United Airlines is now flying three times a week from Newark to the Azores, Portugal and Bergen, Norway.
United Airlines aiorcraft photo gallery (Boeing):
Ryanair’s May traffic grows to 15.4 million passengers
Ryanair Holdings plc has released its May traffic statistics as follows:
Ryanair operated over 88,400 flights in May.
| Prior Months | Guests | L.F % |
| December1 | ย 9.5m | 81% |
| January1 | ย 7.0m | 79% |
| February1 | ย 8.7m | 86% |
| March2 | 11.2m | 87% |
| April | 14.2m | 91% |
| May | 15.4m | 92% |
1 Dec, Jan and Feb traffic was damaged by Omicron restrictions.
2 Mar traffic was damaged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
In other news,ย Ryanair on June 1celebrated its 10th anniversary of operations at Cologne/Bonn Airport with an exciting summer schedule that includes 38 routes to destinations such as Budapest, Lisbon and Palermo. The five Ryanair aircraft are based in Cologne/Bonn.
Since beginning operations at Cologne/Bonn Airport in 2012 and opening the base in 2014, Ryanair has flown more than 14 million passengers to/from Cologne/Bonn, bringing significant benefits to the local economy.
Ryanair’s summer timetable to Cologne/Bonn offers residents of the region a wide range of summer holiday destinations, including the new routes to Biarritz, Rome and Stockholm, or a city trip to Athens, Copenhagen or Vienna. Visitors from the main markets can visit Cologne, in the heart of North Rhine-Westphalia, with its vibrant atmosphere. Discover the architecture with an impressive history and take advantage of numerous cultural offers along the Rhine.
Ryanair aircraft photo gallery:
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo expand joint venture to include Swiss WorldCargo
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo have announced the addition of Swiss WorldCargo to our joint venture, which offers our customers more direct connections, more flexibility and more time savings.
Swiss WorldCargo’s entry builds on the Joint Business Agreement signed in 2016 between Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo, which allows us to collaborate on distribution, pricing, contracts and the handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.
Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo already work closely together on international routes through their hubs in Hong Kong and Germany, while cargo handling in Hong Kong is coordinated under one roof at the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal at Hong Kong International Airport.
Under the expanded joint business agreement, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss WorldCargo will work closely together on network planning and in the areas of sales, IT and ground handling. Initially, the airlines will cooperate on routes from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt. Traffic to and from Hong Kong and the rest of Europe will be added later this year.
In other news,ย Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777F with the registration D-ALFH was officially named “Namaste India” at Mumbai Airport on May 31.
The freighter has been part of Lufthansa Cargo’s fleet since August 2020. Due to the Covid pandemic the naming ceremony had to be delayed. On May 31, the naming ceremony could be held prior to the departure of LH8361 from Mumbai to Frankfurt by Ashwin Bhat, Chief Commercial Officer at Lufthansa Cargo, and in the presence of J. Florian Pfaff, Vice President Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Cargo, customers and station employees.
Lufthansa Cargo aircraft photo gallery:
KLM operations return to near normal
KLM issued this statement:
KLM was able to operate flights on Sunday according to the original schedule for this Whitsun holiday weekend. Furthermore, by the end of the afternoon, more than 90% of the passengers who had been unable to fly to Amsterdam on Saturday evening had arrived at their destination, or been rebooked.
The number of passengers being rebooked is currently rising, which means that nearly all passengers have now been offered an alternative.
KLM expects its flights to operate on schedule on Whit Monday, June 6, 2022, as they did on Sunday.
KLM would like to stress that the decision to suspend passenger flights to or via Amsterdam on Saturday evening was extremely difficult and one that was not taken lightly. Unforeseen and acute circumstances beyond our control compelled us to intervene in this way. Unfavourable weather conditions combined with runway maintenance at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol led air traffic control to reduce capacity further on Saturday evening. Many aircraft were consequently unable to land in or depart from Amsterdam. This led to a build up of passengers at Schiphol, causing large queues to form. In the interests of guaranteeing safety at Schiphol and maintaining a manageable situation at the airport, it was not possible for KLM to bring passengers to Schiphol in a responsible manner.
KLM aircraft photo gallery:
ITA Airways and Kuwait Airways to codeshare
ITA Airways and Kuwait Airways have announced a new startegic partnership including codesharing.
ITA Airways will add its code on flights operated by Kuwait Airways between Kuwait ย City and Rome and Milan Malpensa.
Kuwait Airways will be able to sell 12 destinations in Italy (Palermo, Catania, Florence, Brindisi, Bari, Venice, Turin, Genoa, Trieste, Bologna, Naples, Lamezia Terme) and two international destinations (from Rome to Athens and Nice).
Marco Finelli report from Italy.
Kuwait Airways aircraft photo gallery:
JetBlue submits improved superior proposal to acquire Spirit
JetBlue Airways today announced that it has submitted an improved proposal to the Board of Directors of Spirit Airlines to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Spirit. JetBlueโs proposal is a further update to its previous proposals, and offers Spirit stockholders demonstrably superior value, more regulatory protections, and the prepayment of a portion of cash consideration:
- Enhanced reverse break-up fee: JetBlue would provide a $350 million ($3.20 per Spirit share1) reverse break-up fee, payable to Spirit in the unlikely event the transaction is not consummated for antitrust reasons. This represents an increase of $150 million, or $1.37 per Spirit share, to the reverse break-up fee JetBlue has previously offered to pay, and is $100 million greater than the amount being offer by Frontier.
- Accelerated prepayment of $1.50 per share: JetBlue would prepay $1.50 per share in cash (approximately $164 million) of the reverse break-up fee, structured as a cash dividend to Spirit stockholders promptly following the Spirit stockholder vote approving the combination between Spirit and JetBlue.2
- Superior, all-cash premium: JetBlueโs proposal offers Spirit stockholders aggregate consideration of $31.50per share in cash, comprised of $30 per share in cash at the closing of the transaction and the prepayment of $1.50per share of the reverse break-up fee.
JetBlue has sent a letter to the Board of Directors of Spirit containing its improved proposal. In the letter, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes states:
The full letter follows:
June 6, 2022
Dear Board of Directors:
On behalf of JetBlue Airways Corporation (โJetBlueโ), we are submitting a further update to our previous proposals, dated March 29, 2022, and April 29, 2022, to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Spirit Airlines, Inc. (โSpiritโ and this letter, our โImproved Proposalโ).
We remain fully committed to acquiring Spirit. After listening to your stockholders and reaffirming with our Board the significant benefits to all stakeholders of combining JetBlue and Spirit, we are pleased to submit this Improved Proposal, which we believe Spirit stockholders will welcome. We urge you to consider our Improved Proposal, which you are permitted to do under the Frontier Agreement3 and are required to do in the exercise of your fiduciary duties, and negotiate with us in good faith to reach a consensual transaction.
Terms of Improved Proposal
Our Improved Proposal offers Spirit stockholders:
- An enhancedreverse break-up fee of $350 million, or $3.20 per Spirit share,4 payable to Spirit in the unlikely event the transaction is not consummated for antitrust reasons, representing:
- An increase of $150 million, or $1.37 per Spirit share, to the reverse break-up fee JetBlue previously offered to pay; and
- Approximately 15% of Spiritโs unaffected share price,5 and approximately 78% of the original premium offered by Frontier.6
- A prepaymentof aportionof the reverse break-up feein the amount of $1.50 per share in cash, payable to Spirit stockholders promptly following the Spirit stockholder vote approving the combination between Spirit and JetBlue.
- The prepayment would be structured as a cash dividend7 to Spirit stockholders of $1.50 per share (approximately $164 million), representing a portion of our revised $3.20 per share reverse break-up fee, fully-funded by JetBlue to Spirit, that would not be reimbursable if the transaction is terminated for antitrust reasons.
- In the unlikely event the reverse break-up fee is payable, the upfront special dividend would reduce the amount to be paid to Spirit at the time of the termination of the merger agreement to approximately $186 million ($1.70per share).
- In a negotiated transaction Spirit stockholders would receive total aggregate consideration of $31.50 per share in cash, comprised of $30 per share in cash at the closing of the transaction and the prepayment of $1.50 per share in cash of the reverse break-up fee.
When compared to the inferior Frontier transaction, our Improved Proposal offers:
- More value and more certainty for Spirit stockholders with our all-cash offer. JetBlue offers Spirit stockholders aggregate consideration of $31.50 per share in cash, representing a 51% premium to the value of the Frontier transaction as of June 3, 2022,8 a 52% premium to Spiritโs latest closing price,9 and a 45% premium to Spiritโs unaffected share price.10
- More value upfront. Our $1.50 per share prepayment of a portion of the reverse break-up fee, payable promptly following Spirit stockholder approval of our transaction,11 allows Spirit stockholders to receive some cash sooner, irrespective of the ultimate outcome of the transaction.
- More regulatory protections through our significant divestiture commitments and a $350 million reverse break-up fee, $100 million greater than the amount being offered by Frontier.
Combining JetBlue and Spirit would create a true national competitor to the dominant legacy carriers, delivering low fares and a great experience for more customers, more opportunities and good paying jobs for Crewmembers and Team Members, and more value for stockholders. The key features of our Improved Proposal โ the up-front cash payment and increased reverse break-up fee โ are not an illusion. This offer reflects the seriousness of our commitment and underscores our confidence in completing this transaction. Additionally, given the similar regulatory risks of the two transactions and the increased reverse break-up fee we are prepared to provide, we believe our Improved Proposal remains a Superior Proposal by any measure.
The amended terms of your merger agreement with Frontier are yet further evidence that your stockholders would have benefited had you engaged with us with in good faith at the outset. Clearly, Frontier only agreed to provide a reverse break-up fee and divestiture commitments because it was clear that your stockholders were going to vote down the inferior Frontier transaction. The addition of a reverse break-up fee one week before your stockholder vote is an acknowledgement that the regulatory profiles and likely timelines of both deals are in fact similar, something that both experts and many Spirit stockholders agree on by now.
Our Improved Proposal represents a compelling opportunity for your stockholders to receive a significant premium in cash, with greater value and certainty, and a higher reverse break-up fee than the inferior transaction with Frontier.
Accepting our Improved Proposal is in the best interests of your stockholders, and we urge you to immediately engage with us in good faith to finalize definitive documentation with JetBlue reflecting the terms of our Improved Proposal.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Robin Hayes
Chief Executive Officer
JetBlue aircraft photo gallery:
AnadoluJet arrives in Budapest
AnadoluJet has made this announcement:
Istanbul (Sabiha Gokcen) – Budapest flights have started!
AnadoluJet started the new route on June 2. The route will operate three days a week.
You can find the schedule information of Istanbul (Sabiha Gokcen) – Budapest reciprocal flights from the table below.
| DEPARTURE | ARRIVAL | STARTS AS OF | DAYS | DEPARTURE TIME* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ฤฐstanbulย (Sabiha Gรถkรงen) | Budapest | June 2 | Thu,ย Fri,ย Sun | 09.00 |
| Budapest | ฤฐstanbulย (Sabiha Gรถkรงen) | June 2 | Thu,ย Fri,ย Sun | 11.05 |
* Local time, it may vary by flight days.
AnadoluJet aircraft photo gallery:
airBaltic starts flights from Tampere to Amsterdam
airBaltic has launched direct flights between Tampere and Amsterdam, Netherlands on June 1, 2022. airBaltic now connects both cities with two weekly flights.
airBaltic performs direct flights from Tampere to Oslo (Norway) and Copenhagen (Denmark), Frankfurt, Munich (both Germany) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) as well as sunny leisure destinations Malaga (Spain) and Rhodes (Greece) in addition to continuing flights to Riga (Latvia).
| Destination served | Flight frequency | Start date | Price *, GREEN | Price *, GREEN Classic | Price*, Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TampereโAmsterdam | 2 flights weekly | June 1, 2022 | 69 EUR | 115 EUR | 449 EUR |
Route Map:
airBaltic aircraft photo gallery:
Volotea establishes its 8th French bases at Lourdes
Volotea, the airline of the small and medium sized cities in Europe, continues its strong development in France and will inaugurate its new base in Lourdes on July 1, 2022.
The airline will base an Airbus A319 at the airport.
From the beginning of July, Volotea will operate flights to 5 destinations from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrรฉnรฉes, including one to Paris-Orly. Other four exclusive routes on offer including Strasbourg, Naples, Palermo, and Venice.
Lourdes – Paris Orly
Volotea will operate the Tarbes – Lourdes – Paris Orly route twice a day, in the mornings and evenings, starting July 1, 2022.
Lourdes – Strasbourg
Volotea will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, the Tarbes Lourdes – Strasbourg route from July 1, 2022.
Lourdes – Naples
Volotea will operate twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, the Tarbes Lourdes – Naples route from July 2, 2022.
Lourdes – Palermo
Volotea will operate twice a week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, the Tarbes Lourdes – Palermo route from July 2, 2022.
Lourdes – Venice
Volotea will operate twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, the Tarbes Lourdes – Venice route from July 3, 2022.
“At a time when we are witnessing the strong return of travel, we feel enormously proud of announcing the launch of our new base at Lourdes airport, our 8th base in France. We are especially happy to inaugurate the Lourdes-Paris Orly route and to be able to ensure the continuity of connectivity with Paris this summer. We also see great opportunities for growth in the region, and we are additionally offering 4 new exclusive flights for the summer season from Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees, with direct connections to Strasbourg and Italy”, said Carlos Munoz, Founder and CEO of Volotea.
Volotea aircraft photo gallery:
Turkish Airlines adds Juba, South Sudan
Turkish Airlines continues to expand its flight network with flights to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, as of June 1, 2022. Connecting Africa to more destinations than any other in the world, Turkish Airlines has increased the number of destinations on the African Continent to 62 with Juba.
The flag carrier brand will be operating Juba flights 3 days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 aircraft.
Turkish Airlines has increased the number of destination countries to 129, and overall destinations to 338 with Juba; while offering a wide range of connection opportunities to its guests with new destinations, the carrier also continues to provide high end services worldwide.
Tarifeli uรงuล saatleri;
| Flight Number | Frequency | Departure | Arrival | ||
| TK613 | Monday โ Wednesday- Friday | IST | 03:05 | 08:00 | JUB |
| TK614 | Monday โ Wednesday- Friday | JUB | 10:00 | 16:40 | IST |
*All times are in LMT.
Turkish Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
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