The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed new research showing the impacts on the European aviation industry and on economies caused by the shutdown of air traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened over recent weeks. Airlines in Europe are set to lose US$23.1 billion in 2020, with passenger demand declining by over half. This puts at risk between 6-7 million jobs supported by aviation in Europe alone. An accelerated recovery of air transport in Europe is vital if the worst of these impacts is to be avoided. This can be achieved through government action in two priority areas: A coordinated restart of air travel, with the opening up borders (including elimination of quarantine) and operating rules based on the health guidance set down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and at European level by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC). The latest assessment from IATA Economics shows that the outlook at national level has worsened for major aviation markets in Europe since April. For example, the passenger numbers, airline revenue, jobs at risk and GDP impacts for the five biggest European markets have declined across every metric:
Arcus Air Logistics acquired by Chapman Freeborn:
Chapman Freeborn, a global aircraft charter specialist and a unit of the Avia Solutions Group (ASG), signed an agreement to acquire Arcus Air Logistics and Arcus Air OBC from the Arcus Air Group. Offering ad-hoc air cargo charter and on board courier services primarily to the automotive industry, Arcus Air Logistics is a respected and established supplier with a brand history of over 45 years. The company provides cargo charter services with its own fleet of two Dornier 228-212 aircraft, and a variety of additional aircraft. “We are proud to welcome the highly experienced teams of Arcus Air Logistics to our growing family. This is an opportune time to join forces given the trends in the global cargo logistics space. I believe Arcus Air Logistics will further strengthen our group’s business as we continue our strategy of growth through diversification in the niche aircraft charter industry”, says Russi Batliwala, CEO of Chapman Freeborn.
Emirates adds capacity:
Following the UAE government’s announcement to lift restrictions on transit passengers services Emirates has been offering passenger services to 16 more cities on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, extending its Australian services to Perth and Brisbane in addition to reinstated services to Sydney and Melbourne. With travel restrictions remaining in place in most countries, customers are reminded to check entry and exit requirements before their journeys. Flights to the following cities will also be available for booking on emirates.com or via travel agents: Bahrain, Manchester, Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Dublin, New York JFK, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Taipei and Hong Kong. With this latest announcement, Emirates will be offering flights for passengers on the back of its scheduled cargo operations from Dubai to 29 cities, including existing flights to London Heathrow, Sydney, Melbourne, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto and Manila (from 11 June).
Korean Air extends validity of miles expiring in 2020:
Korean Air will extend the expiration date of mileage expiring at the end of 2020 by one year, as passenger travel has been greatly affected by reduced routes and travel restrictions due to COVID-19. Accordingly, mileage due to expire on 31 December 2020 can be used until the end of 2021. Korean Air has been implementing various measures to minimize customers’ inconvenience due to COVID-19. Morning Calm membership status and qualification re-evaluation period have been extended by six months. To compensate for the reduced routes due to COVID-19, the airline is carrying out the following measures: exemption of cancellation and reissuing surcharges; exemption of cost differences incurred by ticket date changes; allowance of departure date changes for unused tickets; and expiration date extension of partially used tickets. Also, the validity of awards ticket cancellation mileage that expired on December 31, 2019 has been extended until the end of 2020.
Air New Zealand adds extra capacity for school holidays:
Air New Zealand said it will use the 787-9 Dreamliner will take to the skies over New Zealand during the school holidays. The airline is adding more capacity to its domestic schedule for the July school holidays, with the 302-seat Dreamliner to operate between Auckland and Christchurch during this time. Air New Zealand General Manager Networks Scott Carr says the Dreamliner will operate 16 return passenger services between Auckland and Christchurch between 1 July and 19 July, reflecting almost 10,000 additional seats on this route. “We’ll also add capacity of all of our other main trunk routes – from Auckland to Wellington, Dunedin and Queenstown, as well from Wellington to Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown through either extra flights or by up-gauging to larger aircraft.
IATA says Europe may face worse to come | COVID-19 Magnetic MRO conducts first virtual aircraft inspection:
Magnetic MRO announced the recent successful completion of its first virtual inspection on an aircraft as part of the pre-lease preparation. As the company’s representative states, this inspection signify industry’s resilience and ability to adapt to the changed norms in the aviation industry. During the virtual inspection, a structured file system was implemented, allowing a potential customer to efficiently locate and analyse any of the aircraft’s body. This test inspection allows clients to receive all needed information without physically being present and will be used for the future inspections both when travel restrictions are in place and in other cases when physical inspections are not possible.
IATA says Europe may face worse to come | COVID-19 Honeywell launches comma tech for UAVs:
Honeywell has launched its smallest, lightest satellite communications system yet, specifically designed for unmanned aerial vehicles. Weighing in at only one kilogram (2.2 pounds), the new system is 90 percent lighter than Honeywell’s smallest connectivity system and will bring some of the same connectivity capabilities enjoyed by larger aircraft to smaller unmanned vehicles in the air or on land. The Honeywell Small UAV SATCOM system, powered by Inmarsat’s global satellite communications network, provides unmanned aerial vehicles with global connectivity and real-time video streaming. Seamless connectivity, delivered through Inmarsat’s comprehensive satellite network, is essential for safe and efficient air traffic management that enables beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) capabilities.
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