown pushed Flybe into administration for the first time in March 2020, affecting 2,400 jobs. After administrators were appointed again in late January 2023, Birmingham Headquartered Flybe made 276 workers redundant. Flybe, which operated flights on 21 routes to 17 destinations across the UK and Europe, said a further 25 jobs would now be affected. Lufthansa declined to comment on the matter on Wednesday, while Air France-KLM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Airfares from China are now 160% higher than before the pandemic, data from travel firm ForwardKeys shows, due to limited supply. Since Jan. 4, Air China (601111.SS), Hainan Airlines (600221.SS) and China Southern Airlines (600029.SS) have filed schedules with the U.S. Department of Transportation proposing to increase flights to as much as daily on some routes. Foreign carriers seeking to add flights to China require approvals from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which did not respond to a request for comment. However, other flights were paused as it assessed market demand and government regulations. Many Western airlines parked large planes when international traffic plunged and production of new twin-aisle jets has been limited.

Lufthansa declined to comment on Rome's decision to offer an initial minority stake. Some of Italy's politicians consider ITA as the heir to cultural icon Alitalia, which they want to preserve. Some also say that ITA does not have to worry so much about losing its national identity should Lufthansa take over. The Certares-led alliance was willing to pay 350 million euros for a 50% stake plus one share of the state-controlled airline, sources had said. ($1 = 0.9412 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Joanna Plucinska in London; additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome.

☆ More than 100 Jewish passengers who were barred from flight in 'racial profiling' incident get $21,000 each from Germany's Lufthansa airline
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Lufthansa has reached a settlement with more than 100 Orthodox Jewish men who were barred from a flight. Each passenger will receive "$21,000 and change" from the German airline, Hamodia reported. The May 4 incident saw passengers accuse Lufthansa of racial profiling. A handful of the passengers did not wear masks, prompting the airline to deny boarding to more than 100 visibly Jewish passengers. According to the Orthodox Jewish news service COL Live, Spohr told Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal that "antisemitism has no place at Lufthansa."

☆ Italy names former Treasury official to head ITA Airways
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Remo CasilliROME, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Italian economy ministry on Wednesday said it would appoint former Treasury official Antonino Turicchi as chairman of state-owned carrier ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia. At ITA Airways, he will take the place of Alfredo Altavilla, who resigned earlier this month after a clash with several board members over strategy to complete the privatisation of the airline. The exclusivity period ended last month but talks over a potential sale agreement are continuing. Confirming a Reuters report on Tuesday, the Treasury said in a statement it would appoint Turicchi at an ITA Airways shareholders' meeting on Wednesday. Turicchi had recently been indicated by political sources as a potential candidate to replace Alessandro Rivera as director-general of the Treasury.

☆ ITA Airways to expand fleet with 39 new aircraft in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Nov 11 (Reuters) - ITA Airways will next year refresh its fleet with 39 new aircraft, allowing it to serve more long-distance destinations, the state-owned successor to Alitalia said on Friday. ITA "has underwritten all the commitments for increasing the fleet in 2023, next year 39 new generation aircraft will enter into service" including nine wide-bodied Airbus A330-900, the company said in a statement. Older aircraft will discontinue service, ITA said, stating that the upgrade will mean a 73% increase in the ASK (available seat kilometre) metric, measuring passenger carrying capacity. By the end of 2023, ITA said it will have 96 planes, half of which will be new, including the single-aisle A321Neo. ITA was established in late 2020 from the ashes of bankrupt Alitalia, and has yet to turn a profit.

☆ Boeing delivered 35 planes in August as new Dreamliners returned
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-13 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 aircraft stands on its parking position at Frankfurt Airport, with another Lufthansa aircraft in the background. Boeing's deliveries rose to 35 planes last month, helped in part by a resumption in handovers of new 787 Dreamliners to airlines. Those jets were flown to Victorville, California, for Boeing to install Wi-Fi equipment and other items in the planes' interiors. Boeing also logged 26 net orders for new planes last month, half of them for 737 Max aircraft. Its net orders for the year stand at 388 and deliveries at 277 planes.

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