Breeze Aviation Group, Inc. has notified the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that its has dropped its intent to acquire the air operators certificate (AOC) of Compass Airways.
Instead the new airline, operating as Breeze Airways, will request its own AOC and still plans to launch operations in 2021.
Eurowings responds to a changing aviation world with new customer needs by consistently offering innovative products and services: For example, Eurowings is the first German airline to launch a free middle seat that can be booked in advance of the flight. The new offer has been tested very successfully in live operation over the past few weeks and has met with an exceptionally high level of interest right from the start. Within a short period of time, Eurowings has sold more than 5,000 free middle seats via its service centre, although the new solution has not yet been actively promoted.
“The positive feedback during the test phase showed us very clearly that our guests often want more comfort and distance on board. Ultra-Lowcost’ no longer works since Corona, at least not in our home market Germany. We therefore assume that the free middle seat will become a very important product for travel in the future,” says Eurowing’s CEO Jens Bischof.
Eurowings aircraft photo gallery:
Eurowings aircraft slide show:
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, โฌ133 million in liquidity support to SATA Air Aรงores (SATA). The aid will allow the company to fulfil its public service obligations, provide essential services and ensure the connectivity of the Azores outermost region. At the same time, the Commission has opened an investigation to assess whether certain public support measures by Portugal in favour of the company are in line with EU rules on State aid to companies in difficulty.
SATA is an air transport company ultimately controlled by the Portuguese Autonomous Region of Azores. Together with another company belonging to the same group (SATA Internacional โ Azores Airlines), SATA provides air transport passenger and cargo services within Azores, and from and to several national and international destinations. With respect to certain routes, it has been entrusted with a public service obligation to ensure connectivity of the islands. SATA also provides other essential services, e.g. the management and operation of five small airports in different islands of Azores.
SATA has been facing financial difficulties already before the coronavirus outbreak, i.e. on 31 December 2019. Since at least 2014, the company has been experiencing operating losses and has reported negative equity in recent years, which has been aggravated by the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The company is currently facing urgent liquidity needs.
The Portuguese liquidity support measure
Portugal notified the Commission of its intention to grant urgent support to SATA, with the aim of providing the company with sufficient resources to address its urgent and immediate liquidity needs until the end of January 2021.
SATA is not eligible to receive support under the Commission’s State aid Temporary Framework, aimed at companies that were not already in difficulty on 31 December 2019. The Commission therefore has assessed the measure under other State aid rules, namely the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for rescue and restructuring. These enable Member States to grant temporary liquidity aid to providers of services of general economic interest to maintain and preserve essential services such as, for example air transport connectivity and airport management. This possibility is available also in case of aid granted ย by the Member State to the same company in difficulty being investigated by the Commission.
The Portuguese authorities estimated that SATA’s liquidity needs for the next six months in relation to SATA’s public service obligations and essential services amount to approximately โฌ133 million.
The Commission found that the individual aid to the company in the form of a public guarantee of up to approximately โฌ133 million on a temporary loan strictly relates to urgent liquidity needs linked to the provision by SATA of essential services including routes subject to public service obligations and services of general economic interest at local airports. It found that the aid is necessary to allow the company to continue providing these services.
On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules.
Opening of investigation into other support measures
Separately, the Commission has decided to open an investigation to assess whether certain public support measures in favour of SATA are in line with the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for rescue and restructuring.
As of 2017, the Autonomous Region of Azores, which wholly owns SATA, approved three capital increases to partly address the company’s capital shortfalls. Most of the amounts appear to have already been paid. The Portuguese authorities claim that the capital increases in question do not constitute State aid under EU rules as since the Regional Government of Azores, as the sole shareholder of SATA, acted as a private investor operating under market conditions.
The Commission will now investigate further if the capital increases constituted State aid that should have been notified to the Commission, and, if so, if the past support measures satisfy the conditions of the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for rescue and restructuring. The opening of an in-depth investigation gives Portugal and other interested parties an opportunity to submit comments. It does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.
Background
The Azores Autonomous Region is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands and 245,000 inhabitants. The Azores Region is considered as an outermost region of the European Union, located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 1,400 km from mainland Portugal. The islands can be reached from the mainland in two to three days by sea or two hours by plane. The Region is dependent of air transport for passengers and cargo, especially during the winter season, when weather conditions often render maritime transport unavailable.
Under EU State aid rules, public interventions in favour of companies can be considered free of State aid when they are made on terms that a private operator would have accepted under market conditions (the market economy operator principle – MEOP). If this principle is not respected, the public interventions involve State aid within the meaning of Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, because they confer an economic advantage on the beneficiary that its competitors do not have. The assessment criteria for public interventions in companies in difficulty are set out in the 2014 Guidelines on State aid for rescue and restructuring..
Under the Commission’s 2014 Guidelines on State aid for rescue and restructuring, companies in financial difficulty may receive State aid provided they meet certain conditions. Aid may be granted for a period of up to six months (“rescue aid”). Beyond this period, the aid must either be reimbursed or a restructuring plan must be notified to the Commission for the aid to be approved (“restructuring aid”). The plan must ensure that the long-term viability of the company is restored without further State support, that the company contributes to an adequate level to the costs of its restructuring and that distortions of competition created by the aid are addressed through compensatory measures.
By ensuring compliance with these conditions, the Commission maintains fair and effective competition between different companies in the air transport market, like in other sectors.
Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises the specific constraints of the outermost regions and provides for the adoption of specific measures in EU legislation to help these regions address the major challenges they face due to their remoteness, insularity, small size, difficult topography and climate, and economic dependence on a reduced number of products.
Azores Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
Azores Airlines aircraft slide show:
Wizz Air has announced a new base at Gatwick Airport, which will be the third base for Wizz Air UK, the groupโs UK-registered and based airline, alongside London Luton and the recently announced Doncaster Sheffield. The airline will allocate 1 Airbus A321 aircraft to the South London hub and launch four new routes to leisure destinations in Greece, Italy, Spain and Malta from October 22, 2020.
Wizz Air started flying from Gatwick in 2016, and since then has carried almost 1 million passengers. With the creation of a new base at Gatwick, Wizz Air will offer passengers even more affordable travel opportunities, with 450,000 seats per annum on sale on its new routes to popular holiday destinations including Athens (Greece), Naples (Italy), Lanzarote (Spain) and Malta for the remainder of the year.
WIZZ AIRโS NEWEST ROUTES FROM LONDON GATWICK
| Route | Operating Days | Starts | Fares from** |
| London Gatwick โ Lanzarote | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 23 Oct 2020 | ยฃ26.99 |
| London Gatwick โ Athens | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday | 22 Oct 2020 | ยฃ26.99 |
| London Gatwick โ Malta | Monday, Wednesday, Friday | 23 Oct 2020 | ยฃ21.99 |
| London Gatwick โ Naples | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday | 22 Oct 2020 | ยฃ26.99 |
*Wizz Airโs carbon-dioxide emissions were the lowest among European airlines in the rolling 12 months to April 2020 (57.2 gr/km/passenger)
**One-way price, including taxes, administration and other non-optional charges. One carry-on bag (max: 40x30x20cm) is included. Trolley bag and each piece of checked-in baggage is subject to additional fees. The price applies only to bookings made on wizzair.com and the WIZZ mobile app.
*** 50% discount applies to WIZZ Flex service per flight, per passenger, when purchased with basic fare ticket when booking on wizzair.com during the promotional period. ย The promotion does not apply to group bookings and WIZZ Go, WIZZ Plus & Flex bundle tickets. By purchasing WIZZ Flex service during the promotional period you acknowledge and accept the above terms and the terms and conditions of WIZZ Flex.
****ACI suggests creation of 750 on-site jobs for every million carried passengers
In other news, the company has also announcedย 7 new destinations from Riga, including the splendid Reykjavik, Hamburg and Stockholm Skavsta.
Ryanair hasย announced that it would reduce its flight capacity by 20% during the months of September and October as forward bookings have notably weakened over the last 10 days, given continuing uncertainty over recent COVID-19 case rates in some EU countries.
Ryanair confirmed that most of these cuts would be frequency reductions rather than route closures, and they will be heavily focused on those countries such as Spain, France and Sweden, where rising recent COVID-19 case rates have led to increased travel restrictions, and Ireland which continues to impose a uniquely restrictive Green List, which imposes 14 day quarantines on visitors from most other EU countries such as Germany (16.3) and the UK (18.6), which have lower COVID-19 case rates over the last 14 days than Ireland (22.1).
A Spokesperson for Ryanair said:
โThese capacity cuts and frequency reductions for the months of September and October are necessary given the recent weakness in forward bookings due to COVID restrictions in a number of EU countries. Any effected passengers in September received email notification earlier advising them of their options. Similar communications will be issued to the small number of affected passengers in October later. Over the past 2 weeks as a number of EU countries have raised travel restrictions, forward bookings especially for business travel into September and October have been negatively affected, and it makes sense to reduce frequencies so that we tailor our capacity to demand over the next 2 months.
Proper testing at airports, and effective tracing (as is being conducted in Germany and Italy) is the only realistic and proportionate method of supervising safe intra-EU air travel while effectively limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.โ
British Airways on August 18 is retiring its first Boeing 747 since announcing last month that all 31 of its jumbo jets had sadly flown their last commercial services.
The Boeing 747-400, registration G-CIVD, departed from London Heathrow on Tuesday, August 18 at 9am local time under flight number BA9170E after more than 25 magnificent years of flying.
Above Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 747-436 G-CIVD (msn 27349) (Oneworld) LHR (SPA). Image: 935730.
British Airways aircraft slide show:
British Airwaysโ fleet of 747s are being retired at an accelerated rate as a result of the devastating impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the airline and the aviation sector, which is not predicted to recover to 2019 levels until at least 2024*.
Al Bridger, British Airwaysโ Director of Flight Operations, said: โAll of us at British Airways and so many of our customers will have fond memories and special moments from our travels on the iconic jumbo jet.
โAs a pilot who was lucky enough to fly the aircraft, the sheer scale of it was unforgettable, you literally looked down on other aircraft. It changed aviation forever when it arrived in the skies and I know I speak for our customers and the global aviation community when I say, despite rightly moving toย more sustainable ways of flying, we will still miss the 747 dearly.โ
A full fact file on G-CIVD is below.
British Airways 747 – G-CIVD fact file:
| Date it entered service | 14 December 1994 |
| Retirement date | 19 August 2020 |
| Popular / recent routes | Last flight was to Lagos, part of the repatriation effort, on 18 April 2020 |
| Liveries worn | Landor โ โCity of Coventryโ
Current: Union Flag / Chatham Dockyard with oneworld logo |
| Seating configuration | First: 14
Club: 52 World Traveller Plus: 36 World Traveller: 243 |
| Facts and stats (approximate) | Top speed: 565mph
Take off speed: 180mph Length: 70.6m, Height: 19.41m, Wingspan: 64.4m Weight: 184 tonnes, maximum take-off weight 378 tonnes 4 x Rolls-Royce RB211-524 engines Flown 115,276.8 hours, 13,364 flights and over 50 million miles |
The 747 has been an iconic part of British Airwaysโ fleet for nearly fifty years. At one point the airline operated 57 of the aircraft, with the jumbo jetโs first flight to New York in 1971.
The fuel-hungry aircraft were slowly being phased out by British Airways as they reached the end of their working life in order to help meet the companyโs commitment to net zero by 2050. The airline has invested heavily in new, modern long-haul aircraft including six A350s and 32 787s which are around 25 per cent more fuel-efficient than the 747.
A Boeing 777 Freighter on August 17 joined the Volga-Dnepr Group fleet of 24 Boeing freighters, departing Paine Field in Everett, Washington. The fuel efficient twin-engine freighter will begin operations with AirBridgeCargo, a subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr.
AirBridgeCargo will operate the airplane via a sale-leaseback agreement with Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE).
Volga-Dnepr Group is among the world’s largest Boeing freighter operators, flying 17 747 freighters and five 737 freighters, including 13 747-8F, four 747-400ERF, two 737-800BCF and three 737-400SF.
Above Copyright Photo: AirBridgeCargo Airlines-ABC Boeing 777F VQ-BAO (msn 66625) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 950771.
The 777 Freighter, which can fly 4,970 nautical miles (9,200 kilometers), can carry a payload of 224,900 lbs. (102,010 kg), more cargo capacity than any other twin-engine freighter. Of all production freighters, only the 747F and 777 Freighter are capable of carrying tall and outsized cargo loads on 3-meter (10-foot) tall pallets. This common main-deck pallet height capability enables interchangeable pallets for both models. In addition, the 777F main deck side cargo door is extraordinarily wide at 3.72 meters (146.5 inches), giving that airplane outsized carriage capability beyond tall payloads.
AirBridgeCargo Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
AirBridgeCargo Airlines aircraft slide show:
ATRAN Airlines, express air cargo carrier within Volga-Dnepr Group, has expanded its network with bringing Shijiazhuang (China) into the loop. The carrier intends toย operate the flights onย aย weekly basis toย Vnukovo International Airport inย Moscow (Russia) where itย isย based.
The maiden flight, which was operated on August 8, 2020, lifted almost 15ย tons ofย e-commerce-related consolidated cargo. ATRAN isย planning toย deploy both types ofย its freightersย โ Boeing 737-400SF and Boeing 737-800BCFย โ toย guarantee high-quality services for its customers and final consignees who expect on-time delivery ofย their online purchases.
With Shijiazhuang being the capital ofย Hebei Province and neighboring Beijing and Tianjin toย the north, the city covers the catchment area ofย North China. After booming growth ofย e-commerce and its penetration across first-tier cities ofย China, second-tier cities, likes ofย Xiโan and Shijiazhuang, are becoming active game-players and accumulate stable traffic toย Russia.
Shijiazhuang isย the latest addition toย ATRANโs network which complements existing Xiโan, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Urumqi and Zhengzhou most effectively and will provide greater delivery options for ATRANโs customers.
Etihad Airways has announced the expansion of its partnership with AccesRail, the worldโs leading provider of air-rail intermodal solutions. The partnership allows Etihad to use AccesRail’s expertise to enable its customers to book train and coach tickets in Europe in conjunction with their air fare using the airlineโs online booking platform, or through their travel agency.
Etihadโs guests can connect to and from their international flights to rail routes operated by major European railway companies using the airlineโs โEYโ code, including an expanded network of seven rail routes on Germanyโs Deutsche Bahn from Frankfurt Main Airport. The partnership with AccesRail has also been extended to the United Kingdom to include 16 destinations westbound from London Heathrow on Great Western Railway, and subject to final government approval, to 28 cities across Italy on the countryโs primary rail operator, Trenitalia.
The expansion will also see additional inter-city coach services in the United Kingdom operated by National Express to 28 major British towns and cities from London Heathrow, and five from Manchester Airport.
Ali Saleh, Etihad Airways Vice President Alliances and Partnerships, said: โThis is a tremendous product, which provides convenient rail or coach connections at some of our key gateways in Europe, enabling customers to commence their Etihad journey from multiple domestic points with the best fares available, all on the same itinerary and ticket.
โAs we aim to personalise the guest experience in-flight by providing more choice and greater customisation, we continue to source more strategic partnerships which will mirror this on the ground, giving options and benefits to the many who choose to travel with us in Europe. We soon hope to expand the partnership with AccesRail to more continents.โ
Etihad Airways has operated a similar agreement with Franceโs SNCF, providing codeshare services to 20 destinations on the French domestic rail network from the airlineโs Paris gateway.
Andrew Popescu, Vice President Business Development, AccesRail, said: โWe are excited to be deepening our Etihad-AccesRail cooperation and look forward to continuing with Etihad on
a global scale. Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, Etihad will be able, now and in the future, to offer its customers more destinations and more possibilities.โ
In operation for more than 20 years, Montreal-headquartered AccesRail is present on most global GDS systems, and partnering with major rail companies in Europe, USA, Canada, Korea, and Japan, making it possible for customers to book and purchase air and rail travel on the same itinerary.
More information is available on www.etihad.com.
Destination guide (effective immediately).
ย
Deutsche Bahn (Germany)
| From | To |
| FRA – Frankfurt | QDU – Dusseldorf |
| ย | ZMB – Hamburg |
| ย | ZVR – Hannover |
| ย | XIT – Leipzig Halle |
| ย | ZMU – Munich |
| ย | ZAQ – Nuremberg |
| ย | ZWS – Stuttgart |
Great Western Railway (United Kingdom)
| From | To |
| LHR – London Heathrow | QQX – Bath |
| UBW – Bridgwater | |
| BPR – Bristol Parkway | |
| TPB – Bristol Temple Meads | |
| CFW – Cardiff | |
| EXS – Exeter | |
| GLO – Gloucester | |
| XNE – Newport | |
| OXQ – Oxford | |
| PCW – Par | |
| PZE – Penzance | |
| PLH – Plymouth | |
| USX – St Austell | |
| SWS – Swansea | |
| XWS – Swindon | |
| TTY – Taunton |
National Express coach services (United Kingdom)
| From | To |
| MAN – Manchester | BHX – Birmingham |
| ZFC – Bradford | |
| ZLZ – Leeds | |
| LXC – Liverpool | |
| ZMP – Manchester | |
| LHR – London Heathrow | QQX – Bath Spa |
| BHX – Birmingham | |
| BOH – Bournemouth | |
| BSH – Brighton | |
| BRS – Bristol | |
| CBG – Cambridge | |
| CWL – Cardiff | |
| CHW – Cheltenham Spa | |
| CLB – Colchester | |
| CVT – Coventry | |
| EXT – Exeter | |
| LGW – Gatwick | |
| QEW – Leicester | |
| LTN – Luton Airport | |
| KYN – Milton Keynes | |
| XNE – Newport | |
| NWI – Norwich | |
| ZGB – Nottingham | |
| OXF – Oxford | |
| POQ – Poole | |
| PLH – Plymouth | |
| RNW – Ringwood | |
| SOU – Southampton | |
| STN – Stansted | |
| SWS – Swansea | |
| XWS – Swindon | |
| TTY – Taunton | |
| WNC – Winchester |
Note: Trenitalia services will be announced once government approvals received.
easyJet (UK) has now confirmed it will close three bases including London-Stansted, London-Southend and Newcastle effective on September 1, 2020.
The airline will continue to serve Amsterdam, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Glasgow from Stansted, and Nice, Belfast, and Bristol will continue to be served from Newcastle.
easyJet aircraft photo gallery:
easyJet aircraft slide show:
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