Connect Airlines has been issued its certificate of convenience and necessity by the US Department of Transportation (DOT)

Connect Airlines announced on July 6 that it has been issued its certificate of convenience and necessity by the US Department of Transportation (DOT).

Connect Airlines

The certificate allows Connect to engage in interstate scheduled air transportation once it has completed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required proving runs. The proving runs are scheduled to begin July 18, 2022, and last approximately four weeks.

The DOT also tentatively approved Connect’s certificate authorizing foreign scheduled air transportation. The foreign certificate will be formally awarded following a separate review by the White House.

Connect will work closely with the FAA towards successful completion of the certification process, then subsequently apply for Canadian authorizations before beginning scheduled service between Toronto’s Billy Bishop’s (YTZ) convenient downtown airport and Chicago’s O’Hare (ORD) and Philadelphia (PHL) airports.

From launch Connect’s aircraft will generate up to 40% less carbon emissions than the existing US regional jets they replace while at the same time providing a superior passenger experience. Connect also plans to be the first zero-emission passenger airline in the US through its recently announced order with Universal Hydrogen for hydrogen-powered aircraft.

About Connect Airlines

 

Connect Airlines is an operating brand of Waltzing Matilda Airlines (WMA), a Boston based FAA Part 135 charter operator currently adding FAA Part 121 scheduled and non-scheduled services.

WMA identified the need for a “smarter airline” and brought together aviation leaders with over 150 years’ experience who share a common passion โ€“ to work and fly smarter. With the planes we fly, the technology we use, and the operations we run, Connect Airlines will deliver a quieter, cleaner, and healthier travel experience. Connect Airlines, the future of smarter, greener travel.

 

Fiji Airways is coming to Vancouver

Fiji Airways, Fijiโ€™s national carrier has announced it will fly direct from Nadi to Vancouver in Canada starting on November 25, 2022. The destination will be the 20th direct international service provided by Fiji Airwaysโ€™ world class fleet.

Fiji Airways will fly direct to and from Vancouver twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.

Bula Vancouver

Fiji Airways aircraft photo gallery:

ITA Airways to fly to the Maldives

ITA Airways has announced it will operate nonstop flights to Malรฉย in the Maldives.

The route will operate three days a week.

The first revenue flight will be operated on December 17, 2022 and will operate through March 26, 2023.

Flights will depart from Rome Fiumicino at 2210 (10:10 pm) and arrive at Male at 1120 (11:20 am) on the following day. The flight back to Rome will depart at 1325 (1:25 pm) and arrive at Fiumicino at 1945 (7:45 pm) on the same day.

Marco Finelli reporting from Italy.

ITA Airways aircraft photo gallery:

Norwegian reports the highest number of passengers since the outbreak of the pandemic

Norwegianโ€™s traffic figures for June show that Norwegian had 1,937,318 passengers, an increase of 19 percent compared to the previous month and the highest number since the outbreak of the pandemic.

In June, Norwegian signed a new two-year collective bargaining agreement with the union representing the Norwegian cabin crew members and the Norwegian Pilot Union. The strike action amongst aircraft technicians and the following lockout was ended when the Minister of Labour announced compulsory arbitration.

Norwegian flew 1,937,318 passengers in June, compared to 225,509 in June 2021. The load factor was 84.9 percent. The capacity (ASK) was 2,924 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 2,482 million seat kilometres. Punctuality, as measured by the number of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time, was at 70 percent in June. As many as 93 percent of all flights arrived on schedule or no more than an hour late. In June, Norwegian operated an average of 68 aircraft and 99.1 percent of scheduled flights were completed.

Norwegian aircraft photo gallery:

EVA Air to launch nonstop flights to Milan and Munich, first European expansion in 25 years

EVA Air will launch nonstop flights between Taipei and two popular European destinations. It will initiate Milan service on October 25, 2022 and introduce Munich flights on November 3, 2022. The airline will start with two flights a week to Milan and four to Munich.

Addition of the Milan and Munich service to current London, Amsterdam, Paris and Vienna gateways will give EVA the best-developed Taiwan – Europe network with the greatest frequency, offering travelers more flexibility on popular routes. Travelers can learn more about the new routes and services or book flights and buy tickets at http://www.evaair.com from July 6, 2022.

EVA had planned to launch Milan service in February 2020 but the pandemic and associated lockdowns made that impossible. Now, it is moving ahead with service to Italyโ€™s second-most populous city and financial capital. Milan and Munich mark EVAโ€™s first route expansion in the European market in 25 years. EVA currently flies nonstop to Taipei from Paris and Vienna and operates direct flights from London and Amsterdam with one stop in Bangkok. The added service will give business and leisure travelers more itinerary opportunities when they choose to arrive in one city and return from another.

Passengers from Milan and Munich will be able to arrive at Taiwanโ€™s Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in the early morning and easily connect onward aboard one of EVAโ€™s frequent flights to northeast and southeast Asia, just as those from Paris and Vienna are now. The expanded flight network will position EVA to attract more travelers from Europe who can comfortably and efficiently fly to and from the airlineโ€™s main hub in Taiwan to popular destinations throughout Asia. The added routes will also benefit EVAโ€™s long-term development and stability.

The airline will serve the routes with 777-300ERs:
Route Flight No. Frequency Departure Arrival
Taipei-Milan BR95 2.6 21:50 06:15+1
Milan-Taipei BR96 3.7 11:00 06:15+1
Taipei-Munich BR71 1 23:10 07:25+1
Taipei-Munich BR71 3.5.7 23:40 07:55+1
Munich-Taipei BR72 2 11:40 06:40+1
Munich-Taipei BR72 1.4.6 12:30 07:30+1

EVA Air aircraft photo gallery:

Air France-KLM signs agreement with CFM International for the engine configuration of its future Airbus A320neo family fleet

Air France-KLM announced on July 5 the signing of an agreement with CFM International for the acquisition of 200 LEAP-1A engines to power its new fleet of Airbus A320neo and A321neo.

This decision follows the Groupโ€™s order, last December, of 100 Airbus A320neo family aircraft – with purchase rights for 60 additional aircraft, to renew the fleets of KLM and Transavia Netherlands, and to renew and expand the fleet of Transavia France.

Manufactured by CFM International – a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Safran Aircraft Engines – the LEAP-1A, contributes as a latest-generation engine to the global performance and efficiency of the Airbus A320neo aircraft family.

CFM International already provides engines for the Groupโ€™s Boeing 737 NG (CFM56-7B) and Airbus A320ceo (CFM56-5B) fleets.

airBaltic to fly to Gran Canaria

airBaltic has announced that starting on November 1, 2022, it will launch new flights from Riga, Latvia to Gran Canaria, Spain.

Gran Canaria is the second most visited island in the Canary Islands after Tenerife and is a well-known, attractive leisure destination for travellers all around the world.

Destination served Flight frequency Start date Price *, GREEN Price *, GREEN Classic Price*, Business
Rigaโ€“Gran Canaria 2 flights weekly November 1, 2022 169 EUR 219 EUR 659 EUR

*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charges.

Flights between Riga and Gran Canaria will be operated by the Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

Flights to Gran Canaria are scheduled to take 6 hours and 40 minutes.

airBaltic aircraft photo gallery:

Etihad Cargo reinforces commitment to China capacity

Etihad Cargo has made this announcement:

  • Etihad Cargo currently offers 15 direct passenger and freighter flights per week for China with cargo capacity of 2,708 tons.
  • Etihad recently announced the first regular direct international passenger flight into Beijing under the latest mandate of the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The resumption of the direct air link between the two capitals, which complements the existing schedule of cargo flights to other key destinations in China, is another achievement of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the UAE and China.

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Aviation Group, has reinforced its commitment to the Chinese market with the introduction of 15 direct passenger and freighter flights per week.

Throughout the pandemic, the carrier remained committed to the market with a wide variety of capacity, including reconfigured cargo-only passenger freighters. From July onwards, it will continue to expand operations, focusing exclusively on direct passenger flights and dedicated 777 Freighter flights.

In addition to cargo capacity on passenger flights, Etihad Cargo also operates Boeing 777-200 freighter flights daily for Shanghai and six times per week for Hong Kong, bringing the total cargo capacity into and out of China to 2,708 tons per week.

Throughout the pandemic, Etihad Cargo continued to operate direct routes into China, providing cargo capacity via a fleet of modified mini freighters. With the resumption of passenger flights and a schedule of freighter flights, the mini freighters will be taken out of rotation.

Etihad Cargo recently announced its summer schedule, which introduced capacity to key destinations across Asia, Africa and Europe. In addition to adding direct flights into and out of Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, the carrier will continue to operate its Boeing 777 freighter network with flights across Chicago, Dhaka, Frankfurt, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Johannesburg, Kenya, Milan and Riyadh.

Etihad Airways aircraft photo gallery:

FedEx expands cargo capacity between Australia and New Zealand

FedEx Express has announced the launch of a new trans-Tasman service directly connecting Christchurch, Auckland and Melbourne, as trade between Australia and New Zealand continues to grow rapidly.

The new service will run five times a week between Christchurch-Auckland-Melbourne, adding to the existing five flights on the Sydney-Auckland-Sydney route each week.

Key benefits from the new trans-Tasman service for Australian and New Zealand businesses include:

  • More time for Melbourne customers to prepare shipments โ€“ The cut-off time for customers in Melbourne is now 5 p.m., a two-hour improvement.
  • Improved transit times โ€“ Customers in Christchurch will now have access to next-day International Priority shipping service to Australia, while those in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane who ship to Christchurch will see a one-day improvement for International Priority Freight services.
  • Acceptance of Dangerous Goods (DG) โ€“ New DG capability in Christchurch, New Zealand

FedEx Express aircraft photo gallery:

Sunwing pilots file bad faith complaint with federal labor board

Sunwing pilots filed a complaint at the Canada Industrial Relations Board Monday, July 4, 2022, alleging their employer bargained in bad faith during a recent round of negotiations because the employer already knew the company was being sold to WestJet.

“Despite management reassurances that the company was not a candidate for a sale or merger, Sunwing was sold to WestJet shortly after the collective agreement was signed โ€“ a huge slap in the face,” said Scott Doherty, Unifor’s Executive Assistant to the National President.

Unifor and Sunwing reached a tentative agreement on Jan. 23, 2021. In the complaint, the union states that less than two weeks later, the Globe and Mail published a story, as well as other media outlets, where Sunwing CEO Stephen Hunter is quoted as disclosing that Sunwing had received a purchase offer from an unnamed company. In the same article, an unnamed executive source told the media outlet WestJet and Sunwing had discussed WestJet purchasing Sunwing in the past.

The union and Sunwing ratified the four-year deal on Feb. 12, 2021.

“It was of paramount importance to the union to receive assurances from the employer that it was not discussing a sale to WestJet, as any potential sale would have had important consequences on the union’s positions with respect to bargaining,” the filing reads.

Section 50 of the Canada Labour Code imposes a duty on the parties to a collective agreement to bargain in good faith, including to answer honestly whether it will likely implement changes during the term of a proposed agreement that may have significant impact on the bargaining unit.

On March 2, 2022, Sunwing and WestJet announced that WestJet would be buying Sunwing, pending regulatory approvals.

“Sunwing pilots recently negotiated a contract that made several concessions with the understanding the pandemic had placed major financial pressures on the airline. It’s not only the employer’s duty to bargain in good faith โ€“ it’s the law,” said Barret Armann, President of Unifor Local 7378, the union that represents 452 Sunwing pilots.

“Had this sale been transparent during bargaining, we could have pushed to include job security language in case of acquisitions.”

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.

Sunwing Airlines aircraft photo gallery: