flyVista (Tbilisi), the airline division of Vista Georgia, has ended scheduled passenger operations according to ATW. Their website has gone dark.
The airline was hurt by the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 and the on-going conflict in the eastern part of the Ukraine.
flyVista was partnering with Aerovista (Dubai), an aircraft leasing, trading and management company, which provided the two Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Aerovista has decided to operate the aircraft elsewhere.
Read the full account from The Rakayat Post: CLICK HERE
The Georgian airline began operations on August 5, 2014.
Qatar Airways (Doha), as the global launch customer for the Airbus A350-900 XWB, became the first airline to operate the worldโs newest aircraft to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region today (May 11), with the inaugural A350-900 XWB service arriving in Singapore’s Changi Airport.
Upon touching down at Singapore Changi Airport, flight QR 944 was greeted by a traditional water cannon salute (above), a long-held tradition to welcome special flights or planes to an airport, and an exclusive welcome ceremony.
Qatar Airwaysย currently operates a double-daily service to Singapore with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (below) and the aircraft will be progressively replaced by the next-generation A350-900 XWB.
Photo Above: Qatar Airways. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner A7-BCB (msn 38320).
In addition, from later this summer, Qatar Airways will add an additional daily flight to Singapore, as part of its global expansion drive and to cater to the increase in passenger demand. All three daily flights will be operated using the A350-900 XWB by mid-August.
In addition,ย Qatar Airways has announced an expansion to its UAE services with the launch of nonstop flights to Ras Al Khaimah, commencing on October 1, 2015.
Operating daily, flight QR 1120 will depart Dohaโs Hamad International Airport at 20:15 hours and arrive at Ras Al Khaimah International Airport at 22.30 hours. The return flight QR 1121 will depart at 23:30 hours and arrive in Doha at 23:45 hours.
Additionally the carrier announced the introduction of Qatar Airwaysโ newest offering, the Doha-Dubai Shuttle. Having launched this week, the Doha-Dubai Shuttle will offer flights from Dohaโs Hamad International Airport to Dubai International Airport, as well as Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.
The new service which is the first of its kind flying between the two cities brings with it a number of enhanced services that will reduce overall travel time and increase convenience for passengers. The shuttle service, along with its many perks, will be offered on each of the 18 daily flights between the two cities, with 14 flights to and from Dubai International Airport and four to and from Al Maktoum International Airport.
Copyright Photo Above: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 A7-ADX (msn 3397) departs from tropical Doha, Qatar.
According to the airline, “passengers on the Doha-Dubai Shuttle will also be able to enjoy the newly unveiled Qatar Airways inflight entertainment system with its brand new design and identity. The new brand โOryx One – Explore. Play. Share.โ embraces Qatar Airwaysโ corporate colours and will provide passengers with a comprehensive experience of entertainment, information and connectivity.
Video: Qatar Airways. The new Oryx One on Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (below) announced the launch of the Doha-Dubai Shuttle and the unveiled new brand identity of the airlineโs inflight entertainment during a press conference on the opening day of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) โ the Middle Eastโs premier travel show โ taking place in Dubai this week.
Photo Above: Qatar Airways.ย Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker announces the carrier’s 2015 expansion plans and latest undertakings during a press conference at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
Specially branded and dedicated check-in counters located at Row 5 at Hamad International Airport will be available for all passengers travelling from Doha to Dubai on the Doha-Dubai Shuttle. Passengers who plan on checking in baggage must check in no later than one hour before their scheduled departure time. Return flights from Dubai to Doha also require check in of a minimum of one hour before the scheduled departure time for all passengers, including those with only hand baggage.
Passengers flying on the Qatar Airways Doha-Dubai Shuttle will also be able to take advantage of fast-track immigration in Doha, allowing them to clear passport control in a minimum amount of time before proceeding to their boarding gates located in either Concourse A or B, which are no more than a seven to 10 minute walk, on average, from passport control.
Qatar Airways has so far announced an the addition of seven destinations to its international map this year โ Amsterdam, Ras Al Khaimah, Zanzibar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and Durban โ and is gearing up for more route expansion in 2016 with three new US cities, Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta.
Finally,ย Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca) have announced the launch of a strategic joint business agreement on their services between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Morocco.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker and Royal Air Maroc Chairman and CEO, Mr. Driss Benhima signed the joint business agreement today at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, in the presence of international press and travel trade partners.
The joint business will benefit passengers by providing enhanced links between Qatar and Morocco, greater choice of flights to more destinations and improved frequent flyer benefits. With this new agreement, passengers will be able to purchase a single itinerary combining flights on both carriersโ global networks, affording them the ease of one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.
Royal Air Maroc will be operating three weekly flights with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Doha complimenting Qatar Airwaysโ existing seven times weekly flights to Casablanca, giving passengers the flexibility of using a combination of flights from both airlines between Qatar and Morocco, significantly increasing their options.
Video Below: Qatar Airways.ย Qatar Airways First Officer Robby and his wife talk about the wonderful life they have made for themselves in Doha since he joined the airline. Find out how they have rapidly adapted to the Middle Eastern way of life and why they plan to spend the foreseeable future in this fast-growing, dynamic city, which has so much to offer pilots and their families looking for an exciting new chapter in their lives.
Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:ย
Copyright Photo below: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) pis pictured at Frankfurt.
FedEx Corporation (FedEx Express) (Memphis) has announced its intention to acquire its European rival TNT Express (TNT Airways) (Amsterdam) in an all-cash public offer with a stated public value of $4.8 billion. FedEx is offering a 33 percent premium in its price offering for the stock of TNT. The combined European headquarters will be Amsterdam. TNT’s Liege cargo hub will be maintained.
The two companies issued this joint statement:
Transaction highlights:
FedEx Corporation (FedEx) and TNT Express N.V. (TNT Express) reached conditional agreement on recommended all-cash public offer of โฌ8.00 per ordinary TNT Express share.
The Offer Price represents a premium of 33% over the closing price of 2 April 2015 and a premium of 42% over the average volume weighted price per TNT Express share of โฌ5.63 over the last 3 calendar months.
The transaction represents an implied equity value for TNT Express of โฌ4.4 billion ($4.8 billion).
Transaction unanimously recommended and supported by TNT Expressโ Executive Board and Supervisory Board.
High level of deal certainty.
PostNL N.V. has irrevocably confirmed to support the Offer and tender its 14.7% TNT Express shareholding.
Combination will transform FedExโs European capabilities and accelerate global growth.
Customers will enjoy access to an enhanced, integrated global network, combining TNT Express strong European capabilities and FedExโs strength in other regions globally, including North America and Asia.
FedEx and TNT Express employees share a commitment to serving customers and delivering value for shareholders and supporting the communities they live and work in.
The parties have agreed to certain non-financial covenants including:
Existing employment terms of TNT Express will be respected.
The European regional headquarters of the combined companies will be in Amsterdam/Hoofddorp.
TNT Express hub in Liege will be maintained as a significant operation for the group going forward.
TNT Expressโ airline operations will be divested, in compliance with applicable airline ownership regulations.
FedEx and TNT Express anticipate that the Offer will close in the first half of calendar year 2016.
FedEx and TNT Express are confident that anti-trust concerns, if any, can be addressed adequately in a timely fashion.
Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com.ย FedEx Express Boeing 757-204 (F) N923FD (msn 26266) departs from EuroAirport serving Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg.
FedEx Express aircraft slide show:ย
TNT aircraft slide show:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com.ย TNT Airways Boeing 737-4M0 (F) OE-IAT (msn 29210) taxies to the runway at Frankfurt.
Czech Airlines-CSA (Prague) is once again expanding. The airline is planning to addย up to 19 new destinations for the upcoming summer season. The airline continued with this announcement:
In addition to the new flights from Prague to Billund, Bilbao, Bologna, Cork and Oslo announced last fall, Czech Airlines is also planning to operate flights to Athens, Bordeaux, Liverpool, Porto and Stavanger, and to launch regular connections to Venice, Kristiansand, Vรคxjรถ, Linkรถping, Poznan, Gdansk, Stuttgart and several additional routes from Stuttgart to the southwest of Europe.
โExpanding our transport network will allow us to use the fleet more efficiently, primarily our ATR aircraft which will be used to service more than half of the new routes,โ explained Jozef Sinฤรกk, Chairman of the Czech Airlines Board of Directors, adding:
โConcurrently, we have been relocating the capacity freed in the Russian market which has been experiencing a significant drop in demand for travel to the Czech Republic and Europe.โ
For this reason, the carrier has also reconsidered its planned launch of operations on two new routes to Russia, to Kazan and Kaliningrad, originally planned for this summer season. The launch, together with renewal of the seasonal flights to Perm and Ufa, was postponed by Czech Airlines until the 2016 summer season.
Czech Airlines plans to use its Airbus A319 aircraft to fly the following, year-round-operated routes: Liverpool (twice weekly from May 18) and Oslo (up to four times a week from March 30), while Billund (four times a week from March 30), Bologna (four times a week from March 29), Poznan, Gdansk (both four times a week from May 25) and Stuttgart (three times a week from May 26) will be serviced by ATR aircraft.
The carrier will also operate the following seasonal routes:
Flights to Bilbao (twice weekly from June 1), Bordeaux (twice weekly from June 4), Cork (twice weekly from May 14) and Porto (twice weekly from May 18) will only be offered in the summer season and operated by Airbus A319 aircraft, as are flights to Athens (up to four times a week from May 3) and Stavanger (twice weekly from May 21).
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 OK-NEN (msn 3436) taxies to the gate at Frankfurt.
Ten Airways (Tend Air) (call sign Tender Air) (Bucharest) suspended operations on January 19 after its AOC was suspended by the AACR according to ch-aviation. The company was operating six McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) and DC-9-83 (MD-83) aircraft and specializing in ACMI operations.
The company had been flying for short-lived Fly Romania last year.
The airline started operations in 2011.
Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. The company operated under the Tend Air brand. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) YR-MDK (msn 49139) is captured digitally for posterity at Frankfurt.
Qatar Airways (Doha) has scheduled a number of Airbus A350-900 flights on the short Doha – Dubai route according to Airline Route during the month of March giving travelers a chance to sample the new type on a much shorter route. The A350-900 is currently in service between Doha and Frankfurt, the first route for the new type.
In other news, Qatar Airways Cargo is launching freighter service to EuroAirport serving the Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg area. The new route will operate weekly with Airbus A330-200F freighters on the Doha-Brussels-EuroAirport (Basel)-Doha route.
Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Captured in beautiful light, newly-delivered Airbus A350-941 A7-ALA (msn 006) is seen at its first destination, Frankfurt. A7-ALA was handed over to the carrier on December 22 and entered service on the route on January 15.
Luxair (Luxembourg) will operate summer seasonal service from Luxembourg to Olbia (twice weekly with Bombardier Q400s) from May 17 through September 27, 2015 per Airline Route.
In addition, the carrier will also operate to Palermo starting on May 24, 2015 with Embraer ERJ 145 regional jets. From July 5 through September 13, 2015 the airline will operate a Luxembourg-Malta-Palermo-Luxembourg routing.
Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) LX-LGC (msn 4162) taxies onto the runway at Frankfurt.
Finnair (Helsinki) is separating itself from the low-cost competition with new in-flight menu options for its European flights. The airline issued this statement:
As of November 1 you can mix and match your own meal from classic, seasonal and themed flavors when flying Finnair Economy Class within Europe. The Sky Bistro has a wide selection of high-quality food and beverage options combining the best of Europe and Asia – including a special combo designed for kids. Coffee, tea, water and Finnair’s new signature drink – blueberry juice – will be served free of charge on all flights.
Sky Bistro replaces the complimentary cold snack service that has been offered on Finnair scheduled flights within Europe lasting over two hours.
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) meanwhile is facing another day of strikes tomorrow (September 30) by its pilots, represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit union. The strike revolves around a dispute concerning retirement benefits.
The union issued this statement (translated from German):
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) 2014 plans industrial action at Lufthansa for tomorrow Tuesday, September 30.
Lufthansa pilots are on September 30, 2014 from 8.00 – 23.00 local time will strike on long-haul flights with the aircraft types Airbus A380, Boeing 747, Airbus A330 and Airbus A340 will not perform any departures from Frankfurt Airport. With this strike, a new collective agreement transitional care will be achieved.
Since Lufthansa management has not submitted any compromise or competitive offer, we are forced to take these other measures.
The Vereinigung Cockpit declares that it is always ready to avert strikes. We regret any inconvenience to the customers of Lufthansa.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A380-841 D-AIMB (msn 041) arrives back at the Frankfurt hub.
Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa) (Frankfurt) today (September 19) outlined its plans for Eurowings (Lufthansa Regional) and its new long-haul division, possibly flown by SunExpress Airlines (Antalya), a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines (Istanbul).
The Lufthansa Groupโs quality and growth initiative presented on July 9, 2014 is gathering pace.
At the Supervisory Board meeting on September 17, the Supervisory Board Members were informed by the Executive Board of the implementation progress made so far. The Lufthansa Groupโs Supervisory Board has paved the way for the planned transition to a more economical type of aircraft at Eurowings by approving an order for ten Airbus A320ceo planes for the company. With its fleet of 23 aircraft, Eurowings services domestic German and European routes from airports other than the Frankfurt and Munich hubs on behalf of Germanwings. A further 13 A320s will be transferred from the Groupโs total aircraft order volume to Eurowings starting in 2015, in order to make its entire fleet consist of Airbus aircraft. Replacing the current Eurowings fleet of Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets with modern A320ceo aircraft will further increase the Dรผsseldorf-based airlineโs unit cost advantage and will thereby improve its ability to compete with low-cost airlines in Europe. The Lufthansa Group intends to use its Wings concept to cement its good market position in passenger traffic in its home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium in the long term, including with point-to-point connections. Business on these routes away from the major hubs is characterised by above-average growth in the leisure travel segment and by stiff competition from the rapidly expanding low-cost airlines.
The Executive Board also presented its plans for the new cost-efficient offer for long-haul connections as part of the Wings concept to the Supervisory Board. One option for realizing this concept could be a new platform based on the airline SunExpress Airlines (Antalya), which is a fifty-fifty joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. In this respect, talks with the Star Alliance partner are to continue. The idea is for the new platform to complement the Lufthansa Groupโs product range with up to seven Airbus A330-300s and to commence operations in autumn 2015 with three aircraft in Munich, Dรผsseldorf or Cologne. The focus here will be on destinations that promise above-average growth in the leisure travel segment and that round out the Lufthansa Group airlinesโ current route networks. In addition to the founding of this new long-haul airline, other intercontinental traffic approaches will be developed in order to once again profitably fly leisure travel-dominated routes using the Lufthansa brand in the future.
To offer this, up to 14 Airbus A340-300s from the long-haul fleet will be fitted with a cabin that is optimized for leisure travel. Commencing with the start of the 2015/2016 winter flight timetable, this A340-300 sub-fleet will fly at a much lower cost while nevertheless offering the high-quality travel experience of a Lufthansa flight, with high service standards and comfort levels. The as many as 14 aircraft will operate without a First Class and with 18 Business Class seats, 19 Premium Economy seats and 261 Economy seats, and will in particular serve new leisure travel destinations or markets from which Lufthansa would otherwise have to withdraw without the introduction of this less expensive offer.
โThe combination of our core brandsโ focus on quality and the premium sector, and the development of new platforms for the leisure travel sector, which is experiencing dynamic growth but is also price-sensitive, is our way of working towards a successful future for the Lufthansa Group airlines,โ said Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. This would strengthen the successful multi-hub system comprising the key hubs of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels, he added. This strategy additionally gave the Company the scope to also grow in sectors of this kind, where the Lufthansa Groupโs traditional quality brands were not able to participate in market developments, he said.
In addition to the growth concept for the Lufthansa Group airlines, the Supervisory Board is approving capital expenditure of โฌ60 million by Lufthansa Technik AG in Frankfurt. The Groupโs technical division intends to build a new wheel and brake workshop in Frankfurtโs eastern dock area (Osthafen). The building is expected to commence operations as early as at the start of 2017. These new operations will allow Lufthansa Technik, which is the worldโs leading provider of aircraft-related technical services, to also achieve further growth in the important segment of wheel and brake maintenance. In so doing, Lufthansa Technik will safeguard the existing 130 jobs for qualified employees based in Frankfurt and will create the parameters for further growth. The building is to be fitted with cutting-edge building services so as to exceed the requirements of Germanyโs Energy Conservation Regulations (EnEV) by 30 per cent.
In related news,ย Lufthansa Group also approved the purchase of 15 Airbus A320neo (New Engine Option) family and ten Airbus A320ceo (Current Engine Option) aircraft at its meeting today. The new A320neo orders will be delivered to Lufthansa Group airline Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) from 2019 onwards, where they are intended to replace older aircraft from the same family. The ten new A320ceo aircraft will be delivered to Eurowings in 2016 and 2017 and will replace older Bombardier CRJ900s.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. The aging and expensive 14 Lufthansa Airbus A340-300s will be assigned to the new leisure group starting with the 2015-2016 winter schedule. Theย 14 aircraft will operate without a First Class and with 18 Business Class seats, 19 Premium Economy seats and 261 Economy seats.ย Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-313 D-AIGT (msn 304) arrives at the Frankfurt hub.
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