BRAZIL: Alitalia And Azul Ink Codeshare

Azul and Alitalia have signed a codeshare agreement which will significantly increase route options for both airlines’ customers. The agreement will be particularly important for Alitalia, which continues to struggle financially.

The codeshare deal will provide both airlines access to each other’s route network, which will particularly important for Alitalia. The Italian flag carrier hasn’t been profitable for a while now, and efforts to get it back on its feet have hit a number of hurdles.

Codeshare deals are signed between airlines all the time. Most of the time they’re signed by airlines located in neighboring regions.

A codeshare agreement allows one airline to sell seats on another airline’s routes as if they were their own. Gaining access to routes outside of their normal operating area is the main objective.

In the case of Azul and Alitalia, the new codeshare deal will allow them to offer a number of new routes on the other side of the Atlantic.

Alitalia will immediately gain access to the huge number of domestic destinations served by Azul.

According to Abhi Shah, Azul’s vice president of revenue, Alitalia customers will be able to connect to Azul’s more than 100 domestic destinations, more than half of which are exclusively served by Azul.

This could be a lucrative prospect for Alitalia, as it will allow it to connect Brazil’s large Italian/Italian heritage population with Italy itself.

On the other hand, Azul will be able to increase its trans-Atlantic presence, a key objective the airline has publicly stated it is aiming towards.

Azul also announced plans for a joint venture with TAP Air Portugal earlier this month. As the largest operator of scheduled trans-Atlantic flights between Europe and South America, TAP Air Portugal will be a key strategic partner for Azul.

Although the codeshare agreement with Azul will offer Alitalia customers many new South American destinations, Alitalia itself isn’t doing so well.

This year it seems there have been reports of new parties showing interest in an Alitalia acquisition every other week. But none of the rumors have amounted to much so far.

From easyJet and China Eastern in March to Lufthansa and even the owner of Rome’s S.S. Lazio, Alitalia has struggled to find investors to keep it afloat.

It seems Delta Air Lines has come the closest to signing an investment deal with Alitalia, but recent news of a larger bid from Lufthansa may have scared the American airline away.

Regardless of who invests in Alitalia, the airline still needs to sort out a new business plan for its relaunch.

While it seems the news of a codeshare agreement with Azul will be seen as a positive, there are a number of other much bigger issues to sort out before Alitalia can become a success again.

USA: LOT Polish To Fly Non Stop To San Francisco

San Francisco will see an influx of new European carriers next year, with LOT Polish Airlines the latest to land in the California city.

The Star Alliance carrier will begin new service between its Warsaw (WAW) base and San Francisco (SFO) on Aug. 5, the airport confirmed Monday.

The new route will operate four days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday — with a Boeing 787 aircraft.

LOT joins Alitalia in announcing new service to San Francisco in the past week. Last week, the Italian carrier unveiled plans to add service between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and San Francisco on June 1.

Both announcements followed Icelandair’s disclosure that it will end flights to San Francisco in January. The Icelandic carrier cited commercial reasons, as well as the ongoing impact of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, for the move.

We are thrilled that LOT Polish Airlines has chosen SFO for their nonstop flights to Warsaw, SFO airport director Ivar Satero said in a statement. This move reinforces SFO as the international gateway of choice for the San Francisco Bay Area.

With LOT’s new route, San Francisco will boast nonstops to 19 cities in Europe next summer, according to Diio by Cirium schedules. United Airlines, which operates a large hub at the Bay Area airport, operates six of those routes.

Tourism Observer

UAE: Alitalia Passenger Suddenly Dies Mid Flight, Plane Makes Emergency Landing In Abu Dhabi

A plane belonging to Italy’s national carrier was forced to make an emergency landing in Abu Dhabi on Monday following the death of a passenger.

Kailash Chandra Saini, 52, was travelling with his son, Heera Lal, 26, from New Delhi to Milan when he suddenly fell ill and died.

Pilots on the Alitalia flight were forced to divert to Abu Dhabi International Airport, where Mr Saini was transferred to Mafraq hospital.

Officials said his body was expected to be repatriated to his home state of Rajasthan, India, on an Etihad flight on Wednesday.

Embassy officials have been assisting the family with the formal process of repatriation.

His son, Heera Lal Saini, who was also travelling with his father to Milan, was in Abu Dhabi and talked briefly with the press but was not in position to share any further details.

The Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi is helping Heera repatriate his father's body to India.

The Department of Health in Abu Dhabi has issued a death certificate on Tuesday to help repatriate the body.

The son will be carrying the body of his father to India on Wednesday from Abu Dhabi.

Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana (Alitalia – Italian Air Company), operating as Alitalia, is the flag carrier of Italy.

The company has its head office in Fiumicino, Rome, Italy. Its main hub is Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, Rome, and a secondary is Linate Airport, Milan.

Other focus airports are Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, Milan-Malpensa Airport, Palermo Airport and Naples Airport.

In 2018, it was the twelfth-largest airline in Europe. The name "Alitalia" is an Italian portmanteau of the words ali (wings), and Italia (Italy).

On 2 May 2017, the airline went into administration after the Italian government formally approved the move.

Between 2009 and 2011, Alitalia renewed its fleet with 34 new aircraft, while 26 older planes were retired. The renewal process ended in early 2013.

These new planes are not owned by Alitalia itself, but are leased mostly from Aircraft Purchase Fleet, an Irish leasing company created by former Air One owner Carlo Toto primarily to purchase the new Alitalia fleet.

Following the Air One merger, the entire fleet that was not already leased from other lessors, plus the former Air One fleet that was owned by Air One outright, came under the ownership of APF, a subsidiary of Toto's Italian conglomerate Toto Holding.

The entire fleet, except the two new A330s, is now on the Irish registry instead of the Italian registry.

Alitalia codeshares with the following airlines:

- Aeroflot

- Aerolineas Argentinas

- Air Corsica

- Air Europa

- Air France

- Air Malta

- Air Serbia

- Air Seychelles

- airBaltic

- All Nippon Airways

- Avianca Brazil

- Azerbaijan Airlines

- Bulgaria Air

- Blue Air

- China Airlines

- China Eastern Airlines

- China Southern Airlines

- Croatia Airlines

- Czech Airlines

- Delta Air Lines

- Etihad Airways

- Flybe

- Gol Transportes Aéreos

- Hainan Airlines

- HOP!

- Kenya Airways (Resumes 12 June 2019)

- KLM

- Korean Air

- Kuwait Airways

- Luxair

- Middle East Airlines

- Montenegro Airlines

- Pegasus Airlines

- Royal Air Maroc

- Royal Jordanian

- Saudia

- SriLankan Airlines

- TAP Air Portugal

- TAROM

- Uzbekistan Airways

- Vietnam Airlines

- Virgin Australia

Incidents and accidents since Alitalia-CAI's launch of operations on 13 January 2009:

On 24 April 2011, an attempt was made to hijack Alitalia Flight 329, en route from Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris, France to Fiumicino Airport, Rome and divert it to Tripoli International Airport, Libya.

The hijacker, reported to be an advisor to the Kazakhstan delegation to UNESCO, was subdued by cabin crew and other passengers. He was arrested and taken into custody after the aircraft made a safe landing at Rome.

On 29 September 2013 at 20:10, an Alitalia Airbus A320 flying from Madrid–Barajas Airport to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport failed to lower the landing gear during a storm on landing and the aircraft toppled, skidded off the runway and crashed.

10 passengers suffered minor injuries and all 151 passengers and crew were evacuated and taken to the hospital.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Airlines Flee Iran Airspace

Airlines were facing low profitability even before returning sanctions took a toll on the country's currency.

Iranians reacted with anger and frustration to the news that British Airways will suspend its service to Iran from September 23. Soon after, news came that Air France would axe its service on September 18.

Some Iranians expressed a feeling of being imprisoned in the country as they learned that international airlines were leaving Iran.

Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, responded to British Airway’s withdrawal more pragmatically, noting his hope that Iran Air, with its three weekly direct flights to London, can seize the opportunity and fill the gap.

The news appears to reflect further instances of multinational companies withdrawing from Iran in the face of returning US sanctions while bowing to the political pressure exerted by the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu took this view, stating about the withdrawals, That’s good. More should follow, more will follow, because Iran should not be rewarded for its aggression in the region.

But the airlines have communicated that commercial and not political factors were paramount in the decision to withdraw. The British Airways statement described their London to Tehran route as currently not commercially viable.

Air France echoed poor commercial viability. KLM has pointed to negative results and financial outlook.” Some Iranians, observing regularly full flights, have questioned the honesty of these statements.

The executive’s account provides a more precise picture of why numerous airlines have determined that flying to Tehran is no longer commercially viable.

These claims are not a fig leaf for politically motivated decisions, nor attempts to downplay legal barriers posed by returning sanctions which are minimal.

Instead, over the last few months, larger economic forces arose that made routes operating at high passenger loads unattractive, at least relative to the option of redeploying aircraft other routes worldwide.

The influx of international carriers into Iran led to increased competition. Such competition depressed airfares in the short term. Airlines knew that it would be difficult to become profitable quickly and had expected to wait at least two years in order to break even, the executive explains. But by early 2018, the break-even point remained out of reach.

International carriers had expected that the growth in business and tourist travel to and from Iran would boost demand and help drive airfares upward over time.

But the stalling post-sanctions economic recovery, slowed in part by President Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran nuclear deal in October as well as domestic factors, meant that the projected growth in passenger numbers was failing to materialize.

In response, as the first quarter of this year came to a close, most international carriers active in Iran began to plan reductions in their service in order to better match supply with demand.

Austrian Airlines pursued a realignment of the airline’s portfolio by suspending flights to Esfahan and Shiraz. KLM planned to suspend its flights and Air France opted to run a reduced service after switching the operation of the Paris-Tehran route to Joon, a subsidiary.

British Airways likewise planned to reduce the frequency of its flights.

These adjustments should have enabled the international airlines to increase airfares in the market by addressing oversupply, bringing profitability back within reach for the sector.

But the adjustments coincided with President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and an acceleration in Iran’s currency crisis.

The falling value of the rial had two important effects on international airlines. First, it significantly decreased demand. Not only were airfares more expensive as the purchasing power of the rial declined, but Iranians were also struggling to get reliable access to the hard currency they need in order to spend freely when abroad.

Majid Nejad, CEO of Alibaba.ir, Iran’s leading online travel website, said compared with the same period last year, bookings to foreign destinations from Iran have fallen by half.

Second, as the rial lost value, the revenues accrued by international airlines in Iran also lost value. In order to mitigate the foreign exchange risk, some international airlines began to market tickets locally only at the highest booking classes, an airline industry price categorization.

Those few Iranians with access to foreign banks cards could still purchase tickets at any booking class online, accessing cheaper fares. Nonetheless, the move to increase prices hit demand.

But even if higher fares could protect revenues from devaluation in the short-term, the airlines faced long-standing issues around repatriation of revenues.

Last week, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization announced that international airlines would need to buy euros at the market rate, contradicting an earlier assurance provided by the Central Bank of Iran that foreign currency would be available to the airlines at the lower government exchange rate.

The executive notes that a lack of clear communication from the central bank and aviation authority proved one of the most frustrating aspects of the whole episode.

In any case, airlines struggled to convert their rial holdings into foreign currency at whatever the rate.

The airlines executive believes that when airlines sought to convert their rial holdings in accounts at banks such as Saman Bank and Parsian Bank, the central bank failed to make the foreign currency available because they either did not have sufficient foreign currency on hand or were opting to build up reserves for more critical industries like the pharmaceutical sector.

As rial-denominated revenues languished in Iran, airlines saw their losses mount, and the routes were no longer commercially viable.

For context, the executive impresses that business is good in the aviation industry worldwide right now and that for airline executive committees dealing with the headache of operating in Iran, the option to simply reassign an aircraft and flight crew to another more profitable route became increasingly appealing.

For now, Lufthansa and Alitalia are continuing their services to Iran. For these European holdouts, the withdrawal of their competitors could offer a reprieve, reducing competition and perhaps helping to stabilize airfares.

European governments, which have been actively involved in the challenges faced by their national carriers since January, remain politically supportive. Of course, Iran Air will benefit.

Iran’s national carrier announced route expansions in May in an effort to win back market share from the international players.

No doubt, sanctions contributed to the withdrawal of international airlines out of Iran, but not for the political or legal reasons readily assumed.

Rather, international airlines would have persisted in their service to Iranian destinations, emboldened by political support from European governments, had it not been for the intractable issues surrounding commercial viability.

While the withdrawal from Iran essentially came down to fundamental commercial calculations, the executive makes sure to relay that the decision to cease operating in Iran was nonetheless difficult to make.

In his words, nothing was more painful than how deeply unfair the whole situation is for our team members in Iran. Like many other young and talented Iranians, those let go by the international carriers will be wondering what next.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Air France and British Airways Stop Flights To Tehran

Air France made it’s last flight to Tehran on September 18th. Air France cut the number of frequencies to Tehran on August 1, announcing that it would fly only once in a week instead of 3.

British Airways will close route 4 days after Air France on September 22nd with a return trip on the 23rd.

British Airways and Air France are following suit of KLM, which announced last month that it would suspend flights from Amsterdam to Iran in September.

Both airlines are issuing statements that the routes are no longer commercially viable.

As the number of business customers flying to Iran has fallen, the connection is not profitable anymore, said a spokesperson for Air France.

However, speculation that the airlines are simply giving in to political pressure after the United States pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iran.

After the sanctions were originally reimposed in early August, Airbus and ATR stopped their deliveries to Iran Air, Iran’s national carrier.

Air France, KLM, and British Airways originally restarted their routes to Tehran in 2015 after the nuclear deal was originally struck.

British Airways is offering refunds to passengers affected or offering to rebook passengers with other carriers.

Air France has, in recent times, transferred their Theran route to their subsidiary, JOON.

Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Germania, Alitalia, and Turkish Airlines are some of the European airlines still operating their routes to Tehran. None of them have provided any indication that they plan to cut their flights as well.


Tourism Observer

ITALY: Alitalia Reveals New Uniforms, Might Be Dressing Up For Their Funeral

Alitalia unveiled its new Flight Attendant uniforms today at the opening of Milan’s Fashion Week.

This new collection, albeit heavily criticized by industry analysts, stems from numerous requests from the airline’s crew who have complained of comfort issues, as well as operability from the current uniforms.

Alitalia revealed its current uniforms less than two years ago, following Etihad’s investment in the Italian carrier.

According to the airline, the new uniforms have been designed by the Italian stylist taking into consideration the advice and suggestions of current Alitalia staff.

The idea of bringing the creativity, elegance, and quality of our country in the world, on board Alitalia, makes me very proud, said the designer.

I am happy to present this project during Milan Fashion Week in such an official setting as Palazzo Reale in Piazza del Duomo, she added.

Italian Fashion Designer Alberta Ferretti presented the new uniforms, which were described to be elegant and timeless.

The new design for both male and female Flight Attendants are composed of a suit and dress, both made of a fresh blue wool, a no season fabric with a thin and breathable texture that ensures comfort and allows for freedom of movement during the flight and on the ground.

Each piece is personalized with buttons, all of which come engraved with the Alitalia “A” in satin gold.

The women’s dress comes with a waistband that’s designed with the three colors of the Italian flag, as well as with the airline’s logo.

The uniforms include cotton poplin shirts with a small pocket, a scarf, and silk tie for all male Flight Attendants. Leather gloves and pure wool knitwear are also part of the new accessories.

For the onboard service, a vest and apron-style dress in an Alitalia-branded jacquard fabric complete the new uniform’s design.

The collaboration with Alberta Ferretti gives prestige to Alitalia, said Fabio Maria Lazzerini, Alitalia’s Chief Commercial Officer and Revenue Management.

The new uniforms are a recognition of the work of thousands of colleagues who every day carry out professionally a crucial task for each airline: ensuring that passengers experience a unique travel experience in the name of quality. For this reason, we felt it was our duty to guarantee maximum comfort and well-being in their daily activities, he added.

However, last week during the IATA AGM in Sydney, IAG’s CEO, Willie Walsh, said that it was madness for Alitalia to be spending on new uniforms while on bankruptcy.

These new uniforms will cost them €7 million. It’s madness, Walsh said.

And Peter Harbison, Executive Chairman at CAPA, quickly added that the airline might be dressing up for their funeral.

Internal sources hint that Alitalia’s real reason for switching their uniforms is that Etihad asked them to remove any resemblance to the Abu Dhabi-based carrier’s design.

The current state at which Alitalia is immersed in has driven the Italian government to evaluate further emergency funding to keep the airline afloat.

However, during the IATA AGM, Lufthansa’s CEO, Carsten Spohr admitted being interested in taking over the airline and adding it to its successful portfolio of carriers.

Lufthansa’s stake in Swiss, Brussels, Austrian, and now Eurowings have proven to be successful, with all airlines turning profits and increasing their footprint both in Europe and the world.

Spohr challenges that the Italian government needs to come up with a viable decision for the airline. Alitalia needs to be restructured before we can do something, he told Italian journal, Corriere della Sera.

Just like Swiss and Austrian Airlines show, when we come into play, companies start making profits, he said.

Spohr also noted that he won’t be putting any pressure on the Italian government. But he confirmed that without a proper restructuring, there will be no investment in the airline.

In all modesty, we’re not Etihad. We will only invest after the airline is restructured. Not before, like they did, he emphasized.

Spohr is a firm believer that Alitalia would be would be a great addition to its group, with Rome becoming its fifth hub in Europe after Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, and Vienna.

With the new Italian government just established, Alitalia’s agenda is still undefined.

As the country transitions into a new alliance government and other political issues are addressed, Alitalia’s losses continue to drive the airline into a steeper crisis.

And while the new uniforms are introduced to the airline’s extensive network, time and money might be running out at a pace that might exceed any expectations from both the government and the airline itself.


Tourism Observer

UAE: Etihad Airways To Increase Flights And Fly Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner On Cairo Route

Etihad Airways has announced that they will operate a fourth daily service between Abu Dhabi and Cairo using one of their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The current three daily flights are operated by Airbus A320s and A321s, citing increased demand on the route.

The schedule that is on offer from Cairo is used to offer seamless East-bound connections through AUH onwards into the Gulf, Indian Subcontinent, North and Southeast Asia as well as Australia.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President Commercial, said: Etihad Airways has been serving Cairo since 2004 and today it is one of the largest point-to-point markets on our global network.

This bolstered by the hugely important historic, economic, and cultural ties existing between the UAE and Egypt, and by the large Egyptian community in the Emirates, which numbers over 750,000.

In 2017 Etihad carried almost half a million guests on our multiple daily flights to and from Cairo.

The introduction of the state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner on the popular morning service from Abu Dhabi will provide guests with the latest innovation and technology, award-winning cabins, genuine hospitality and greater choice.

These upgrades out of Cairo come following a partnership that was signed in April 2018 between Egyptair and Etihad which expanded their codesharing arrangements to include several African destinations.

These such as Ndjamena, Khartoum, Entebbe as well as Dar es Salaam with other destinations such as Abuja, Kano and Asmara all waiting to be approved by the respective governments.

Egyptair places its ‘MS’ code on EY flights operating from Abu Dhabi to Seoul, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, and hopefully subject to governmental approval, on flights to China.

The 787-9 in question features a two-class configuration, offering 28 Business Class studios as well as 271 Economy Seats. The route changes will be in effect by October 28th, 2018. They are as follows:

With Etihad Airways currently hemorrhaging money after the demise of Alitalia and Air Berlin, Etihad is now bringing their costs down even more by reducing flights to Dhaka and other destinations and repositioning aircraft on the more popular routes.

However, this may be something that the carrier might not do for long as the more routes they cut, the more aircraft they are either going to have to reposition or put in storage/sell in order to keep their operations efficient and successful.

Lack of investment that Etihad is now placing into carriers and just focusing on the codesharing agreements is possibly the better solution for the airline to take.

Establish partnerships rather than acquisitions, and Etihad can then further connect Abu Dhabi with other destinations across the world without having to spend even more money trying to acquire majority stakes in an airline.


Tourism Observer

MOROCCO: Royal Air Maroc To Fly To 5 East African Nations, Signs Codeshare With Alitalia

Royal Air Maroc RAM has signed a code sharing agreement with Alitalia to boost air links between Morocco and Italy.

Under the deal, they will increase air links between Morocco and Italy to 29 from 7, RAM said in a statement on Wednesday.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) the national carrier for Morocco announced plans to launch flights to five other East African cities.

Royal Air Maroc already has flights from Casablanca to Nairobi.

Royal Air Maroc Country manager in Kenya, Othman Baba says the move, caused by their gainful experience on the Nairobi route.

Royal Air Maroc which joined the 23-member single African air transport market (SAAM) last year, has said it will ride on the continental aviation framework, to speed up regulatory approvals.

It is so far the only North African airline that runs a direct Nairobi—Ndjamena (Chad) flight.

We will be extending operations in East Africa in in the short-term with new destinations like Dar es Salaam, Harare, Kigali, Maputo and Khartoum,he said.

With more than 30 destinations in West Africa, it is imperative that Royal Air Maroc has decided to spread into East Africa to share on the lucrative East African market.

Royal Air Maroc started with two weekly flights to Nairobi in 2016, but has since increased frequency to three fights a week.

Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, South African and Egypt Air are Africa’s largest flying Airlines.

Air Maroc says its key success point remains its low ticket prices.

Royal Air Maroc maintains strict control over its costs structure and processes, resulting in lower ticket price and cargo tariffs.


Tourism Observer

ITALY: Alitalia Becomes A Significant Political Issue, But Progress Is Being Made In In Buying The Airline

The Italian Government has confirmed receiving three offers to buy the insolvent airline Alitalia, not giving any details regarding these proposals or bidders.

easyJet said on April 10, 2018, easyJet has submitted a revised expression of interest for a restructured Alitalia, together as part of a consortium, consistent with easyJet’s existing strategy for Italy.

Given the nature of the process, the content of the expression of interest is subject to confidentiality, the airline said in a statement and clarified that further updates would be provided in due course.

Lufthansa also presented new plans and ideas of what the German carrier would convey as a New Alitalia.

On top of Lufthansa, a US investment fund in the name of Cerberus Capital Management is also in the list of potential investors who are interested in acquiring some aspects of the carrier.

Alitalia has supposedly had interest from the Air France-KLM group, although they have vividly denied such claim.

The initial report said that the group was going to provide a joint bid with easyJet, but updated plans now show that this is not the case anymore.

Alitalia went into Chapter 11 in May 2017, and the deadline for bids was set on October 16th, 2017 initially.

However, this had been delayed due to current consultations with the political parties in Italy regarding the sale of the airline.

In terms of repayments of bridge loans, these have also been delayed as state commissioners need to weigh up the bids given by the interested airlines.

The mandate of such commissioners is due to expire by the end of the month, thus putting pressure on the commissioners to make their minds up about the bids.

Although progress is somewhat evident, there is still an issue with the airline’s internal affairs.

With Alitalia being a massive problem within Italian politics, the system itself is also in crisis. The national election which took place in March resulted in a hung parliament.

Political parties have not come together yet to form an overall minority government, which could potentially extend the deadlines further if no decisions are made.

At the moment, with the political parties being notified about updates, a deal may not be made until the government is formed and solidified following such a hung parliament.

Even before the hung parliament occurred, the demise of Alitalia became a significant political issue.

With the government not being able to keep to deadlines and making a decision towards the sale of the ill-fated carrier, a decision must be made in the short-term to keep the airline fully operational.

Overall, the Alitalia/Italian Government situation is going to put significant pressure on the parties involved to push for a collective solution that will benefit all parties.

Seven new envelopes last year arrived at the Alitalia Administrators office in Rome with binding offers from interested investors.

The Italian carrier released a statement saying that these offers will be analyzed to determine whether they meet all the criteria to move forward.

Currently, Lufthansa and EasyJet remain in pole position to acquire the assets of the bankrupt Italian carrier.

According to a story published in the Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore, the German group is interested in taking part of Alitalia’s assets, including its fleet, slots, and some of its crew, and might have a plan to re-launch Alitalia as an all-new airline.

Lufthansa, who recently took over the majority of Air Berlin’s assets, would be interested in acquiring Alitalia’s global network, including their point-to-point slots in both the domestic and regional markets.

The German carrier’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, said on Thursday that Lufthansa would be interested in taking over Alitalia only if it were possible to make a fresh start with it.

Spohr added that if there were a chance of creating a new Alitalia, as Europe’s number one (carrier) Lufthansa would certainly be interested in the talks.

Lufthansa’s initial offer, however, was deemed too rough by the Italian airline, given that it proposed a cut of at least 50% of Alitalia’s workforce—unacceptable for both the Italian government and the carrier.

EasyJet, on the other hand, would be interested in taking some slots and several aircraft.

The low-cost-carrier released a statement stating that they have submitted an expression of interest in certain assets of a restructured Alitalia, consistent with easyJet’s existing strategy for Italy.

Given the nature of the process, the content of the expression of interest is subject to confidentiality.

There is no certainty at this stage that any transaction will proceed and easyJet will provide a further update in due course if and when appropriate.

With today’s announcement, five more parties are bidding to take some assets from Alitalia. Seven envelopes have been delivered today at the Atlante Cerasi associate notary’s office in Rome.

The special commissioners of Alitalia will now begin evaluating the envelopes, said Alitalia in a public statement.

As of today, Alitalia has received over €1 billion of the capital injection by the Italian government.

This has created some controversy, as the Italian taxpayer continues to fund a failing airline that hasn’t shown any signs of getting back on a profitable path.

The head of the powerful industrial employers’ federation Confindustria, Vincenzo Boccia, said that we will need to see who buys it and who pays for it.

I do not think Italian citizens are willing to accept paying for on behalf of and in the name of others. Alitalia needs to be competitive and appeal to investors, he said.

Even though Alitalia filed for Chapter 11 in May, the airline’s operations remain stabilized.

Now that seven binding offers have been received, a long road ahead of negotiations and internal discussions will determine the path of the ill-fated airline.

The Italian government has extended the deadline to receive improved bids and loaned an additional €300 million so that the airline remains operational.

New routes, and a new plane, are about to join Alitalia despite its financial woes.

On September 1, the airline took take delivery of its first Boeing 777-300(ER). The ex-Air Austral Triple-Seven will be deployed on the airline’s flights from Rome (FCO) to Buenos Aires (EZE)—one of the most profitable and busy routes in Alitalia’s network.

According to Routes Online, the aircraft will begin scheduled services to EZE on October 30, 2017.

Moreover, Alitalia launched three weekly flights to the Maldives on the last day of October 2017.

The departing flight out of FCO will leave at 21:45 and arrive the following morning at Male International Airport (MLE) at 11:05 every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Similarly, New Delhi (DEL) will be linked to Rome on a daily basis starting on October 29, departing FCO at 14:40 and arriving in DEL at 02:40.

Today, Alitalia has a fleet of 22 Airbus A319, 42 A320, 12 A321, 14 A330-200, 11 Boeing 777-200(ER), and one 777-300(ER).


Tourism Observer

UAE: Etihad Airways To Stop Flights To Tehran January 2018

The airline has asked affected passengers to switch to an alternative travel date between December 25 and January 23, or be refunded.

Etihad Airways will scrap flights to Tehran on January 24, the latest route to be dropped as the Abu Dhabi airline pursues a strategy review.

The airline launched the review in 2016 that has also seen it sell or step away from investments in foreign carriers.

Etihad's five weekly flights to Iran's capital will be reduced to two a week between December 25 and January 23, before it suspends the route entirely on January 24, an airline spokeswoman said.

She declined to say why the route was being suspended, but said in a statement that affected passengers could switch to an alternative travel date between December 25 and January 23, or be refunded.

Since launching the strategy review, Etihad has said it would cut flights to San Francisco and Dallas-Fort Worth in the US.

The airline has regretted for inconvenience caused to passengers with existing bookings.

Passengers holding bookings for travel up to January 23 and affected by the schedule change will be re-booked with an alternative travel date subject to availability or offered the choice of a full refund.

Passengers with bookings from January 24 will be offered a full refund.

Britain's top defence buyer Tony Douglas will join Etihad next month as its new group chief executive, as the airline rethinks its rapid expansion strategy.

Two of Etihad's major foreign investments, Air Berlin and Italy's Alitalia, filed for administration this year.

Douglas, who joins Etihad from Britain's Ministry of Defence, has previously served as chief executive of Abu Dhabi's airport company.

Etihad has made few details public about its strategy review, which since being launched has seen the departure of its James Hogan, its group chief executive who led the airline for a decade.



Tourism Observer

ITALY: Lufthansa, Easy Jet Among Seven Interested In Buying Bankrupt Italian Alitalia

Lufthansa and Easy Jet are among seven airlines that made binding offers Monday to take over all or part of Alitalia, the Italian carrier that declared bankruptcy in May.

Alitalia confirmed it received seven envelopes containing bids by the evening deadline, but provided no details.

German carrier Lufthansa earlier confirmed it submitted an offer to buy at least part of Alitalia's aviation business, including global, European and domestic routes, while apparently shunning the ground and handling business.

Easy Jet said it bid for "certain assets" of a restructured Alitalia, but did not give specifics.

The Italian government wants to close the sale by the end of April, followed by a period of evaluation by European anti-trust authorities that would likely delay a completion of any deal until the end of summer.

The government last week extended a 300 million-euro bridge loan to keep the airline operating until any sale can be complete, on top of 600 million euros extended since Alitalia declared bankruptcy.

The tender offer made clear that bankruptcy administrators want to avoid a fire-sale of Alitalia assets, giving preference to any offer that takes on the entire airline, which has 8,000 aviation employees, including pilots and flight attendants, and an additional 3,600 on the ground.

But the bidding process allows for the possibility to isolate either the aviation or handling businesses.

Lufthansa did not provide detailed information, including how much the bid is worth and how much staff it would retain.

Lufthansa said in a statement that it wanted to establish a New Alitalia, that it said could develop long-term economic prospects.

If successful, Lufthansa would add Alitalia assets to those it is acquiring from Air Berlin, both of which were controlled by Etihad airlines until the Gulf carrier cut financing.

Italian media reports Lufthansa was preparing a 500 million-euro ($590 million) bid for large parts of Alitalia, including planes, pilots, air crew and air slots.

The report said the plan calls for cutting 6,000 jobs and reducing the airline's short- and medium-haul routes, which have suffered under the pressure from low-cost airlines.

Alitalia declined to comment.



Tourism Observer

ITALY: Government Gives EUR300 Million To Alitalia

The Italian government has extended a further EUR300 million (USD354.64 million) in funding to bankrupt Alitalia and its Alitalia CityLiner unit.

An official gazette issued on Friday, October 13, said the funding would add to a EUR600 million euro (USD655 million) bridging loan extended to the carrier in May this year.

The due date on the initial loan has also been extended from November 2017 to September 2018 to allow the airline time to complete the sale of its assets to prospective buyers.

The deadline for the procedure of ceding assets belonging to Alitalia and other companies within the group has been extended to April 30, 2018, the gazette said.

The state loan is to ensure the continuity of air transport services until the transfer of all business units has been effected.

Earlier this month, Alitalia applied to the Italian government for a six-month extension to the payment of unemployment benefits to its workforce.

An airline statement issued on Friday, October 6, said the renewed period would run from November 1, 2017, through to April 30, 2018.

Alitalia and CityLiner are currently in administration pending the completion of the sale of their constituent assets.

The deadline for the submission of binding offers for Alitalia and/or its operational and ground handling units remains unchanged at Monday, October 16.



Tourism Observer

ITALY: Ryanair Interested In Alitalia On Condition

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair is among around a dozen bidders to have made a non-binding offer for ailing carrier Alitalia.

The Italian flag-carrier filed for special administration earlier this year as debts continued to mount.

It is the second time the airline has faced bankruptcy since 2008 and will be restructured, sold off or wound up.

“We are serious in indicating we have an interest in Alitalia,” said Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary of the unlikely move.

“But we are also serious in that our interest in Alitalia is only if there was a significant restructuring so that Alitalia could reasonably be seen to operate on a profitable basis.”

It is thought a key condition would be the absence of Italian government interference.

The Italian government said in May it would provide a bridging loan to keep the airline flying for a further six months.

However, officials have ruled out renationalising Alitalia in the long-term.

The carrier was privatised and relaunched nine years ago after filing for bankruptcy in 2007.

Interested airlines have until October to make binding offers for the carrier.

However, if no buyer comes forward then administrators will be faced with the prospect of winding up Alitalia.

Alitalia is currently 49 per cent owned by Gulf airline Etihad.



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ITALY: Government Will Not Save Alitalia

Alitalia’s staff rejecting a last minute restructuring bid to keep the airline afloat, has not only pushed the European airline to begin bankruptcy proceedings for the second time in a decade, but has also put Abu Dhabi-based Etihad’s European future in question.

Etihad paid €560 million for its 49 percent stake in Alitalia in 2014, the largest individual share of companies invested in the airline, and part of a larger €1.76 billion deal to recapitalise and restructure the company.

At its shareholder meeting on Thursday, the airline has indicated it will stick to its stated position: no more funds to prop up Italy’s struggling national airline.

Staff at the struggling airline are hoping for government intervention.

But Italy has said it will refuse to in and save the company by nationalising it.

And it isn’t hard to imagine that Alitalia going under will have a much bigger affect on Etihad’s business than it will on Italy’s economy, thus putting more pressure on the UAE’s national airline to act to save its investment.

Etihad is invested via equity in Alitalia, Airberlin, Jet Airways, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, and Virgin Australia.

But it is its European investments are its biggest source of concern.

With Air Serbia, Etihad invested $200 million in 2013 for a 49 percent stake and management rights for five years.

Air Serbia has managed to eke out profits that have grown to one percent of revenue over the last two years. But its profits come from a market where it is unimpeded from the threat of much low cost competition.

According to the Centre for Aviation, low cost carrier Wizz Air, with much smaller unit costs of operation, is beginning to make an entry in the Balkans which could increase the level of competition Air Serbia is currently facing.

Meanwhile, Etihad’s investment in Airberlin has yet to bear fruit.

Etihad has invested into the company four times since 2011, from raising its ownership from 2.99 percent to 29.21 percent, to buying the European carrier’s frequent flyer program for €70 million, all of its Austrian operations NIKI, as well as putting up €300 million in bonds.

Yet despite its shrink to survive strategy, the haemorraging airline reported a loss lost year that had widened 16 percent to €447 million from 2014.

Earlier this year, long time foe, Lufthansa, became a saviour of sorts when it announced a $100 million multi-faceted agreement with Etihad to streamline its European business and wet-lease 38 aircraft from Airberlin’s Niki for its Eurowings subsidiary.

The deal will help stem some of the loss that is expected to bear in on Airberlin’s results which will come out..

It has been suggested Etihad’s European debacle is what prompted the shakeup that will lead to CEO James Hogan and CFO James Rigney’s departure come the summer.

The airline is also speaking with turnaround specialist Christoph Mueller, who revived Ireland’s troubled Aer Lingus before moving on to bringing back Malaysian Airlines a year after two crashes crippled its business.

If Mueller is appointed, he will work with a new airline equity investment chief, Robin Kamark, to help draft a new strategy to save its European carrier business, after the previous appointee departed for personal reasons.



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VENEZUELA: Airlines To Suspend Venezuela Operations,instability in the country and poor performing economics

A number of airlines, including Delta Air Lines and Avianca Airlines, intend to suspend their services to Caracas.

According to the letter submitted by Delta to the Venezuelan National Institute of Civil Aviation, the last flight DL781 from Atlanta to Caracas will be held on Saturday, September 16, 2017.

The return and final farewell flight to Atlanta, DL802, will depart Caracas the following morning on September 17, 2017.

Delta has not published an official statement on the cancellation of the route.

Earlier Avianca also announced the suspension of its daily services to Venezuela.

The airline also suspended all tickets sales to and from Venezuela effective immediately.

In a press release, the carrier said the decision was taken last night in a meeting with the Colombian Aviation Authorities in Bogota, due to the great struggle the airline is currently dealing with to maintain service to Venezuela.

After 60 years of service in Venezuela, Avianca regrets this difficult decision, but our duty is to warranty the security of the operations,said Hernan Rincon, President of Avianca Airlines.

As a company, we have the disposition and will to return operations, once we have the required conditions.

Delta and Avianca claim that the current instability in the country and poor performing economics are the main drivers in such harsh decision.

Both airlines will now join the ever growing list of carriers that have already ceased flying to Venezuela: Air Canada, Alitalia, Lufthansa, LATAM, GOL, Insel Air, Dynamic, Aeromexico, and United.

The last standing U.S.-based carrier flying to Venezuela, American Airlines (AA), has also taken drastic measures ahead of the dramatic political situation the South American country is going through.

Initially flying to Caracas from Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW), New York (JFK), and Miami (MIA), AA decreased its connectivity to the Venezuelan capital to just two daily flights between Miami and Caracas.

Numerous frequent flyers based in Caracas commented on social media how this affects their connectivity to the United States, especially now that United is gone and AA remains with two daily flights.

No crew members are interested in flying to Venezuela. They say it is too unsafe.

If American decides to leave, chances to fly to the U.S. on reliable carriers are gone.

Airline Avianca says it will stop flying to Venezuela due to operational and security reasons.

The Colombian company is the latest to suspend its flights to the South American country amid a growing economic and political crisis.

US airline Delta also announced in a tweet that it was suspending services to Venezuela from mid September.

Aeroméxico, Air Canada, Alitalia, Latam, Lufthansa and United Airlines have already stopped their flights.

Avianca has operated in Venezuela for 60 years.

The airline, one of the biggest in Latin America, said customers who had bought tickets for flights departing after that date would be reimbursed fully.

Airlines still operating flights to Venezuela include Air France, Iberia, Air Europa and TAP, but Venezuelans have complained about the increasing difficulty of getting flights in and out of the country.

Many used Avianca's twice-daily Caracas to Bogota route to connect with other flights.

With fewer flights available those having to book at short notice sometimes struggle to get seats.

The Venezuelan women's volleyball team missed the world grand prix tournament in Canberra, Australia, on the weekend.

The team had to use chartered planes because a shortage of seats stopped them taking commercial flights to Australia, Venezuela's charge d'affaires Daniel Gasparri-Rey said.

But when the chartered planes were delayed and it became clear the team would arrive too late to take part in the tournament, they turned back, the diplomat said.

The Venezuelan Volleyball Federation could now face a fine of up to $30,000 (£23,800) for missing the matches.

Player María José Pérez said the team members felt frustrated because they had been robbed of the chance to make an impression at the tournament, for which they had qualified for the first time.

These are airlines that have opted to suspend flights to Venezuela:

- United Airlines, daily flight from Houston on June 30, 2017.

- Dynamic Airways, daily flight from Fort Lauderdale on August 13, 2016.

- LATAM, a weekly flight from Lima, twice weekly flight from Santiago on August 1, 2016.

- Aeromexico, thrice weekly flights from Mexico City on June 23, 2016.

- Lufthansa, thrice weekly flights from Frankfurt on June 17, 2016.

- LATAM, a weekly flight from Sao Paulo on May 28, 2016.

- Alitalia, a weekly flight from Rome on April 3, 2015.

- Air Canada, four weekly flights from Toronto on March 18, 2014.

Would you be happy to travel to Venezuela, with all that chaos and insecurity?

Think more than once.




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ITALY: Alitalia To Be Taken By ‘highest bidder,’ No State Rescue

Italy’s center-left government said that Alitalia would be sold to the “highest bidder,” once again ruling out a state rescue as fears mounted that the troubled airline was plummeting toward bankruptcy.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said he had been disappointed by staff’s rejection of a rescue plan involving deep job and salary cuts, and reiterated that the state could not and would not step in.

The truth is what I said before the vote and what I say again today: The conditions are not there for Alitalia to be nationalized, he said.

Transport Minister Graziano Delrio meanwhile said the company would be “sold to the highest bidder” and the government made favorable noises about the mooted possibility of a partial takeover by Germany’s Lufthansa.

The loss-making national carrier’s future is up in the air after its workforce rejected a restructuring plan that management had presented as the only alternative to bankruptcy.

Etihad Airways, which owns a 49 percent stake in Alitalia, and other shareholders had made staff acceptance of the plan a precondition for their participation in a 2-billion-euro recapitalization plan involving a combination of loans and new shareholder financing.

But despite earlier proposals being watered down in negotiations with unions, over two-thirds of staff voted to reject them in a ballot Monday, in which more than 90 percent of employees took part.

The latest draft of the restructuring plan involves eliminating 1,700 jobs from a global headcount of 12,500, along with wage cuts of up to 8 percent for some of the remaining staff.

The company’s board Tuesday asked the government to either appoint administrators to find a purchaser or to organize the winding up of the company.

“The most plausible outcome is that we are moving to a brief period of extraordinary administration which could conclude in six months with a partial or total sale of Alitalia’s assets,” Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda said.

Delrio, the transport minister, added that the business will be sold to the highest bidder but Alitalia has been weakened by the outcome of the ballot and its competitors will not give it any gifts.

ITALY: Alitalia Shareholders Unanimously Decide To File For Insolvency Administration.

Italy’s flag carrier Alitalia started bankruptcy proceedings for the second time. Shareholders voted unanimously to file for insolvency administration.

Etihad Airways said today it was disappointed that despite its significant investments in Alitalia, the Italian airline had today entered extraordinary administration.

The Italian government approved the start of special administration and appointed Luigi Gubitosi, Enrico Laghi and Stefano Paleari as administrators. The government also approved a 600 million-euro ($655 million) bridge loan that will last for six months.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said, “We have done all we could to support Alitalia, as a minority shareholder, but it is clear this business requires fundamental and far-reaching restructuring to survive and grow in future.

Without the support of all stakeholders for that restructuring, we are not prepared to continue to invest. We therefore support the necessary decision of the Alitalia Board to apply for extraordinary administration.

“We are disappointed that despite Etihad’s significant investments in Alitalia, alongside those of the other shareholders, the airline was unable to proceed in its current form.

“The initial strategy developed by Alitalia at the time of Etihad’s investment and implemented from 2015 delivered significant improvements.

However, new marketplace challenges, including greater low cost carrier competition and the impacts of terrorist events on tourism demand, meant further, deeper change was required.

“As a supportive investor, we have delivered on our commitments since taking our minority share. Our investment, alongside the other shareholders, has helped to protect thousands of jobs over the last three years.

We would like to thank the other shareholders, and the Italian Government, for their commitment as we have worked together since we took our shareholding.

“Italy remains an important market for us and we will continue to work with Alitalia as a commercial partner alongside our own presence in Italy.”

Etihad Airways and Alitalia signed a transaction implementation agreement in August 2014, which resulted in a €1,722 million investment by Etihad and other Italian shareholders to restructure the Italian airline.

The airline said all guests with Etihad bookings on Alitalia, or vice versa, should proceed with their travel plans as normal, as it is expected that Alitalia will proceed with flight operations.

Etihad will communicate promptly and directly with its affected guests if that situation changes.

INDIA: Jet Airways Suspends Pilot Over Assault And Racisim

Jet Airways says it has suspended a foreign pilot from flying duty over allegations he assaulted a woman and hurled racist abuse at another passenger on a domestic flight.

The Mumbai-based airline confirmed the incident took place on April 3 on a Chandigarh-Mumbai flight, adding the pilot in question had been taken off the flying roster soon after and an apology had been extended to the victim.

“As regards the said incident, Jet Airways has noted guest feedback with concern and regrets the incident,” Jet Airways said in a statement on Wednesday.

The airline has, as per policy, initiated a full-fledged investigation, based on specific inputs from guests, concerned departments and agencies.

Cricketer Harbhajan Singh has weighed in on the scandal, although he clarified that he had not witnessed the incident first-hand.

“Not only was he racist, but physically assaulted a lady and abused a physically challenged man ... absolutely disgraceful and shame on @jetairways,” said India’s out-of-favour spinner on Twitter, urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reprimand the airline and its pilot.

Strict action must b taken &such things should not be allowed or tolerated in r country.. #proudtobeindian let's get together and sort this
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) April 26, 2017

Scandals have dogged the airline industry in recent weeks, particularly in the United States after United Airlines drew global outrage for forcefully dragging a passenger off an overbooked flight.

Footage of the April 9 incident captured by fellow passengers went viral on social media and caused a public relations calamity for the carrier and airport officials.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and strategic partner Jet Airways, India’s full-service, premium international carrier, have signed a groundbreaking agreement with the Government of Maharashtra to promote tourism to the western Indian state.

The partnership will enable both airlines to capitalise on their strong links with Maharashtra and further propel domestic and international arrivals into the state capital Mumbai and beyond. It is the first time an Indian state has signed a tourism collaboration agreement with airlines.

The Honourable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis presided over the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in Mumbai today. The agreement was signed by Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra; Neerja Bhatia, Vice President, Etihad Airways Indian Subcontinent; and Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways. It followed months of discussions between the leadership of both airlines and the state government on exploring ways to collaborate in promoting tourism.

Under the agreement, the three entities will pool marketing resources to participate in travel-trade events in key international markets such as the UK and the UAE, jointly promote ‘Destination Maharashtra’ through advertising campaigns, and organise inbound familiarisation trips for media and travel agents.

Etihad Airways and Jet Airways are key contributors to India’s thriving travel and tourism sector carrying the biggest combined share of international traffic to and from India with one in five travellers choosing either carrier.

Collectively, they operate five flights a day between Abu Dhabi, the UAE carrier’s operational hub, and Maharashtra’s main international gateway of Mumbai with domestic connections across the country. In addition, Jet Airways flies daily between Maharashtra’s second largest city of Pune and Abu Dhabi.

Maharashtra, the third largest state in India, is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations. Mumbai ranks second after the Indian capital Delhi in terms of first port of entry for foreign tourist arrivals into India, and fifth in domestic tourist visits.

Commenting on the association, Shri Jaykumar Rawal, Hon’ble Minister of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra stated, "We are honoured to welcome this opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with Etihad Airways and Jet Airways.

This MoU is the beginning of a strategic partnership with two leading and most important international airlines to attract as many international tourists as possible. Together, we can create benefits for travellers and shareholders.

Our aim is to jointly put in place the best strategies and practices to increase Maharashtra’s marketing footprint and position it as the most preferred destination."

Smt. Valsa Nair Singh, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism and Culture, Government of Maharashtra added, "We’re delighted to further strengthen our relationship with Etihad Airways and Jet Airways.

This is a landmark agreement that will provide valuable support for Maharashtra Tourism’s global campaigns and marketing activities, as well as some of the industry’s most important trade and business events. This unique and important partnership between Maharashtra Tourism, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways will boost the state’s image exponentially."

James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Being part of one of the world’s largest economies, Maharashtra has plenty to offer to business and leisure travellers.

We are therefore delighted to expand our links to promote tourism to this vibrant state, which we have been serving with dedicated flights for 13 years."

"This agreement represents the first time a state government has ventured into such a tourism partnership with the airline industry, hence we appreciate the opportunity to work with our strategic Indian partner Jet Airways on this breakthrough agreement.

Our combined operation with Jet Airways between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai, complemented by Jet’s widespread domestic services, is further testament to the importance of Maharashtra on our route map."

Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, said, "It is a moment of both pride and honour that the Government of Maharashtra has chosen to join hands with Jet Airways and our strategic partner Etihad Airways in this unique initiative of leveraging our collective resources and impact for strengthening travel and tourism to the state."

"Mumbai is Jet Airways’ home hub and the airline shares a warm and emotional bond with Mumbai and the state of Maharashtra.

We operate our highest number of flights from the city and have always positioned and promoted Mumbai as the gateway to the state and the country. Our mutual network represents a huge market that can be potentially accessed in support of this initiative."

Maharashtra is home to a diverse range of tourist attractions, from beaches, caves, forts, wildlife, tiger reserves, national parks and hill stations, to monuments, palaces, festivals, places of worship, and adventure sports. Mumbai, the international gateway to Maharashtra, is the country’s financial hub and home to numerous museums, architectural heritage and Bollywood, the world’s largest film industry in terms of movie production.

Since Jet Airways began operations from Mumbai in 1993, the airline has flown millions of guests to and from its main hub over the past 24 years.

Mumbai was also the first Indian city to be served by Etihad Airways with the launch of daily flights in September 2004. A second daily service was introduced in November 2013, followed two years later by a third daily frequency.

Etihad Airways has carried more than two million guests on the route over the past 13 years with key inbound markets including Abu Dhabi, London, New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

Etihad Airways’ Indian network to and from Abu Dhabi covers 11 cities that also includes Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

Jet Airways offers the additional Indian cities of Pune, Lucknow, Mangalore and Goa to Abu Dhabi, as well as numerous domestic connections.

During 2017, Jet Airways is scheduled to launch flights from Kannur and Chandigarh to Abu Dhabi, subject to appropriate regulatory approvals and completion of operational readiness at these airports.

Combined, both carriers operate over 250 flights each week between Abu Dhabi and 15 Indian cities.
About Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC)

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in the state, which generates substantial foreign exchange and has culminated in significant employment prospects. Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) was established with the aim of promoting tourism in the state.

Since its foundation, MTDC has been at the forefront of development and maintenance of various tourist sites and at present owns and maintains resorts in these regions.

To aide tourists, MTDC has opened information centres at all popular destination, which provide travel information about various tourist spots in Maharashtra along with travel maps, Maharashtra tourism guides and travel books at affordable prices.

Maharashtra is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India offering a diverse range of experiences from pristine beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, hill stations, natural caves, waterfalls, to imposing forts, colourful festivals, ancient pilgrimage shrines, museums, and historical monuments. For further details, please visit: maharashtratourism.gov.in
About Etihad Aviation Group

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising five business divisions – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways Engineering, Etihad Airport Services, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners.

The group has minority investments in seven airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The airline has a fleet of over 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: etihad.com
About Jet Airways

Jet Airways is India’s premier international airline which operates flights to 65 destinations, including India and overseas. Jet Airways’ robust domestic India network spans the length and breadth of the country covering metro cities, state capitals and emerging destinations.

Beyond India, Jet Airways operates flights to key international destinations in South East Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. The Jet Airways Group currently operates a fleet of 112 aircraft, comprising Boeing 777-300 ERs, Airbus A330-200/300, Next Generation Boeing 737s and ATR 72-500/600s.

Jet Airways, together with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Airways, Etihad Regional operated by Darwin Airline, and NIKI, participates in Etihad Airways Partners.

Etihad Airways is part of the Etihad Aviation Group, which also holds minority investments in each of these airlines. Visit jetairways.com

Lufthansa Positive Despite Loss, Says Not Interested In Alitalia

German airline group Lufthansa Thursday reported a much larger net loss in the first three months of the year, but sought to play up a return to positive operating results.

The group reported a net loss of 68 million euros ($74 million) between January and March, compared with an 8-million-euro loss in the same period last year.

Adjusted operating, or underlying profit stood at 25 million euros, a marked improvement on a 53-million-euro loss in the first quarter of 2016, on the back of revenues up 11.2 percent at 7.7 billion euros.

"For a period that is traditionally difficult for the airline industry, we have posted our first positive earnings result since 2008," chief financial officer Ulrik Svensson said in a statement.

Svensson pointed to increased demand at the Lufthansa Cargo division and maintenance unit Lufthansa Technik as the biggest contributors to the improvement.

It was also the first time the group's financial reporting included Brussels Airlines, which it bought at the end of 2016.

Looking ahead, the group left untouched its forecast for the full year of "substantially higher revenues" than 2016's 31.7 billion euros and "slightly lower" adjusted operating profit than the 1.75 billion euros brought in last year.

German airline group Lufthansa said on day it is not interested in snapping up troubled Italian carrier Alitalia, as Rome hunts for a buyer after workers rejected a bailout plan. “We are clearly not there to buy Alitalia,” finance chief Ulrik Svensson said during a teleconference with analysts on Lufthansa’s first-quarter financial results.

Italian government ministers said Wednesday they would not oppose a takeover bid by the German behemoth, as they announced that Alitalia would be sold “to the highest bidder”.

Lufthansa, which already owns a stable of carriers including Austrian Airlines, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, on Thursday reported a net loss of 68 million euros between January and March — a worse performance than the same period last year.

The result comes after a record year for Frankfurt-based Lufthansa, in which it booked profits of 1.75 billion euros (USD 1.90 billion) despite fierce competition from low-cost competitors and Gulf airlines such as Etihad.

Loss-making Alitalia’s future is up in the air after its workforce rejected a restructuring plan which management had presented as the only alternative to bankruptcy.

Etihad, which owns a 49 percent stake in Alitalia, and other shareholders had made staff acceptance of the plan a precondition for their participation in a two-billion-euro recapitalisation plan involving a combination of loans and new shareholder financing.

But despite earlier proposals being watered down in negotiations with unions, over two thirds of staff voted to reject them in a ballot on Monday, in which more than 90 percent of employees took part.

The company’s board on Tuesday asked the government to appoint administrators to find a purchaser or organise the winding up of the company.

Etihad also holds a stake in struggling German airline Air Berlin, which has delayed the release of its 2016 annual results — widely expected to show the firm in a poor light –until Friday.

Lufthansa has been mooted as a potential buyer for Air Berlin in the German press if the Gulf carrier decides to review its strategy in Europe.

Asiana Airlines Takes First A350 XWB, Alitalia Staff Reject Restructuring Plan

Asiana Airlines of South Korea has taken delivery of its first A350-900, becoming the 12th airline to operate the twin-engine airliner.

Asiana’s A350-900 is configured with a three-class layout and a total of 311 seats, comprising 28 in Business Smartium, convertible to fully flat beds, 36 in Economy Smartium and 247 in the main cabin.

Altogether Asiana has ordered 30 A350s and will initially operate the aircraft on flights within Asia. From the third quarter of 2017, the carrier will deploy the aircraft on premier long-haul routes to Europe and the US, beginning with services from Seoul to London and San Francisco.

The A350 XWB features an aerodynamic design, carbon fiber fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines, leading a 25% reduction in fuel burn and emissions, significantly lowering maintenance costs.

The spaciousness, quietness, beautiful interior and mood lighting in the cabin contribute to comfort and well-being. To date, Airbus has recorded a total of 821 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 44 customers.

The workers of Alitalia have rejected a management restructuring plan signed 10 days ago by management and labor unions to save the airline from collapse by cutting wages and laying off employees, betting that the government will intervene to draft an alternate rescue plan.

The vote against the agreement puts at risk the financial aid required to keep Alitalia afloat, which means that the airline faces a potential demise.

Late Monday, Paolo Gentiloni, the Italian prime minister, called ministers for talks on the future of the Italy’s flag carrier, established 70 years ago.

Owned 49 per cent by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, Alitalia has failed to make a profit, due to the growing competition from low-cost carriers, and the impact of terror attacks on the European air travel market.

Based on this James Hogan, President and Chief Executive of the Etihad Aviation Group, and Vice Chairman of Alitalia, said:

“We deeply regret the Alitalia staff vote outcome, which means that all parties will lose: Alitalia’s employees, its customers and its shareholders, and ultimately also Italy, for which Alitalia is an ambassador all over the world. Alitalia’s shareholders, including Etihad Airways, have provided vast amounts of financial and commercial support during the past three years. Jointly with the Italian shareholders, Etihad had reaffirmed its strong commitment and principal willingness to support the airline with a package worth nearly €2 billion in aggregate to help fund Alitalia’s new five-year business plan. A key condition to this commitment was that an agreed and concerted effort would be made by all interested parties, including the unions. The preliminary agreement with unions that was made possible and supported by the union leaders, Alitalia management, the Italian Prime Minister and three government ministers would have helped secure Alitalia’s future. The rejection of this agreement in the staff ballot is deeply disappointing. As a minority shareholder in Alitalia we support the Board’s decision today to convene a shareholder’s meeting on April 27, to start preparing the procedures provided by the law.”

Earlier this year, Alitalia tried to regain its course by cutting €1bn in costs, in order to return to profit by the end of 2019, with up to 2,000 layoffs and salary cuts of up to 30 per cent. In a deal announced last April 14, the labor unions accepted the plan, subsequently rejected by the employees on Monday’s vote.