Coronavirus

Viva Air is gearing up for further expansion in the Latin American market with the potential launch of a third airline, as well as the broadening of its Colombian domestic and international route network.

Latvian carrier airBaltic is exploring the potential of adding new medium and long-haul routes as the airline reshapes its network in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brussels Airlines is being further integrated into parent Lufthansa Group and the Belgian flag-carrier expects to play a more important role in Lufthansa’s hub system.

The governments of Singapore and Hong Kong have confirmed that the air travel bubble (ATB) between the two cities will be pushed “beyond December 2020” because of the high COVID-19 case counts in Hong Kong.

Australian airlines are ramping up their domestic fleets as interstate borders reopen, although prospects are more bleak for widebodies.

Regional turboprop manufacturer ATR is ready to start training pilots on a new piece of commercial aviation safety equipment—an enhanced vision system (EVS) and accompanying head-mounted display.

Lithuanian narrowbody wet-lease specialist Avion Express is seeking creditor protection as it battles the ongoing financial impact of the COVID-19 downturn.

Munich Airport CEO Jost Lammers believes airlines could emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic with a more flexible approach to capacity planning, while airports will be forced to speed up their digitalization plans.

Defense officials have said UK plans to develop a laser directed energy weapon are “on-track” despite the program suffering a year-long delay.

Air traffic in Europe fell to 35.5% of 2019 levels in the week to Nov. 29, Eurocontrol figures showed, as COVID-19 travel restrictions and national lockdowns continued to affect demand for travel.

“It’s been a hard year, and people are tired of being pent-up. But we can’t let our guard down,” Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian says.

Australasian airlines have grounded almost all widebodies, but some carriers see opportunities post-COVID-19.

Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group’s MD of Air Hub Development, tells ATW’s Chen Chuanren about what the hub airport is doing to facilitate international travel and how the pandemic is spurring automation.

Joint-venture partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic have separately announced COVID-19 testing trials on specific transatlantic routes.

Ask the Editors: The certification campaign may be long and expensive, but most of the development money has been spent.

ICAO’s council has adopted decisions on eligibility units and sustainability certification, clearing the path for the implementation of CORSIA, the carbon-offsetting scheme for airlines.

Condor expects to operate up to 75% of its pre-crisis capacity next summer after COVID-19 vaccines have become available and quick testing infrastructure is established.

The number of unique city-pair connections has dropped by more than 7,000 this year and London has lost its crown as the world’s best-connected city, according to a report published by IATA.

Ask the Editors: Mandating something that most people will not have access to for months makes little sense for airlines.

The numbers of airline accidents and accident fatalities are tracking down this year, although a factor in the decline will be the big drop in flights caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Estonia’s Nordic Aviation Group (Nordica) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Polish flag-carrier LOT to buy out the latter’s 49% holding in Nordica subsidiary Xfly.

Pilots at Delta Air Lines have approved an agreement to avoid furloughs of more than 1,700 pilots scheduled for the end of November.

Air cargo volume is set to grow by just over 13% in 2021, about twice the pace at which world trade was expected to expand, the International Air Transport Association predicts.

Qantas and low-cost subsidiary Jetstar are planning to ramp up their flying in December in response to the easing of state border restrictions in Australia.

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary expects passenger volumes to reach 70% of pre-COVID levels in 2021, especially if vaccines can be made widely available by the spring.