LONDON – Hello and welcome to the AviationSource LIVE Blog for April 20th, 2022.
This will consist of live coverage throughout the day on all things aviation news.
Such a live blog is something that we are trying out and would love to get your input on! Be sure to let us know on social media what you think!
So without further ado, let’s get into today’s news!
Update #1 – 11:50am GMT – Delta Air Lines Gets The Greenlight for South Africa Flights
South African authorities have cleared US carrier Delta Air Lines to operate triangular flights between Atlanta, the United States to Johannesburg, and onwards to Cape Town as per new order passed by the Transport and Tourism ministry in South Africa from autumn 2022.
As the world is once again looming out of pandemic and is on a steady path of recovery, the US-based carrier Delta Air Lines had sought approval from the South African authorities to re-introduce its services between the United States and South Africa.
As Delta Air Lines would once again establish the economic linkage between the United States and South Africa, the substantial exchange of tourism, business, and VFR travelers would be benefiting from the new connection from the Delta Air Lines hub at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport.
Read the full report from Ajinkya Gurav by clicking here.
Update #2 – 11:55am GMT – S7 Airlines Suspended from oneworld Alliance
Disciplinary action is being taken against Siberia Seven, also known as S7 Airlines by the oneworld Alliance in the wake of the Ukraine Crisis.
The airline has been suspended from the alliance. Some have defined it as a ‘private sanction’, while others, like S7, have defined it as a mutual agreement that was stipulated between the alliance and the Russian airline.
“Due to the restriction of international flights, the business interaction between S7 Airlines and the oneworld alliance has been significantly reduced; in this situation, S7 Airlines and oneworld made a joint decision on April 19, 2022, to suspend the agreement.”
The recent suspension from the Oneworld alliance follows Russian carriers being suspended from more than 30 European countries’ airspaces due to the ongoing Ukrainian war.
As a result of the new ‘mutual agreement’, the Siberian airlines have been canceled from the oneworld alliance website, with no mention of the recent suspension.
Read the full report from Niccolo Serratt by clicking here.
Update #3 – 12:15pm GMT – Ukraine Crisis: More Details Emerge Surrounding New Antonov AN-225 Mriya
More details have emerged surrounding the new Antonov AN-225 Mriya that Ukroboronprom promised that they would build.
This new mammoth program looks to have been split up into two sections being:
- Using crowdfunding monies for the destroyed Mriya rebuild.
- The state to fund the new Mriya freighter.
Read the full report from James Field by clicking here.
Update #4 – 12:35pm GMT – Jazeera Airways Announces New Routes to Vienna & Prague
Jazeera Airways has today announced two new routes to Vienna & Prague as part of its European expansion.
Flights to Vienna will launch on June 2, with the Prague flights starting three days after on June 5.
Each route will operate on a twice-weekly basis.
Read the full report from James Field by clicking here.
Update #5 – 1:15pm GMT – European Carriers No Longer Allowed To Operate Preighter Flights
European carriers are no longer allowed to operate Preighter flights, as mentioned by the European Air Safety Agency (EASA).
Preighter flights are filling up passenger cabins with cargo instead, which was allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic to transport medical gear and other important cargo.
It is pretty clear that operating Preighter flights were essential for handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without the extra cargo capacity, deliveries wouldn’t have been made quicker, and if anything would have sped up the process of potentially dealing with the virus too through vaccine use.
