Airlines
Zoghlin Takes Over At ATPCO
Alex Zoghlin has begun his new role as President and CEO at ATPCO following a two-month, in-depth handover with the executive team. His strategic focus over the next year is accelerating the 56-year-old organization’s ongoing transformation, with an emphasis on making it easier for the airline industry to work with ATPCO in its capacity as a standards body and technology provider, with the intent to dramatically reduce the complexity, cost, friction, and barriers to entry for new and existing customers. Zoghlin will also explore opportunities to help airlines increase their...
Transat Clarifies Proposal Situation
Citing recent media and analyst reports that state that on Dec. 22, 2020, Pierre Karl Péladeau made a proposal to acquire the shares of Transat A.T. Inc. ("Transat" or the "Corporation") that would remain open for a period of 24 hours in the event of a rejection of the arrangement with Air Canada by regulatory authorities, Transat is clarifying the situation for shareholders and other stakeholders. Transat says that these reports may mislead some investors into believing that there is an offer from Pierre Karl Péladeau's investment firm, Gestion MTRHP Inc. ("MTRHP"), at $6.00 per...
NACC Welcomes Minister, Reminds Of Critical Role
The National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) welcomed Omar Alghabra as Canada’s new minister of transport, reminding him that it was a critical time for this country’s airline industry. In a statement, NACC president Mike McNaney said: “We want to welcome Minister Alghabra to his new portfolio as he assumes the role at a critical time for our industry. Decisions made by the federal government in the coming weeks and months will directly and forcefully impact the future of Canadian aviation, the future of our employees, and the future of the communities we serve.” McNaney...
Alghabra Named New Transport Minister
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a cabinet shuffle today that included a new Minister of Transport and he also confirmed that the Canada-US border would remain closed for non-essential travel until Feb. 21. The cabinet shuffle came following the announcement by Navdeep Bains -- the now outgoing Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry -- that he would not be running in the next election. Mississauga Centre MP Omar Alghabra is moving into the Cabinet to take over the Transport portfolio. Marc Garneau moves from Transport to Foreign Affairs, while François-Philippe...
Porter Plans March 29 Restart
With the surge of COVID-19 cases and current public health measures, Porter Airlines says that it has revised the tentative restart date for its services to March 29, 2021. Michael Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines, said that: “With the introduction of vaccines, we are more optimistic about determining a date in the near-term to reintroduce flights than at any point since the pandemic began.” Deluce continued: “More time is needed to assess the vaccine’s influence on current travel restrictions and when it is appropriate to begin operations again. We expect to...
Ground To A Halt
IATA reports that the recovery in passenger demand -- which had been slowing since the Northern hemisphere’s summer travel season -- came to a halt in November 2020. The airline industry association notes that: Total demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 70.3% compared to November 2019, virtually unchanged from the 70.6% year-to-year decline recorded in October. November capacity was 58.6% below previous year levels and load factor fell 23.0 percentage points to 58.0%, which was a record low for the month. International passenger demand in...
Arriving Travellers Will Now Need Test To Enter UK
Passengers arriving from all international destinations will now be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result before departing for England to help protect against new strains of coronavirus circulating internationally. The new requirement was announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and beginning next week inbound passengers arriving by boat, plane or train will have to take a test up to 72 hours before departing the country they are in, to help protect against the new strains of coronavirus such as those seen in Denmark and South Africa. The move comes in response to...
No Other Option
WestJet is making significant cuts to its schedule as the airline continues to face volatile demand and instability in the face of continuing federal government travel advisories and restrictions. The Calgary-based carrier said that as a result of the reduction in capacity, the equivalent of 1,000 employees across the WestJet Group of Companies will be impacted through a combination of furloughs, temporary layoffs, unpaid leaves and reduced hours. There will also be a hiring freeze implemented. Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO, said that: “Immediately following the federal...