Airlines
Porter Pushes Restart To May 19
Porter Airlines says that its new target date for the resumption on its service will now be May 19. Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, said that: "The implementation of more restrictive travel rules by governments since our last update makes an early spring restart unsustainable." Deluce continued: “Even though there are signs of progress in containing the pandemic, there is a need to refocus our forecasts based on changing conditions. We remain optimistic that things are moving in the right direction, but this tentative date may also need to be changed if...
IATA Pass May Spark Recovery
With the recent announcement that IATA’s COVID-19 digital travel pass could be ready ‘within weeks,’ data and analytics firm, GlobalData says that the new pass “could spark meaningful recovery of international travel.” Ralph Hollister, analyst, travel & tourism at GlobalData, observes that: “IATA’s Travel Pass is not the golden ticket to an instant recovery for the global travel sector, but it will no doubt help.” According to GlobalData, international air arrivals decreased by 48.1% YOY (Year-Over-Year) in 2020. Due to this unprecedented drop in demand, which...
New Testing Program Launched At Pearson
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) has unveiled details of a robust new COVID-19 PCR and antigen testing research program at Toronto Pearson. The program, which starts on March 1, is supported in part by funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). It is designed to explore the efficacy of antigen testing, compared with the rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, in a high-throughput, commercial environment, as well as the operationalization of rapid PCR testing in an airport environment. Throughout Toronto...
2021: It’s Going To Be Tougher Than Expected
Cash negative throughout 2021. That’s the bottom line in a newly released analysis by IATA of the airline industry’s expectations for the coming 12 months. Back in November 2020, IATA’s analysis had indicated that airlines would turn cash positive in the fourth quarter of 2021; however, now at the industry level, airlines are now not expected to be cash positive until 2022. Estimates for cash burn in 2021 have ballooned to the $75 billion to $95 billion range from a previously anticipated $48 billion. Factors playing into IATA’s estimate, include: Weak Start for...
Low Cost Carriers To Lead Recovery: GlobalData
According to GlobalData, the low-cost airline model will lead post-COVID recovery and help revitalize demand. The data and analytics company points out that frugal cost-cutting measures taken and operational responsiveness will see these carriers move quickly to absorb pent-up demand and capitalize on any opportunities ahead of other high-cost model airlines. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified consumer concerns around personal finances. GlobalData’s latest COVID-19 Recovery Survey showed that globally, a staggering 87% of respondents were ‘extremely’, ‘quite’, or...
FAA Issues Emergency Directive On 777s
After a United Airlines’ Boeing 777 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and had to make an emergency landing in Denver, United has removed those aircraft from service and Boeing has recommended that airlines ground all of its 777s with the type of engine (a Pratt & Whitney PW4000) that suffered a catastrophic failure over Denver on the weekend. In a statement following the emergency, FAA Administrator, Steve Dickson said that: “After consulting with my team of aviation experts about yesterday’s (Feb 20) engine failure aboard a Boeing 777 airplane in Denver, I have...
Emirates Gateway Set To Deliver More To Agents
Beginning July 1, 2021, Emirates will be offering exclusive rich content and services for travel agent partners on its NDC-enabled direct connect platform, Emirates Gateway. At the same time (July 1), Emirates will be introducing a surcharge on all bookings made via Global Distribution Systems (GDS). This follows the launch of Emirates Gateway in October last year, and marks a milestone in Emirates’ plans to cater to a dynamic marketplace by providing trade partners with a choice of connection options and differentiated products and benefits across channels. Adnan Kazim,...
Transat Extends Loan Termination Date
Transat A.T. Inc. has extended the termination date of its $250 million short-term loan facility by three months. The facility had been arranged on Oct. 10, 2020, with Export Development Canada and National Bank of Canada as lead arranger. The loan facility will now terminate at the earliest date between June 30, 2021, and the closing of the arrangement with Air Canada (the "Arrangement"). It may still be drawn in tranches at any time before a date now set at May 31, 2021, subject to meeting the relevant prior conditions and applicable borrowing conditions. Those conditions...