AMSTERDAM - In cavernous cold-storage warehouses at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, KLM workers are gearing up for a surge next year in COVID-19 vaccine cargos that will need to be flown around the world at ultra-low temperatures. The industry is prepared for a major logistic challenge.»
PARIS - Low-cost carrier Wizz Air is seeking a bigger foothold at London Gatwick, but its ambitions may be hampered if regulators extend a freeze on airport slots in response to the coronavirus crisis, Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi said. Industry body IATA warned of airline networks to "crumble", if current exemptions expire.»
LONDON - The boss of Britain's Gatwick Airport said the introduction of shorter quarantine times from mid-December was boosting travel, and that the combination of testing and a COVID-19 vaccine means he is optimistic holidays can restart next year with a "strong performance" of airline demand.»
PARIS - Global aviation heavyweights led by airline body IATA are pushing to suspend airport slot access rules until October 2021, they said on Thursday, but will give some ground to budget carriers angered by measures they deem anti-competitive - Ryanair and Wizz Air rejected the proposal right away.»
WASHINGTON - The White House is considering rescinding entry bans for most non-U.S. citizens who recently were in Brazil, Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries, five U.S. and airline officials told Reuters. The Trump administration imposed the bans in a bid to contain the coronavirus pandemic. »
PARIS - For an industry that prides itself on bringing people together, it was a particular humiliation for airlines to have to resort to video conferencing for their annual industry meeting this week - and not one they are ready to repeat. Designed IATA chief Willie Walsh vowed a "different" representation style.»
PARIS - European regulators on Tuesday began the timetable for a return of the Boeing 737 MAX to Europe's skies early next year after an almost two-year flight ban caused by fatal crashes. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) set out conditions for putting the grounded jets back into service.»
DUBLIN - Recent COVID-19 lockdowns mean Ryanair will fly fewer passengers than planned this winter, but vaccines should mean a "very impressive" summer and a return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers as early as autumn 2021, Chief Executive Michael O'Leary told Reuters.»
PARIS - Airlines are on course to lose a total $157 billion this year and next, their main global body warned on Tuesday, further downgrading its industry outlook in response to a second wave of coronavirus infections and shutdowns afflicting major markets. The industry hopes for governments to ease quarantine rules.»
LONDON - England will introduce a new system on Dec. 15 allowing passengers arriving from high-risk countries to take a COVID-19 test after five days of quarantine and to be released from any further self-isolation if they test negative.»
JOHANNESBURG - From 9 December, Comair plans to begin serving all the domestic British Airways routes it previously operated. Regional services will be reintroduced as it ramps up to full operations over the next few months. The airline will initially operate a fleet of 15 aircraft across both brands.»
PARIS - Air France-KLM is discussing plans to raise another 6 billion euros from its two government shareholders and other investors, French newspaper Le Monde reported. The airline group, which received 10.4 billion euros in state-backed bailouts earlier this year, may soon receive another 4 billion from the governments.»
KUALA LUMPUR- Malaysia Airlines has sought financial aid from its sole shareholder, the nation's sovereign wealth fund, as debt restructuring talks with creditors drag on, the company said on Saturday. The group remains in talks for a restructuring and is targeting a commercial agreement in the first week of December. »
LONDON - Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said the travel corridor between New York and London is "complicated" and it would be easier to relaunch transatlantic flights to "just about any" other European capital, Britain's Financial Times reported Sunday.»Discussions on current events and developments in the aviation industry
