Condor partners with Sky Express

Condor has made this announcement:

Discover all of Greece: Starting this summer, Germany’s most popular leisure airline will offer 17 nonstop connections to the popular vacation destination. Together with the new partner airline SKY express, Condor now enables easy onward flights to eleven additional destinations. The new partnership will also increase connections to existing destinations.

From July 2022, Condor guests will be able to travel on comfortably via Athens, Rhodes, Corfu and Heraklion to the eleven new destinations, including popular destinations such as Naxos, Paros and Mytilini. From Germany, guests fly from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Leipzig.

Sky Express aircraft slide show:

Sky Express aircraft photo gallery:

FAA announces an estimated 78 percent of the U.S. commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band

FAA issued this update:

The FAA issued new approvals Thursday that allow an estimated 78 percent of the U.S. commercial fleet to perform low-visibility landings at airports where wireless companies deployed 5G C-band. This now includes some regional jets.

Airplane models with one of the 13 cleared altimeters include all Boeing 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, MD-10/-11; all Airbus A300, A310, A319, A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models; and some Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets.

The FAA is working diligently to determine which altimeters are reliable and accurate where 5G is deployed in the United States. We anticipate some altimeters will be too susceptible to 5G interference. To preserve safety, aircraft with those altimeters will be prohibited from performing low-visibility landings where 5G is deployed because the altimeter could provide inaccurate information.

Alaska Airlines to add larger jets to its Paine Field operation

Alaska Airlines will begin operating its own Boeing 737 aircraft from Paine Field in Everett.

Boeing 737 service from PAE to Phoenix starts on February 17 followed by Las Vegas on March according to Herald Net.

Horizon Air currently operates Embraer 175 Alaska Horizon service into PAE.

In the next two months, Alaska Airlines will begin flying bigger jets on two of its 12 routes out of Paine Field, @JanicePods reports.
https://t.co/CmaUuqQV70

— Everett Herald (@EverettHerald) January 20, 2022

Two Air Mauritius Airbus A350 flights avoided a midair collision over Sudan

From AirLive:

On January 6, 2022 two Air Mauritius Airbus A350 flights avoided a midair collision over Sudan.

https://www.airlive.net/breaking-air-mauritius-a350s-flights-mk15-and-mk42-avoided-midair-collision-over-sudan/

BREAKING Air Mauritius A350s flights #MK15 and #MK42 avoided midair collision over Sudan https://t.co/C6lnAuLZlo

— AIRLIVE (@airlivenet) January 21, 2022

Cayman Airways takes delivery of its 4th Boeing 737-8 (VP-CIZ)

Cayman Airways made this announcement:

After a special ribbon cutting ceremony, Cayman Airways’ 4th Boeing 737-8 aircraft, VP-CIZ, departed the Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle at about 9 am and arrived in Grand Cayman at about 5:32 pm on January 20, 2022.

The delivery flight was flown by Captain Perry Panton and First Officer Troy McCoy.

Jet2.com to resume ski flights to France on January 22

Jet2.com has made this announcement:

Jet2.com has welcomed the news that France will reopen its borders to vaccinated customers arriving from the UK from January 14, 2022, with the leading ski airline reporting an immediate surge in searches and bookings for ski flights.

Following the reopening of the border, Jet2.com has announced that it will resume ski flights to Lyon, Chambery and Grenoble from January 22, 2022, as some of the best ski resorts in Europe open up to customers from the UK again. Today’s announcement means customers heading to the French Alps via Geneva can also look forward to the snow this winter. In addition, ski flights are already operating to Salzburg, Turin, Innsbruck and Barcelona (Andorra).

To give skiers and snowboarders even more to celebrate, Jet2.com is offering 10% off all ski flights too. This means customers can enjoy the piste of the action for less, whether they are booking for this winter or for Winter 22/23.

Following the reopening of the French border to vaccinated travelers, Jet2.com and Jet2CityBreaks will also resume flights and city breaks to Paris from 11^th February. Customers traveling on a package holiday with Jet2CityBreaks get to enjoy a great deal too, with £50 off per person on all city breaks booked through Jet2CityBreaks. The promotion is applicable to all packages on sale for Winter 21/22, Summer 22, Winter 22/23 or Summer 23, meaning holiday makers can save big and enjoy a holiday they deserve.

All flight or city break bookings must be made by February 7, 2021 for these promotions to apply.

The company’s full ski program for Winter 22, including France, is as follows:

Chambery – ski flights on sale from five UK bases (Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and London Stansted), offering quick and easy access to world-famous ski resorts in France, including the Three Valleys. The popular ski areas of the Alpe d’Huez, Chamonix, La Plagne and  Val d’Isère are easily accessible from Chambery, providing memorable skiing whether you are a beginner or an expert.
Grenoble – the host of the 1968 Winter Olympics, Grenoble offers the perfect gateway to the French Alps, with over 175 incredible ski resorts nearby including Morzine, Chamonix, Chamrousse, Les Deux Alpes, Alpe d’Huez and Avoriaz. On sale from Birmingham, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle.

Lyon – flights on sale from Manchester Airport provides snow sports fans with direct access to several major French ski resorts such as Tignes, Les Arcs and Alpe d’Huez, as well a number of smaller ski resorts for those looking to get away from the crowds.

Also on sale:

Geneva – a huge program of ski flights on sale from eight UK bases (Birmingham, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle). Geneva offers ski enthusiasts some of the very best ski resorts including Tignes, Flaine, Verbier, Zermatt and the Three Valleys.
Salzburg – ski flights on sale from nine UK bases (Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, London Stansted, Manchester and Newcastle). Salzburg opens-up the best of the Austrian Alps and over 300 resorts including Kaprun, Mayrhofen and Obertauern to skiers.

Turin – the legacy of Turin’s 2006 Winter Olympics means that skiers can enjoy speedy transfers to well-established skiing resorts such as Pila, Vars, Le Corbier and Val d’Isere. With 400km of piste at the Milky Way area alongside the stunning mountainous backdrop of the Monterosa network, there is plenty to go at with services available from Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester.
Innsbruck – skiers and snowboarders able to access the Tyrolean capital from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, London Stansted and Manchester. Innsbruck hosted the 1964 Winter Olympics and resorts such as Igls, Alpbach and St Anton am Arlberg make it a firm favourite with skiers and snow sports fans year in year out.
Barcelona (Andorra) – with ski flights on sale from Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds Bradford, skiers and snowboarders can access the Andorra and the Pyrenees which host some of Europe’s best ski resorts including Grandvalira, La Molina, Pal-Arinsal and the mega-resort of Soldeu El Tarter.

*charges apply

Top Copyright Photo: Jet2holidays (Jet2) Boeing 737-8K5 WL G-GDFW (msn 27986) (Package holidays you can trust) PMI (Ton Jochems). Image: 956556.

Jet2.com aircraft slide show:

Jet2.com aircraft photo gallery:

EFW re-delivers first Airbus A330P2F to Altavair for MasAir Cargo operation

Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW) has announced the re-delivery of its first Airbus A330 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) converted aircraft to Altavair L.P., a global leader in commercial aviation finance and leasing providing the cargo community with valuable assets.

Top Management of Altavair, EFW and MasAir meets at the occasion of the re-delivery of the first A330P2F on 20th January 2022. – f.l.t.r.; Andreas Sperl (EFW), Patrick McCarthy (MasAir) Andres Fabre (MasAir) , Luis Sierra (MasAir), Paul Newrick (Altavair), Grant Ehrick (Altavair), Jordi Boto (EFW)

The re-delivered freighter is the kick-off of a series of freighter conversions that EFW is carrying out for new customer, Altavair, based on the proven and technologically advanced Airbus A330 platform. Altavair has on order several A330P2F comprising both the A330-200P2F range variant and the A330-300P2F volume variant.

EFW’s first re-redelivery to Altavair is the A330-200P2F variant, which offers a gross payload of up to 61 tons and a range of up to 4,200 nautical miles. At lower cost-per-ton compared to other available freighter aircraft types in this size segment, the A330-200P2F will help enable the operator, MasAir Cargo, to expand into new markets and fly longer routes. MasAir Cargo is taking advantage of the aircraft family concept to build up a new Airbus freighter fleet with the A330-200P2F and A330-300P2F, becoming the first airline in the Americas to operate the Airbus widebody P2F, and the first in the world to operate the two Airbus A330P2F variants.

Like the latest conversion programs A321P2F and A320P2F, the A330P2F is program a collaboration between ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW, which is leading each overall program as well as marketing & sales efforts. To meet the rising demand for freighter conversions, ST Engineering and EFW will set up new conversion sites in China and the U.S. this year and ramp up total conversion capacity for all their Airbus P2F program to about 60 slots per year by 2024.

About EFW

Elbe Flugzeugwerke GmbH (EFW), a subsidiary of ST Engineering and Airbus combines various aviation and technology activities under a single roof: development and manufacturing of fibre-reinforced composite components for aircraft structures and interiors of the entire Airbus family, the conversion of passenger aircraft into freighter configuration, maintenance and repair of Airbus aircraft as well as engineering services in the context of certification and approval. The company has a workforce of about 1,900 employees, achieved revenues of approximately €250 million in 2020 and is on a sustainable course of growth. With over 20 years of experience and more than 40 conversion customers worldwide, thereof the largest Express carriers in North America and Europe but also renowned General Freight and Combination Carriers, EFW is the Centre of Excellence for freighter conversions and driving the development of the Airbus freighter family.

About Altavair L.P.

Altavair L.P. is an asset servicer focusing on the acquisition of new and used commercial aircraft for leasing to domestic and international passenger airlines and cargo operators. Since its inception in 2003, Altavair has completed over $9 billion in commercial aircraft lease transactions with over 60 airline customers in 28 countries representing over 250 individual Boeing and Airbus aircraft. Altavair maintains offices in Seattle, London, Dublin and Singapore.

About MasAir

Aerotransportes Mas de Carga,SA de CV (dba MasAir Cargo Airline) is a Mexico City based cargo airline, operating freighter aircraft since 1992. Since 2001, MasAir has been a Boeing 767-300Fs operator. An IATA member, MasAir holds IOSA, ISAGO, TCO-EASA, and IATA CEIV Pharma, certifications. Since December 2018 MasAir has launched an ambitious expansion plan under a new ownership structure and management, with Discovery Americas -a leading Mexican Private Equity Fund- as majority shareholder. MasAir has a scheduled and charter network that spans along the Americas and is now expanding its new ACMI division with additional freighter aircraft.

MasAir issued this statement:

MasAir aircraft slide show:

MasAir aircraft photo gallery:

Airbus cancels Qatar Airways order for 50 A321neo jets in growing A350 dispute

Airbus has cancelled Qatar Airways’ order for 50 new A321neo aircraft as the dispute with the carrier grows over the A350 skin flaws.

The two parties will take the A350 dispute to a London court on April 26, 2022. Qatar is seeking $600 million in compensation.

Airhub Airlines is grated FAA approvals, operates first flight to the U.S.

Airhub Airlines has operated its first commercial flight to the United States, on its Airbus A340 aircraft bearing the Maltese registration of 9H-ZMK.

The aircraft departed Kansai International airport (KIX) Japan on January 17, 2022, making a stopover in Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) USA, before arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) USA on January 18, 2022, with further cross continental flights to Vilnius international airport (VNO) Lithuania, and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Vietnam.

The airline’s debut into the US market comes shortly after their attainment of the FAA approval to operate in the United States. Airhub Airlines has made strides since the induction of our first widebody A340 aircraft in 2021, and intends to continue in this trajectory with passenger and cargo flights to the United States planned throughout 2022.

British Airways announces new senior hires as it looks to boost its recovery from the global pandemic

Stuart Bailey / British Airways

British Airways has appointed four new leaders to its Management Committee as the airline accelerates its recovery and the delivery of its new business strategy following the most challenging period in its history.

Calum Laming becomes the airline’s Director of Business Recovery, leading its mission to rebuild its global network, resources and operations following the pandemic and ensuring the business has the resilience and agility needed in a dramatically changed aviation landscape for the years ahead. Calum is currently Chief Customer Officer at Vueling – the Barcelona-based IAG airline – and has previously held a variety of customer, brand, product and marketing roles at Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand and Etihad Airways.

Michelle Lydon has been appointed as Chief People Officer. She will shortly join British Airways from QinetiQ – global experts in defence, aerospace and security – where she was the company’s Group Human Resources Director. In her role at British Airways, Michelle will oversee the airline’s strategy for people and people transformation, learning and development, reward, strategic resourcing, recruitment, employee and industrial relations.

During the pandemic, Colm Lacy and Tom Stevens stepped up on an interim basis to the roles of Chief Commercial Officer and Director of Brand and Customer Experience respectively. Both have now been confirmed in their positions. Colm started working for British Airways in 1997 as a Finance Analyst, since then holding a number of finance and commercial positions. Tom joined British Airways on the graduate scheme in 2011, initially working in the procurement team before moving to customer and operational roles. Both have been on the Management Committee since 2021 and will continue to lead the airline’s digital-first, customer-centric strategy to ensure the airline delivers for its customers as it moves out of the pandemic.

Announcing the appointments, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle, said: “I’m incredibly pleased to welcome Calum and Michelle to British Airways and confirm Colm and Tom in their roles to help us deliver our new vision for the business.

As we recover from the global pandemic, there’s never been a more important time to have a determined, ambitious and supportive leadership team that will put our people and our customers at the heart of everything we do. There’s a lot of work to do but we’re on our way and I’m confident we can create a working culture that allows our people to thrive, deliver excellent customer service and look to a sustainable future while always continuing to do what we do best – connecting Britain with the world and the world with Britain.”

Michelle Lydon starts her new role with British Airways in February, with Calum Laming joining in April.