Lufthansa to add more flights from Munich

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

In the late summer season, Lufthansa will take off from Munich to five further European destinations. Beginning September 7, 2020, the airline will be returning to Marseille, Gothenburg, Kiev and Sibiu/Romania, and from October 5, 2020 to Graz.

Already, Lufthansa has significantly expanded its European services during the Bavarian summer holidays and added the Greek island of Rhodes to its flight schedule. In addition, the cities of Birmingham, Izmir, Tbilisi/Georgia and Cluj and Timisoara in Romania are again available non-stop from Munich. Furthermore, Luxembourg Airport will be operating flights once again from September 1, 2020. Therefore, by the end of October, Lufthansa’s Munich timetable will again include 86 destinations in Germany and Europe and 13 long-haul destinations.

Passenger safety is Lufthansa’s top priority, especially with regards to maximum hygiene on the ground and on board. The lufthansa.com website provides information on all hygiene measures that the airline has instituted, the adapted in-flight service, the current flight schedule and the flexible options for travel arrangements.

Emirates to deploy its flagship Airbus A380 to Guangzhou

Emirates has announced that it will deploy its iconic Airbus A380 aircraft to Guangzhou from August 8, 2020. The airline has also restarted its A380 operations to Amsterdam and Cairo this week, and introduced a second daily A380 service to London Heathrow, serving market demand and offering customers more travel options.

Emirates has so far resumed A380 services to 5 cities and it will gradually expand the deployment of this popular aircraft in line with demand and operational approvals. The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins.

Customers can currently fly the Emirates A380 daily to Amsterdam, four times a week to Cairo, twice daily to London Heathrow, once daily to Paris, and once weekly to Guangzhou (from 8 August).

Over the past week, Emirates has also resumed flights from Dubai to Addis Ababa, Clark, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Prague, São Paulo, Stockholm and Seychelles. With safety as a priority, the airline is gradually expanding its passenger services to 68 cities in August, returning to 50% of its pre-pandemic destination network.

Passengers travelling between the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Asia Pacific can enjoy safe and convenient connections via Dubai. Customers from Emirates’ network can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors.

COVID-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound and transit passengers arriving to Dubai (and the UAE), including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

Reuters: FAA proposes requiring key Boeing 737 MAX design changes

From Reuters:

“The Federal Aviation Administration said on Monday it is proposing requiring four key Boeing 737 MAX design changes to address safety issues seen in two crashes that killed 346 people and led to the plane’s grounding in March 2019.

The agency is issuing a proposed airworthiness directive to require updated flight-control software, revised display-processing software to generate alerts, revising certain flight-crew operating procedures, and changing the routing of some wiring bundles.”

Read the full report.

Mesa Air Group signs five-year cargo contract with DHL Express, will add Boeing 737-400Fs

Mesa Air Group has made this announcement:

Adding two Boeing 737-400F to fleet
Five-year contract with service scheduled to start October 2020
Opening a new crew and maintenance base in Cincinnati

Mesa Air Group, Inc. has announced plans to begin providing air cargo service for DHL Express with Boeing 737-400F cargo aircraft.

Under the agreement, Mesa will operate two cargo aircraft from DHL Express Americas global hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport for a five-year term. The company will lease the aircraft from DHL with the first scheduled to be in service this October.

British Airways adds more destinations this month

British Airways has made this announcement:

Throughout August, British Airways is resuming flying to more destinations, albeit with continued low frequencies while the impact of COVID-19 remains felt across the globe.

In Europe flights will resume to the holiday destinations of Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Frankfurt, Genoa, Kefalonia, Lyon, Luxembourg, Malta, Paphos and Pula, while further afield Antigua, Islamabad and Nairobi join the long-haul line-up.

Safety is at the heart of British Airways’ business and the airline has introduced a range of measures, which it requires customers and crew abide by. These include:

checking-in online, downloading their boarding pass and where possible self-scanning their boarding passes at the departure gate
observing social distancing and using hand sanitisers that are placed throughout airports
wearing a facemask at all times and bringing enough to replace them every four hours for longer flights
asking customers not to travel if they think they have any symptoms of Covid-19
cabin crew wearing PPE and a new food service, which reduces the number of interactions required with customers
asking customers to ensure they have everything they need from their hand luggage before departure, and where possible, storing their carry-on bag under the seat in front of them

The airline is cleaning all key surfaces including seats, screens, seat buckles and tray tables after every flight and each aircraft is completely cleaned from nose to tail every day. The air on all British Airways flights is fully recycled once every two to three minutes through HEPA filters, which remove microscopic bacteria and virus clusters with over 99.9% efficiency, equivalent to hospital operating theatre standards.

Qatar Airways resumes flights to Helsinki, grounds its A380s

Qatar Airways resumed three weekly flights to Helsinki on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, becoming the only Gulf carrier to serve four Nordic capitals. The resumption of Helsinki flights will see the national carrier of the State of Qatar operate 22 weekly flights to the Nordics, with daily flights to Oslo and Stockholm and five weekly flights to Copenhagen.

During the pandemic, in addition to scheduled passenger services, Qatar Airways Cargo have also operated a large number of scheduled freighters, charters and freight-only passenger aircraft to Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Gothenburg and Helsinki to support Nordic exporters and transport essential medical supplies and PPE to the region. With the resumption of passenger flights to Helsinki, the airline will operate 39 weekly flights to the Nordic region, providing more than 1400 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity each way.

Qatar Airways continues to lead the recovery of international air travel. By the start of August, the airline’s network will expand to close to 500 weekly flights to over 75 destinations. Passengers from the Nordics can connect via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport to the largest and broadest network in the region with over 30 destinations across Africa, Asia and the Middle East

Qatar Airways operations are not dependent on any specific aircraft type. The airline’s variety of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant it can continue flying by offering the right capacity in each market. Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market. The airline’s fleet of 49 Airbus A350 and 30 Boeing 787 are the ideal choice for the most strategically important long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.

Qatar Airways’ onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including London, Paris, and Frankfurt.

Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals. Passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes and boarding gates and bus gate counters are cleaned after each flight. In addition, hand sanitizers are provided at immigration and security screening points. HIA was recently ranked “Third Best Airport in the World”, among 550 airports worldwide, by the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2020. HIA was also voted the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the sixth year in a row and ‘Best Staff Service in the Middle East’ for the fifth year in a row.

Qatar Airways aircraft photo gallery:

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=5NJqVC&speed=3&transition=fade&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&transitionSpeed=2

Blue Air announces 5 new routes from Bacau starting October 1

Blue Air has made this announcement:

Starting October 1, 2020 Blue Air will fly to 13 destinations from / to its Bacau base, according to the following schedule:

Bacau – London Luton 7 flights/week

Bacau – Rome Fiumicino 7 flights/week

Bacau – Bergamo 6 flights/week

Bacau – Turin 5 flights/week

Bacau – Dublin 4 flights/week

Bacau – Bucharest Otopeni 4 flights/week NEW ROUTE

Bacau – Cluj Napoca 3 flights/week NEW ROUTE

Bacau – Brussels 3 flights/week

Bacau – Paris Beauvais 2 flights/week NEW ROUTE

Bacau – Madrid 2 flights/week

Bacau – Barcelona 2 flights/week

Bacau – Cologne 2 flights/week NEW ROUTE

Bacau – Munich 2 flights/week NEW ROUTE

“We are happy to announce the upgrade in our Bacau operations as part of our committment to focus on better connectivity between key domestic destinations and between major Romanian hubs and the rest of Europe. By allocating three aircraft to our Bacau base we are consolidating our leader position at Bacau Airport and we are strengthening our operations in Bacau with five new domestic and international routes, covering a total of 13 destinations from October 1^st.

We are looking forward to October 1^st as the day we are able to resume flights from Bacau Airport after its planned closure due to modernization works, and we are ready to better serve our passengers in Bacau with a new flight schedule that now offers direct connections between Moldova and Transylvania and opens up new destinations such as Bucharest, Cluj, Munich, Cologne and Paris” says Oana Petrescu, Blue Air CEO.

Blue Air aircraft photo gallery:

Blue Air aircraft slide show:

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=WGphGP&speed=3&transition=fade&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&transitionSpeed=2

Luxair introduces its SUMO planes

LX-LGU is the Luxair’s brand new special livery designed by SUMO!, a Luxembourgish artist and national figure of contemporary art which Luxair has decided to entrust with the mission of revamping two aircraft of its fleet: a Boeing 737-800 LX-LGU and later a Bombardier Q400 LX-LQA.

According to the airline, 11 people and 200 hours of artistic creation, an 19 hours to fix the decals on the planes were dedicated for the first aircraft of this project.

Top Copyright Photo: Luxair-Luxembourg Airlines Boeing 737-8C9 SSWL LX-LGU (msn 41047) (SUMO) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 950780.

Luxair issued this statement:

Plane spotters and travellers at Luxembourg airport will soon be astounded to see a Luxair plane sporting surprisingly bright colors and positive messages.
A unique look designed by Sumo.

Luxair wanted to offer its passengers a unique travel experience, combining art and travel. These two worlds are naturally entwined. The art of travel, the art of getting away from it all and leaving behind all those difficult months to rediscover the pleasure of travelling safely.

Sumo is a Luxembourgish artist and national contemporary art icon, who celebrates its 25th year of painting. Luxair therefore decided to entrust the artist with the make-over of two of its planes, a Boeing 737-800, registered under LX-LGU, and a de Havilland Canada Q400, registered as LX-LQA.

Christian Pearson, aka Sumo, is in charge of these makeovers that will transport Luxair passengers to new horizons with his new colorful landscapes and imaginary characters.
Sumo has dressed the fuselage with a vibrant and harmonious outfit featuring happy figures and messages. The artist will also be let loose on the cabin interior. The head rests are soon to be decorated with fresh and invigorating designs, whilst pictures of his works will also be displayed at various points in the cabin.

Sumo’s works with his wild yet controlled signature style reveal themselves the more you contemplate them. His dynamic designs are in keeping with his feisty and colossal alias, as they induce powerful sensations, whilst his words make you feel good and entice you to travel.

Luxair has created the first flying gallery in Luxembourg thanks to this collaboration. Passengers on board one of these aircraft will be able to admire the unique creations until March 2021.

Luxair is also proud to be able to promote a Luxembourgish artist through this experience by transporting his works of art across Europe.

The Boeing 737-800 (LX-LGU) took its first passengers to Ajaccio on Saturday, July 25, 2020 (flight LG-277). However, you will have to wait a few more days before the unveiling of the de Havilland Canada Q400’s new look (LX-LQA).

Luxair slide show:

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=pGJsQr&speed=3&transition=fade&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&transitionSpeed=2

Video:

Austrian Airlines expands summer flight schedule with 15 additional destinations

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

On Wednesday evening, the Austrian federal government announced that the landing bans for flights from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, Egypt, Northern Macedonia, Romania, Serbia as well as Great Britain, Sweden and Ukraine will expire on July 31. This makes it possible to reintroduce these destinations into the flight program of Austrian Airlines. The new entry regulation issued on Monday remains in force. Due to local entry regulations, Austrian Airlines last removed flights to Shanghai and Tel Aviv from its program for the month of August.

Flights to Bucharest, Chicago, Pristina and Sarajevo are to be offered as early as today, July 31. From August 1, the Austrian home carrier will be flying again to Belgrade, Cairo, Kiev, London, Podgorica, Sibiu, Skopje, Sofia, Stockholm, Tirana and Varna.

The following frequencies are planned for the month of August:

“We welcome the solution of the Austrian Federal Government, which combines the highest requirements for health protection and freedom of travel. We now intend to quickly expand our route network and re-establish our hub at Vienna Airport to provide our customers with a wide range of connecting flights in a timely manner”, explained Austrian Airlines CCO Andreas Otto.

The new entry regulations at a glance:
• No COVID-19 tests (PCR test) or quarantine measures are required for the entry of passengers from the following European countries: Andorra, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Vatican and Cyprus.
• Transfer passengers also do not require a COVID test.
• Austrians, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens as well as persons residing in Austria, who enter from a risk area, must carry a health certificate in German or English (with a negative PCR test, not older than 72 hours at entry) or, if testing was not possible prior to the entry, they are obliged to conduct a PCR test within 48 hours at their own expense. Until the negative test result is available, a self-monitored (home) quarantine must be carried out.
The following countries or areas are considered having an increased risk of Covid-19: Albania, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Egypt, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kosovo, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Nigeria, Northern Macedonia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, USA and Hubei Province (China).
• Third-country nationals are in principle subject to an entry ban, unless they enter from the Schengen area and can present a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours. After entry, these persons must also undergo a 10-day self-monitored (home) quarantine. For this purpose, they must present a confirmation of accommodation, at their own expense.
• There are exceptions for certain groups of third-country nationals. These include those persons who are in a partnership with a person living in Austria. These persons can enter without quarantine and without a COVID test if they provide the appropriate proof.

Airlines and airports issue stark warning to European Prime Ministers on inconsistent approach to travel restrictions

IATA issued this statement:

Europe’s airline and airport associations have written to Prime Ministers, Transport, Health and Home Affairs Ministers across the European Union, Schengen and the UK, setting out deep concerns over their failure to implement coherent and science-based approaches to travel restrictions.

The letter, sent jointly from Airports Council International Europe (ACI EUROPE), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is highly critical of the introduction of new restrictions relating to selected countries. Many of these restrictions, state the organisations, are inconsistent with the principles laid out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

The aviation sector has been dealt a crippling economic blow by the pandemic. Despite repeated calls for a science-based, harmonised and coordinated approach to new restrictions – differing national approaches have emerged. Some of these unilateral national measures are contrary to expert guidance and further damage consumer confidence. Moreover, the imposition of such restrictions fails to take into account other options governments have to protect their citizens, such as effective track-and-trace systems.

“The European Aviation sector is urging EU/Schengen States and the UK to reconsider restrictions to travel that have been imposed between them – including quarantines”, state the three associations in the letter. “We fail to see any valid science-based and proportionate justification for such restrictions from a health policy perspective”.

The aviation associations assert that renewed efforts must be urgently put into:

Effectively co-ordinating and aligning responses to the evolving epidemiological situation at EU level and in close co-operation with the UK, to be addressed urgently and jointly by home affairs, transport and health ministries and the European Commission;
Re-enforcing the principle of risk-based and proportionate measures – localising restrictions and NOT imposing blanket country bans, with quarantine used as a very last resport – following ECDC guidance;
Ensuring the interoperabiliy of contact tracing apps, as none of the existing apps are interoperable;
A harmonised implementation of the EASA/ECDC and ICAO Take-Off Aviation Health Safety Protocols;
Informing the public accordingly and in close cooperation with the travel and tourism industries.