[Ref Cathay Pacific Official Website] //reproduction// Tuesday, June 9, 2020 — Cathay Pacific (today) announced a recapitalisation plan that will help it maintain its competitiveness and operations, while continuing its commitments to Hong Kong as an international aviation, financial and commercial hub. The recapitalisation plan comprises three tranches (a three-part plan) : Tranche A: Cathay Pacific […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 9 – 15 June 2020] “April was a disaster for aviation as air travel almost entirely stopped,” director general Alexandre de Juniac acknowledges. “But April may also represent the nadir of the crisis. Flight numbers are increasing. Countries are beginning to lift mobility restrictions.” From 21 April to 27 May, IATA […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 9 – 15 June 2020] Emirates Airline president Tim Clark says the airline industry will begin to improve gradually during 2021. However, a full recovery could be several years away and will likely be driven by the availability of a vaccine, he warns. Clark says that the pace of recovery in […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 2-8 Jun 2020] Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK8303 (Airbus A320), which was arriving from Lahore on 22 May, crash in Karachi after aborted landing. Investigators have still to confirm whether the landing-gear was retracted, or at least partially deployed, during touchdown. However, at least two photographs of the aircraft purportedly taken during […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 2-8 Jun 2020] Boeing needs to face some key decisions over future product strategy : whether to extend production of the 747-8F beyond 2022 or turn the lights out on the iconic aircraft. Boeing has been offering customers a range of freighters with payloads running from 52t all the way up […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 12 – 18 May 2020] Boeing is amending 747-400 flight manuals to clarify unreliable airspeed procedures after a British Airways crew erroneously believed a stall warning was genuine and repeatedly attempted a stall recovery manoeuvre. On 9 June 2019, a BA 747-400 aircraft (G-BNLN) had reached top-of-climb at 33,000ft, during a […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 12 – 18 May 2020] Airbus is offering carriers a modification and regulatory support scheme to convert passenger A350s, A330s and A340s temporarily into main-deck freighters by swapping out seats and fitting pallets onto their floor tracks. Modification is provided to operators under an Airbus service bulletin which sets out not […]

[Ref Flight International Magazine 12 – 18 May 2020] In 2019, carriers on average needed load factors of 77% to break even. If regulations to leave seats empty were to be introduced, he expects that “most airlines will really struggle” and ticket prices would be “significantly higher” in the long term, compared with pre-crisis levels […]