Lufthansa Group is looking to hire more than 5000 new employees in 2019

Lufthansa Group has made this announcement for 2019:

Approximately 5500 new employees will be cleared for takeoff with a career in Lufthansa Group this year – in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium alone, the home markets of the aviation group. The company is looking to hire over 1300 flight attendants – primarily at the Munich hub and at SWISS in Zürich. For the core Lufthansa brand, around 1200 new hires are planned at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs, in all business areas. Lufthansa Group is also hiring a large number of additional employees worldwide.

In addition, up to 500 future pilots are to begin their training as flight students with Lufthansa Aviation Training at the European Flight Academy in 2019. In order to stabilize flight operations after a turbulent summer, Lufthansa Group is investing approximately a quarter of a billion euros. For instance, around 600 employees are being hired to ensure quality in operations.

Highly professional environment and attractive employment conditions

There are over 500 job profiles in the globally operating aviation group that has over 550 subsidiaries and affiliates. Potential applicants can find available positions in the career portal Be-Lufthansa (www.be-lufthansa.com). Over 170,000 applications were submitted through this platform in 2018. “This shows once again how popular Lufthansa is as an employer with its various business areas,” says Bettina Volkens, Chief Officer Corporate Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. As an international employer with employees hailing from 147 different countries, Lufthansa Group emphasizes diversity – and not just in terms of language and origin. “Equal opportunities for men and women at every level, that is what I stand for and that is what I stand up for,” Volkens says. “We offer a highly professional environment, attractive employment conditions and are standard-setting in professional training. Moving forward, we plan to bring even more young employees into the company than before as well as promote our talents through a wide range of programs.”

Wanted: technological know-how and IT skills

Lufthansa Technik Group is set to grow significantly this year: “Die Technik” is looking for over 1200 new colleagues in Germany, including several hundred operational employees, 400 direct entries and more than 200 apprentices. Lufthansa Group is also looking to hire well over 600 IT specialists in Germany. Lufthansa Systems already positioned itself successfully as an employer within the IT environment last year with the campaign “Aviation Heroes wanted”. And the same is true this year: IT is key, be that at Lufthansa Systems or at for example Industry Solutions (350 projected new hires) or Lufthansa Airlines (150). There is also a group-wide program that will employ 15 IT trainees.

Over 300 apprentices in Germany

Over 300 new positions for junior employees are planned in Germany for this year and almost 80 will start their vocational training at SWISS and Austrian Airlines in Switzerland and Austria. On top of this, around 60 trainees will be off to a flying start in Lufthansa Group this year. The group currently offers ten cooperative degree programs as well as vocational training in 29 different skilled occupations and several trainee programs.

Lufthansa Group at a glance: passenger transportation is the biggest business segment of Lufthansa Group and is carried out by the airlines Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Eurowings and Brussels Airlines as well as SunExpress. The other business areas, including logistics, engineering and catering and additional group companies are leaders in their respective fields.

As of September 30, 2018, Lufthansa Group had approximately 135,000 employees. Around 32,000 of them work at Lufthansa. With 40,000 employees, Lufthansa Group is the largest employer in Frankfurt and Hessen; the group has more than 70,000 employees in Germany.

Qatar Airways celebrates a year of success in 2018

Qatar Airways has looked back on its achievements in 2018:

Qatar Airways proudly celebrates a successful year of robust network expansion, new aircraft deliveries and groundbreaking global sports sponsorship agreements, as it looks with anticipation to 2019.

As the first airline in the world to take delivery of the Airbus A350-1000 in February 2018, Qatar Airways proved once again that it leads where other airlines follow in providing passengers with the most technologically advanced aircraft available. As well as receiving the first Airbus A350-1000, the airline received 25 additional aircraft to the fleet throughout the year, increasing the total number in its fleet to 226.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Our achievements in 2018 prove that Qatar Airways has not wavered from its strategy and vision of constant growth and development, in order to provide our passengers the finest onboard experience every time they travel. We have demonstrated that we will not rest in our determination to push the boundaries in redefining the travel experience for each and every one of our customers.

“As we conclude 2018, we remain committed to setting the highest standards of excellence and quality in the industry, and look forward to welcoming an exciting 2019.”

Above Photo: Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1041 A7-ANA (msn 088) LHR (SPA). Image: 943794.

A350-1000: In February, the airline took delivery of the world’s first Airbus A350-1000 as the global launch customer of the world’s most technologically advanced aircraft. The new A350-1000 went into full commercial service on the airline’s Doha-London route, on which the A350-900, the A380, Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner already operate, offering six flights a day between Qatar and the United Kingdom’s capital to Heathrow Airport and 16 weekly flights to London Gatwick. It is the first Airbus aircraft to be fitted with Qatar Airways’ revolutionary Qsuite Business Class seat. In October, the aircraft was added to the airline’s New York route.

In the same month, the airline announced that it had upgraded five of its current order of A350-900s to the higher-capacity A350-1000. The airline has already taken delivery of 35 A350 aircraft (29 A350-900 and six A350-1000) from the total order of 76 A350 XWBs.

Route Expansion: One of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, Qatar Airways launched a host of exciting new destinations in 2018, including: Cardiff, United Kingdom; Canberra, Australia; Mombasa; Kenya; Gothenburg, Sweden; Da Nang, Vietnam; and Thessaloniki, Greece. The airline also launched seasonal services to Mykonos, Greece; Bodrum and Antalya, Turkey; and Málaga, Spain

The airline also added a host of new frequencies to several popular destinations including Montreal, Maldives, Bangkok, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Amman, Muscat, Helsinki, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Vienna, Oslo, Copenhagen, Manchester and Zurich. These additions provided even more flexibility for both business and leisure passengers.

Qsuite added to routes: In 2018, Qatar Airways added its award-winning, patented Business Class seat, Qsuite, to routes including Shanghai, São Paulo, Chicago, Houston, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Canberra and Sydney. Passengers in these cities now have the opportunity to experience the airline’s renowned Business Class product, named ‘World’s Best Business Class Seat’ by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax.

Cargo: 2018 was a highly successful year for the airline’s Cargo division, with cargo volumes having increased by 10.6 per cent in 2018 compared to 2017. The highlight has been the launch of transpacific services, direct from Macau to Los Angeles and Mexico City. The new freighter service demonstrates the carrier’s commitment to customers in helping their business grow, offering them reduced flight times and quicker service without a stopover in Doha.

The cargo carrier bagged two prestigious awards in 2018 – International Cargo Airline of the Year at Air Cargo India Event and Best Air Cargo Carrier – Middle East at the Asian Freight Logistics & Supply Chain Awards. These awards recognise the carrier’s continued drive and emphasis in delivering the highest levels of service in the air cargo industry. Two brand new Boeing 777 freighters joined its cargo fleet, bringing up the total freighter fleet to 25.

Sponsorships: The airline signed a record-number of sporting sponsorships with top-tier teams in 2018, further cementing Qatar’s role as a global centre for sport.

Bayern Munich: In March, the airline signed a five-year partnership agreement with leading German football team FC Bayern München AG, further strengthening Qatar’s role as a global leader in sports. Under the agreement, the award-winning airline became an FC Bayern München platinum partner until June 2023.

AS Roma: In April, Qatar Airways signed a multi-year partnership agreement with Italian football club AS Roma, further strengthening the award-winning airline’s commitment to Italy. The agreement, the largest ever signed by the club, sees Qatar Airways become AS Roma’s Main Global Partner, with the airline’s logo to adorn the team’s shirts through the 2020-21 season.

Boca Juniors: In May, Qatar Airways became the Official Jersey Sponsor of the world-renowned Argentinian football club the Boca Juniors through the 2022/23 season. The new partnership further strengthens Qatar Airways’ global partnership portfolio and will see the airline’s logo proudly appear on the club’s jerseys, allowing the Qatar Airways brand to be seen by millions of football fans around the world.

Barclays: In October, Qatar Airways became the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the team’s home, Barclays Center, the Brooklyn, New York venue that hosts many of the world’s most exciting entertainment and sporting events. This marks the first major partnership between the airline and an NBA team or venue.

CONMEBOL: In October, Qatar Airways became Official Global Airline Partner of The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), adding another strong sporting partnership to its expanding portfolio. As part of the agreement, Qatar Airways will be the sponsor of CONMEBOL’s professional football club competitions across South America for the next 4.5 years, with immediate effect through 2022, including the Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores, South America’s most prestigious football competition, as well as the Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana and the CONMEBOL Recopa.

FIFA 2018 World Cup Russia: As the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA, Qatar Airways brought football fans from around the world to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia^TM, one of the most highly-anticipated events on the global sports calendar.

Oryx Kids Club: In March 2018, Qatar Airways launched the Oryx Kids Club, designed to encourage children to explore the world by making their in-flight experience even more fun and inspiring. As part of the club, the airline introduced five new hero characters: Orry the Oryx and his twin sister, Orrah; Kamil the Camel; Faaiz the Falcon, and Farah the Desert Fox. Oryx Kids Club offers an enhanced experience for its youngest travellers by providing them with specially designed plush toys, activity packs, and special meal boxes featuring their favourite super heroes from the Oryx Kids Club.

Van Don International Airport opens on December 30 in Quang Ninh province in Vietnam

After two years of construction, Van Don International Airport opened on December 30, 2018 in Quang Ninh province — home to the UNESCO world Heritage site Halong Bay — just 220 kilometers from the capital Hanoi.

This is the first ever international airport in Vietnam to be developed by a private company, namely, Sun Group — the country’s premier developer of tourism, leisure and entertainment-focused properties and projects.

With a total investment of VND7.463 billion (US$310 million), the airport was constructed with the assistance of NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants), one of the world’s leading airport consultancy and engineering firms.

“It is the most modern airport in Vietnam. It will have positive influences on the passengers’ experience here in the airport,” said Romy Berntsen, a project manager and architect from NACO.

Besides being equipped with the latest airport technologies in the main terminal, and a state-of-the-art runway, the new airport features a beautiful design inspired by the heavenly Halong Bay, which is just 50km away.

As a new gateway for both domestic and international travellers coming to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Halong Bay, the airport will receive an estimated 2 to 2.5 million passengers annually for the next two years and five million per year by 2030.

On the same day, Sun Group officially unveiled two more major new infrastructures projects in Quang Ninh, namely, the new Halong-Van Don Highway and Halong International Cruise Port. The new four-lane, 60km-long highway will reduce travel time from Van Don Airport to Halong city to just under 50 minutes.

With total investment of VND1,032 billion (US$43 million), Halong International Cruise Port is the first ever cruise port dedicated exclusively to receiving international cruise ships.

Located in Bai Chay ward, Halong City, the port can accommodate two cruise ships(up to 225,000 GRT each) at the same time and a total of 8,460 passengers, including crew.

The port terminal, designed by Bill Bensley, one of the world’s most renowned and innovative architects, will be a new landmark for the city and Quang Ninh Province.

The opening of all three major infrastructure projects will play an immense role in tapping the province’s full tourism potential and create new opportunities for international trade and economic cooperation.

Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to use the new airport.

Videos:

Etihad Airways looks back at 2018, will fly the 787 to Hong Kong

Etihad Airways is looking back at its accomplishments in 2018:

In other news, Etihad Airways will introduce the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily scheduled service from Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong, effective March 31, 2019. The two-class aircraft will replace the Airbus A330-200 aircraft currently operating the route.

The new 787-9 Dreamliner service to Hong Kong will feature the airline’s next-generation Business and Economy cabins, configured with 299 seats – 28 Business Studios and 271 Economy Smart Seats – a capacity increase of six seats in Business and 31 in Economy in each direction, and an increase in belly-hold cargo capacity of four tonnes.

Timetable

Boeing 787 schedule to Hong Kong effective March 31, 2019

Flight	Origin	Departs	Destination	Arrives	Frequency	Aircraft
EY 834	Abu Dhabi	22:05	Hong Kong	10:05	Daily	Boeing 787-9
EY 833	Hong Kong	19:05	Abu Dhabi	23:25	Daily	Boeing 787-9

Notes: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner A6-BLN (msn 39659) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 938290.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Air New Zealand celebrates the year in the air

Air New Zealand has looked back at its operation in 2018:

Air New Zealand operated around 188,000 flights this year, with its customers collectively flying 29.85 billion kilometers since January 1, 2018.

Of its most frequent flyers, an Auckland based customer flew a whopping 639,000 kilometers in 2018 – the equivalent to 15 circuits of the earth – making them Air New Zealand’s farthest flyer for the year.

The airline’s most frequent flyer took 371 flights in 2018, and the top three travellers together clocked up 1.25 million kilometers in the air– earning more than 31,000 Airpoints Dollars between them.

Keeping customers fed, watered and caffeinated on the 17 million journeys the airline enables annually is an around-the-clock operation, and since 1 January 2018 –

More than 6.3 million meals were served across the airline’s global network. Malay chicken with steamed rice was the most popular main dish in Economy class with 294,000 portions served.
Beef osso bucco with caramelised onions was the most popular of the 1.3 million New Zealand beef and lamb meals served in the air.
The most popular dish in the airline’s premium cabins was Peter Gordon’s blackened King salmon with saffron potato mash and edamame.
The airline poured more than seven million glasses of exclusively New Zealand wines onboard and in its lounges, with sauvignon blanc the preferred tipple.
Air New Zealand’s expanded Kiwi beer selection proved popular, with 512,000 cans of beer served inflight – up 7.5 percent on the year prior.
Customers also munched their way through 15.3 million of Air New Zealand’s iconic lollies.

Travellers enjoyed thousands of hours of inflight entertainment, with The Greatest Showman the most viewed film on Air New Zealand flights – seen 168,500 times in the past year. Kiwi band Six60’s track Closer was the most listened to, with around 6,500 hits each month.

More customers also chose to minimise the footprint of their flights in 2018, with close to 27,000 tons of carbon offset this calendar year.

Air New Zealand Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Mike Tod says the airline keeps close eye daily on traveller preferences so that it can deliver what matters most to them.

“Air New Zealand prides itself on our warm Kiwi service on the ground and in the air. And customers continue to appreciate the taste of the nation when they are with us, whether it be the selection of our outstanding New Zealand wines or menus created by our award-winning chefs Peter Gordon and Michael Meredith,” Mr Tod says.

“We’d like to thank those who have travelled with us in 2018, which has had its fair share of challenges, as schedules have been disrupted by the impact of issues with the Rolls Royce engines that power some of our 787s and significant weather events around the country.”

Following the launch of direct flights to Chicago and Taipei, 2019 is shaping up to be the airline’s biggest year yet, with Air New Zealand expecting to fly 18 million customers in the coming 12 months.

Air New Zealand aircraft slide show:

Brussels Airlines to retire the last SuperJet SSJ100 on January 7

Brussels Airlines, according to Routes Online, is retiring its leased CityJet Sukhoi SuperJet 100 operation early in January 2019.

The last flight will be be on January 7, 2019 between Billund and the Brussels hub.

CityJet’s fleet includes 25 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, 13 BAe RJ85 and 6 Sukhoi SSJ100 Superjets operating from bases in Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, London, Paris, Stockholm, Tallinn and Vilnius.

Top Copyright Photo: Brussels Airlines (CityJet) Sukhoi Superjet 100-95B EI-FWD (msn 95105) BSL (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 937386.

Brussels Airlines aircraft slide show:

American Airlines adds flights for college football’s championship game

American Airlines is announcing new service to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California for the college football championship game. Nonstop flights from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) in South Carolina and Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Alabama to SJC are available for purchase now.

American already operates up to 16 flights per day to SJC from four of its hubs: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW); O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago; Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix, Arizona; and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

In total, college football fans will have 16 American flights to SJC to choose from January 5, 2019 and even more options for the trip home January 8, 2019 with 17 American flights scheduled from SJC.

Schedule of added direct service

Date	Departure airport	Arrival airport	Departure time	Arrival time	Aircraft type
Jan. 5	GSP	SJC	12:15 p.m.	2:58 p.m.	Airbus A321
Jan. 5	BHM	SJC	10:10 a.m.	1:15 p.m.	Airbus A321
Jan. 8	SJC	GSP	10:45 a.m.	6:33 p.m.	Boeing 737
Jan. 8	SJC	GSP	1:45 p.m.	9:24 p.m.	Boeing 737
Jan. 8	SJC	BHM	10 a.m.	4:35 p.m.	Boeing 737
Jan. 8	SJC	BHM	2:15 p.m.	8:50 p.m.	Boeing 737

American has more service than any other airline from GSP and BHM today, and with this announcement in support of the championship game, increases daily service to up to 20 flights per day from GSP and up to 21 flights per day from BHM.

Top Copyright Photo: American Airlines Airbus A321-231 WL N934AA (msn 7500) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 945009.

American aircraft slide show:

Emirates develops innovative application to reduce aircraft turnaround delays at Dubai hub

Emirates passengers travelling from or transiting through Dubai International Airport (DXB) can expect fewer instances of delays associated with aircraft turnaround thanks to a new innovative application built in-house by Emirates called the Hub Monitor.

Hub Monitor is being used by Emirates’ operational staff in Dubai to share and monitor real time information on the various activities that are carried out to prepare an aircraft for departure. Through its monitoring and proactive alerting system, the application helps avoid delays and improve on-time performance ultimately leading to a better passenger experience.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer said: “The Hub Monitor application is a unique and innovative tool developed in line with our vision to continuously re-examine our processes and introduce smart and more efficient means to improve our operations resulting in better passenger experience. Our Operations team in coordination with IT have led the development of the hub monitoring system in a record time of five months, building on an existing solution that was already developed by Emirates Engineering. The team examining the various functions of Hub Monitor in real time are working to roll out further modules and the next module will be implemented later this month.”

Emirates Aircraft Turnaround in Dubai

Emirates is the world’s largest international airline operating a fleet of 270 modern all wide-body fleet of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Every day around 255 Emirates flights depart from Dubai to destinations across six continents. Flights range in duration from less than an hour to over 17 hours. In order to avoid flight delays and inconvenience to passengers, it is critically important to efficiently turnaround the aircraft arriving in Dubai and prepare them for their next departure without compromising on quality or safety.

It currently takes about 105 minutes to turnaround the Emirates A380, the world’s largest commercial passenger jet, and about 90 minutes to prepare the Boeing 777 aircraft for departure at Emirates’ hub in Dubai.

There are a number of activities involved in the aircraft turnaround process. Some of these include a complete cleaning of aircraft interiors, water and toilet servicing, flight catering and loading meals for passengers, servicing the aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit (APU), refuelling the aircraft, maintenance checks, and loading passenger luggage and cargo. A delay in any one of these activities can have a cumulative impact on operations.

Hub Monitor

With Hub Monitor, cross-functional teams from departments including Engineering, Network Control, Airport Services, Flight Operations, and dnata Operations keep track of the turnaround activities on a real time basis. The application also triggers alerts to operational staff when there is a delay or deviation to any above or below wing activity against a pre-set Precision Timing Schedule (PTS). These pre-emptive alerts allow Emirates’ teams to identify and resolve the root cause of any potential delays. In fact, Hub Monitor has already demonstrated its potential, versatility and scalability and has been chosen as the platform for some of Emirates’ key internal initiatives on disruption and fulfilment.

Hub Monitor integrates data coming in from a number of internal platforms and real-time aircraft downlinks. It then provides the consolidated data through a single view interface to relevant internal stakeholders. Hub Monitor is also mobile enabled, meaning staff deployed on the aircraft, ramp and in other remote areas can also easily access the information.

The application provides information on all Emirates’ aircraft in Dubai, allowing teams the ability to proactively recalibrate and plan their activities to minimise the impact of any unavoidable or unforeseen delays. Initial results since the application was deployed in August indicate that Hub Monitor has the potential to bring about a significant delay reduction at Emirates’ Dubai hub every year.

California Pacific Airlines suspends Carlsbad operations

California Pacific Airlines has made this announcement:

California Pacific Airlines has temporarily suspended Carlsbad flights and ticket sales due to being impacted by the nationwide pilot shortage. We are in the process of training new qualified pilots who will allow us to relaunch services soon. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to flying again soon. January flights will be refunded.

For the record, California Pacific operated the last flight from Carlsbad, CA on December 22, 2018.

Top Copyright Photo: California Pacific Airlines Embraer ERJ 145ER (EMB-145ER) N286SK (msn 145443) CLD (James Helbock). Image: 944866.

Route Map:

Thai Kom Airlines signs Letter of Intent to acquire six SSJ100 airliners

Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Thai Kom Airlines Company Limited and WishV, the maintenance and repair organization, as part of the intergovernmental Russia-Thailand economy panel.

The LOI was signed at the presence of the Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov.

According to the terms of the agreement, six SSJ100 will be delivered in 2019-2020.

It is anticipated that the agreement will be turned into the firm order early in 2019.