Despite earlier warnings, easyJet, the low-cost carrier, has posted a pre-tax loss of £212 million for the six months up to the end of March. The loss has been attributed to the weaker pound and a late Easter. EasyJet pays for its fuel in US dollars, which increases the price when the pound is weak
A busy Easter helped Heathrow Airport to break records as over six million passengers were welcomed during the month, an 11% raise compared to April 2016. Middle-East traffic rose 20% in light of an increase in the number of operational A380s and the new service to Tehran, whilst North American traffic rose 10% on higher
A potential engine problem has forced Boeing to temporarily suspend all test flights for the new 737 MAX, though the plane manufacturer has indicated that this will not affect current production levels. It is anticipated that deliveries of the plane will still commence this month. Despite Boeing having encountered no problems during over 2,000 hours
At the Xponential trade show in Dallas, Texas, Airbus unveiled its new start-up, the commercial drone Airbus Aerial. With bases in both the U.S and Europe, the start-up’s business will be focused on developing new imagery services. According to Airbus, “These services will leverage the best software and aerospace technology from across the globe to
An ongoing labor dispute between Spirit Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) which is representing Spirit Airlines’ pilots, has resulted in the cancelation of over 300 flights since the beginning of May, with 81 alone cancelled last Sunday. Security had to wrestle with unruly passengers at the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after flight
The first Chinese-built passenger jet has made its maiden flight on May 5, 2017. The first COMAC C919, powered by CFM International’s advanced LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system, successfully completed a 79- minute first flight, marking the launch of the certification flight test program for the 150-passenger aircraft. “This is a great day for all of
The International Air Transport Association has released figures for March 2017 which indicate that passenger traffic ended on a strong note at the end of the first quarter. Demand in measured in RPKs rose 6.8% compared to March 2016, capacity grew 6.1% and load factor increased by one half of a percent to 80.4%, which
The resultant fallout from the recent physical removal of David Dao from a United Airlines flight and ‘bullying’ of a woman with a stroller by a flight attendant on board an American Airlines flight continues. Airline chiefs, including United’s CEO Oscar Munoz, attended a four-and-a-half-hour hearing on Capitol Hill where Bill Shuster, R-Pa., House Transportation
Despite Sydney Airport Holdings, the 84% owner of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport, walking away from the project, the Australian federal government has confirmed its intention to go ahead with the building of a new AU$5-AU$6bn Sydney airport. The location will be at Badgerys Creek in the Western Sydney district, approximately 60km from the city’s central
The day after Boeing announced a Q1 19% rise in profits, Airbus has announced a fall in adjusted operating profit of 51%, to €240m for Q1 2017. Revenue increased 7% to just under €13bn and while analysts had predicted a loss, the 52% drop was appreciably greater than the 31% anticipated. Airbus shares fell by
