Latest News
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American Airlines asks for notices regarding the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines
According to a court document, American Airlines has filed an appearance notice in the bankruptcy proceedings of Spirit Aviation and requested that all notices and documents be served going forward. Spirit filed for bankruptcy a second-time in August as it struggled to deal with its dwindling reserves of cash and increasing losses. The airline stated that it was looking at all possible options, including a merger and sale of the business. American Airlines filed a request in the Southern District Court of New York on December 5, requesting to receive all notices, including operating reports and plans of reorganization, as well as liquidation statements. Spirit and American didn't immediately respond to a comment request. Spirit Airlines has previously stated that they are considering all options to ensure the future of their airline. Spirit actively explores all possible opportunities. The merger or sale of Spirit could maximize value. Spirit stated in a SEC filing in October that it was actively in talks with several interested counterparties. (Reporting from Doyinsola Oladipo in New York, editing by Andrea Ricci.)
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Southwest Airlines fined $11 million by the US for holiday meltdown in 2022
The Trump Administration announced Saturday that it would waive a $11 million fine on Southwest Airlines, as part of the $140 million settlement for the airline's meltdown during a busy travel season in December 2022. Southwest Airlines in December 2023 will pay $35 million in cash and $90 million worth of travel vouchers for passengers who are delayed by at least 3 hours in reaching their final destination due to an airline issue or cancellation. This is because the airline handled the meltdown which stranded over 2 million passengers. In a written order, the U.S. Transportation Department cited Southwest Airlines' decision to invest more than $1 billion into its operations since the 2022 crash to improve performance and reliability as the reason for its decision to waive the remaining $11 millions of the fine due by January 31. Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Chizu nomiyama
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Merz and Macron to discuss fate FCAS fighter jet in the week of December 15, says industry source
A source in the industry said that the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the French President Emmanuel Macron plan to discuss the fate the troubled Franco German fighter jet project FCAS – or SCAF – during the week of December 15. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a 100 billion-euro ($116-billion) project that was floated over eight years ago, is mired in disputes among the companies concerned about workshare and prized technologies. A source with knowledge of the project said earlier this week that the defence ministers from the participating countries, Germany, France, and Spain, will meet on the 11th to discuss it. The German government spokesperson refused to comment on the exact date but only said that the appointments made by the chancellor will be made public at the appropriate time. The French government did not respond to a request for comment. The French government was not immediately available for comment.
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Bloomberg News reports that Indian and US investigators will meet next week to discuss the Air India crash.
Bloomberg News reported that India would send investigators next week to the United States to review data collected on the fatal Air India crash in June, with the National Transportation Safety Board. The report cited people with knowledge of the situation as saying that Indian investigators planned to share their findings, which included any information they gleaned from cockpit voice and flight recorders. Could not verify immediately the report. The report stated that the meeting would take place at the NTSB headquarters in Washington D.C. Other parties, including Boeing representatives, will also be present. Boeing referred all comments to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. NTSB, India’s civil aviation ministry, and the AAIB didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner departing from Ahmedabad in India and heading to London began to lose thrust. The 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground were all killed, except for one. (Reporting and editing by Aidan Lewis, Aurora Ellis and Yazhini MV from Bengaluru)
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IAEA: Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant temporarily lost electricity overnight
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Saturday that Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant temporarily lost all of its off-site electricity overnight. It cited Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Since March 2022 when Russian forces seized much of the southeast Ukraine, this nuclear plant - Europe's biggest - has been under Russian authority. The plant is currently not producing electricity, but it relies on external power in order to keep the material cool and prevent a meltdown. IAEA reported that the plant had been reconnected after a 30-minute outage to a power line of 330 kilovolts (kV). The Russian-installed plant management said that the 750 kV power line, which was also previously disconnected, was now back in operation. Stable power supply was restored, they added. The management stated that radiation levels were normal. IAEA said that widespread military activities over night affected Ukraine's power grid, and caused operating nuclear power plants to reduce their output. Reporting by Gnaneshwarrajan and Yazhini MV in Bengaluru, Editing by Aidan Lewis & Bernadettebaum
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IndiGo and pilot safety regulations in India
IndiGo's failure to plan for roster changes and the stricter fatigue management rules in India hit IndiGo hard last week. The airline's operations were thrown into chaos, causing disruptions across the country. In two phases, the new regulations were first proposed at the beginning of 2024 and implemented this year. The latest date for implementation was November 1. IndiGo admitted that the disruptions were caused by a lack of planning. The Indian aviation regulator has issued a number of important rules. Weekly Pilot Rest The Indian authorities have increased the weekly rest time by 12 hours, from 36 hours to 48 hours. The government claimed that this would allow for sufficient recovery time from cumulative fatigue. The rule is still in place despite the IndiGo disaster. MAXIMUM NIGHTLANDINGS From six, the number of landings that a pilot could make between midnight and early in the morning was reduced to two. This is meant to increase safety, as alertness at this time is at its lowest. Due to the current crisis, IndiGo has been placed on hold until February 10. FLIGHT DUTY Maximum time for pilots to fly on flights that extend into the night has been set at 10 hours. According to the rules, night is between midnight and early morning. In light of the current crisis, IndiGo has been placed on hold until February 10. RETREAT AND LEAVE Airlines cannot count personal leave taken by a pilot as part of their 48-hour weekly rest period. Pilots claim that the rest period was not always added to any leave. All airlines in India are currently exempt from this rule. FATIGUE REPORTS The Indian aviation regulator now requires airlines to submit quarterly reports on fatigue and the actions taken. (Reporting and editing by Aditya K. Kalra, Alex Richardson).
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Allegiant Air's bid for US residency for foreign employees is blocked by the pilots union?
Allegiant Air’s pilots’ union is blocking Allegiant Air’s attempts to secure permanent residence for dozens foreign pilots, including those from Chile, Australia, and Singapore. This leaves their immigration status, and the company’s staffing, in limbo. The union refused to certify that pilot positions which begin at around $50,000 per year (about half of what other regional airline pilots earn) meet "prevailing wage standards" to the U.S. Department of Labor. This certification is an important bureaucratic step, and it's a requirement for pilots to apply for green cards. Teamsters Local 2118 asked Allegiant not to hire foreign pilots but to provide compensation that is industry standard and to improve scheduling in order to keep pilots from leaving to work for competitors. Allegiant, along with most U.S. carriers faced major workforce challenges after the pandemic. Low pay has been a major issue for the carrier in retaining pilots. To stabilize its staffing, the airline expanded recruitment by hiring pilots through employment-based visa programs. The union claims that the airline misrepresented their intentions to hire these pilots permanently and there is no shortage of pilots in the U.S. making it unnecessary to pursue permanent residence for the pilots. They had a difficult time finding pilots in 2023, so they hired visa pilots from Chile on H-1B1s because they verbally promised them citizenship and a greencard to come fly in America at 50,000 dollars a year. Because they are having a difficult time keeping and maintaining their pilots with such a low salary. Allegiant currently employs 62 pilots in Chile, Australia and Singapore via the H-1B1 visa program and E-3 visa program, which is about 4% or its total pilot count of 1345. Allegiant's spokesperson stated that hiring pilots via visa programs was a supplement to the company's broader workforce strategy and not a replacement of U.S.-based hires. The union refused to provide the letter required for the permanent certification application filed by the airline. The Labor Department's permanent labor certification is required for employers to hire foreigners to work in the U.S. permanently. Allegiant, in a letter sent to pilots, wrote that "due to the union not providing this information, it is possible that your green card will be delayed". Allegiant stated in a press release that "all our hiring practices are fully compliant with federal labor laws and FAA regulations as well as the collective bargaining agreement with our pilot union." Allegiant said that "all of our hiring practices fully comply with federal labor laws, FAA regulations, and the collective bargaining agreements in place with our pilot union." "My heart goes to them." Recently, they were told that they should not even leave the country. They might not be allowed to return," said Unterseher. Attrition on the Rise Allegiant pilots report that attrition has increased. Pilots are leaving due to low pay in the industry, scheduling issues, and a labor contract dating back nearly 10 years. One pilot, who requested anonymity, said that first officers at Allegiant make less in their first year than flight attendants of other major airlines and TSA agents. Allegiant has shown interest in expanding their operations. At one point, they discussed adding 1,400 new destinations. Pilots said that the lack of staffing is still a problem. "I had nowhere to go for the past 18 months. You are now seeing people leave. The pilot continued, "I've got at least five or six of my friends in the small group that I am part of that are leaving." (Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
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Russian drones and missiles strike railway hub near Ukraine’s capital, Railway says
Ukrzaliznytsia, the Ukrainian state railway company, said that a railway hub near Kyiv had been attacked by a Russian drone and a missile attack. The depot and rail carriages were damaged. Fastiv was not reported as a casualty in the attack that occurred overnight. In recent weeks, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's infrastructure and energy sector. Power stations and rail hubs have been targeted. Ukrzaliznytsia announced on Telegram that it had to cancel a number of suburban trains in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and near the capital. The emergency services did not provide any further details, but reported that there was a fire on the station's and depot's territory. The report cited a possible attack on infrastructures in the Chernihiv area. UKRAINIAN MINISTRY TEENS ON POWER AND HEAT FACILITIES The attack targeted power and heat generation plants in Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhia regions, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories said. Telegram reported that 9500 customers in southern Odesa were still without heat, and 34,000 others without water. The ministry reported that "port facilities (in Odesa), have also been attacked. Part of the infrastructure was de-energized, and operators switched to generators for backup power." The Ukrainian Energy Ministry said that the attack caused blackouts in eight areas overnight. Emergency repair work has already begun where safety permits. The energy companies are working hard to restore power as soon as possible for all their customers," the ministry stated on Telegram messenger. POLAND CRAMBLED JETTS, BUT THE AIRSPACE WAS UNViolated Private broadcaster RMF FM said that sirens were also heard early Saturday morning in Lubartow, a town in eastern Poland's Lublin region. RMF reported local mayor Krzysztof Pasnik saying that the warning had been activated because of the situation in Ukraine. The Operational Command of the Armed Forces stated that there was no violation of airspace. (Reporting and editing by William Mallard, Bernadettebaum and Alan Charlish; Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Warsaw)
Ashfall from Japan's Sakurajima volcanic eruption cancels flights
On Sunday, a volcano on Japan's western island of Kyushu erupted several times. A plume of smoke ad ash reached as high as 2.73 miles (4.4 km) in the air. This caused dozens of flights to be cancelled.
Japanese Meteorological Agency said that the volcano, called Sakurajima, located near Kagoshima on the southern tip Kyushu, erupted around 1 a.m. (1600 GMT Saturday), according to the agency. Two more eruptions occurred at around 2:30 and 8:50 in the morning.
Kyodo News Agency reported that this is the first time in nearly 13 months that an eruption has reached a height of 4 km or more.
The local media reported that 30 flights into and out of Kagoshima Airport have been cancelled due to ashfall or other reasons.
The JMA reported that volcanic ash had drifted to the northeast after the latest eruption. It said it expects ash to fall on Kagoshima and nearby Miyazaki Prefecture Sunday.
Sakurajima, one of Japan's active volcanoes, is prone to eruptions. In 2019, it released ash up to a height of 5.5 km (3.44 miles). (Reporting and editing by Kate Mayberry; Satoshi Sugyama)
(source: Reuters)