Swedish might not be one of the world's most widely spoken languages – but most people are now familiar with the term "flygskam". This "flight shame" campaign to make people think twice about travelling by air because of concerns about the aviation industry's impact on climate change is gathering pace – and it is already having an impact on passenger numbers in its country of origin. As more people sign up to movements on social media carrying hashtags such as #StayGrounded and #FlyingLess, airlines face more public pressure than ever to show that they are serious about cutting carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Growing social awareness and public debate has given politicians in the Netherlands and Sweden the ammunition to pursue attempts to introduce an EU-wide environmental tax on aviation, and it has pushed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to consider introducing an aircraft emissions grading system that will enable people to make more informed choices and opt for the most fuel-efficient carriers when booking a flight.
Airline industry representatives say they have yet to see a meaningful reduction in passenger numbers as a result of flygskam. Behind the scenes, however, they are stepping up efforts to publicly communicate the efficiency measures they are putting in place, in the hope that they can wrest control of the debate from the hands of an increasingly vocal anti-flying lobby.

Source: FlightGlobal

Emirates president Tim Clark has run out of patience with the failure of aircraft and powerplant manufacturers to deliver service-ready hardware from day one.
The outspoken airline chief has put contract negotiations with Airbus and Boeing on hold as he waits for issues to be addressed around GE Aviation and Rolls-Royce powerplants which have afflicted the Boeing 777X and 787. He also expressed his concerns about the Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 and XWB which respectively power the Airbus A330neo and A350. Clark says that the airframe and engine manufacturers have a poor track record in being able to deliver aircraft that work as they should from service-entry and is tired of the need for airlines and OEMs to “work together” to tackle the problems. “I’m a little bit irritated that over the years we as an airline, and the industry, have been subjected to the requirements of the propulsion manufacturers, and to an extent the airframe manufacturers, where we are expected to deal with quality-control issues, design issues etc, and operate these aircraft and engines and take whatever consequences there are when they don’t work.” Clark says that airlines need “99.5%” dispatch reliability: “We are not in a business to deal with aircraft that don’t function properly. The reason we buy new aircraft is to get five to six years of hassle-free operations on a technical basis.”

Source: FlightGlobal

Troubled French leisure carrier Aigle Azur is to start suspending scheduled services as it seeks investors. The decision follows the carrier's being placed in receivership on 2 September. Aigle Azure says it has "entered a period of active searching for buyers" and that it has "no choice" but to begin cutting back flights. It is halting its scheduled operations to destinations in Mali, Brazil and Portugal from 5 September. The airline serves cities including Bamako and Sao Paulo.
The airline adds that sales for flights from 10 September are also suspended. "[We] wish to offer our sincere apologies to all [our] passengers and partners in this exceptional situation," it states.

Source: FlightGlobal