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August 20, 2021

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August 20, 2021

Summer holidays: Dortmund only two percent below the record value of 2019

Amely Mizzi August 20, 2021 19:44

Dortmund Airport counted a total of 376.714 passengers during the recent summer holidays in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This was only about two percent below the comparable figure achieved in 2019. In total, passengers from Dortmund had a choice of 59 destinations in 27 countries. The holiday island of Mallorca was particularly popular with almost 33.000 travelers, followed by Katowice and Bucharest. Other popular holiday destinations were Catania, Crete and Split. "We are currently almost at pre-crisis levels," says Guido Miletic, Head of Airport Services and Marketing. "Air traffic at our location recovered much faster during the holidays than we had expected at the start of the holidays. We had expected at least 250.000 passengers for the peak travel season. There are over 100.000 more.” The reason for the strong growth is not only the falling number of infections in large parts of Europe, a rising vaccination rate and the associated increased safety when traveling, but also location-related advantages. Shortly before the summer holidays, Eurowings significantly expanded its offering from Dortmund Airport to include attractive warm-water destinations. Travelers have since had the opportunity to fly to Kavala, Alicante or Rhodes. The offerings on the popular routes to Catania, Malaga and Heraklion have been significantly expanded. “We are very happy that we have been able to establish and publicize Eurowings’ routes so well in a very short time,” said Miletic. Wizz Air also increased its offerings again in time for the peak travel season and is now flying to destinations such as Burgas and Sarajevo. The connection to Mallorca was introduced in April. SunExpress reported

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Air Malta flew vaccine donation to Libya

guest Author August 20, 2021 19:05

Air Malta transported more than 17 vaccines to Libya on Tuesday, 2021 August 40.000. Captain Frank Scerri, a TRI/TRE on the A320 family, along with Chief Pilot Training at the Maltese national airline Captain Eric Cordina were in the cockpit. The flight landed at Mitiga Airport in Tripoli, which is currently serving as a key gateway to the Libyan capital, given the damage suffered by Tripoli International Airport during the civil unrest. The gesture also received praise from WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge, who thanked the Maltese government for its solidarity with Libya. In a statement, Air Malta said it was delighted to be part of this global effort by transporting vaccines and thereby helping neighbouring countries. This post was written by: MAviO News

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Norse Atlantic inspects London Gatwick base

Jan Gruber August 20, 2021 18:35

The long-haul start-up Norse Atlantic Airways plans to launch with a base in London-Gatwick in the course of 2022. The focus is particularly on the former Norwegian routes to the USA. In the meantime, initial talks have been held with the Unite union. The union assumes that Norse Atlantic Airways is particularly focused on former Norwegian staff who lost their jobs when long-haul flights were discontinued. The union stated that there had been an initial discussion and that a timetable for further negotiations had now been set. The aim is to conclude a collective agreement for Norse Atlantic Airways' future UK employees. Due to Brexit, it is also clear that the Norwegian carrier must obtain another AOC in the United Kingdom. The clear statement that a base in Gatwick is planned speaks clearly against fifth freedom flights. When asked, Norse Atlantic Airways stated that it had not yet made any public announcement about a possible base in London-Gatwick. However, it is acknowledged that the UK capital is an interesting market and that talks with the unions have therefore begun at an early stage. The first aircraft to bear the Norse Atlantic Airways livery is the Boeing 787-9 with the registration LN-LNO. This was repainted in the newcomer's design in Shannon, Ireland. This aircraft was previously used by Norwegian.

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Ryanair is suing TAP state aid again

Jan Gruber August 20, 2021 18:03

The budget airline Ryanair has filed a new lawsuit against the approval of state aid for TAP Air Portugal. The first attempt was successful, but the European Court of Justice granted the EU Commission the right to amend the reasoning. This has since been done and Ryanair is now suing against the changed approval of state aid. Specifically, the issue is 462 million euros that the Portuguese state made available to TAP. This is part of a 1,2 billion euro rescue package that is divided into loans and direct grants. After the EU Commission's original approval was overturned by the courts, the competition authorities changed the reasoning and gave the green light again. This is obviously a thorn in Ryanair's side, which is why a new lawsuit has been filed before the European Court of Justice.

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Countermeasure: USA restricts capacity of Chinese carriers

Jan Gruber August 20, 2021 16:05

The Chinese authorities are imposing severe penalties on airlines that "import" corona cases, which can go as far as a flight ban. The home countries of various carriers are increasingly resisting this practice. The USA is now restricting capacity. Four airlines based in China are initially affected. They are only allowed to fill a maximum of 40 percent of seats with passengers over a period of four weeks. According to a statement by the US government, the following airlines are specifically affected: Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines. The USA is also making no secret of the fact that this is a kind of "act of revenge", because in recent months American airlines have repeatedly been banned from flying or restricted in capacity because passengers tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving. Other countries also want to react to China's measures and in turn "punish" Chinese providers accordingly. The Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines has also already been banned from flying to China because the carrier was accused of "importing" too many cases. In this context, the local civil aviation authority even issued its own press release.

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Sun Air is suspending scheduled flights again

Jan Gruber August 20, 2021 15:33

The Danish British Airways franchisee Sun Air of Scandinavia is once again suspending all scheduled flights. The reason given in the corresponding announcement is the corona pandemic. Among other things, the regional airline writes: "However, if European countries can agree on more harmonious travel restrictions and more regular demand arises in the market, we are ready to start one or more routes." The carrier also explains that it intends to reactivate the following routes, which are operated on its own account under the British Airways brand. However, no specific dates are given. Some routes on the list have been dormant since the beginning of the corona pandemic. Billund - Brussels Billund - Düsseldorf Billund - London City Billund - Manchester Billund - Oslo Friedrichshafen - Dusseldorf For all other routes that were in the program "before Corona", things look rather bleak. According to the current information, these are no longer to be reactivated. Sun Air of Scandinavia expressly emphasizes that the Manchester-Cambridge-Gothenburg route will continue to be served. This is a full charter on behalf of the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Sun Air of Scandinavia's fleet currently consists of 15 Dornier 328-300 jets. The previously used BAe ATP, BAe Jetstream 31/32 and Dornier 328-100 (turboprop) have been phased out in recent years.

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Cubana wants to fight IATA-BSP expulsion

Amely Mizzi August 20, 2021 15:06

The state-owned airline Cubana has been excluded from the BSP billing system by the IATA. This is extremely painful for the carrier, but the International Air Transport Association is accused of acting for "political reasons". The IATA's decision was justified, among other things, by the US trade embargo. Since this has been in place for what feels like an eternity, the International Air Transport Association's reaction comes rather late. It can therefore be assumed that there are other reasons that are not currently being made public. The only thing that was stated was that the bank that carried out the payment processes in the background has ceased operations, citing the embargo. Cubana announced that it still wants to continue flying to Spain. However, it will have to come up with another solution for billing the tickets. Bookings through agencies will also become more complicated in the future, as these are usually billed via IATA-BSP. The carrier announced that it would file a complaint within the IATA, of which it is a member. It is completely unclear what prospects this has. Representatives of Cubana are quoted in South American media as accusing IATA of “politically motivated behavior.” We will have to wait and see how things develop.

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Singapore makes it easier for vaccinated Germans to enter the country

Amely Mizzi August 20, 2021 14:36

Fully vaccinated people will probably be able to travel between Germany and Singapore without quarantine from September 8, 2021. This should also be possible for people coming from Brunei. Otherwise, Singapore's entry requirements will remain strict. However, this is not that easy, as a negative PCR test that is no older than 48 hours must also be presented. This must be written in English. After landing, you must have another PCR swab taken at Singapore Changi Airport. You must wait for the result. The authorities have the option of ordering another PCR test to be carried out a few days after arrival. You must also have stayed in Germany for at least 21 days beforehand. The last necessary vaccination dose must have been injected at least 14 days before departure. Not all flights are accessible, only those marked as "VTL". Other requirements are that the "Vaccinated Travel Pass" must be applied for. This will probably be possible online from September 1, 2021. This must be requested at least seven days before the planned flight. Singapore also requires that an insurance policy with a minimum coverage of 30.000 Singapore dollars for treatments related to Covid-19 diseases be presented. On site, an app must be used on the smartphone to facilitate contact tracing. The return trip to Germany is, by the way, much easier. Fully vaccinated people can enter the Federal Republic without any further requirements. The decisive factor is that you have been in Singapore or Germany, for example, in the last 14 days and have been in a country with a high risk of infection for at least two years.

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Entry: Germany changes the Infection Protection Act

Jan Gruber August 20, 2021 14:08

The German federal government has decided to amend the Infection Protection Act. This puts the so-called 3G proof, which is required upon entry, on a different legal basis. Until now, this was based on regulations. Now it is up to the Bundestag and the Bundestag Council, because the amendment still has to go through the usual parliamentary route. Germany will therefore continue to require - regardless of the means of transport and origin - the presentation of a negative test result, confirmation of having recovered from corona disease or full vaccination against Covid-19. The change in the legal basis has no effect on the entry rules, because these are to continue to be applied in their current form - at least for the time being. There could possibly be tightening of the rules again in the cold season, but that is not yet clear at the moment.

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Hungary's Wizz freighter has been repainted

Amely Mizzi August 20, 2021 13:40

The only widebody of the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air, HA-LHU, was painted in a new livery in Malta. The aircraft is operated on behalf of the Hungarian government and now has large "Hungary Air Cargo" titles. The tail unit shows the Hungarian coat of arms. The reference to the operator Wizz Air is attached next to the co-pilot's and captain's windows and is comparatively very large. The Airbus A330-243F was previously used by Qatar Airways and flew to Luqa in the "hybrid livery". The HA-LHU was given the new livery at Aviation Cosmetics Malta in the Safi Aviation Park, which is located on the grounds of Malta International Airport. This aircraft is not regularly used by Wizz Air, but its main user is the Hungarian Ministry of Trade. This Ministry has this Airbus A330-243F operated by the low-cost airline based in Budapest.

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