Irish low-cost airline, Ryanair has announced this week that it will, due to 'strong demand' increase the number of frequencies on select Italian domestic routes for September and October. Italian travelers will be able to book flights at lower fares and with a new set of health measures that Ryanair has implemented to protect its customers and crew. The carrier will operate 17 services per week between Catania and Rome, 5 per week between Alghero and Bologna, 17 weekly from Catania to Milan Malpensa (increasing to 18 weekly from October), 15 between Rome and Palermo, 14 between Palermo and Pi ..read more

Alitalia's Newco will not only have a new name and new management, but also a new fleet, sources tell Corriere Della Sera. Although this signifies a reduction, no more than 70 aircraft will be part of the new Alitalia - of which some will be of the latest generation - to cut operating costs as much as possible. The airline is reportedly deciding on replacing a large part of its fleet with brand new aircraft. The choice, unsurprisingly, is between the 2 aviation giants Airbus and Boeing. In particular, the Boeing 787 is being studied for long-haul routes and the Airbus A320 will continue for sh ..read more

The Indian flag carrier Air India has abruptly terminated the employment of 48 pilots causing a huge uproar within the Indian aviation industry. The pilots’ employment was terminated after 10 PM on Thursday, August 13th, 2020, without prior notice and some of them even flew the next day. All the pilots in question were type rated for the Airbus A320 fleet. An Air India A320neo on finals at Mumbai International Airport. Photo by Karam Sodhi | AeroNewsX The pilots that were sacked had initially submitted their resignation to the airline last year due to non-payment of salaries and dues but were ..read more

JetBlue has become the first US airline to achieve carbon neutrality on all domestic flights. The airline committed to becoming carbon neutral back in January of this year and began offsetting carbon emissions in July. JetBlue Airbus A320 painted in the New York International Livery. Photo by Matt Lino | AeroNewsX The airline which is based in New York, began offsetting its carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) back in 2008. Since then, the airline has successfully trialled one month of carbon-neutral network flights in 2015 and another as recently as 2019. JetBlue then announced that they would be ..read more

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly has recently commented on the carrier's dire situation, and how despite its efforts to cut costs and maintain a profitable enterprise, the company was still racking up millions of dollars in losses due to operating expenses and other costs. Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800. Photo by Cole McAndrew | AeroNewsX “As long as case counts are high, we have to expect that travel will be relatively modest,” Kelly said in an online interview Wednesday. “We’re going to see traffic and revenue down 75% versus a year ago today. To think that would recover to the point [t ..read more

GE Capital Aviation Services or GECAS, an Irish-American aviation financing and leasing company, has announced that they will take on 11 more Boeing 737-800BCFs. These 11 aircraft were previously options for the type. The company has also decided to add nine additional aircraft options to its books. GECAS 737-800BCF. Image by GECAS GECAS also announced that its order books now total 74 aircraft, 60 of which are firm orders and 14 are options. “We are very pleased to expand our orderbook for the 737-800BCF with Boeing,” the versatility and reliability of these freighters is appealing to our ai ..read more

Icelandair yesterday announced a revision to its order for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft as part of a settlement it has reached with Boeing over the grounding of the estranged aircraft. The agreement reached between the two parties also requires Boeing to cover some of the costs of the aircraft type's grounding. Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8. Photo by Anselm Ranta | AeroNewsX Icelandair, like many other flag carriers around the globe, was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis being forced to ground most of its fleet throughout the months of April and May. This forced the airline to make massive cha ..read more

SWISS has supposedly suspended regular services between Geneva and New York until March 28. Reservation for services through till the end of the winter season 2020/2021 is not possible, according to its website. SWISS International Airlines Airbus A330-300 departing London Heathrow bound for Switzerland. Photo by Karam Sodhi | AeroNewsX Code-share partner United Airlines continues to operate flights between Geneva and New York (Newark, EWR) with reservation still available for the winter season, although that is of course subject to change as the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic ..read more

Air India has, in what seems to be a drastic measure, confirmed plans to permanently suspend 50% of its European network as it prepares for its post-COVID future. The cities affected include Milan, Madrid, Vienna, Stockholm and Copenhagen, leaving just 5 destinations remaining in the carrier's route network. Air India Boeing 787-8 dreamliner pictured landing at London Heathrow. Photo by Ervin Eslami | AeroNewsX Worth noting is that Air India will be maintaining its necessary links between India and the UK, notably to London and Birmingham. With a significant Indian community spread out across ..read more

Kenya's Jambojet, a regional low-cost carrier with a fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s, has been granted permission by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to pursue further growth at Mombasa's Moi International Airport with secondary base status. Jambojet Bombardier Q400. Image by Bombardier. The latest announcement comes as welcome news to all parties involved, including the Kenyan aviation industry which has, like most countries, hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The news allows Jambojet to grow its international and domestic operation from Mombasa. In fact, the carrier was gr ..read more