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February 12, 2021

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February 12, 2021

Condor brought a lawsuit against Lufthansa state aid

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 22:56

There have been rumors and hints for a few days, but now it's official: Condor has filed a lawsuit with the Court of Justice of the European Union against state aid for its competitor Lufthansa. The defendant is the EU Commission and not the crane carrier. The company confirmed on Friday that the brief had been filed. The Court of Justice of the European Union is the preliminary stage of the ECJ, which was created to relieve the Supreme Court. What makes the matter so piquant is that Condor itself has repeatedly received state aid and only escaped liquidation because of this. The former Lufthansa subsidiary accuses the former parent company of abusing its market power. The background to this is the canceled feeder flights on which Condor depends. Lufthansa, on the other hand, wants to better fill its own holiday flight offer, which will be launched under the Eurowings Discover brand. Proceedings before the Cartel Office are already underway An investigation is underway before the German Federal Cartel Office, which was initiated following a complaint by the holiday airline. The authority has already stated that it wants to make a decision as quickly as possible, because the termination of the contract will take effect in June 2021. Condor is suing the European Court of Justice against the approval of the billion-euro state aid for Lufthansa, because it believes that the airline would violate the requirements and conditions. Among other things, it is stipulated that the funds may not be used to displace or buy up smaller competitors. The holiday airline sees itself forced out of the market due to the canceled feeder flights.

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Lauda in Vienna: Only five A320s left - every second job in acute danger

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 21:03

Things have been quiet at Ryanair subsidiary Lauda Europe for a few weeks, but now an internal circular signed by managing director David O'Brien is causing a stir again: The airline boss informed the workforce that negotiations with Vienna Airport have failed. O'Brien, who is also managing director of sister company Malta Air and a member of Ryanair's board of directors, begins by writing: "I regret to inform you that Ryanair's negotiations with Vienna Airport on a program to restore and grow traffic have so far been unsuccessful." A maximum of five aircraft are to be operated in Vienna from the 2020 summer flight schedule. However, staff are employed for significantly more aircraft. The current circular also shows that potentially severe job cuts cannot be ruled out. Although the airline wants to avoid this, the blame is being placed - once again - on the government, Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport. Every second job is at risk "Vienna Airport, one of the most expensive airports in the Ryanair Group's network, has recently become even more expensive after the Austrian government decided to increase taxes on European short-haul routes and at the same time reduce taxes on long-haul routes. Austrian Airlines' feeder flights are completely exempt from ticket tax. Recently, the Austrian government proposed denying airlines the right to price freedom ("minimum price") in order to make it more difficult to compete with the Lufthansa subsidiary AUA, which has been rescued by the state," David O'Brien continued. "In view of these rising costs in Vienna and the market manipulation by the Austrian government, the Ryanair Group cannot

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Charter in the absence of scheduled flights: AUA flies SK Rapid to Altenrhein

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 16:35

The scheduled flight service operated by Peoples between Vienna and Altenrhein is currently on pause. As a result, the Bundesliga football players of SK Rapid Vienna have to travel to their away match against SCR Altach by charter flight. This will be operated on Friday as OS 2651 with a DHC Dash 8-400 by Austrian Airlines. The Viennese football team will play Altach away in Vorarlberg on Saturday. As there is no commercial airport in the aforementioned federal state, the Altenrhein airfield on Swiss territory has been used as the “Vorarlberg airport” for decades. Rheintalflug built the “Ländle Shuttle” Austrian Airlines operated the connection to the capital Vienna from this airport for many years, which is important for the local economy. However, the company did not build this itself; instead, the route was built by Rheintalflug Seewald Ges.mbH, which was bought in 2001. Rheintalflug merged with the then AUA subsidiary Tyrolean Airways in 2002. The Altenrhein crew base also dates back to this time and was only closed in 2019. The Altenrhein-Vienna connection was discontinued by Austrian Airlines on March 31, 2013. Before that, there was tough competition with Altenrhein Airport's then-young in-house airline, Peoples. Rheintalflug's successor InterSky also fueled competition on the Vienna route from Friedrichshafen. First, the Bregenz airline withdrew from this route, then Austrian Airlines from Altenrhein. The route was no longer profitable enough, according to the reasoning at the time. Since then, Peoples has been the sole provider, but the route is paused until at least March 27, 2021, so the footballers have to switch to a chartered AUA Dash.

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Flybe before the final withdrawal of the operating license

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 16:05

Last year, Flybe, once Europe's largest regional airline, had to file for bankruptcy. So far, the AOC and operating license have not been revoked, but the UK Civil Aviation Authority has now initiated proceedings. Towards the end of 2020, the brand rights and some assets were acquired by Cyrus Capital. Applications for AOC and operating license (OL) were submitted to the CAA under the company name "Thyme Opco". At the time, this was considered quite surprising, as it would have been possible to reactivate Flybe's still valid certificates. This was apparently not the intention from the start, as the "new Flybe" is to take off with a new AOC and new OL. The aircraft was secured through a leasing company, a first DHC Dash 8-400, which was previously used by Austrian Airlines. It will probably not be possible to take over the route rights that the "old Flybe" had. CAA will hold a hearing at the end of February 2021 The background is that they are liable for the operating license, which could now be revoked. The British CAA has actually wanted to pull the plug on the insolvent "old Flybe" for some time. A withdrawal procedure was already initiated in mid-April 2020, but the European Union, whose requirements the UK still had to comply with at the time due to the transition phase, relaxed the regulations retroactively. The simple reason: Because of the Corona pandemic, national authorities across Europe would otherwise have had to withdraw AOC and OL from an enormous number of carriers. Flybe's AOC has been suspended since December 16, 2020. Now it is a matter of this being withdrawn permanently and at the same time the operating license and the associated

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Valentín Lago becomes the new head of Air Europe

Amely Mizzi 12. February 2021 15:47

The Spanish airline Air Europa is getting a new CEO in the form of Valentín Lago. In the past, the manager has held management positions at Air Nostrum, Iberia Express and Vueling, among others. Owner Globalia and the state fund Sepi, through which the government is supporting the carrier due to the corona crisis, agreed on Lago after several weeks of negotiations. The appointment is also a sign of the impending takeover by the International Airlines Group, because the manager is considered a long-time companion of IAG boss Luis Gallego, so that according to Spanish media there is fundamental trust and a dismissal after the sale is not expected. Globalia founder Juan José Hidalgo is currently performing the function of Air Europa CEO himself. As part of the state aid, the Sepi fund has a say and can send two representatives to the supervisory board. There was a long disagreement about the position of CEO, because Globalia opposed former Iberia managers who were proposed by Sepi. Following the takeover of Air Europa by the International Airlines Group, an integration into Iberia is planned. The approval of the EU Commission is still pending. Globalia and IAG expect the deal - subject to antitrust approval - to be approved in the second half of 2021. The purchase price is not due for around six years; more details can be found in this article.

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Embraer delivered 130 aircraft in the previous year

Amely Mizzi 12. February 2021 15:20

The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer was able to deliver a total of 130 aircraft to customers last year. In 2019, the group was able to hand over 198 aircraft. This means that Embraer delivered 35 percent fewer. The majority of the aircraft delivered, 86 units, were business jets. In the commercial passenger sector, 44 aircraft were delivered to customers. As of December 31, 2020, Embraer had firm orders for 130 commercial aircraft in the pipeline. The order value was 14,4 billion US dollars. Last year, the planned collaboration with US competitor Boeing fell through. The latter was supposed to take over the majority of the civil program for a high price. The military products would have remained with the Brazilians. Boeing withdrew from the project. It can be assumed that the Americans backed out due to the high costs incurred in connection with the 737 Max, but also because of the corona crisis. Embraer is currently looking for a new partner, but is continuing to operate stand-alone.

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Cheaper than in Vienna: Graz Airport starts corona tests

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 14:47

Both antigen and PCR tests are now offered at Graz Airport in cooperation with Hygienicum Graz and NYR Consulting GmbH. These are subject to a fee and must be paid for by the users themselves as a private service. The test point at Graz Airport has been set up in such a way that it meets all the requirements of an infrastructure that is worth protecting and is available during certain opening hours. The offer is open to all interested persons and is not exclusive to passengers. "In addition to the COVID vaccination, stringent testing strategies will help to ease existing travel restrictions in the coming months and thus make business and private travel easier," explain Wolfgang Grimus and Jürgen Löschnig, Managing Directors of Graz Airport. "It was therefore important to us to create a practical testing option for our passengers directly at the airport. However, the paid tests can also be used by non-passengers." The costs at Graz Airport are lower than those charged at Vienna Airport. The PCR test at Austria's largest airport costs 99 euros and the rapid antigen test costs 35 euros. Information about the tests: PCR tests: Cost: 69 euros If the test is carried out between 08:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., the result is available on the same day by 20:00 p.m. at the latest. If the test is carried out later, the result is available on the following working day by 20:00 p.m. at the latest. Antigen tests: Cost 33 euros If a test is positive, it is possible to take a PCR sample on site. This requires a laboratory analysis.

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Airbus: Hydrogen turboprop is very popular

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 14:06

Under pressure from climate protection, pretty much all aircraft manufacturers are currently working on alternative propulsion systems. The European manufacturer Airbus wants to put a hydrogen-powered aircraft into the air by 2035. Bloomberg reports, citing company sources, that they are currently working on a short-haul aircraft for around 100 passengers with a range of 1.000 nautical miles. The propulsion system is to be hydrogen turboprop. If the concept prevails, there could be a real renaissance of propeller aircraft. The fact that the turboprop is currently so popular with Airbus is probably due in particular to the fact that this type of propulsion system is technically easier to implement. However, the aircraft manufacturer also has concerns, as various airlines could reject the concept just because propellers are used. Many passengers wrongly view turboprops as "old aircraft". However, nothing is set in stone yet, as the manufacturer wants to work out various options by around 2025 and only then commit to the "aircraft of the future with the propulsion system of the future". Many concept studies will probably be presented by then. The airlines will probably also decide what will prevail, because Airbus will make the final decision dependent on their interest and, in particular, orders.

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De-icing in winter makes flying safe

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 13:36

In winter, passengers often experience the aircraft being driven onto a platform before take-off and then sprayed. This process, known as "de-icing", is for safety reasons, as ice formation on the wings is not only dangerous, but has also been the cause of fatal crashes in the past. To ensure that flying in winter is a safe bet, de-icing is taken particularly seriously. In the current corona situation, this is rather unlikely, but certainly possible: If a plane has to wait too long in a holding position for take-off, the pilots have to go back onto the platform for "de-icing" if the maximum effective time is exceeded. Better safe than sorry. Stuttgart Airport explains the process using a Boeing 787 "preighter" as follows: "Wings and other important aircraft parts are sprayed with a biodegradable hot water-glycol mixture. What drips off after the hot shower is stored in the airport's retention basins and pre-treated before it is sent to the sewage treatment plants in neighboring towns. There, the residues of the de-icing agents are used as an external carbon source to optimize biological processes.”

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Aviation billion: German regional airports go away empty-handed

Jan Gruber 12. February 2021 13:10

Germany has different classifications of airports and this could now be the downfall of regional airports and commercial airfields. The federal government only wants to provide financial support to those airports that are officially declared "international". For smaller airports, the responsibility is referred to the states. However, at first glance, this creates a gross injustice, as there are regional airports that have a higher volume than, for example, Saarbrücken Airport, which is classified as international. Those that are not declared "international" are only to receive relief from fees and charges. This does not affect any possible support from the respective states. Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) wants to set up the so-called "aviation billion" together with the states. They have already made 500 million euros available and the federal government is to contribute the other half. The bottom line is that international airports will receive less money than originally promised. Every cent that has been paid by states or cities will be deducted. Regional airports will effectively be left empty-handed. In addition, the federal government only wants to invest in the 12 "international airports". This means that the regional airports and the commercial airfields will not receive any money from the state and will therefore be even worse off. The amount raised for this is also lower. There is no longer any talk of a billion, as only 200 million euros are to be paid. Incidentally, small international airports in particular will not receive anything. The consequence of this is that the commercial airports of Dortmund, Weeze, Hahn, Karlsruhe-Baden-Baden, Memmingen, Kassel-Calden, Lübeck, Rostock-Laage, Friedrichshafen and Paderborn will not receive any money from

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