Latest News
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Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau retires after French Flub
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is retiring 'by the end third quarter', the airline announced a few days ago. This comes after the recent criticism for sending condolences in English, and not in French, which is one of Canada's two official languages, following a fatal crash. Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada last week, said Rousseau lacked judgment when he made a video in mostly English to express condolences after an Air Canada Express plane collided with a firetruck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The collision killed both pilots as well as injured dozens. Airlines CEOs are increasingly expected to speak out after fatal accidents that involve their aircraft. American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, in January 2025 expressed his "deep sadness" in a video after one of its regional jets collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helo near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The accident resulted in 67 deaths. Rousseau helped Air Canada recover from the COVID-19 pandemic but also received criticism for how he handled a four-day flight attendant strike that grounded hundreds of planes?last year. The issue of language is still a hot topic in Quebec, Canada's second most populous province. In the 1970s, unhappiness with the dominance and influence of English led to the rise of separatists like the Parti Quebecois. Air Canada is a publicly traded company that must provide services in English and French. This is in accordance with the Official Languages Act of Canada. The Act states that the public has a right to communicate in either language. Rousseau’s comments after the LaGuardia accident marked the second time that his limited French skills caused controversy at Canada’s largest airline, where he's had nearly two decades' experience. ?Rousseau apologized in 2021 and pledged to improve his French skills after he was criticized by then-Prime Minster Justin Trudeau for giving a speech that was almost entirely given in English?in Montreal where the airline's headquarters is located. The carrier has said that a process to find Rousseau's successor is in progress. Last week, Quebec's provincial parliament?adopted an non-binding resolution calling for Rousseau to resign over his alleged lack of respect for the French Language. Elections are scheduled for the province in the fall. Reporting by Allison Lampert and David Ljunggren, in Montreal and Ottawa; Additional reporting and editing by Shivansh Tiwary and Paul Simao in Bengaluru
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Alaska Air announces bigger losses in the first quarter due to fuel prices surging
Alaska Air Group estimated on Monday a larger first-quarter loss as higher fuel costs?due the Iran War added to pressures from a?weaker?demand in?parts?of its network. Benchmark Brent has risen by 58% in the last month. This is the biggest monthly increase since 1988. It also exceeds gains during the Gulf War of 1990. Alaska Air stated that economic fuel prices will?average $2.9 to $3 per galon, creating a "incremental" loss of earnings per share of at least $0.7. The recent oil price spike may be the first financial'stress test' for U.S. Airlines since the pandemic. Weaker carriers are more likely to shrink or borrow, while stronger competitors continue to?invest and gain?marketshare. Alaska Air expects a first-quarter adjusted loss between $1.5 and 2 per share, as opposed to its previous estimate from 50 cents up to $1.5. In premarket trading, shares of the company fell by 1.1%. Alaska Airlines said that the strong demand it has seen since late 2025, was recently affected by external factors, such as a drop in Mexico travel because of unrest at 'Puerto Vallarta, and severe rainfall and flooding in Hawaii. These events together account for approximately 30% of Alaska's capacity. The company stated that "impacts can be seen both in March and April, as well as during the peak West Coast Spring Break travel periods." It said that corporate demand was still a major factor, with bookings for the next 90 days increasing by more than 25%. The airline said that it was well positioned to handle peak travel during its strongest season.
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As the Middle East conflict escalates, airlines cancel more flights
The global air travel industry is still severely affected by the Iran War. Many people are still unable fly to their destinations as planned after major Middle-Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi were closed. The latest flight information is listed below alphabetically: AEGEAN AIRLINES Greece's biggest carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut until April 22 and Erbil and Baghdad till May 24. Dubai flights have been cancelled until April 19, and Riyadh flights are on hold until April 18. AIRBALTIC AirBaltic, a Latvian airline, announced that all flights to Tel Aviv have been cancelled up until April 29. All flights to Dubai are cancelled until October 24, according to airBaltic. AIR CANADA All flights between Tel Aviv and Dubai have been cancelled by Air Canada until September 7. AIR EUROPA Spanish Airlines has canceled all flights to Tel Aviv from April 10 until now. AIR FRANCE KLM Air France has cancelled Tel Aviv, Beirut and Dubai flights until April 4, and Riyadh and Dubai flights until March 31. They have also cancelled an April 1 departure out of Dubai. KLM has suspended flights until May 17 to Tel Aviv and Riyadh. CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong Airlines has cancelled all flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi until May 31. In April, the airline will increase passenger flights from London to Paris, Zurich and London to meet the surge in demand for European destinations. The U.S. carrier has cancelled all flights between New York and Tel Aviv, and will not resume its Atlanta-Tel Aviv service until September 5. The launch of the Boston-Tel Aviv route, originally planned for late October has been postponed until further notice. EL AL ISRAEL AIRLINES Customers who were planning to leave Israel by April 11th had their flights, including the return flight, cancelled. The airline operates a limited number of flights between Israel and several important destinations. EMIRATES The UAE airline announced that it would operate a reduced schedule after a partial opening of the regional airspace. ETIHAD AERWAYS The UAE carrier announced that it operated a commercial flight schedule from Abu Dhabi to around 80 destinations. FINNAIR The Finnish airline has cancelled all Dubai flights until 29 March and Doha flights till 2 July, while continuing to avoid airspace in Iraq, Iran Syria and Israel. FLYNAS Saudia, the budget airline, has suspended flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah as well as Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, and?Syria, until April 15th. British Airways, owned by IAG, has extended the cancellations to Amman and Bahrain until May 31, and Doha until April 30. Flights to Bangkok and Singapore have also been added. Flights to Abu Dhabi are suspended until the end of this year. JAPAN AIRLINES Japan Airlines has suspended its scheduled flights between Tokyo and Doha until April 10, and Doha to Tokyo until April 11. LOT, the Polish airline, announced that all flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv have been cancelled up until 28 March. The airline has also cancelled all flights to Riyadh and Beirut between March 31 and April 30. LUFTHANSA GROUP Lufthansa Group, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines have suspended flights from Dubai and Tel Aviv to October 24, and Abu Dhabi, Amman and Beirut to Riyadh. Lufthansa Cargo will be the same except for Tel Aviv, which is suspended until April 30. Eurowings, a low-cost airline, plans to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv and Beirut through April 30, and to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Amman until October 24. MALAYSIA AIRLINES Malaysia Airlines has suspended all flights to Doha from April 15 until further notice. NORWEGIAN AIR It has delayed the launch of its Tel Aviv service to June 15 from April 1, and that of Beirut's services, respectively. The airline has cancelled all Dubai flights until April 8. PEGASUS Pegasus Airlines, Turkey's national airline, has cancelled all flights to Iran, Iraq, Amman Beirut, Kuwait Bahrain Doha Dammam Riyadh Dubai Abu Dhabi Sharjah and Abu Dhabi until April 13th. QANTAS Australia's flag airline is adding more flights to Rome and Paris in response to a surge in demand for European destinations. Flights from Perth to Singapore will be increased from daily to ten flights per day. A new?schedule' will be implemented gradually for flights starting in mid-April, and running until late July. QATAR AIRWAYS The airline said that it will gradually increase its flight frequencies to and from Doha, with more flights being offered to over 90 destinations. SINGAPORE Airlines In response to increased demand, the carrier has extended the suspension of Singapore-Dubai flights through?April 30. It also added services for Singapore-London Gatwick?and Singapore-Melbourne routes from late March until October 24, in order to accommodate the longer suspension. TURKISH AIRLINES Turkish Airlines has cancelled most Middle East flights up until the end March. SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and SunExpress has cancelled flights from Dubai to Bahrain to April 30. WIZZ AIR Low-cost carrier has suspended all flights from Europe to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman until the middle of September. All flights to Medina have been suspended indefinitely. (Compiled by Josephine Mason and Jamie Freed; edited by Matt Scuffham and Milla Nissi Prussak; Christopher Cushing, Sumana Nady, and Joe Bavier.
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Sable Oil begins selling oil from the Santa Ynez pipeline in California after restart
Sable Offshore announced on Monday that it had 'begun selling oil to Chevron from its Santa Ynez Pipeline System off the coast of California, after resuming crude transport earlier this month. In premarket trading, shares?were up by more than 3%. Since 2015, the pipeline system that runs along California's Gaviota coast has been closed. The spilled oil polluted miles of coastline and killed wildlife, damaging local fisheries. Sable's effort to restart the system is now the subject of a?long-running dispute between California regulators and the environmental groups who have filed lawsuits against the reopening. The restart is a result of a directive issued by the Trump administration, under the Defense Production Act. This order ordered the restoration drilling operations in Southern California to boost domestic energy supplies. Sable stated that the pipeline was filled at a rate greater than 50,000 barrels per day from Las Flores Canyon up to Pentland Station. The Houston-based firm said it "planned" to resume production at Platform Heritage (part of the Santa Ynez Unit) later on Monday, with an expected output of more than 30,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Platform Hondo, a second?offshore platform within the unit, is also expected to be online by the second quarter. (Reporting and editing by Tasim Zaid in Bengaluru)
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Spain shuts down airspace for US planes involved with Iran war, Defence Minister says
Spain has closed its airspace for?U.S. Spain has closed its airspace to 'U.S. She told reporters in Madrid that "we don't authorise the use of either military bases or airspace for actions relating to the war?in Iran". The news was first reported by El Pais, the Spanish newspaper on Monday. It cited military sources. El Pais said that the closure of 'the airspace' forces NATO members Spain to avoid military planes en route to?targets?in the Middle East. However, it doesn't include emergency situations. When asked whether the decision to close Spain's airspace would worsen relations with the United States, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo replied in an interview with Radio Cadena Ser. The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is one of the loudest critics of 'the U.S. attacks and Israeli attacks against?Iran. He has called them reckless and illegal. Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade with Madrid if it refused the U.S. the use of Spain's bases during the war.
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Some Canadians in Canada's northernmost regions worry that Carney's military plans overlook everyday needs
There are only two grocery stores in a Canadian hamlet at the northernmost tip of the Arctic Ocean. The sports arena is the only place to go for entertainment. And there's no doctor. A trip south usually requires a 2-hour flight. Dentists visit the 2,000-person community 'twice per year' and trucks bring in water. Giving birth can often involve flying to another city, several hours away. This is done weeks before the due date. Natasha Neglak Lear (49), a Cambridge Bay resident, was not impressed when she heard that Prime Minister Mark Carney planned to spend more than C$2 billion?to designate Cambridge Bay as one of the two new northern military centers. She said there were'more pressing issues' to be considered, such as a local place where women could give birth. She said that before they did all of this, they should give to us what the people in the south have, referring specifically to the two-thirds or more of Canadians living within 100 kilometers of the U.S. Border. "Development and doctors, dentists and birthing centers are needed to help us grow." Carney has committed more than C$35billion to increase military spending in Canada, and to "take control" over its Arctic territory. This move was partly motivated by Donald Trump's threats of annexing Greenland, and making Canada the 51st State, and Trump's demand that Canada and its allies raise their defence expenditure. Canada wants to be able to respond independently to threats in an increasingly dangerous and divided world, which Carney describes as "more dangerous" and "divided". To do this, it is upgrading airports and strengthening northern defenses. It also ensures that aircraft can be deployed anywhere in the Arctic. Climate change is making the icy region more accessible. Russia has more military bases in the Arctic than any other country. In recent years, China began to increase its presence, mainly in partnership with Russia, in this mineral-rich region. TRAUMATIC MEMORIES Canada is home to a quarter of the Arctic region of the globe, with most of its territory being significantly less developed than those of European nations. This region is larger than continental Europe and accounts for 40% the land mass of Canada, 75% its coastline but only has less than 150,000 residents. Indigenous leaders, who make up the majority of Arctic residents, have complained for years about insufficient investments. Politicians also acknowledge that the sparsely-populated region lacks tax bases to finance major infrastructure projects. Interviews with dozens of military, community and Indigenous leaders in Canada's Arctic?territory showed that some were encouraged by Carney's plan - which includes investing C$294 million to renovate Arctic airports and build new runways. In interviews with dozens military, Indigenous and community leaders in Canada's Arctic Territory, some expressed their support for Carney's plans. This includes investing C$294 millions in renovating Arctic Airports and building new airport runways. Some people were worried that the military would change their lives without improving education, health care and social services. Cambridge Bay Mayor Wayne Gregory stated that he was "ecstatic' about Carney’s Arctic strategy announcement made on March 12. He described the military?hub design as a possible turning point for the city. Some Inuit, which make up over 80% of Nunavut’s population of 42,000 people, still have painful memories from previous militarization attempts during the Cold War. In the 1950s-'60s, the government relocated people thousands of kilometers away and killed thousands of dogs to control disease and public safety. This deprived Inuits of their ability to travel and hunt. Indigenous leaders are concerned that Canada's response to Trump's threat could again violate their constitutional rights to manage their land, culture, and education. Natan Obed is the president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami which represents over 70,000 Inuit living in Canada's far north. "We're the best-prepared to deal with any threats that come our way. What we have been asking for are the necessary funds so we can?have thriving community." Carney's Government disputed the idea that increased defence spending could result in fewer funds being allocated to other local initiatives. Eric Head, the Indigenous Services Ministry's spokesman, pointed to resources dedicated for youth programs, community safety and mental health for Indigenous communities, as well as plans recently announced to spend C$1.4billion on health and social initiatives. CARIBOU MIGRATION Census figures show that Indigenous people living in the Arctic have a higher rate of unemployment and are more likely to struggle to find housing and food than other Canadians. This has serious consequences. The rate of tuberculosis in Indigenous people living in the Arctic is more than 600 times greater than that of non-Indigenous Canadians, and their life expectancy falls by about 10 years. Carney's plan only allocates a small fraction of the funds to be spent in the next 12 year for civil projects. For example, a C$1billion Arctic Infrastructure Fund will be used to build roads, ports, and bridges. Carney, according to some Indigenous leaders, failed to consult them before releasing the plan for developing the Arctic. George Mackenzie is the Dene National Chief of the Northwest Territories. He said that the Prime Minister should meet with regional chiefs from Canada's Indigenous People, as he does with the premiers in each province and territory. Carney has promised to work with Indigenous Leaders and that the government will invest C$10 Billion into energy projects. This investment is expected to create more than 10,000 jobs during construction in the Arctic. Ottawa has backed the Grays Bay Road and Port Project, which is aimed at connecting a mineral-rich area in the Arctic with?global shipping lanes. Some locals fear that it could harm the migration of the 'local caribou herds', the main food source in the region. Lear, a member of the Kitikmeot Inuit Association's board, expressed her surprise that Carney was promoting the project before the environmental impact had been evaluated. She said that the caribou population is already declining and construction could push them out of the area. Inuit rely on caribous for food, hide and fur. Haugaaq, 62, was teaching local youths how to make traditional fur and gloves at a workshop. She said it was the first in her lifetime that she saw so many politicians involved in the Arctic. She said, "We need more protection with what is going on in the rest of the world." I hope that the leaders who are in charge of us think about our needs first." (Reporting and editing by Caroline Stauffer, Deepa Babington and Maria Cheng)
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South Korea is considering nationwide driving restrictions as oil prices rise
Senior officials have said that South Korea may extend driving restrictions to the public if global oil prices continue to rise. This is because authorities are trying to curb energy demand amid supply constraints due to the U.S./Israeli war against Iran. Finance Minister Koo Yon-cheol'said 'on Sunday that the government may expand restrictions on the use of passenger cars beyond public institutions if oil prices increase to $120-$130 a barrel, from the current range of $100-$110. The policy, if it were to be extended to all citizens, would mark the first national driving restrictions since 1991, when the government implemented a 10-day rotation system for vehicles to save energy. Koo, speaking on a local radio station, said that if the Middle East crisis worsens, then the crisis alert system would be upgraded to the "warning" stage. At this point, we would also need to reduce?consumption. This is the third highest level of the four-stage crisis?alerts for resource security in the country. He said that the government could also look at further fuel tax reductions to reduce the burden on the households. In a separate press release, the finance ministry stated that mandatory driving restrictions for the private sector are still undecided. The authorities will weigh energy supply conditions and other economic factors before taking any action. South Korea imports 70% of its crude from the Middle East. This leaves the country exposed to disruptions in supply and price fluctuations resulting from tensions within the region. Last week, the government implemented a five-day mandatory vehicle rotation system in the public sector. This restricted vehicle use according to licence plate numbers. Kim Sung Whan, the Energy Minister, said that authorities would consider tighter measures to manage demand if the alert level rose 'further. This includes enforcing driving curbs and encouraging voluntary participation from companies and financial institutions. Samsung Electronics, SK Group and other major conglomerates have joined in the effort to encourage employees to reduce their private car usage and adopt fuel-saving methods. Senior politicians and lawmakers have also posted on social media about using public transport, bicycles and other energy-saving methods and urging the public to do the same. Kim tried to stop panic-buying of trash bags. Some consumers hoard the bags in anticipation that there could be a?shortage due to the Middle East Energy Crisis. In a recent Facebook post, he stated that over half of local governments had an inventory of garbage bags of more than six months, and Korea will 'allow regular bags to be used for waste in worst-case scenarios. Lee Jae Myung, South Korea's president, said that the energy crisis is so severe that he can't even sleep at night. (Reporting and Additional Reporting by Hyunjoo Ji; Editing by Sonali Paul, William Maclean).
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Tanger Med port in Morocco prepares to increase traffic after Gulf War
Tanger Med in Morocco, Africa's biggest container port, is planning to increase calls from ships due to escalating tensions around the Middle East, said the port's managing director on Monday. Container carriers such as Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and CMA CGM have announced this month that they will reroute vessels around Cape of Good Hope. Idriss Aarabi, the managing director of Tanger Med told me by email that rerouting would increase transit time from 10 to 14 extra days for vessels diverted via Cape of Good Hope in order to reach Tanger Med. Aarabi stated that the port of Tanger Med in northern Morocco, on the Strait of Gibraltar is focused on "capacity-management and the prevention of congestion." He said that the full impact of cargo flows would not be visible until April 2026. At this point, no cancellations had been reported. Since late 2023 when Houthi attacks against Red Sea shipping began, ships have avoided the Suez Canal as well as the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. U.S., Israeli and other strikes against Iran and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz has reinforced this?shift. This is leading to expectations that Africa's Bunkering Sector will benefit from the prolonged instability. Aarabi stated that higher fuel costs have added pressure to freight rates because of longer voyages via Cape Good Hope. He said that carriers have implemented war-risk and emergency conflict surcharges between $1,500 to $3,300 for standard containers, with fees as high as $4,000 if the equipment is specialised. Tanger Med?outperformed Mediterranean competitors with 11.1 millions?containers in 2025. This is an 8.4% increase from a year ago. It has route connections to over 180 ports around the world. (Reporting and editing by Susan Fenton; Ahmed El Jechtimi)
Naftogaz, the state-owned gas company in Ukraine, says that Ukraine wants more LNG and diesel imported from Greece
Naftogaz, the Ukrainian energy company, said on Monday that Ukraine is interested in increasing LNG supplies via Greek terminals and pipelines along the Vertical Corridor System.
The Vertical Corridor allows Ukraine to receive U.S. LNG via Greece, but the share of imports is still small.
In 2016, Greece, Bulgaria Romania and Hungary signed an agreement to build the infrastructure for the Vertical Gas Corridor, which will allow gas to be transported between the countries.
After the meeting, Serhiy koretskyi, Naftogaz's CEO, said that "special attention was paid to the possibility of increasing the gas supply volumes for both Ukraine and the Eastern European region via Greek ports."
He added that they also discussed diesel fuel supply, the use the Greek fleet and other mutually-beneficial projects.
After Russian missile attacks virtually destroyed Ukraine's refining capability, the country became almost completely dependent on imported fuel. It sources supplies from Western, Central and Southern Europe. Enkorr, a Kyiv fuel consultancy, said Monday that Ukraine has increased diesel fuel imports. Analysts do not expect the country to have a fuel shortage by April. ExPro analysts said that this month, gas traders, including the state-owned Naftogaz, will import at least 75,000,000 cubic metres of LNG into Ukraine through the "Vertical corridor"?from Greece in March.
ExPro stated that the gas imports from Greece would be 2.41 mcm/day and will come at special transport rates. (Reporting and editing by Keith Weir.)
(source: Reuters)