Boeing predicts considerable African demand for new aircraft over the next 20 years. Keith Mwanalushi talks to the aircraft manufacturer about the opportunities and challenges. Africa is a unique market, and one that Boeing knows well. During the Aviation Festival Africa in Johannesburg recently, the manufacturer revealed that the region could generate orders of up to $160 billion within the...
Five years after receiving its first Airbus A380 aircraft, Lufthansa has completed refitting its entire fleet with fully flat business class seats, premium economy and inflight connectivity. During a summertime tour of D-AIMN in Lufthansa Technik’s Frankfurt hangar, RGN took a fine-toothed comb to the passenger experience improvements (and what could be considered a few&n...
While the CEO of IAG, British Airways’ parent, Willie Walsh was circumspect answering questions from reporters in Dublin this week about the next airline buy-out for the IAG group, Skift found strong evidence, at the CAPA Summit in Helsinki, that IAG’s next smart buy could be Finnair. In fact, statements made by Finnair’s CCO, Juha Järvinen, during a panel discussion...
The Russian Ministry of Transport has begun reallocating Transaero Airlines (UN, Moskow Vnukovo) route permissions as the airline's impending termination of operations on October 26 looms. In a statement to the TASS news agency, the ministry said it had granted the Aeroflot Group access to fifty-six out of the Transaero's 156 international routes for the period October 2...
Airlines want to keep their passengers better informed from the moment they leave home, going beyond simple flight delay information to try to ease travel stresses and ensure customer loyalty. The industry must offer a more seamless journey for travellers, especially with the number of people flying expected to double from an annual level of 3.5 billion in 20 years, delegates at this week&...
A woman deported to her homeland Taiwan after giving birth on a flight to the U.S. in an apparent attempt to give her baby American citizenship may have to pay hefty compensation for forcing the plane to divert. The China Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Alaska en route from Taipei to Los Angeles on Oct. 8. Airline spokeswoman Weni Lee says the airline's insur...
Technical experts were trying to discover the cause of an engine problem on an Ethiopian Airlines jet stranded in Dublin after being forced to turn back over the Atlantic on Friday. The crew of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner returned to the Irish capital after the plane's left engine signaled a fault following a scheduled stopover en route from Addis Ababa to Washington. In a statement,...
A disabled man says he was forced to crawl off a United Airlines flight after airline workers didn't bring him a wheelchair. D'Arcee Neal told WRC-TV that he waited for a wheelchair that would fit through the aisle to help him get off the empty plane after it landed in Washington D.C. on Tuesday - but help never came. He needed to use the restroom, so he was forced to crawl halfway...
A travel advisory has been issued for those traveling to Mexico due to Hurricane Patricia. Only one flight flight leaving a Bay Area airport had been cancelled Friday. It was an Alaskan Airlines flight from SFO to Puerto Vallarta. However, that may change over the weekend. The current travel advisory is for Mexico's coastal cities, including Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa and Manzani...
United Parcel Service (UPS) Airlines pilots have voted to authorize a strike, though a number of steps remain before the flight deck crew can actually strike. The 2,252-8 vote gives the executive board of the Independent Pilots Association (IPA), the union representing UPS pilots, the right to request a release from talks mediated by the US National Mediation Board (NMB). Only if NMB grant...
A drunk woman launched into a vile rant shouting "I hope you crash" as she was removed from a Thomas Cook plane at Cuba's Cayo Coco airport. The plane was full of British holidaymakers heading back to Manchester, but the woman delayed the flight by an hour after becoming abusive. It is believed she was drinking in the departure lounge before she boarded. She was cleared for...
KLM and Air Malta have inaugurated their code-share agreement today. The code-share, which started this summer, saw KLM placing its code and flight numbers on flights operated by Air Malta between Malta and Amsterdam. This agreement has enabled KLM to offer its customers daily services between Amsterdam and Malta. Air Malta’s flights to/from Amsterdam’s Schi...
