SriLankan Airlines suspends flights to Moscow

SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-343 4R-ALO (msn 1650) LHR (SPA). Image: 940517.

SriLankan Airlines announces the suspension of operations between Sri Lanka and Moscow, Russia with effect from March 28 due to operational restrictions that are outside of the airlineโ€™s control.

The restrictions are in the form of international financial and aircraft insurance limits which have been imposed on Russia due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and directly impact SriLankan Airlinesโ€™ flight operations to Russia. Accordingly, SriLankan Airlines will cease operations to Moscow until further notice.

The airline expresses regret for any inconvenience caused to customers by this decision taken on account of a force majeure situation. SriLankan will continue to monitor the situation in Russia, and hopes to restart operations once conditions improve. SriLankan maintained two weekly flights between Colombo and Moscow before the cessation of operations.

In other news, SriLankan Airlines is celebrating the reopening of Indian skies on March 27, 2022 by doubling up to 88 weekly flights to India to match pre-COVID-19 levels. Consequently, customers too would be doubly rewarded by SriLankan expanding its flight frequencies at the same time that India does away with air travel bubble limitations this upcoming summer season. Coupled together, it will effectively provide SriLankan Airlinesโ€™ passengers enhanced flight options and connectivity between India and destinations in the Maldives; the Far East; Oceania; Europe; and the Middle East.

SriLankan continued to proactively expand into these markets during the past two years in spite of the many challenges arising from the pandemic. Accordingly, the airline launched operations to Seoul; Sydney; Kathmandu; Frankfurt; Paris; and Moscow between 2020 and 2021, while maintaining flights to the majority of its destinations in the pre-pandemic schedule. The airline expects to further establish its current network of routes within the next year for the benefit of passengers.

The airlineโ€™s Indian network currently covers the following cities: Delhi; Mumbai;ย Hyderabad; Trivandrum; Kochi; Chennai; Trichy;ย Madurai;ย and Bangalore. The reopening of Indian skies would allow a passenger to book a SriLankan Airlinesโ€™ย flight from any of these Indian cities to any other online destination via Colombo. Similarly, passengers originating from non-Indian cities within the airlineโ€™s network could connect to any of the nine Indian cities that the airline flies to via Colombo.

Top Copyright Photo: SriLankan Airlines Airbus A330-343 4R-ALO (msn 1650) LHR (SPA). Image: 940517.

SriLankan Airlines aircraft slide show:

SriLankan Airlines aircraft photo gallery:

Finnair offers bus connections from Turku and Tampere to Helsinki Airport

Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWI (msn 104) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 956924.

Finnair has made this announcement:

Starting May 2, 2022, Finnair customers can travel between Turku and Helsinki and Tampere and Helsinki in Finland either by air or with a new kind of a bus connection that smoothly links to and from connecting flights from Helsinki Airport. Flights from/to Turku and Tampere are operated in early morning and late evening, allowing for smooth connections to and from Finnairโ€™s network in Europe. During the daytime, Finnair offers a bus connection between Turku/Tampere and Helsinki Airport, and the bus ticket is combined to the flight reservation. The bus connections to/from Tampere are already on sale at finnair.comย and the bus connections to/from Turku are available soon.

Combining different modes of transport will reduce the carbon footprint of these domestic routes. Multimodal travel chains are a part of the toolkit for reducing the CO2 footprint of aviation.

The bus connection is operated by Korsisaari bus company, with high-quality coaches that run 100% biodiesel. A one-way bus ride produces more than 1,000 kilograms less CO2 than a one-way flight on these routes. A smooth bus service with guaranteed flight connections is an option for reducing carbon footprint also for those customers, who would otherwise arrive the airport by car.

The bus route runs from Turku and Tampere airports to the bus stations at the city centers, and from there to Helsinki Airport and back. Those arriving at Helsinki Airport by bus have access to priority check-in and security check, enabling a quick transfer to a connecting flight. When changing from a flight to a bus connection at Helsinki Airport, customers will receive their checked baggage among the first ones. Finnair also guarantees connections in the event of traffic disruptions.

Meanwhile Finnair arrives in DFW:

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWI (msn 104) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 956924.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Finnair aircraft photo gallery:

Air Malta launches its Summer 2022 flight schedule

Malta - airmalta.com (Air Malta 2nd) Airbus A320-251N WL 9H-NEB (msn 8940) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 957147.

Summer has finally arrived with Air Malta launching operation of its significantly expanded Summer 2022 flying program. The seven-month schedule, which runs from 27th March till 29th October, will see the airline operate 125 weekly return direct services to 18 key European Airports, across 10 different countries.

After an absence of over a year, Air Malta will be returning with a daily service to London Gatwick and with a three times a week service to Madrid. London Heathrow will be the most served route with 15 weekly scheduled flights, followed by Munich (12), Rome (10), and Paris with nine weekly frequencies on Orly and seven weekly frequencies to/from Charles De Gaulle airport. Amsterdam, whilst operating a daily service, will see this increasing to eight services per week during July – October.

This Summer Air Malta will be operating direct flights to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Catania, Dusseldorf, Geneva, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Rome Fiumicino, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan Linate, Munich, Lyon, Prague, Vienna, and Zurich.

Top Copyright Photo: Malta – airmalta.com (Air Malta 2nd) Airbus A320-251N WL 9H-NEB (msn 8940) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 957147.

Air Malta aircraft slide show:

Air Malta aircraft photo gallery:

SAS appoints Erno Hildรฉn as new CFO

SAS has appointed Erno Hildรฉn as Executive Vice President and CFO.

Erno Hildรฉn, comes from Finland and has held several operational leadership positions in the global airline industry. He has worked both as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Finnair and recently he also held a position as executive vice president for privatization at Saudia Airlines.

โ€œI am very pleased to welcome Erno Hildรฉn to SAS. Ernoโ€™s extensive financial experience combined with aviation expertise makes him a valuable addition to SAS top management team. He will play a key role during the current transformation plan, SAS FORWARD, where we are securing a long term financially stable and competitive SAS,โ€ says Anko van der Werff, President & CEO of SAS.

โ€œI am proud and honored to be joining the SAS group. A strong brand with true Scandinavian roots aiming to become a global leader in sustainable aviation is a stimulating environment where I am sure I will be able to contribute. I am excited to be part of SAS FORWARD and am looking forward enabling the changes necessary to secure the long-term success of SAS”, says Erno Hildรฉn.

Erno assumes the role at SAS in April. As previously communicated, the current CFO Magnus ร–rnberg will leave SAS during the spring but is remaining in his current role to ensure a seamless transition for the new CFO.

Delta, Los Angeles World Airports unveil first major phase of Delta Sky Way at LAX

Delta Air Lines and Los Angeles World Airports celebrated the completion of the first major phase of the Delta Sky Way at LAX โ€“ a joint $2.3 billion investment (includes both LAWA and Delta’s direct investments) to modernize and upgrade one of the airlineโ€™s key global hubs. Phase one of this multi-year terminal transformation project kicks off the launch of Deltaโ€™s decade-long, $12 billion investment in airport hubs from coast to coast, cementing the airlineโ€™s commitment to transform the travel experience in the air and on the ground.

Read the full story with photos:

https://news.delta.com/consolidated-terminal-new-sky-club-and-a-sustainability-focus

SAS comments on pilot negotiations as pilots walk out

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS issued this statement:

The last two years have beenย the most challenging in the history of the aviation industry whilst the future remains unpredictable.

To meet this new reality SAS presented a long-term plan โ€œSAS FORWARDโ€ with 7.5 billion SEK in cost savings to secure competitiveness. The success of SAS FORWARD is relying on all stakeholdersโ€™ participation including all employee groups.

Therefore, itโ€™s worrisome that the pilot unions after the second day of negotiations chose to walk out of the negotiation room. By doing so, they are putting the entire company at stake, including thousands of colleaguesโ€™ jobs and careers.

SAS is in a more severe situation than ever, but we owe our lenders, owners, employees, and not the least our customers โ€“ as well Danish and Swedish taxpayers โ€“ to secure a place for SAS on the future market. We can only do this by moving forward with a plan that ensures a future competitive SAS.

We have a difficult journey in front of us, but we fully believe the SAS FORWARD plan is the right way forward to give us a solid financial platform that will ensure a strong, competitive and sustainable SAS for many years to come.

Air Tahiti Nui to fly to Seattle/Tacoma, announces a new partnership with Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines announced today that Air Tahiti Nui is our newest global airline partner โ€“ opening a world of adventure, fun and relaxation in the islands of Tahiti.

Beginning October 4, 2022, Air Tahiti Nui will begin new nonstop service between the hometown airport in Seattle/Tacoma and Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia located on its main island Tahiti. From there, the possibilities are endless for escapes to dozens of other nearby islands.

New Air Tahiti Nui service:

Starts

City Pair

Departs

Arrives

Frequency

Aircraft

Oct. 4, 2022

Papeete โ€“ Seattle

10:00 p.m.

10:25 a.m. +1 day

Tues, Sat

787-9

Oct. 5, 2022

Seattle โ€“ Papeete

12:40 p.m.

7:10 p.m.

Wed, Sun

787-9

Air Tahiti Nui has existing daily nonstop service between Papeete and Los Angeles, an additional key Alaska hub airport on the West Coast. There’s also another flight for our guests to get excited about: Air Tahiti Nui, with its historical connection to France, provides nonstop service between Los Angeles and Paris โ€“ an extremely popular route between two world cities.

Air Tahiti Nui aircraft photo gallery:

United and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures announce collaboration with Biotech Firm to create new fuel sources

United Airlines Ventures (UAV) and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV) today announced a collaboration with Houston-based biotech firm Cemvita Factory to commercialize the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) intended to be developed through a revolutionary new process using carbon dioxide (CO2) and synthetic microbes. UAV also announced an equity investment in Cemvita Factory. OLCV, a subsidiary of Occidental (Oxy), is a founding investor in Cemvita Factory.

SAF is an alternative to jet fuel that uses non-petroleum feedstock and offers lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. United has invested in more SAF production than any other airline.

United and OLCV have previously worked together on new approaches to combat climate change. Together, UAV and OLCV will fund development work at Cemvita to convert carbon dioxide into hydrocarbons for SAF. If performance targets are achieved, UAV and OLCV plan to form a joint venture to commercialize the technology. This includes funding projects such as pilot and demo plants, engineering studies, financing construction and operating SAF plants.

Today’s announcement makes Cemvita the third SAF-related technology to receive an investment from UAV. Launched in 2021, UAV targets startups, upcoming technologies, and sustainability concepts that will complement United’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050 โ€“ without relying on traditional carbon offsets. United has aggressively pursued strategic investments in SAF producers and revolutionary technologies including carbon capture, hydrogen-electric engines, electric regional aircraft, and urban air mobility. SAF has the potential to deliver the performance of petroleum-based jet fuel but with a fraction of its carbon footprint on a lifecycle basis.

Cemvita Factory uses synthetic biology to turn carbon dioxide into chemicals and alternative fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel. Cemvita is among the first to employ this technology to support heavy industry decarbonization and, find ways to use microbiology to turn carbon dioxide into fuel.

Cargojet announces long-term strategic agreement with DHL

Cargojet Inc. announced today that it has entered into a new long-term strategic agreementย with DHL Network Operations (USA) Inc., an affiliate of Deutsche Post DHL Group, for a term of five years with a renewal option for an additional two years, to provide air-transportation services for DHL’s global network.

The Agreement is expected to be meaningfully accretive to Cargojet’s earnings and cash flows over time and help Cargojet further diversify its portfolio of services in line with its previously announced strategic goal of achieving a balanced portfolio.

Under the Agreement, Cargojet will provide ACMI, CMI, charter, and aircraftย dry lease services to DHL to support DHL’s international requirements for Europe and North, South, Central and Latin America, as well as Asia. Cargojet utilizes 12 freighters to service DHL’s current requirements. ย DHL intends to add 5 additional Boeing 767-300 freighters during the 2022-23 timeframe to fulfill DHL’s anticipated network requirements. Additionally, DHL intends to be Cargojet’s inaugural launch customer for the state-of-the-art Boeing 777F wide body long-range cargo aircraft, which are expected to be deployed in late 2023 or early 2024.

In addition, to align interests and strengthen the long-term strategic relationship, Cargojet will issue to DHL warrants to acquire up to 9.5 percent of Cargojet’s outstanding voting shares (on a non-diluted basis as of the date hereof) at a price of C$158.92 per share (based on the 20-day volume weighted average trading price immediately prior to the date hereof) over a period of seven years, with vesting tied to the delivery by DHL of up to C$2.3ย billion1 in business volume during the same term.

Spirit Airlines completes LaGuardia Terminal move, all flights now operating from historic Marine Air Terminal

Spirit Airlines today announced the completion of its terminal move at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) with all Spirit flights now calling Terminal A home. Over the past year, Spirit maintained a split operation between Terminal C and Terminal A, also known as the Marine Air Terminal.

The move has enhanced the LGA Guest experience with all flights now consolidated in one of the most convenient locations at LaGuardia. Additionally, the move also benefits Guests by streamlining Spirit’s operation at the airport.

Spirit Airlines at LaGuardia Airport:

Destination

Frequency

Nashville (BNA)

1x daily

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)

1x daily

Detroit (DTW)

1-2x daily

Fort Lauderdale (FLL)

4x daily

Los Angeles (LAX)

1x weekly (Saturday only)

Orlando (MCO)

1-2x daily

Miami (MIA)

2x daily

Myrtle Beach (MYR)

2x daily

Phoenix (PHX) (Seasonal through 4/16/2022)

1x weekly (Saturday only)

San Juan (SJU)

1x weekly (Saturday only)

Tampa (TPA) (Seasonal through 5/4/2022)

1x daily

The Marine Air Terminal was built in 1939 and is one of two passenger terminals in the country remaining from the first generation of air travel. The terminal is also home to a massive 12-foot-high, 235-foot-long mural “Flight” by James Brooks that encircles the interior wall of the terminal’s rotunda and tells the story of human flight.

From the National Park Service:

The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia Airport in New York City remains the only active airport terminal dating from the first generation of passenger travel in the United States–the “Golden Age of the Flying Boat.” The Marine Air Terminal, an Art Deco building designed in 1939 by William Delano of the firm Delano & Aldrich, is comprised of a central circular core of two stories with an attic from which a rectangular entrance pavilion and two symmetrically opposed one-story wings project. Inside the terminal hangs “Flight,” a mural measuring 12 feet in height and 237 feet in length. Completed by James Brooks in 1940, “Flight” depicts the history of man’s involvement with flight.

Pan Am's Yankee Clipper
Pan Am’s Yankee Clipper made its first flight across the mid-Atlantic on March 26, 1939. Photo courtesy of http://www.panamair.org

By the early 1930s, commercial airlines and airports were developing due to the Federal government’s use of private contractors for postal transport andย Charles Lindbergh’sย famous transatlantic flight. New York was in dire need of a new airport by 1934 when Fiorello H. La Guardia was elected mayor. Plans for the airport, which was to be federally sponsored and funded through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), were approved by President Roosevelt on September 3, 1937. Only six days later, the Mayor presided over groundbreaking ceremonies and construction proceeded rapidly. At 558 acres with nearly four miles of runways, the $40,000,000 airport was the largest and most expensive in the world. New York City Airport–La Guardia Field opened on October 15, 1939 and the Marine Air Terminal was dedicated in March 1940. The first flight from the Marine Air Terminal by a Clipper departed on March 31, 1940, carrying a crew of 10, nine passengers and over 5,000 pounds of mail and landed in Lisbon 18 hours and 30 minutes later. These Clippers–with a wing span of 152 feet, a cruising speed of 200mph and a capacity to carry 72 passengers–were luxurious. The two-deck interior featured dining rooms, private compartments and sleeping sections. However, this glamorous era of the Clippers was brought to an abrupt halt by the outbreak of World War II. By the end of the war, technological advances in airplane design had made the Clippers obsolete and the Marine Air Terminal was converted for the newer airplanes. Today the Marine Air Terminal is used by commuter airlines, air taxis, private aircraft, Signature Flight Support (a fixed-base operator) and a weather service.