August 3, 2020

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August 3, 2020

Wizzair Hungary receives first EASA-AOC

On August 1, 2020, the low-cost airline Wizzair Hungary was the first airline in Europe to be granted an Air Operator Certificate by the European Aviation Safety Agency. In 2018, the option was introduced for airlines operating in several EU countries to apply for an EASA AOC. The legal basis is regulated in Regulation 2018/1139. The advantage for airlines is that in future the EASA will be responsible for safety oversight and certification across Europe. A few weeks ago it was announced that Lufthansa is also considering placing itself under EASA supervision in the future. “We are very happy to have such a young and dynamic airline as the first aircraft operator under EASA supervision. The EU operating certificate is well suited to airlines like Wizz Air, which have several operating bases in different EASA member states. As the centralised competent authority for Wizz Air's operations, EASA will ensure an internationally recognised high standard of oversight of the airline," said EASA CEO Patrick Ky. Wizzair states that it will continue to fly under the Hungarian flag and that the Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority will continue to exercise control over the Operating Licence (OL) and route authorisations. EASA oversight enables the airline to improve cooperation with national civil aviation authorities in its current and future markets. "I am pleased to announce that Hungary is the first Member State to renew the European air carrier regulations, while Wizz Air Hungary is the first airline to have its AOC overseen by EASA as the European competent authority. This groundbreaking regulatory model between the Hungarian and

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VC introduces new chairman tariff policy

The German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit introduced Marcel Gröls as its new chairman of collective bargaining policy on Monday. According to the statutes, his area of ​​responsibility at the VC includes holding top-level talks with employers and associations as well as presenting collective bargaining positions to the public. The collective bargaining expert has many years of experience in the area of ​​collective bargaining policy, including his roles as head of co-determination, collective bargaining policy and fundamental human resources issues at Hamburger Hochbahn AG and previously at IG Metall. He earned his doctorate from the University of Hamburg on the negotiation strategies of interest groups. "We are happy that we have been able to gain Marcel Gröls, a proven expert in collective bargaining policy and political interest representation. He will contribute his expertise to the strategic collective bargaining policy orientation of the VC. I am very much looking forward to working with him," said Markus Wahl, President of the Vereinigung Cockpit.

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Lufthansa transfers emergency loan to Swiss

The Swiss airline is receiving another emergency loan from its parent company in the amount of 200 million Swiss francs. A loan of the same amount had already been granted previously. Dividend payments of 300 million Swiss francs were also waived. According to the "Tages-Anzeiger", the background to this is that the German federal government has not yet approved the Swiss rescue package that was negotiated with the Swiss government. The media suspects that Swiss is running out of funds because an enormous number of tickets have to be refunded to travel agencies and private individuals. The Lufthansa subsidiary is currently only operating around a third of its regular flight schedule. The "Tages-Anzeiger" report describes capacity utilization as "moderate". Therefore, revenues should also be kept within narrow limits. In Switzerland, Swiss was granted a loan of 1,5 million Swiss francs, but the payment can only be made once the German federal government has given its approval. The aid package for Lufthansa (nine billion euros) contains clauses stating that support from Switzerland, Belgium and Austria for Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines requires the approval of Berlin. When this will be granted is currently completely unclear.

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Dortmund celebrates Wizzair base

On Friday, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizzair opened its first base on German soil. The carrier is now stationing three Airbus A321 aircraft at Dortmund Airport. At the same time, 18 new destinations will be gradually added. The airport estimates the potential passenger volume at up to one million passengers per year. In the Corona year of 2020, according to Dortmund Airport, this should be noticeable with around 250.000 additional travelers. A total of 48 destinations are offered. "By opening the base, we will recover from the effects of the Corona pandemic much faster than the industry as a whole. We expect that by August we will already be at 80 percent of the passenger volume compared to 2019. With the opening of the Wizz Air base, short-time work will end across the entire company," said airport boss Udo Mager. Wizzair is adding the following destinations from Dortmund: Italy: Alghero, Bari, Catania, Naples Greece: Athens, Corfu, Heraklion, Thessaloniki, Santorini, Rhodes Spain: Fuerteventura Iceland: Reykjavík Portugal: Lisbon (Portugal) Ukraine: Zaporizhia Morocco: Marrakesh Romania: Suceava Croatia: Split Montenegro: Podgorica

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Munich-Graz will be included in October 2020

Lufthansa announces the resumption of service to five additional European destinations from its Munich hub. Sibiu/Hermannstadt, Kiev, Gothenburg and Marseille will be served again from September 7, 2020. Graz will follow on October 5, 2020. By the end of the summer flight schedule period, the carrier will offer 86 destinations in Europe and Germany and 13 long-haul destinations from Munich. Birmingham, Izmir, Tbilisi, Cluj and Timişoara have already been resumed, among others. Luxembourg will follow on September 1, 2020.

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Drone registration will be significantly cheaper

The number of drones approved by Austro Control (ACG) has increased sixfold since 2015. At that time, 410 devices were approved, and as of July 20, 2020, 1.289 applications have already been received this year. A new EU directive, which was postponed due to corona, is now supposed to make everything easier and, above all, cheaper. Aviation State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) and ACG Managing Director Valerie Hackl explained the implementation of EU Regulation 2019/947, which will come into force on December 31, 2020, in the premises of the Ministry of Transport on Monday. The core of this is also a "driver's license" that must be completed. The "drone license" is the basic requirement for being able to fly such unnamed aircraft weighing more than 250 grams. First, an online self-study course must be completed. A multiple-choice test (30 questions) must then be taken online. If this is positive, the "driver's license" is issued. This is a PDF document which, according to Valerie Hackl, contains all relevant data and is valid throughout the EU. This "license" must always be carried with you when operating the drone. The online course and the test to obtain the "driver's license" are free of charge, according to ACG boss Hackl. Repeated attempts to take the online test are possible, there is no limit to how many times you can "fail". Up to now, drones that weigh more than 250 grams have had to be approved in Austria. Under this category, the unmanned aircraft is considered a toy, formerly known as a "remote-controlled helicopter". From December 31, 2020, the approval requirement will no longer apply. What is new is that the drones must be registered and the operator receives a unique operator number that must be attached to the aircraft. The registration requirement also applies

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Sunclass Airlines takes off again

The Corona-related flight break lasted for over 120 days. Now Sunclass Airlines, formerly known as Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia, resumed flight operations on July 25. The carrier flies to various airports in Spain, Greece, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. For this purpose, the airline has reactivated six of its eight Airbus A321-200s, as ch-aviation.com reports. The wide-body aircraft - one A330-200 and three A330-300s - will remain parked for the time being and will have to wait for the restart.

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Qatar Airways continues to invest in IAG

The International Airlines Group (IAG) has suffered a severe slump in business due to the corona pandemic. That is why the British Airways parent company wants to raise fresh money from investors - and billions of euros at that. An increase in capital of up to 2,75 billion euros is planned. The largest IAG shareholder - the Arab carrier Qatar Airways - has already given the green light. Before the money taps can be turned on, however, the shareholders must first approve the plan at a general meeting on September 8, as aero.de reports. The parties involved have a lot to discuss there. Such as the loss of 2,1 billion euros in the second quarter.

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Germany: Double PCR tests in MV

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is playing it safe: Anyone entering from a corona risk area in the future will have to be tested twice. Once - as before - after arrival. An additional time five to seven days later. Only when the second test result is also negative can self-isolation be declared over. The reason for this tightened measure is the incubation period, according to the Minister President. A single corona test could be invalid just a few days later. Because it is only a snapshot anyway. The new regulation is to apply from Thursday. The state will cover all costs for the tests, as reisevor9.de reports.

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Moscow: tank truck rams Airbus A321

Since August 1, some Russian aircraft have been allowed to fly abroad again. But the restart of international connections was probably not what was expected. At least at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. There was an incident there in which one person was injured. For reasons that are still unclear, the driver of a tanker rammed an Airbus A321 aircraft and damaged it severely. So badly that, according to media reports, it was no longer able to take off. The aircraft was parked and there were neither crew members nor passengers on board, aerotelegraph.com reports. Russia has gradually resumed international flight operations. For the time being, the aircraft are only allowed to take off to Great Britain, Tanzania and Turkey. No takeoff permission has yet been granted for the EU.

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