June 24

More articles from the category

June 24

ZRH: New tenants in The Circle

The Circle at Zurich Airport has gained additional tenants. They include Neoss, a British manufacturer of implants, and Beyond Gravity, a RUAG-owned supplier to the aerospace industry. The Circle service center at Zurich Airport has attracted three new tenants, according to a press release. These include Neoss, a manufacturer of implants and other dental products. The British company has chosen The Circle as the location for its branch in Switzerland. In addition, Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space) will move into a location in the Circle from the beginning of 2023. According to the information, RUAG's aerospace division has secured a rental space of around 27000 square meters. Beyond Gravity supplies the aerospace industry in Europe and, according to the announcement, is also expanding its presence in the USA. The third new tenant is Negishi Sushi Bar. The restaurant, which belongs to the Wiesner Gastronomie AG family from Dübendorf ZH, is scheduled to open in 2023. Since the Circle opened in autumn 2020, 46 companies with their 5000 employees have settled in the service centre. The Circle was realised by a co-ownership community in which Flughafen Zürich AG holds a 51 percent stake and Swiss Life AG ​​a 49 percent stake. 

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Bird strike in Vienna: Buzz makes a safety landing with SP-RSK

The Polish Ryanair subsidiary Buzz suffered a bird strike on Friday with its Boeing 737-800 during takeoff from Vienna-Schwechat Airport. The left engine was damaged, meaning the medium-haul jet had to make an emergency landing at Vienna-Schwechat Airport. Buzz was en route to Liverpool on behalf of Ryanair under flight number FR9757. However, a bird crashed into the left engine, meaning the SP-RSK could not continue its journey. In such cases, it is mandatory to land as quickly as possible. Since the Boeing 737-800 had a lot of fuel on board, the captain first had to burn some of it in order to land safely. The SP-RSK therefore circled for around an hour before it was able to land safely at Vienna-Schwechat Airport shortly after 18 p.m. All passengers and crew members were able to safely exit the Boeing 00-737. Technicians from Ryanair Engineering are now taking a close look at the left engine and the aircraft. If necessary, replacement or repairs may be necessary. For safety reasons, the Vienna Airport fire brigade was also called in. This is a normal procedure. Despite intensive efforts, bird strikes cannot be avoided and are not only annoying for airlines, but also costly. Commercial aircraft are designed in such a way that they can fly with just one engine, but it is mandatory that they land as quickly as possible. In some cases, however, the aircraft still has to circle, namely when the fuel weight is too high and landing would otherwise be unsafe. The passengers were then taken to the airport in an apron bus.

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Vienna Airport receives “Best European Airport 2022” award

And the award goes to Vienna Airport: The international airport association ACI Europe (Airports Council International) is awarding Vienna Airport the “Best European Airport 2022” award. The “Best European Airport 2022” award is one of the most important awards in the aviation industry. European airports in the categories “Under 5 million”, “5-10 million”, “10-25 million”, “25-40 million” and over “40 million passengers” are analyzed by a jury of experts with representatives from the European Commission, Eurocontrol, the European Civil Aviation Conference, the International Transport Forum and the European SESAR program. The categories refer to the passenger numbers in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic; Vienna Airport recorded 31,7 million travelers this year. The assessment is based on how airports have managed the restart after the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of service quality and operations, as well as what measures airports are taking to improve their sustainability and what progress they are making in doing so. A total of 10 airports were awarded, with Vienna Airport taking first place in the “25-40 million passengers” category. “A high quality of service for passengers, ensuring reliable and punctual airport operations and the further reduction of our CO2 emissions are always our highest priority as Vienna Airport – before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. With the new Terminal 2, our climate protection measures and its operational quality, the airport has developed well and we are pleased that this is being noticed in the industry and by passengers. Above all, however, this award is recognition of the outstanding achievements of our employees, who, with their great commitment every day, ensure that operations at the site run smoothly and

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Frankfurt and Munich: Lufthansa takes 2200 flights from the program

In the middle of the summer holiday season, Lufthansa is cancelling more than 2200 more flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs due to a lack of staff. A good two weeks ago, the AUA parent company announced that it would cancel 900 connections on Fridays and weekends in July. Now it will "remove a further 2.200 of a total of around 80.000 flights at the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich from the system - including on the other, previously less affected weekdays," Lufthansa announced on Thursday evening. "The cancellations affect flights within Germany and Europe in particular, but not the classic holiday destinations that are well booked during the holiday season." Flight times could also change. The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported on this. "Flight safety strikes, weather events and, in particular, an increased corona sickness rate have now put additional strain on the system," Lufthansa said in justifying the decision. "In the past few days, our crews have reported sick at short notice." Airlines across Europe have had to cancel more flights for these reasons. Lufthansa passengers would be informed immediately of cancellations and, if possible, rebooked onto other suitable flights. Alternatively, domestic feeder flights could be replaced by rail journeys to the hubs, from where the planes would then take off for foreign flights. All of these steps are an unavoidable measure "with which the airline wants to ensure greater stability of the flight schedule throughout the summer," added Lufthansa. Ground handling services at airports are also suffering from a lack of staff.

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Entry into South Africa again without CoV restrictions

South Africa has lifted all corona-related entry restrictions with immediate effect. Previously, proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test had to be shown at the border, but this is no longer necessary. In addition, the popular holiday destination no longer requires masks indoors and other requirements in daily life. The South African government has decided to immediately lift the entry requirements that were introduced in the wake of the corona pandemic. Previously, entrants were required to provide either proof of a full corona vaccination or proof of a negative PCR test that was no more than 72 hours old. The health minister there justified the abolition of the entry rules with the steadily falling number of infections. At the same time, the number of hospital admissions and deaths had fallen considerably. Mask requirement indoors ends South Africa had already lifted the national health emergency on April 5 after more than two years. At that time, the warning level system that had been used to categorize the current corona situation also ended. Now, with the requirement to wear masks indoors, the last restriction in daily life that previously applied in shops and public transport is being lifted. At the same time, the restrictions on the number of participants at public gatherings are also ending.

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Increase in turnover also at FedEx

The US logistics company generated significantly more sales in the most recent fiscal quarter. Revenues increased by eight percent year-on-year to $24,4 billion (€23,2 billion), as the German aviation portal Aero reports. Operating profit rose by seven percent to $1,9 billion, not least thanks to higher parcel prices. FedEx and competitors such as UPS and DHL benefited greatly from the boom in online orders during the pandemic. However, supply chain problems and higher labor and transport costs are causing them problems. Nevertheless, the group gave a better business outlook for the current year than analysts expected. This was well received by investors - the share initially rose by around three percent after the market closed.

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Dortmund Airport starts the summer holidays

The last day of school on Friday marks the start of peak travel season at Dortmund Airport. The summer flight schedule includes 54 destinations in 24 countries - an increase of around 2019 percent compared to the number of destinations in the previous record year of 30. Classic summer destinations such as Mallorca, Split and Thessaloniki are expected to be just as popular as in previous years. These popular classics are complemented by the holiday destination Antalya - the Turkish holiday destination on the Mediterranean is again being offered by SunExpress from Dortmund. A brand new destination in the flight schedule is Heviz (Balaton), which can be reached with Wizz Air. Another new addition to the summer flight schedule is Rome. The Hungarian low-cost airline will connect the Italian capital with Dortmund from September. In total, Dortmund Airport expects around 380.000 passengers during the upcoming holidays, which is roughly the same as before the crisis. In the record year of 2019, around 385.000 passengers used the airport. Airport requests that passengers arrive on time Due to the increased number of passengers, Dortmund Airport recommends that all passengers arrive at the airport 2,5 hours before departure. Possible traffic jams or diversions due to construction work along the A40/B1, as well as the route from the car park to the terminal, should be taken into account when arriving. Passengers arriving by car have the option of reserving a parking space using the airport's online booking system. Those bringing and collecting passengers can use the so-called Kiss & Fly zone directly in front of the terminal for quick loading and unloading. Information about this can also be found on the airport website.

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Boeing and Norwegian settle dispute: 50 B737 Max 8 ordered

The airline Norwegian Air Shuttle and the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing have converted a letter of intent signed at the end of May 2022 into a firm order. The low-cost airline has now ordered 50 Boeing 737 Max 8s. Previously, there were considerable legal disputes between the two companies because Norwegian had gotten rid of a previous large order in the course of insolvency proceedings. An agreement was reached with competitor Airbus, but Boeing did not want to simply accept the unilateral cancellation. Now all disagreements could be settled at the negotiating table. Norwegian Air Shuttle has thus firmly ordered 50 Boeing 737 Max 8s. It was also communicated that the carrier has secured options for up to 30 more units. Norwegian had to seek refuge in insolvency proceedings in several countries in the wake of the corona pandemic. The airline downsized massively and, among other things, gave up long-haul flights completely.

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Costa: Two cruise lines switch to Carnival

Two ships within the Carnival shipping group will change operators: The Costa Venezia and the Costa Firenze will be operated by Carnival Cruise Line in the future. The first ship is scheduled to be handed over in spring 2023 and the second in the course of 2024. However, not much will change for passengers, as the two cruise ships will be marketed as "Costa by Carnival" in the future. There is a reason for this, as Italian flair is to be made attractive to the US market. However, there may be changes to the tours. Information about this will be provided in the next few weeks. "This is an exciting opportunity for us to operate two more beautiful Vista-class ships in the USA and offer a unique experience to those who love the culture, food and atmosphere of Italy," explains Carnival CEO Christine Duffy.

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AUA boss Mann wants to increase prices and sees no shortage of staff

Long-haul passengers on Austrian Airlines will have to dig deeper into their wallets in the future, between 50 and 100 euros one way, if company boss Annette Mann has her way. In the European network, the price increases will amount to "just a few euros". For several months, Annette Mann is the first woman to head the Austrian Lufthansa subsidiary. In an interview with the Ö1 morning journal, the manager announced price increases, which she justified in particular with the sharp rise in fuel prices. Without asking passengers to pay more, Austrian Airlines could no longer become profitable. In view of the numerous austerity packages that have already been implemented, Mann sees no alternative to increasing ticket prices. "You will feel this in the future too, flying will become more expensive," said the AUA boss. However, the effect of the significantly increased fuel prices due to fuel hedging transactions that Lufthansa conducts centrally for the entire group of companies will not become apparent until next year. Austrian Airlines actually wanted to at least break even in the current financial year. Annette Mann currently assumes that this will not be possible this year due to the kerosene prices. She expects appropriate compensation from OMV, because the manager believes that AUA is severely affected by the limited fuel quantities in Vienna. The fact that on short and medium-haul flights the airline has to refuel “away from home” leads to increased consumption due to the higher weight. Discussions are to be held with OMV management about compensation. Annette Mann does not want to hear anything about staff shortages at Austrian Airlines. She points out that 150 additional flight attendants have been hired. The short-time working also helped, as the airline

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