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Shareholders oppose easyJet founder over dividend

Shareholders in easyJet have rejected calls by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the carrier’s founder, for the budget airline to boost its dividend, just days before HE plans to stage a protest over its pay-out policy. Sir Stelios, whose family owns almost 34pc of easyJet and so receives the lion’s share of its dividends, has urged the airline to lift its pay-out from 40pc of post-tax prof...

DAE sees 30-35 aircraft deals in 2016, mostly from Iran

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), one of the few Gulf aircraft leasing firms, expects to add 30-35 planes to its current portfolio of 97 with significant demand seen coming from Iran, the company’s chief executive said on Sunday. Iran, which has emerged from years of sanctions that prevented it from legitimately buying aircraft, agreed with European manufacturers last month to purchase up...

Air Arabia profit dives as competition squeezes margin

The Sharjah-based carrier Air Arabia reported a 13 per cent drop in net profit in the fourth quarter, as competition put pressure on margins and a gloomy geopolitical environment weighed on the sector. The only publicly listed airline in the UAE reported a net profit of Dh59 million in the three months to December, compared with Dh68m in the corresponding quarter of 2014. For the full year...

737NG engine support for Oman Air

AFI KLM E&M and Oman Air have signed a new, long-term contract providing flight hour support for CFM56-7 power plants equipping Oman Air's Boeing 737NG's. Franck Terner, executive vice president Air France engineering and  maintenance said: “We have worked regularly with Oman Air for several years. I am very pleased that the airline has now shown us this mark of trus...

GrandNew and Sokol arrive in Uganda

The Uganda Police Force Air Wing has completed the acceptance process for a GrandNew and a W-3A Sokol helicopter during an official ceremony, EBAN has reported. The ceremony was attended by President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni and other Ugandan state officials.    The two helicopters were delivered as part of a contract signed between PZL-Swidnik and the Ministry of Internal Af...

Drones give air cargo a new buzz

Africa is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. But, while the rise in trade is boosting airfreight, infrastructural problems remain. Studies show that drones will be able to cater for 10 to 20% of regional cargo transportation in the future. Vincent Chappard reports. Data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for global airfreight markets show a very modes...

Silkair to go nonstop on Singapore-Cairns

Cairns Airport expects Silkair’s move to make its flights to Cairns nonstop rather than via Darwin will increase tourism to the region and make the destination more accessible to overseas arrivals. The airport said in a statement Silkair’s three times a week flights between Singapore and Cairns will operate nonstop from May 30 2016. Currently, Silkair flies from Singapore to Cair...

US DOT nearing decision on Qantas-American alliance

The US Department of Transportation looks to be nearing a decision on Qantas and American Airlines’ application to expand their existing alliance on trans-Pacific routes. While the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and New Zealand government have both given the tie-up the green light, the US DOT is still reviewing the application and in November 2015 asked the two carr...

Terror on board flight from Dublin to Edinburgh after man claims passengers were armed with knives

SOURCES at the airport later confirmed a note which was passed to cabin crew contained the knifes threat but said the incident wasn’t being treated as terrorism. A PLANE packed with Scots was at the centre of a terror scare tonight after a passenger claimed people were armed with knives on board. The man had to be hauled off the Dublin to Edinburgh flight after a note containing the al...

The travel adviser - flying with priviledge

El Al flight attendants, understanding that the safety and security of their passengers come first, provide a vital role in enhancing the flying experience. El Al pilots, whose skills have been honed by years of serving in the IAF, comprise nearly an all-boys club known throughout the world as including the finest pilots in the entire profession. Cool and calm under all circumstances, with t...

A budget airline plans to power its planes using hydrogen fuel cells

Hydrogen fuel cells - an ultra-clean energy source - offer a lot of potential for powering the transportation of the future, but there are significant hurdles to overcome: price, size, and supply, to name just three. Now UK budget airline EasyJet thinks it might have found a way to incorporate hydrogen fuel cells into its planes in a way that's safe and cost-effective. While you'd...

Medical emergency diverts Air France flight to Lahore

The flight has, however, now returned to Delhi from Lahore as the flight duty time limitation of the crew came into effect, and the aircraft would depart for its destination tomorrow morning, airport sources said. An Air France' Paris-bound flight carrying 374 passengers was diverted to Lahore shortly after taking off from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here this morning due to a m...

Executive travel: British Airways gives competition a run for its money with Dreamliner First cabin

When British Airways launched its “First” cabin on the Dreamliner last year, the larger open suites and new TV screens didn’t seem enough to steal passengers from rival airlines on the London Heath­row-Abu Dhabi route. Etihad, for example, offers nine first class “Apartments” and the Residence with its three rooms including bathroom and double bed. However, a r...

Körfez Aviation takes delivery of its first H145 Mercedes Benz Style

Marignane, Airbus Helicopters has handed over the first H145 Mercedes Benz Style to Körfez Aviation in Turkey. This is the first of two helicopters acquired by Körfez Aviation to expand its fleet dedicated to business and private aviation, as well as charter flights in the region. The second H145 Mercedes Benz Style is expected to be delivered in March 2016. Part of Doğus Group, K&oum...

Reshaping of inflight connectivity sector is inevitable: Panasonic

Analysts at various second and third tier financial services firms in the US often express genuine surprise when they learn that Panasonic Avionics holds a 70-80% market share of embedded IFE installs in the world fleet; has leveraged its market dominance to secure linefit offerability for its Ku connectivity and TV solution on most major aircraft types; and by the end of last year held an es...

ALPA: cargo pilots deserve safety from lithium battery fires too

With UN international airline body ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission expected to recommend a moratorium on shipments of lithium-ion batteries on passenger airliners until regulations to reduce risk are put in place, the US airline pilot union ALPA is insisting that cargo pilots and crew should also be protected. “ALPA has long advocated for the expedited development of packaging stan...

Flight Support Group ASM Expands In India and Beyond

Flight support specialist Aviation Services Management (ASM) is expanding with a move into a new headquarters at Dubai International Airport. The company now employs a team of 45 people and expects this to grow to 60 during the course of 2016. In addition to its Dubai base, it also has offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Goa (in India), as well as in Sri Lanka, the UK, Kenya and Italy. ASM,...

Former Sikorsky president killed in P-51D crash

Former Sikorsky president Jeff Pino was killed in a crash of his North American P-51D Mustang on 5 February. Pino, the owner of the warbird nicknamed “Big Beautiful Doll”, and another man onboard the P-51D were confirmed killed in the crash in Pinal County, Arizona. Local news video of the crash scene revealed a compact debris field, suggesting a near-vertical descent before the...

Qatar Airways Wants a Piece of Italian Air Carrier Meridiana

Meridiana SpA, Italy’s second-largest airline, said a holding company of its owner the Aga Khan has signed a preliminary accord on a partnership with Qatar Airways. The memorandum of understanding between the Gulf carrier and Alisarda lays out conditions for a transaction to be completed in the first half, Meridiana said Thursday. Under European law, Qatar Air could buy as much...

Pre-owned Update: February 2016

Attractive pricing and an active fourth quarter pushed inventory down in January to levels below the previous quarter. While that’s encouraging for sellers, inventory is still perched about 100 aircraft above the year-ago level and about 50 aircraft higher than the 12-month moving average of roughly 2,300. The year begins against a backdrop of a marginal Fed funds increase, a stock market co...

Record profit for India’s Jet Airways

Jet Airways on Saturday posted a record quarterly profit for the three months to the end of December thanks to low fuel prices and high passenger numbers, helped by the success of its strategic partnership with Etihad Airways. The airline declared a net profit of 4.67 billion rupees (Dh252.7 million) for the period, which marked its third consecutive profitable quarter and compares to a profit...