ARC NEWS
​Wizz Air to launch domestic Norwegian services
October 08, 2020
Wizz Air plans to establish a base at Oslo Gardermoen airport and operate domestic Norwegian services to Bergen, Tromso and Trondheim from early November. The move will add 1.5 million seats to the market annually, with the carrier basing two aircraft in Oslo and positioning crew in the city. Wizz says the move will enable it to "tap into over-charged oligopoly markets". All three routes are currently served by both Norwegian and SAS, while Bergen and Trondheim are also served by Wideroe. Wizz will operate four flights a day on the Bergen and Trondheim routes and twice-daily between Oslo and Tromso. "Our low-fare and high-frequency services between Norway's capital and prominent regions will give our passengers a true alternative," states chief executive Jozsef Varadi. Cirium's data indicates that as internal flights – that are unaffected by international travel restrictions – significant domestic traffic remains on the routes, despite the coronavirus crisis. Between Oslo and Bergen, for example, there was a seven day average of 16 flights per day on 6 October, against 21 daily flights a year earlier. While this represents a decrease of nearly a quarter, it is a far smaller decline than on most European routes, with Cirium's data showing that arrivals to Oslo from all destinations were down by 57% on 6 October. Norwegian and fellow incumbent operator SAS have been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis and are now facing an onslaught of competition in their home market. Norwegian is in the process of restructuring its business to scale back long-haul services and focus on the Nordic market. It warned in August that it would require further financing next year to survive the winter. In addition to Wizz's announcement, industry veteran Erik Braathen said on 6 October that he was planning to launch a new airline in Norway that reflects “the new economic reality” with five Boeing 737s or Airbus A320s.

Source: Cirium


EasyJet Switzerland to cut two aircraft and 70 jobs
October 08, 2020
EasyJet Switzerland has begun a formal consultation process on cutting 70 jobs and two aircraft from its Basel operation.
That would see its fleet at the airport reduced to 10 aircraft from a pre-pandemic level of 12 jets, EasyJet states, with its workforce falling to around 385 employees. “We are focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success so we can protect jobs going forward,” states EasyJet Switzerland managing director Jean-Marc Thevenaz. “Unfortunately, the lower demand environment, forecast until 2023, means we need fewer aircraft and have less opportunity for work for our people.” The Swiss unit’s Geneva operation – which features 15 aircraft and around 560 employees – is untouched by the new proposals. The proposed cuts follow EasyJet’s group-wide announcement in late May that it would cut staff levels by up to 30% and reduce its all-Airbus fleet by 51 jets. Thevenaz notes that from late summer, EasyJet Switzerland has faced fresh travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in many of its markets, “which has impacted consumer confidence to make travel plans due to the uncertainty”. He continues: “We are committed to working constructively with our employee representatives in Switzerland with the aim of minimising job losses as far as possible and provide transfer options within our local bases.” EasyJet Switzerland is the smallest of the group’s three affiliates, accounting for 9% of its pre-pandemic fleet of approximately 320 aircraft. Around 165 of those jets were based with its UK unit, and the remainder operated by Vienna-based EasyJet Europe. EasyJet holds a 49% stake in the Swiss operation, which uses the group’s brand under a franchise agreement. The remaining 51% of the business is held by private investors. Elsewhere in Switzerland, flag carrier Swiss recently announced that at least 1,000 jobs – around 10% of its workforce – could be at risk over the coming two years.

Source: Cirium


FAA requires changes to 767 and 747 fuel-tank systems
October 07, 2020
The Federal Aviation Administration is requiring airlines to modify Boeing 747-400 and 767 fuel-tank monitoring systems to prevent the risk of ignition within the tanks. Operators will have 72 months from 10 November to modify fuel-quantity indicating systems to prevent ignition within the jets’ centre fuel tanks, according to two FAA airworthiness directives (ADs) released 6 October. “The FAA is issuing this AD to prevent ignition sources inside the centre fuel tank, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapours, could result in a fuel-tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane,” say both orders. The directives affect 71 US-registered 747s and 261 767s, and require different actions for cargo than for passenger variants of the jets. The rules apply to 747-400s, 747-400 Freighters, 767-200s, 767-300s, 767-300Fs and 767-400ERs. Boeing did not respond to a request for comment. The FAA’s actions follow its analysis of fuel-system reviews completed by Boeing, the agency says. The risk of fuel-tank explosions caught regulators’ attention following the 1996 in-flight break up and crash of TWA flight 800, a Boeing 747-100. The National Transportation Safety Board determined that a fuel-air mixture likely exploded in the jet’s centre fuel tank. Boeing, trade groups Airlines for America and Cargo Airline Association, and airlines FedEx, KLM and UPS had asked the FAA to withdraw the AD, citing various reasons. Those included the “extremely improbable” risk of fuel-tank fires. Boeing said it considered the use in jets of nitrogen-generating systems, which reduce ignition risk by pumping nitrogen into tanks to displace oxygen, as addressing the concerns. The FAA disagreed, saying it identified “non-compliant design areas identified in the manufacturer’s fuel system reviews”.

Source: Cirium


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