June 10

More articles from the category

June 10

Union calls for pilots' strike at SAS

The Scandinavian airline SAS could see pilot strikes as early as June 2022. After the recent negotiations failed, the SPF union informed management and the authorities of the plans. According to a statement from employee representatives, strikes are to take place in Denmark, Norway and Sweden from June 29, 2022. If no agreement can be reached beforehand, significant restrictions on air traffic are to be expected. The airline SAS is considered to be in serious financial trouble. Talks between the employer and the pilot representatives have been ongoing since November 2021. On Thursday, the pilots' union announced that these had failed and that members were now being called on to strike. One of the issues is that around half of the pilots were dismissed during the pandemic with a promise of re-employment. However, only a few pilots were actually re-employed. Furthermore, the existing collective agreements expired on March 31, 2022. No new contracts were concluded. The SAS management has rejected the union's proposals, so a strike has now been called. It is expected that around 900 pilots could take part. The last time SAS pilots went on strike was in 2019, for around a week.

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Slovenia: Solinair has applied for cargo charter to the US

The Slovenian airline Solinair has applied to the US Department of Transportation for approval to operate cargo charter flights to the United States. According to the application, the airline intends to operate these flights itself or through certified subcontractors. As soon as Slovenia has been inspected by the FAA and certified as a Category 1 country, the company may switch to self-operating. The country currently has no IASA category because it has never undergone a full FAA audit, reports CH-Aviation.com. Solinair declined to comment on the report. The fleet currently consists of two Airbus A300-600RFs. According to CH-Aviation.com, another aircraft is leased from the Turkish sister company MNG Airlines. The airline is used by DHL Express, among others.

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After a refinery accident: Vienna is running out of fuel

As a result of the accident that occurred a few days ago at the OMV Schwechat refinery, kerosene is running out at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. Pilots and airlines are now being asked by NOTAM to refuel at another airport if possible. The Jet A1 required by commercial aircraft is only available in limited quantities. The background to this is that the main distillation plant at the nearby OMV refinery is damaged and repair work has not yet been completed. The oil company cannot yet give a date for the restart of production. The main committee of the National Council has since released the federal government's strategic emergency reserves of diesel and petrol. Vienna-Schwechat Airport does not expect that there will be any restrictions on flight operations due to the Jet A1 shortage. The airlines will refuel at other airports if possible. Those airlines that have aircraft stationed in Vienna will react accordingly. Austrian Airlines, for example, believes that the shortage in Vienna will have no impact. "Thanks to our broad route network, we have the opportunity to compensate for short-term fuel shortages," said a spokeswoman. OMV is currently working on an "alternative supply system". In other words, the oil company will most likely bring fuel from other refineries owned by the company to Austria. According to a spokeswoman, the information given to the airport and the airlines that they should refuel elsewhere if possible "in order to use reserves sparingly" was purely a precautionary measure. A1272/22 - DUE TO MECHANICAL INCIDENT AT OMV REFINERY, JET A1 SUPPLY IS VERY LIMITED. TO MINIMIZE FLIGHT OPS IMPACTS ALL AIRCRAFT OPERATORS ARE REQUESTED TO AVOID REFUELLING WHENEVER OPERATIONALLY POSSIBLE. IF 

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Pilots' union ECA sharply criticizes speech by Wizz-Air boss Váradi

On Thursday morning, Wizz Air boss József Váradi addressed the group's workforce in a video message. He also addressed sick leave and said that absences not only hurt Wizz Air financially, but also damage its image. The manager indirectly suggested that people should not take sick leave for every little thing. They need to stand together and pull themselves together, literally. This is exactly what brought Váradi immediate criticism from the pilots' union ECA. In public posts, the union interpreted the Wizz Air boss's statements as follows: "The CEO of Wizz Air encourages pilots to fly when they are overtired! That is like giving a drunk driver the car keys. EASA, step in! You are the supervisory authority for Wizz Air!" The video and the ECA post can be found at this link. When asked about this, the airline Wizz Air explained to Aviation.Direct: "This excerpt was cut from a general briefing for all employees held by Wizz Air CEO József Váradi yesterday morning, which covered important news and current challenges in aviation. All airlines are affected by the problems in the supply chain, especially in the area of ​​employee availability and well-being. In this context, one of the topics of this internal meeting was that all colleagues should go the extra mile for our customers in order to minimize possible operational disruptions. Going the extra mile in an industry that is suffering from a shortage of staff is a major challenge for everyone. Our employees have handled the situation in the best possible way, and the crew absenteeism rate was

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Malta Tourism Authority with a new boss

The Malta Tourism Authority is under new management: The previous Deputy CEO, Carlo Micallef, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer. He has held leading positions in Maltese tourism management since 2014. The Malta Tourism Authority is comparable to the Austrian Tourist Board and markets Malta abroad with the aim of attracting more tourists to the country. "The appointment of Carlo Micallef is a natural step forward for the Malta Tourism Authority. With him at the helm, the MTA remains a proactive shaper of Maltese tourism and a driving force that advances this sector and develops it towards quality and sustainability. These are the pillars of our national tourism product. And that is what Carlo Micallef stands for," said Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo.

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Mavi Gök Airlines launches Antalya charters from Germany and Austria

The Turkish airline Mavi Gök Airlines will be launching some charter flights from Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hanover, Nuremberg and Vienna to Antalya from July 11, 2022. These can be booked through all brands of the Anex Tourism Group. The carrier is a subsidiary of the aforementioned group of companies, which are present in the DA-CH region under the brands Anex Tour, Bucher Reisen, Neckermann Reisen and Öger Tours. According to company information, around 30.000 seats will be added to Antalya at short notice. "We see a sustained high demand for trips to Turkey in Germany, which could be limited by a lack of flight capacity over the course of the summer season. By using the MGA, we are providing our sales partners with additional flight seats and at the same time securing our own flight capacity on the market. This means that together, including with our Turkish hotel partners, we can continue to benefit from the upswing in Turkey tourism in Germany," says Germany boss Murat Kizilsac. Mavi Gök Airlines is a newly founded charter airline based in Turkey. The company belongs to the Anex Group and is scheduled to begin operations this year. Alongside Azur Airlines, it is the group's second airline brand.

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From June 16, 2022: Bamboo starts second Frankfurt route

The Vietnamese airline Bamboo Airways intends to fly from Hi Chi Minh City to Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt am Main, from June 16, 2022. The airline plans to fly with Boeing 787s. According to the carrier's statement, a weekly rotation will initially be carried out. The plan is to initially fly on Thursday. Depending on demand, it is conceivable that further frequencies will be added. Bamboo Airways already has a presence in Frankfurt am Main. Since February 2022, it has been flying to this airport from Hanoi. At the time, it was the Vietnamese airline's first route to Germany. Munich is also in focus and it wants to significantly expand its presence on the German market.

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Helvetic: Bazl examines the frequency of “slide shots”

Almost every commercial aircraft is equipped with so-called emergency slides. Incorrect operation can not only be expensive for the airline, but can also lead to an investigation by the supervisory authority. Helvetic Airways is facing one such investigation. According to a report in the "Sonntags Zeitung", the regional airline is accused of having forgotten to deactivate the slides after landing in at least three cases. These are safety-related incidents that do not pose a danger, but are financially costly for the airline. Flight attendants also call such mishaps "shooting slides", because if the doors are not "defused", the slides are automatically triggered. That's how it should be, because in an emergency every second counts and it is simply not predictable whether a passenger or a crew member will be the first to reach the emergency exit in the event of an accident. However, if there is no emergency and the passengers are supposed to disembark as normal, it is annoying when such a slide shoots out. This costs the airline a lot of money, because technicians have to repair the emergency system and the plane has to remain on the ground until then. The "Sonntags Zeitung" newspaper claims that the accidental "slide shooting" is also due to overtired flight attendants. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation has launched an official investigation into the recent incidents. These were safety-related incidents, but there was no danger to the passengers. It is conceivable that the FOCA could impose further training for the flight attendants of the airline Helvetic Airways or that certain procedures have to be changed so that the slides are not accidentally triggered. A spokesman for the carrier concerned told the

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Austrian Airlines is helping out at Swiss in July and August 2022

In recent days, Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings have cancelled and taken off sale numerous flights that were planned during the peak holiday season in 2022. Austrian Airlines believes that such drastic measures are not necessary. Nevertheless, Austrian Airlines cannot rule out the possibility of "individual cancellations" during the summer of 2022. Within the group of companies, for example, it is supporting its sister company Swiss and taking over all connections between Vienna and Zurich in July and August 2022, a spokesman told Aviation.Direct. The Vida union believes that bottlenecks could occur during the Austrian summer holidays. Department head Daniel Liebhart points out that many employees are missing from air traffic control, airports and service providers. "Everything is set up" for summer chaos, according to the employee representative. Some airlines also have too few flight attendants. When asked how they had prepared for the summer of 2022, Austrian Airlines explained as follows: "For smooth flight operations, the interaction of our partners at home and abroad is necessary (such as with airports or air traffic control). Austrian Airlines has prepared as best as possible for the high summer and the holiday season, hired 150 new flight attendants and is in good contact with its partners at the Vienna location in particular. From the current perspective, stable flight operations should be possible, but individual cancellations over the course of the summer cannot be ruled out - as in other years. Together with the other airlines in the Lufthansa Group, Austrian Airlines is trying

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Oslo: Flyr abandons some routes

The young low-cost airline Flyr is reducing its route offering from Oslo. The carrier is giving up a total of six routes. Some of these are seasonal summer routes that are being put on "winter break" earlier than originally announced. The non-stop connection between the capitals of Norway and the Czech Republic will be discontinued on July 24, 2022. In general, other airlines are also showing in Prague that some routes have not produced the hoped-for results. Eurowings has also discontinued individual routes or not started them at all. As of August 8, 2022, Flyr will also give up the connection between Oslo and Edinburgh. The Billund route is to be discontinued on August 14, 2022. Thessaloniki will be served for the last time on August 27, 2022. The destinations Zadar and Venice will be sent into early "winter break" on September 24, 2022 and September 25, 2022 respectively.

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