From November 26, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Third Country Operators (TCO) regulation became fully implemented. This means that only operators holding a TCO authorization from the EASA will be allowed to operate commercial flights to and from EASA member states, which includes members of the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland. The 30-month
In an attempt to avoid further industrial dispute, Lufthansa has made Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the pilots’ Union, a new offer – a 4.4% increase in remuneration along with a one-off payment. The increase in remuneration would be in two tranches, 2.4% for 2016 and 2% FOR 2017. Lufthansa believes this offer meets a key VC
In a further episode of the ongoing battle between Boeing and Airbus which dates back over 10 years and which relates to disputes over government handouts provided to both companies, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has targeted Boeing and a key tax benefit provided for its latest long-haul jetliner, the wide-body 777X, indicating that it
China’s largest online travel company, Ctrip, is looking to expand its reach beyond its home market by agreeing to buy Scotland-based Skyscanner, the air-ticketing specialist, for an agreed £1.4 billion. Back in January the Scottish startup had been valued at £1.0 billion after a round of financing. Skyscanner was founded 13 years ago, and currently
On Thursday November 24, Airbus staged the maiden flight of its latest and largest A350-family jet, the A350-1000, which will have a passenger capacity of 366 seats within its lightweight carbon-fiber structure. MSN059 took off at Blagnac in Toulouse, France at 10.42 hrs local time and the flight lasted more than four hours. Powered by
TUI AG‘s Supervisory Board has given the green light for further steps with the goal to create a new European airline joint venture with Etihad Aviation Group. TUI Group’s supervisory body approved the plan to contribute its German leisure airline subsidiary TUI fly GmbH to a joint venture with Etihad. Etihad is in negotiations with
Hundreds of Lufthansa flights may be delayed on Wednesday as Lufthansa’s pilots will be going on strike for 24 hours in support of a current pay dispute. The 24-hour action will start at 00:01 CET on Wednesday November 23, and will finish at 23:59 CET, affecting short- and long-haul Lufthansa flights. Other Lufthansa-group airlines such
Introduced in 2011, aviation taxes in Austria have become a burden for the Austrian aviation industry and are understood to have had a substantial negative impact on tourist numbers. This situation will now be partially rectified through two 25% reductions in these taxes in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Currently, passengers boarding a plane in Austria
Brazil’s competition authority, CADE, has given the go ahead for Qatar Airways to take a 10% stake in Latin America’s largest airline, LATAM, at an estimated value of US$600 million. However, CADE has certain misgivings about an investment from International Airlines Group (IAG) who owns LATAM oneworld partners British Airways and Iberia, which has caused
Having previously and openly avoided in investing in the volatile sector, Warren Buffet and Berkshire Hathaway have chosen to invest heavily in a number of airlines, including United Continental Holdings, American Airlines Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines. The investments were disclosed in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The investments included the purchase
