November 8, 2022

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November 8, 2022

Germany's first electric de-icer in use at Stuttgart Airport

Season opener for polar bears at STR: In low temperatures, aircraft often need to be de-iced before take-off - the latest additions to the airport's electric fleet will be used this winter at the state airport. The two special vehicles for aircraft de-icing, known in airport jargon as "polar bears", are the first electrically powered vehicles of their kind in Germany, the airport said in a press release. During so-called de-icing, certain parts of the aircraft are sprayed with a biodegradable hot water-glycol mixture. What drips off the fuselage or wings after the hot shower is pre-treated in the airport's retention basins before being sent to sewage treatment plants in the area. The remains of the de-icing agents are used there as an external carbon source to optimize biological processes.

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BER: October is the month of the year with the most travel so far

October is the busiest month of 2022 so far for travel. A total of 2,1 million people used BER Airport last month, a good 30.000 more than in September 2022 and around 170.000 more than in August 2022. This means that the number of passengers was around two-thirds of the volume in October of the pre-Corona year 2019 with 3,2 million guests. In October 2021, 1,7 million people traveled via BER. Last month, around 16.000 aircraft took off and landed in the capital region, 100 more than in the previous month of September 2022. In October 2021, almost 15.000 flight movements were counted at BER, compared to a total of 2019 at Schönefeld and Tegel airports in October 26.000. In total, around 17 million people have already used BER Airport this year. Last month, around 3.000 tonnes of air freight were handled, 145 tonnes more than in September 2022. In the same month last year in 2021, it was 2.600 tonnes, and in October 2019, it was 3.100 tonnes of air freight. "The well-prepared and largely smooth start to the autumn holidays also contributed to the good passenger numbers in October. Many people used the holidays to head out into the sun one last time. We have further optimized the processes in both terminals to make traveling as easy as possible for our passengers. The digital offers in particular, such as self-service at check-in or the reservation of a time slot for security checks via BER Runway, were very popular and well received," said Aletta von Massenbach, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH.

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Eurowings connects Klagenfurt with Cologne/Bonn Airport again

In keeping with the winter season, Eurowings will once again be flying directly from Cologne/Bonn Airport to Klagenfurt from December. The Eurowings route to Cologne-Bonn will return to the airport's route network on December 20, 2022. Starting shortly before Christmas, the Lufthansa subsidiary's aircraft will initially take off from Klagenfurt Airport three times a week for the first two weeks - on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. From the third week, specifically from January 6, 2023, the two cities will only be connected twice a week according to the flight schedule - on Fridays and Sundays. This connection is likely to be of great interest, especially for winter sports enthusiasts but also for all other Alpine lovers. "Thanks to our strong partnership with Eurowings, holidaymakers from North Rhine-Westphalia can get to the sunny side of the Alps in just over an hour's flight time," says Marcus Hepner from the marketing team at Klagenfurt Airport. In addition to the direct flights from Cologne/Bonn to Klagenfurt, the Carinthian airport can also be reached all year round from major German cities via connecting flights via VIE with Austrian Airlines. The Vienna-Klagenfurt route is served several times a day.

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Fraport is benefiting from the strong summer months and expects profits in the millions

The strong recovery in demand for air travel has brought strong growth to Frankfurt airport operator Fraport. In the seasonally strongest quarter from July to September, Fraport earned 420 million euros (EBITDA), almost as much as before the corona crisis. The outlook for the fourth quarter also remains optimistic. Passenger numbers at Frankfurt Airport in the first half of the year were still 38 percent below the pre-crisis level of 2019. In the third quarter, the shortfall was only 26 percent, and in October just over 23 percent. In the first nine months, Frankfurt Airport achieved a cumulative volume of 35,9 million passengers. For the full year, the company expects up to 50 million passengers in Frankfurt, compared to a good 70 million before the crisis. In contrast, passenger numbers at the international airports in which it operates rose sharply; at the 14 Greek airports alone, traffic volumes in the summer were already three percent above the pre-crisis level of 2019. Meanwhile, cargo volumes at Frankfurt Airport fell by 12,9 percent. The overall economic situation and further restrictions on airspace due to the war in Ukraine and comprehensive corona protection measures in China are to blame, the group said in a press release. The bottom line is that Fraport managed to return to the black in the third quarter. In the first nine months, the airport operator recorded an increase in revenue of 57,6 percent to 2,14 billion euros and an increase in operating profit (EBITDA) of almost 33 percent to 828,6 million euros. The group result reached 98,1 (previous year: 118) million euros. The listed group, which is owned just over half by the state of Hesse and the city of Frankfurt, is paying a dividend.

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ÖBB have bought into Railtour Suisse

The ÖBB tour operator Rail Tours has acquired a stake in the DER subsidiary Railtour Suisse in Switzerland. It has acquired 33,4 percent of the Swiss company. The smaller operator is buying into the larger company. The deal has already been approved by the relevant competition authorities. The SBB and DER Touristik, which continues to hold the majority, will remain involved in Railtour Suisse. The ÖBB subsidiary hopes that the transaction will improve access to the Swiss market. It wants to sell more package tours with rail travel segments. Since Railtour Suisse is much larger and has its own IT infrastructure, synergies can be exploited in many areas. In the coming year, the Austrian Federal Railways will appoint a member of the Board of Directors at Railtour Suisse due to its stake. In the medium term, the company also wants to achieve cost advantages in the area of ​​purchasing. It can also build on a collaboration with DER Touristik, which belongs to the Rewe Group.

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Vienna Airport: Regiojet reactivates Brno trains

The railway company Regiojet will soon be offering direct trains between Vienna-Schwechat Airport and Brno again. These were temporarily suspended due, among other things, to the construction work currently being carried out by the ÖBB between Schwechat and Vienna Airport. Regiojet will in future offer three daily pairs of services. The city of Brno will initially receive subsidies for the operation for six months. The Czech railway company was successful in a tender. After six months, use will be evaluated and then the city council will decide on a possible continuation of the subsidies. The sale of tickets will soon begin via the Regiojet homepage and at the railway company's counters. The trains between Brno and Vienna-Schwechat Airport vv are to be reactivated by December 11, 2022 at the latest (timetable change). In addition to the three own connections, two daily pairs of services with a change to the ÖBB at Vienna Central Station are also offered. However, through tickets are sold. Regiojet also offers long-distance buses from Vienna Airport to Brno. Regiojet participates in the so-called climate ticket in Austria. This is accepted in 2nd class up to the border stations of Breclav (Czech Republic) and Hegyeshalom (Hungary). Further details can be found at this link. Aviation.Direct has taken a closer look at the Regiojet trains at this link. A product test of the Regiojet long-distance buses can be found here.

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Tui separates from travel agencies with low intermediary sales

The travel group Tui is separating itself from agencies that have made little or no brokerage of this provider's products. The travel agencies affected have been receiving notices of termination of their cooperation without notice by registered mail since Friday. Apparently, this primarily concerns agencies that have been able to generate very little or no Tui sales. The company now wants to separate from these. Touristik Aktuell quotes from a registered letter that was sent to an unnamed travel agency: "The analysis of your booking figures has shown that you have not achieved the sales target set for the 2021/2022 financial year and have fallen far short of expectations (...) We therefore unfortunately see no basis for further economically viable cooperation and are terminating our contractual relationship without notice for good cause according to the TUI agency contract." The travel group Tui confirms that terminations have taken place, but says that these are "only individual agencies that do not make any Tui bookings at all."

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Vienna: Twin City Liner introduces a fuel surcharge

The Twin City Liner, the ship connection between the capitals of Vienna and Bratislava, is now charging passengers a fuel surcharge of two euros per person and direction. This was justified in a press release by the sharp rise in diesel purchase prices. This extra charge was obviously copied from aviation, as many airlines have been charging so-called kerosene surcharges for many years. These are either openly stated as such or, as in the case of the Lufthansa Group, disguised as a so-called "international fee" so that when asked, they can say that no fuel surcharges are charged at all. Many airlines introduced these at the beginning of the 2000s when oil prices rose sharply in the short term. At the time, it was promised that these would be abolished again when fuel prices fell. However, only a few airlines remembered this promise. Similar to aviation, the fuel surcharges at Twin City Liner are added to the ticket prices, resulting in a noticeable increase in prices for passengers. This is communicated in a media release that primarily deals with Advent trips between Vienna and Bratislava, in just one sentence at the very end. The Twin City Liner was originally developed to set up a fast connection between Vienna and Bratislava. However, the alternative to cars, trains and long-distance buses was not accepted by the population as expected. The business model was therefore changed and positioned as a tourist and leisure ship. This has been successful, because the joint venture between Wien Holding and Raiffeisenlandesbank NÖ-Wien has been

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Norse Atlantic with fewer passengers in October 2022

Norwegian Norse Atlantic Airways achieved a load factor of 2022 percent in October 60. At the end of last month, the route network was reduced, which the airline says should have a positive impact on load factors and earnings during the season. 60.836 passengers were carried, three percent fewer than in the same month last year. Cargo revenue remains an important source of income for Norse, and average cargo revenue per flight operated increased by 12 percent compared to September and 60 percent compared to August, while total net cargo revenue remained unchanged month-on-month and increased by 82 percent compared to August. "The rapid and decisive reduction of our route network in line with demand and the focus on core routes for the winter season puts Norse Atlantic in a much stronger position for the coming months. We are very pleased that some core routes on our current route network are now at 85 percent capacity and that advance bookings continue to show a positive trend," said Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways. The Norse Atlantic UK subsidiary is expected to receive the necessary approval for the planned US flights shortly. The group plans to publish the first part of the 2023 summer flight schedule later this week. Further destinations will be announced in December and in the new year to expand the airline's route network for summer 2023. Norse Atlantic Airways signed an agreement in October to sub-lease a fifth aircraft, a Boeing 787-8, for a total leasing period of 18 months. The agreement

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Missing Spare Parts: Indigo has to ground 30 planes

The low-cost airline Indigo has to ground around ten percent of its fleet, or at least 30 aircraft, due to a lack of spare parts. The company explains that there are weeks of delays in delivery and that some parts are not available at all. The consequence of this is that more and more aircraft have to be temporarily grounded because they are no longer allowed to fly due to a lack of available but required spare parts. Alternatives are being sought, but there is also virtually nothing left on the market for certified used parts. Airbus A320 and A320neo aircraft are affected. The carrier must now compensate for the outages with very expensive wet leases. Indigo's fleet currently consists of 279 aircraft. In addition to "normal" spare parts, engines for the A320neo are also currently in short supply. Neither Pratt & Whitney nor CFM are currently able to supply new engines to Airbus due to problems in the supply chain.

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