AIRLINE BRIEFS NEWS FROM AROUND
26 AIRPORT VOICE, AUGUST 2019
THE AIR INDUSTRY
Amsterdam Airport
Schiphol could be set to receive
an increase in slots
from 2021 but it will need to
meet certain criteria if it is to
qualify for the extra capacity.
Dutch Minister for Infrastructure
and Water Management
Cora van Nieuwenhuizen
has revealed plans
that will see the capacity constrained
airport gain extra
slots if it can reduce its impact
on the local community.
Among other things, the
minister wants the number
of night flights to decrease.
In addition to limiting “nuisance”,
the sustainability of
aviation will also play a central
role.
How much Schiphol receives
in additional flight
movements per year will be
determined after the nuisance
for local residents –
based on hard indicators –
has been limited.
Here is the US, NYCAR
members fear that there may
be an increase in slots at JFK
following the redevelopment.
At the moment this is not being
discussed by Port Authority
but the potential of more
planes and more noise and
the environment is already
being anticipated by the members
of the NY Community
Aviation Roundtable.
Boeing boondoggle. Both
Delta and AA have cut back
on Boeing aircraft orders.
Delta Air Lines took delivery
of its very last Boeing aircraft—
the 130th 737-900(ER)
to join its fleet. From what
used to be one of Boeing’s
largest customers, Delta has
only scheduled for delivery
brand-new Airbus planes at
time of this report.
Delta ordered the Boeing
737-900(ER) three times—100
planes in August 2011, another
20 in December 2015,
and 10 more in April 2017.
Delta’s newest, and last
737-900(ER) also happens to
be one of the final 737 Next
Generation aircraft to be produced
at Boeing’s plant in
Washington.
Boeing’s days as the
world’s biggest plane maker
may be coming to end because
of the Max 8 problems
with Airbus delivering 150
more planes than Boeing during
the first half of the year. If
the trend continues, Boeing’s
European rival will likely
take the lead as the biggest
What a tail to tell. Serbia at JFK Airport. Photo by Jeff Yapalater
plane maker for the first time
in eight years.
Newark International
Airport loses Southwest
Airlines. Southwest announced
that in November it
will stop flying out of Newark
International and will consolidate
its passenger service at
LaGuardia.
Open Skies. Airline execs
who left the White House recently
without securing any
commitment to intervene in
the dispute over Qatar’s position
despite the administration’s
inclination toward
protectionist trade policies.
Donald Trump and Vice President
Mike Pence were expected
to make progress in
the airline’s request to penalize
Middle Eastern airlines —
particularly Qatar — for their
alleged unfair competitive
practices. unfortunately not
willing to stake negotiating
capital to support major US
companies if there’s a chance
of it doing more harm than
good. At the root of the issue
is a small recently rebranded
and expanded Italian airline,
Air Italy. Qatar Airways has
a minority stake in the airline,
which flies to several
locations in the US. The US
airlines, in a lobbying coalition,
argue that Air Italy’s
flights represent illegal “fifth
freedom” flights — flights
in which an airline flies between
two countries that are
not its own. Those flights are
highly regulated and typically
must originate or end in
the airline’s home country after
making a stop in the third.
American Australians.
American Airlines and Qantas
have gained approval to
form a joint venture from the
US government. The Department
of Transportation authorized
the joint venture to
coordinate their flight plans
and pricing, frequent flyer
programs and sales, Qantas
is a tenant at the American
Airlines terminal at JFK
having taken over the first
class counter space from AA
last year and the beneficiary
of new renovated Terminal
8 program over the next few
years.
The two airlines are already
both part of the One-
World Alliance, and the joint
venture would allow for better
coordination, extra capacity
on existing flights and
three new flight routes.
Delta. Delta Air Lines
has been honored as the best
domestic airline by Fodor’s
Travel Awards.
The carrier edged out
Southwest Airlines for the title.
Fodor’s reported that they
reached their decision based
on the newness of the airline’s
fleet of planes, and the
number of flights they offer.
Virgin Atlantic has appointed
Delta’s Corneel
Koster as executive vice president,
customer services.
Koster will join from Delta
Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic’s
joint venture partner, where
he is senior vice president –
Europe, Middle East, Africa
and India.
From August, he will lead
Virgin Atlantic’s customer,
product and service strategy
and be responsible for all
customer-facing teams, including
airports, cabin crew,
contact centres, clubhouses,
customer experience insight
and the in-flight services
team.
Koster has previously held
senior leadership roles at Virgin
Atlantic, including director
of operations, safety and
security from 2010 to 2013.
WOW, again. Arnar
Már Magnússon and Sveinn
Ingi Steinþórsson, two
former WOW air managers,
as well as an Irish investment
fund Avianta Capital,
plan to start Iceland’s newest
budget airline replacing
the defunct WOW airline.
Avianta is owned by
Aislinn Whittley-Ryan, the
daughter of Michael Kell
Ryan, who was one of the
founders of Ryanair. The
private equity and venture
capital firm Avianta Capital
has committed ISK5 billion
(USD39.7 million), according
to the report, in return for
a 75% stake in the startup.
Avianta is owned by Aislinn
Whittley-Ryan, daughter of
Michael ‘Kell’ Ryan, one of
the founders of Ryanair who
died in December 2016.
Starlux. Taiwans’s entry
into the world of luxury
travel says it’s initial
routes from Taipei to southeast
and northeast Asian
destinations will be in
2020. STARLUX’s f leet will
include up to 24 aircraft by
the end of 2024 to serve over
20 destinations in Asia and
North America.