Ramiro Escobar, a Colombian, had always dreamt of visiting Cuba. Last week, the 68 year-old finally made the trip after putting it off for decades. He visited the island's most famous sites including the Varadero beach resort with its white sands. Escobar raved about his trip despite Cuba's struggling economic situation and fuel shortages. He said, "It is true that the country is in crisis but there are still many services available and my experience has been excellent." "I have had a wonderful time here." Escobar, a foreign tourist from Latin America, was the only one out of six to...

Dubai's Emirates president says that the company expects to get its first Boeing 777X, which has been delayed for years, by June next year. However, it is still waiting on progress in Rolls-Royce engine improvement, which would allow them to order Airbus A350-1000. Emirates, the largest buyer of wide body jets in the world, has complained a lot about the long delays with Boeing's biggest?model and the durability of the engines on Airbus's own biggest model. Tim Clark, Emirates President, said on the sidelines a Berlin industry conference that the 777X was in "good shape". The airline anticipates receiving its...

Emirates' president stated that Dubai expects its first Boeing 777X to arrive in June of next year. However, the company has not seen any progress with Rolls-Royce engines, which would allow them to order Airbus A350-1000. Emirates, the world's biggest buyer of wide-body jets, has complained repeatedly about Boeing's 'long' delays and Airbus's engine reliability on its own largest model. Tim Clark, Emirates President, said on the sidelines a Berlin industry conference that the 777X was in "good shape". The airline anticipates receiving its first '777X' in May or June of next year. This is 14 years after Emirates was...

As regional carriers rebuild their schedules following war-related disruptions, some airlines are gradually restoring flights to the Middle East. However, the conflict continues to disrupt larger traffic flows. Middle Eastern airlines increased capacity following severe disruption caused by the Iran War, while many carriers outside of the Gulf still divert Europe-Asia flight to avoid the area. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES Thessaloniki-Tel?Aviv flights were cancelled by Greece's biggest carrier until June 26. Dubai flights are cancelled until August 31. Erbil, Baghdad and Erbil flights will be cancelled until July 2. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline,...

The head of India's agency for ship safety certification has said that the agency is taking a more aggressive stance against vessels that are involved in evading trade sanctions by canceling the certification of over 200 tankers and ships. The Indian Register of 'Shipping' (IRClass) is one of the world's most prestigious'ship 'certifiers. A vessel being removed from this list could make it difficult for them to obtain insurance or access ports. Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Mumbai-based non-profit organization IRClass, said that since 2023 235 ships have been declassified from its registry. These are mostly oil tankers, but...

Fuel?shocks that hit U.S. Airlines are doing more than just squeezing the margins. They're widening an existing product gap, which may take many years to close, as strong carriers continue to invest in lounges and premium seating, along with technology, international networks, that their weaker competitors may not be able to match. Executives from financially strong carriers such as United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Air spoke at the International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s annual meeting in Rio de Janeiro. They said that a growing divide exists between those airlines who have the ability to upgrade their services and those...

Tim Clark, the airline's president, said that despite the financial pressures from the Middle East war, Emirates does not plan to reduce its capacity. The airline is continuing to fly passengers via Dubai to destinations such as India and Australia. They are taking precautions, including carrying extra fuel. Clark added that he did not care about the extra cost. Emirates also wants to expand in Germany. It says that most stakeholders would benefit from increased long-haul flight capacity. Emirates has been campaigning for more access to Berlin since its inception. Clark said Emirates had secured slots in Berlin but lacked...

An executive revealed that the AI coding startup Cursor will be opening its European headquarters in London, and hiring 200 employees, as the demand for automated software development tools grows. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing for a highly anticipated IPO this coming week. In April, it announced that it had acquired an option to acquire the code-generation startup Cursor later this year for $60 billion, or pay $10 Billion for their new partnership as it pushes further into the lucrative'market for AI developer tool. Cursor, based in San Francisco, chose London because of its 'access to multilingual workers and deep...

Vietnam's major airlines have been ordered to examine the progress of multi-billion dollar agreements with Boeing and Pratt & Whitney and look at new import deals with American firms, as Hanoi tries to bolster its hand in a?trade negotiating with the United States. The directive was issued on June 5, and then reviewed on Tuesday by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. This ministry is in charge of Vietnam's efforts to "demonstrate" to Washington the fact that the bilateral trade agreements are being implemented. The move follows three separate Trump Administration probes that targeted Hanoi over alleged trade distortions through?excessive...

On Tuesday, gale-force winds and rough waves battered New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington. This forced ferry and flight cancellations and road closures. Authorities urged hundreds along the?south coast of the city?to evacuate. An airport spokesperson confirmed by email that a light?aircraft was briefly blown over at Wellington Airport after a strong wind gust tipped it onto its wing. It said, "Nobody was hurt and it was quickly rectified." The 'New Zealand Herald' reported that the plane was just landing and the passengers had already disembarked when it tipped. At Wellington Airport, eight flights were canceled. Air New Zealand has...

S&P, a global ratings agency, said that JetBlue Airways was downgraded to "CCC+" on Monday from "B-", pushing it further into junk status as high jet fuel prices?have hampered its recovery. The 'low-cost carrier' has been trying to restore its profitability by cost cutting, network changes, and improving operational reliability. However, higher fuel prices have complicated the turnaround plans. Low-cost and budget airlines are particularly vulnerable to fuel price spikes linked to the Iran War, as they have limited capacity to pass higher costs on to customers without risking their demand in a highly competitive travel market. S&P stated that...

In a 'Monday statement, the Canadian finance ministry announced that a new loan programme would be launched to assist domestic airlines in dealing with high fuel costs and maintaining operations and jobs. The 'Iran war' has caused jet fuel prices to skyrocket, eroding profit margins and straining balance sheets. This pressure has led governments to extend support to domestic carriers in order to maintain affordable airfares and preserve competition. The Canadian government said that under the 'loan program', eligible airlines will receive up to C$150,000,000 ($107.5 Million) in repaid liquidity support. The government must also balance the need to protect...