Guyana’s new airport fees have been implemented hastily and have led to long lines and delays at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). For this reason, the issue has been taken up by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and is causing controversy in Guyana.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) last Saturday replied to criticism from the IATA. CJIA issued a lengthy statement lecturing IATA that it under no legal obligation to give the organisation an explanation.
Instead, it urged IATA to put in place the pay codes, so that the funds can be collected.
Passengers now have to queue up at CJIA to pay that additional fees, instead of the airlines collecting it as part of the ticket price. This has led to delays of departing flights.
Meanwhile, the airport will be completed this summer and from this picture and passenger complaints, it’s evident that the arrival hall is already too small and with little or no room to expand.
When two or more flights arrive at the same time, it’s a chaotic situation. It can take up to one hour to clear immigration.
IATA representative, Peter Cerda, two weeks ago condemned the airport authority for the additional fees of US$15 for arriving passenger and US$17 for departing passengers.
He said, It is completely unacceptable that passengers are being inconvenienced in such a manner. This is a direct result of the airport’s management refusal to engage with IATA on a process which is standard practice across the globe.
As a consequence, our member airlines have unfortunately no choice other than to manually collect the additional fees and charges.
CJIA in reply said, CJIAC would like to emphasise that it has no arrangement or agreement with IATA. Its arrangements are with the airlines. Further, there is no contractual arrangement or requirement between the airlines and CJIAC which requires CJIAC to engage with IATA.
CJIAC broadsided IATA when it said, IATA without any cloak or shroud of legitimacy is demanding that CJIAC make what can only be characterised as an airport fee application filing to them providing full justification and explanation of the basis on which the fees have been determined.
In defiance, the airport said, its officers and employees are prohibited from providing information to entities for the purposes of certifying the basis on which the corporation determined the fees it would charge.
Much less in this case where there is no legal relationship between IATA and CJIAC.
CJIA said that on January 25, 2019, the airport informed airlines of the proposed fee increase which went into effect on April 1, 2019 and that it provided explanations of the fee increases, based on capital improvements.
CJIAC budgeted two billion in capital works for 2019/2020 to improve the services offered to the passengers and its airport stakeholders. The larger terminal with passenger boarding bridges has seen a significant increase in operational cost inclusive of power consumption.
Meanwhile, the airport is still incomplete; bathrooms are already clogging up or breaking. There is no air condition system functioning throughout the arrival or the departure areas.
Check-in takes a long time and incoming passengers have to wait for an average of 30 minutes or more to clear immigration. There are only 10 arrival booths and two are used for VIP and Crew.
The departure and arrival terminals are already crowded because the government reduced the size of the expansion project.
The runway and the parking lots are still incomplete. Some of the major and minor roads leading to the airport and within the airport facilities are also incomplete.
The opposition leader, the former president Bharrat Jagdeo whose government initiated the project and reduced by the present government, condemned the additional arrival and departure fees.
Jagdeo said the US$150 million expansion and modernisation of the airport were aimed to increase passenger flow, thus eliminating the need to increase fees and taxes.
Stakeholders also complained that the new taxes and additional fees do not stimulate tourism and domestic air travel.
Jagdeo said that his government conceived the airport expansion with the idea that increased passenger flow would offset the need to add more taxes and fees to passenger tickets to sustain the expansion project.
Cheddi Jagan International Airport, formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national airport of Guyana.
The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown. It is the larger of the two international airports serving Georgetown with the other airfield being the Ogle Airport.
The airport sits at an elevation of 95 feet (29 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 06/24 measuring 7,448 by 148 feet (2,270 m × 45 m) and 11/29 measuring 5,002 by 148 feet (1,525 m × 45 m). The terminal has six ground level gates and four boarding bridges.
On 30 July 2011, Caribbean Airlines Flight 523 overran a runway in rainy weather while landing at Cheddi Jagan International Airport and went through a chain-link perimeter fence. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, broke in two just behind the first class cabin.
There were no fatalities, although at least two passengers suffered broken legs and many others suffered lacerations and other injuries.
Caribbean Airlines confirmed that 157 passengers and 6 crew members were on board the aircraft at the time.
n 9 November 2018, Fly Jamaica Airways Flight 256, bound for Toronto, overshot the runway when making an emergency landing for technical issues in the Boeing 757's hydraulics.
Airlines That Fly To And From Cheddi Jagan International Airport:
- American Airlines
- Aruba Airlines
- Caribbean Airlines
- Copa Airlines
- Surinam Airways
- Northern Air Cargo
- DHL Aviation
- Caribbean Airlines Cargo
- Amerijet International
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Showing posts with label iata. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iata. Show all posts
Tuesday, 7 May 2019
Sunday, 5 May 2019
ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe Blessed With Duty Free Importation Of Spares
Through statutory instrument 92/2019 Customs and Excise – Duty Rebate for Air Zimbabwe the Government extended, for the whole of 2019, the existing rebate on engine spares and aircraft components for Air Zimbabwe.
The debt ridden State owned airline was placed under the administration of Grant Thornton with effect from October 4 2018, amid a string of losses, in terms of the Reconstruction of State-Indebted Insolvent Companies Act.
Administrator Reggie Saruchena late last year said Air Zimbabwe revival was possible; promising a turnaround.
He said he had previously handled similar challenges. As operational and viability problems mounted at the national airline, Air Zimbabwe's passenger numbers plunged to about 230 000 per annum from a peak of 1 million in 1996.
Air Zim has also been struggling to meet its external obligations resulting in it being suspended from international aviation bodies, whose membership is critical for its global routes.
Air Zim assistant administrator Tonderai Mukubvu said that extension of rebate was welcome as it reduces the cost of aircraft maintenance.
The removal of import duty takes away a significant cost of maintenance. For instance, if a spare part costs US$4, it means that this reduces the cost of maintenance by the equivalent of the duty, Mr Mukubvu said in an interview.
Air Zim spares must all be imported because we do not have any local manufacturer, as such the removal of the duty cuts down on the foreign required to import from wherever since the duty is also charged in forex, he added.
He also said that the extension of the duty rebate on spares and components will enable the airline to save foreign currency.
The airline currently has two functional aircraft; one flying and servicing domestic and regional routes and another currently grounded and undergoing maintenance procedure, C-check.
Delivery of an Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft from the US is expected in the next two weeks to increase its fleet of functional aircraft, making the rebate handy.
Further, reports earlier this month indicated that the airline was due to take delivery of two Boeing 777-200 ERs acquired from Malaysia, as part of efforts to boost its fleet.
Mr Mukubvu said a reduction in the amount of foreign currency required to import critical spares, as Zimbabwe faces forex shortages, will reduce the overall cost of maintenance by an equivalent factor.
Mr Mukubvu said the company was operating two aircraft while a third, an Embraer ERJ 145 was expected in Zimbabwe in a fortnight and would also benefit from the import duty rebate on spares and engine components.
Air Zim is saddled with a US$341 million debt accumulated over a decade of mismanagement. The inability to repay debts left the airline unable to meet its obligations to global aviation bodies.
Air Zim is now battling to attain recertification under the International Air Transport Association operational safety audit and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after losing its rights as a result of failing to pay its dues.
IATA is an association of the airlines from across the globe, representing 275 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic. The association supports many areas of aviation activity and helps to formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
One of Air Zimbabwe's long haul aircraft, a Boeing 767-200 was impounded by American General Supplies at Gatwick International Airport in London in December 2011 over debts amounting to $1,2 million.
In 1980, Air Zimbabwe had 18 aircraft flying into 31 destinations but is now limited to Harare-Johannesburg; Harare-Bulawayo and Harare-Victoria Falls routes.
Tourism Observer
Friday, 18 January 2019
SRI LANKA: SriLankan Airlines Operational Safety Audit Registration 2018-2019 Not Renewed By International Air Transport Association (IATA).
SriLankan Airlines revealed that its fleet has one Airbus A330-200 aircraft bearing the serial number MSN-1008 and CAASL registration number 4R ALS that is not currently being used due to several reasons.
The airline said they have removed one of the engines from this aircraft and fitted it to another aircraft as one of its engines is undergoing some maintenance work.
SriLankan Airlines, however, said the management is exploring the possibility of sub-leasing this aircraft to a charter operator or to another airline.
These parts would be replaced prior to the aircraft being leased to another airline, once such a lease agreement is signed for the use of this aircraft, the airline said.
The present management stresses that it was not involved in the decisions with regard to the ordering of the A350-900 aircraft, which took place in 2013; or the cancellation of the order in 2016; or of the acquisition of the A330-200 aircraft 4R ALS which is unsuitable for the airline’s present business model.
The clarification came after the press reported that SriLankan’s operational safety audit registration has not renewed by International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The newspaper reported that the airline has not renewed SriLankan Airlines’ registration for 2018-2019 under its Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), prompting several foreign operators to suspend code-sharing with the carrier until it complies with IATA strictures.
The full statement is reproduced below.
Airbus A330-200 aircraft 4R ALS
Colombo, January 18, 2019: SriLankan Airlines wishes to clarify its position with regard to the utilization of one of its Airbus A330-200 aircraft bearing the serial number MSN-1008 and CAASL registration number 4R ALS.
This aircraft was acquired in 2017 as part of the conditions agreed to between the previous management of the airline and aircraft lessor Aercap, as a settlement against the cancellation of the order of four new Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
However, the cabin configuration of this aircraft, which was manufactured in 2009, is not suitable for SriLankan Airlines’ operations, having many seats and minimum space between seats in its Business Class cabin.
All other aircraft in the SriLankan Airlines fleet operate a two-class configuration of Business and Economy classes, with a particular standard of comfort in seating.
The previous management therefore took a decision to lease this aircraft to a European airline. However, after some time, this European airline violated the lease agreement by defaulting on the lease payments.
The lessee also did not fulfill its obligations under the lease contract to prepare the aircraft for the handover. The engineering team at SriLankan performed the required maintenance checks to make the aircraft ready to fly.
The management is also exploring the possibility of sub-leasing this aircraft to a charter operator or to another airline. Until such time, the aircraft remains at BIA as part of the SriLankan fleet, although it is not in use due to the above-mentioned reasons.
It is a standard practice in most airlines that various interchangeable parts or components such as the engines that are urgently required for an operational aircraft are taken out of aircraft that are not in immediate use, if such parts are not at the time in stock in the airline’s spare parts stores.
SriLankan has removed one of the engines from this aircraft and fitted it to another aircraft as one of its engines is undergoing some maintenance work. These parts would be replaced prior to the aircraft being leased to another airline, once such a lease agreement is signed for the use of this aircraft.
The present management of SriLankan Airlines wishes to stress that it was not involved in the decisions with regard to the ordering of the A350-900 aircraft, which took place in 2013; or the cancellation of the order in 2016; or of the acquisition of the A330-200 aircraft 4R ALS which is unsuitable for the airline’s present business model.
The management is attempting to optimize the usage and return on investment on this aircraft, as with any other asset of the airline. Management is also taking the necessary steps to recover the losses to the airline from the relevant parties.
Tourism Observer
Friday, 7 September 2018
RUSSIA: S7 Airlines, Gazpromneft-Aero And Alfa-Bank Introduce Blockchain Technology For Refuelling Aircrafts
The new technology allows air companies to settle accounts more quickly and minimize the financial risks involved in transactions, as it does not require any prepayment or bank guarantees.
On the basis of digital smart contracts using the AFSC (Aviation fuel smart contracts) system, S7 Airlines agrees a preliminary volume of fuel, and a price for the fuel.
This data is used to prepare technical instructions for the driver of the refueling tanker in the airport. When the pilot of the aircraft requests the specific volume of fuel required for the flight from the operator, an online order blocking the relevant sum on the airline’s account is sent to the airline’s bank.
The bank sends an instant confirmation, which enables the refuelling to start.
When the refuelling is finished the funds are debited from the account, and the commercial departments of S7 Airlines and the fuel supplier exchange accounting documents.
The whole process takes 60 seconds. Today the first refuelling of an aircraft using a smart contract was carried out in Tolmachyovo international airport by the crew of flight number S7 3013 from Novosibirsk to Krasnoyarsk.
As a technological leader in the sector, S7 Airlines analyses promising new technologies, including blockchains, and, where appropriate, incorporates them into its processes.
We were the first to start using smart contracts for letter of credit transactions. After that we developed a blockchain platform to enable automated trade operations between several counter parties and used it to launch a service for exchange of payments with airline ticket agents.
Our next step will be a service to automate settlements with fuel suppliers. This is an automated transaction between three parties: the bank, the airline and the fuel supplier.
Once the aircraft has been refueled in accordance with the pre-agreed procedure, the figures are reconciled and the funds debited from the account.
This technology allows us to make exchanges of payments more transparent, eliminate a wide range of manual operations, and speed up our processes, says Pavel Voronin, the S7 Group’s Deputy General Director for Information Technologies.
This project has become an important milestone in the development of Alfa-Bank’s blockchain platform. We believe smart contract technology has an enormous potential.
They can enable us to resolve problems that would be too complex for traditional banks, and provide services to our clients as efficiently and quickly as possible, said Maksim Pershin, member of Alfa-Bank’s Executive Board and joint head of the Corporate Investment Bank block.
Gazpromneft Aero, a leader in its sector, is not only a pioneer in the implementation of IATA international standards for fuel supplies in Russia, but it also plays an active role in introducing the best international practices and innovative approach to make business more effective.
The use of this technology for the exchange of payments between airlines and fuel operators will boost the development of the whole aviation industry, said Vladimir Yegorov, Gazpromneft-Aero CEO.
All the operations are carried out strictly according to the procedure agreed by the parties to the digital smart contract, making settlements more transparent.
Tourism Observer
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Regional Conflict, Crowded Air Space, Competition Threaten Gulf Airlines
The Middle East airline industry has not yet totally recovered from the Arab Spring – the 2010 series of protests and demonstrations across the region.
That’s the view of IATA CEO, Alexander de Juniac, who believes that continuing regional political instability is still affecting the industry.
The tourism industry in Egypt, for example, has not yet fully recovered from the impact of the Arab Spring, he said.
The geopolitical instability and security threats hovering in the region are not encouraging the development of air traffic.
What we have seen so far is that dynamic actors are able to overcome the challenges. But the more instability you have, the less attractive the region will be.
The CEO cited the blockade in Qatar, the war in Yemen, and the position of Iran and the Saudi-led countries as not being favourable conditions for air transport.
Speaking of the blockade, de Juniac said IATA believes that the world needs connectivity with Qatar.
We will help to establish normal connectivity between Qatar and the rest of the world.
We have practically helped the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to find an appropriate corridor for Qatar Airways and for the airlines flying to Qatar to be able to have access to the country.
He said that governments had the right to close their borders when they thought it is necessary.
They can do it but border closure has never been good news to the airline industry, he added.
Regarding the war in Yemen, de Juniac said that uncontrolled groups were firing short-range missiles.
When missiles are fired by a state army there is no problem because it applies ICAO regulations and warns airlines.
But when uncontrolled groups fire missiles, it is dangerous. That is what happened in Ukraine and it is now the case in Yemen.
The missiles are not fired precisely and, in that case, there may be a need to establish a no-fly zone.
He added that, that in the wake of the Malaysian airliner MH17 disaster a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down on July 17 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew, pilot awareness of missiles had increased.
The CEO also reacted to the third version of the Trump administration’s travel ban, which the US Supreme Court allowed to go into effect on December 4.
The ban bars most citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea from entering the United States.
There is little passenger traffic coming from those countries to the US.
There are no direct flights between these countries and the US and that is why we believe that the operational consequence will be limited, he said.
De Juniac said that Gulf airlines had been affected by various factors over the years. It’s not just political instability, they’ve also been growing at an incredible double digit pace. Now I think they are entering into normal waters, he said.
They are now growing like their peers. They are discovering the big world facing similar issues like replanning their networks, which is normal business.
Despite the political turmoil, IATA forecasts that Middle East carriers will see net profits improve to $600 million in 2018 – up from 300 million last year.
Demand in 2018 is expected to grow by 7%, outpacing announced capacity expansion of 4.9% which is the slowest growth since 2002.
According to IATA, the region’s carriers face challenges to their business models, and from low oil revenues, regional conflict, crowded air space, the impact of travel restrictions to the US, and competition from the new super connector - Turkish Airlines.
Despite the challenges, however, there is positive momentum heading into 2018.
Tourism Observer
Saturday, 9 June 2018
Governments Urged To Release $5bn Airline Revenues, Venezuela, Angola, Sudan, Bangladesh And Zimbabwe
The total amount of funds blocked by 16 countries, mainly Venezuela, Angola, Sudan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, has dropped 7 per cent at the end of 2017 compared to a year ago, the International Air Transport Association said.
The industry body renewed calls to the governments to respect international treaties and allow foreign airlines to repatriate these unlocked revenues.
In Venezuela’s case we do not see in the short run any solution frankly, to be realistic, but we will not give up, Alexandre de Juniac, director general of IATA, said in a media briefing at the conclusion of the IATA annual meeting in Sydney.
Airlines have been struggling to get ticket revenues out of oil dependent countries such as Angola, Africa’s second-biggest oil producer, after a 2014 collapse in crude oil prices dried up foreign reserves of dollars, euros and major currencies.
In 2017, Emirates scaled back its five weekly flights to Angola’s capital Luanda to three citing difficulties in repatriating funds.
Venezuela alone owes $3.78bn to international airlines, followed by Angola where about $386 million remain blocked.
Sudan is withholding $170m, followed by Bangladesh with $95m and Zimbabwe with $76m, Iata said.
Venezuela, which has more oil than Saudi Arabia and was once one of the richest economies of Latin America, is now plagued with shortages in basic goods from food to antibiotics.
The sharp drop in oil prices in 2014 has led to an economic downward spiral in the country.
Inflation exceeded 2,400 per cent in 2017 and would worsen in 2018, the International Monetary Fund estimated.
Mr de Juniac said a solution is unlikely soon in Venezuela, given its deepening economic crisis, but remains hopeful for progress in other countries.
We are encouraged by the recent developments in Nigeria and Angola, and hope other states will also move quickly to address blocked funds, he said.
Egypt has already paid in full its obligations to international airlines, while a $600m backlog in Nigeria was cleared and Angola released $120m from the peak of more than $500m it owed, Iata said.
Tourism Observer
International Air Transport Association Warns Governments Against Privatising Airports
Several governments in Europe and America have either fully or partially sold airports to the private sector to inject funds for giving the facilities facelift as passenger numbers rise.
It is important that governments take a long-term view focusing on solutions that will deliver the best economic and social benefits.
Selling airport assets for a short-term cash injection to the treasury is a mistake, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General on Monday.
IATA added that short-term financial gains based on poorly-thought out privatisation moves run the risk of un-doing long-term social and economic benefits that can be achieved through well-thought decisions.
According to data by the Airports Council International, passenger numbers at the world’s 20 busiest airports grew to 1.5 billion last year, an increase of 5.2 per cent from 2016.
At least 40 per cent of European airports are partly under private ownership, through long-term leasing or concession, says the Annual Privatization Report on air transport released in April.
Leading airports such as Heathrow and Zurich are fully privately owned while in Africa, Cape Town International Airport is partially under private ownership.
Last year, Nigeria opened up ownership of all government-owned airports to private investors as part of reviving the facilities that for years have suffered neglect and dilapidation.
German government sold 82.5 per cent of its ownership in Frankfurt Airport to HNA Airport Group of China last year.
France started efforts to sell 50.6 per cent of its ownership in Aeroports de Paris for 8 billion euros ($9.36 billion) in March.
In Serbia, airports concession holder and operator Vinci Airports secured a 25-year concession for ownership of Nikola Tesla Airport in Belgrade, in January.
Under the deal, the private firm will spend $1.2 billion to upgrade the terminal and runaways while paying the government $500 million.
Juniac added that privatisation does not guarantee solutions for airport challenges globally.
Tourism Observer
Thursday, 7 June 2018
QATAR: Qatar Airways CEO Apologizes For Saying A Woman Couldn’t Do His Job
The airline was also the first to employ female pilots and one of the first to train female engineers, the CEO said.
Qatar Airways posted the apology to its Twitter account on Wednesday.
H.E Mr. Akbar Al Baker: I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies for any offence caused by my comment yesterday, which runs counter to my track record of expanding the role of women in leadership throughout the Qatar Airways Group and has been sensationalised by the media. pic.twitter.com/M07Wczk08B
— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) June 5, 2018
“I would like to offer my heartfelt apologies for any offence caused by my comment yesterday, which runs counter to my track record of expanding the role of women in leadership throughout the Qatar Airways Group and has been sensationalised by the media,” Akbar al Baker said in a statement.
“Women comprise almost half (44%) of our workforce, and the dedication, drive, and skill they bring to their jobs tells me that no role is too tough for them, at all levels of the organisation,” he added.
Roughly 20,000 out of the airline’s 46,000 global employees are women.
The airline was also the first to employ female pilots and one of the first to train female engineers, al Baker said, adding that several ranking positions within the company, including Senior Vice President, are held by women.
Al Baker faced criticism for his comment made Tuesday at an International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting in Sydney.
The 56-year-old CEO told journalists that women were not being underrepresented at the airline, adding: “Of course it has to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position,” he said, prompting boos from audience members.
He later attempted to walk back his statement, claiming that he was “only referring to one individual” and that he would welcome a woman as his successor.
“It will be my pleasure to have a female CEO candidate I could develop to become CEO after me,” he said.
Qatar’s flagship airline was ranked the top airline in the world by Skytrax in 2017, and has claimed top spots consistently over the last decade.
The IATA, of which al Baker became chairman this week, only has one woman on its board of 26 people – Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of Britain’s Flybe carrier.
Tourism Observer
Saturday, 12 May 2018
African Airlines Experiencing Great Demand
Capacity - available seat kilometers, or ASKs grew 6.4% and load factor climbed 2.3 percentage points to 82.4%, which set a record for the month, following on the record set in February.
All regions except for the Middle East posted record load factors.
Demand for air travel remains strong, supported by the comparatively healthy economic backdrop and business confidence levels.
But rising cost inputs, particularly fuel prices suggest that any demand boosts from lower fares will moderate going into the second quarter, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
African airlines continued to enjoy very strong demand as well, with traffic up 11.2% compared to March 2017, which was more than twice the 5-year average pace of 4.8%.
Airlines here are seeing healthy growth on routes to/from Europe and Asia, while the region’s two largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa continue to improve.
Capacity climbed 6.7%, and load factor strengthened 2.9 percentage points to 71.0%.
March international passenger demand rose 10.6% compared to March 2017, which was up from 7.4% year-over-year growth recorded in February.
All regions showed strong increases. Total capacity climbed 6.6%, and load factor improved 2.9 percentage points to 81.5%.
Asia-Pacific airlines’ traffic soared 11.6% in March, compared to the year-ago period.
Passenger traffic is continuing to trend upwards, supported by strong regional economic growth and ongoing expansion in the number of airport-pair options for travelers.
Capacity increased 8.2%, and load factor rose 2.5 percentage points to 80.9%.
European carriers saw March traffic climb 9.8% over March 2017, up from 6.9% annual growth in February.
Business confidence in the most open countries in the region has been hit by trade tensions in recent months, but economic conditions remain broadly supportive.
As with Asia Pacific region, demand is also being stimulated by increases in the number of nonstop airport-pairs.
March capacity rose 6.4% and load factor was up 2.6 percentage points to 84.6%, highest among regions.
North American airlines posted a 9.5% traffic risein March compared to the year-ago period, well above the 5-year average growth rate of 3.6%.
Capacity climbed 4.9% and load factor was up 3.5 percentage points to 83.5%, which was the second highest among the regions.
The weakening US dollar is having a positive effect on inbound traffic, while the comparatively robust domestic economic backdrop is supporting outbound demand.
Latin American airlines had an 11.8% increase in March traffic, which was the largest increase among the regions for a third month in a row.
March capacity climbed 10.0% compared to a year ago, and load factor edged up 1.3 percentage points to 81.8%.
Traffic continues to recover from the disruptions caused by the harsh hurricane season in the third quarter of 2017, driven in part by economic recovery in Brazil.
Domestic demand rose 7.8% in March, which was a slight deceleration from 8.2% growth recorded in February, driven primarily by developments in the US market.
Domestic capacity climbed 6.2%, and load factor lifted 1.3 percentage points to 84.0%.
Tourism Observer
SPAIN: New Model Airline Volotea Is New Member Of IATA
Representing some 280 airlines or 83 percent of total air traffic, IATA is the trade association for the world’s airlines.
It supports many areas of aviation activity and helps formulate industry policy on critical aviation issues.
We are pleased to become an IATA member, as this global association leads the innovation, safety and value creation in the airline industry, supporting the highest industry standards, said Carlos Munoz, Volotea’s founder and CEO.
The airline is expected to benefit from IATA’s know how and resources covering all fields of the industry, including analysis of regulations, development of standards, innovation in distribution, improvements on safety procedures, updates and training for aviation industry professionals, as well as cost reduction.
Volotea is a new model airline with a clever and bold approach, creating demand and connectivity by establishing innovative routes.
We are thrilled to welcome Volotea to the IATA family and to help them grow and excel in this highly competitive European market, said IATA Regional Vice President for Europe Rafael Schvartzman.
Volotea has carried 15 million passengers since its first flight in 2012, and over 4.8 million in 2017 alone.
Since the beginning of 2018, Volotea has launched 58 new flights to serve a lineup of 293 routes.
It currently operates flights to 78 mid- and small-sized European cities in 13 countries including France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Greece, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.
The airline is expected to carry 5.7-6 million passengers in 2018.
Its fleet consists of 32 aircraft, Boeing 717s and Airbus A319s.
Volotea currently operates from twelve bases: Venice, Nantes, Bordeaux, Palermo, Strasbourg, Asturias, Verona, Toulouse, Genoa, Bilbao, Marseille that opened on April 19 and Athens, which launched on May 3.
Volotea is a Spanish low-cost airline registered in Asturias, Spain with bases in Spain, Italy, France and Greece.
Volotea was established by Alaeo S.L. from Barcelona, a company created by former Vueling founders, Carlos Munoz and Lazaro Ros.
The name Volotea originates from the Spanish verb revolotear, meaning to fly around.
It commenced operations on 5 April 2012, from Venice Marco Polo Airport.
The company is backed by three private equity funds, two of them from Europe - Axis Participaciones Empresariales and Corpfin Capital and a third from the United States - CCMP Capital, whose chairman, Greg Brenneman, was one-time President and COO of America's Continental Airlines,and also chairs Volotea's board.
The company raised over €50m before operations began.
Boeing announced on 15 February 2012 that it had signed a long-term lease deal with Volotea for an undisclosed number of Boeing 717 aircraft.
In March 2015, it was announced that Volotea will receive a further four 717s from Blue1.
However, in November 2015, Volotea announced plans to phase out their 717 fleet over the next few years and replace it with Airbus A320 family aircraft.
As of January 2018, the Volotea fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Airbus A319-100 - 11
Boeing 717-200 - 17
Total - 28
Orders
Airbus A319-100 - 4
Tourism Observer
Thursday, 5 April 2018
NETHERLANDS: KLM Suffers Severe Turbulence On A Flight To Amsterdam Injuring 4
After assessment of the injuries the crew decided to continue the flight to Amsterdam, descending towards Amsterdam the crew requested medical assistance available at landing advising there was one should injury and one wheelchair being needed for transport.
The aircraft landed safely in Amsterdam. The injured were provided with medical care at Amsterdam.
The aircraft departed for the next flight about 5.5 hours after landing.
Also Air France-KLM has agreed to waive surcharges for leisure and corporate customers that book through Expedia Group brands Expedia, Ebookers and Egencia.
As of April 1, Air France-KLM added an €11 fee for each one-way flight segment not booked directly with its airlines – Air France, KLM and Hop.
This agreement waives that fee in all European markets, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Expedia Group says the agreement is part of a collaborative effort by Air France-KLM and selected GDS partners to integrate IATA’s New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) technology standard.
Last week Travelport and Amadeus also signed deals with Air France-KLM to allow their customers to access the airlines’ content without paying the surcharge.
Air France-KLM announced the fee in November, saying it will cover the cost difference between flights booked through a global distribution system and those booked directly with the carrier.
IAG's British Airways and Iberia implemented a fee for GDS bookings last fall, and Lufthansa added a similar surcharge in September 2015.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V., is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
It is part of the Air France–KLM group, and is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance. KLM was founded in 1919; it is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name and had 35,488 employees as of 2015. KLM operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations.
On 30 September 2003, Air France and KLM agreed to a merger plan in which Air France and KLM would become subsidiaries of a holding company called Air France–KLM. Both airlines would retain their own brands, and both Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol would become key hubs.
In February 2004, the European Commission and United States Department of Justice approved the proposed merger of the airlines. In April 2004, an exchange offer in which KLM shareholders exchanged their KLM shares for Air France shares took place.
Since 5 May 2004, Air France–KLM has been listed on the Euronext exchanges in Paris, Amsterdam and New York. In September 2004, the merger was completed by creation of the Air France–KLM holding company.
The merger resulted in the world's largest airline group and should have led to an estimated annual cost-saving of between €400 million and €500 million.
It did not appear that KLM's longstanding joint venture with Northwest Airlines—which merged with Delta Air Lines in 2008—was affected by the merger with Air France. KLM and Northwest joined the SkyTeam alliance in September 2004.
In 2004, senior management came under fire for providing itself with controversial bonuses after the merger with Air France, while 4,500 jobs were lost at KLM. After external pressure, management gave up on these bonuses.
In March 2007, KLM started to use the Amadeus reservation system, along with partner Kenya Airways. After 10 years as president of the airline, Leo van Wijk resigned from his position and was succeeded by Peter Hartman.
Beginning in September 2010, KLM integrated the passenger division of Martinair into KLM, transferring all personnel and routes. By November 2011, Martinair consisted of only the cargo and maintenance division.
In March 2011, KLM and InselAir reached an agreement for mutual cooperation on InselAir destinations, thus expanding its passenger services.
Beginning 27 March 2011, KLM passengers could fly to all InselAir destinations through InselAir's hubs in Curaçao and Sint Maarten. This cooperation was extended to a codeshare agreement in 2012.
On 20 February 2013, KLM announced that Peter Hartman would resign as president and CEO of KLM on 1 July 2013. He was succeeded by Camiel Eurlings. Hartman remained employed by the company until he retired on 1 January 2014.
On 15 October 2014, KLM announced that Eurlings, in joint consultation with the supervisory board, had decided to immediately resign as president and CEO. As of this date, he was succeeded by Pieter Elbers.
KLM received the award for "Best Airline Staff Service" in Europe at the World Airline Awards 2013. This award represents the rating for an airline's performance across both airport staff and cabin staff combined.
It is the second consecutive year that KLM won this award; in 2012 it was awarded with this title as well. On 19 June 2012, KLM made the first transatlantic flight fueled partly by sustainable biofuels to Rio de Janeiro. This was the longest distance any aircraft had flown on biofuels.
As of October 2015, KLM's corporate leader is its president and chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers, who replaced Camiel Eurlings suddenly on 15 October 2014.
The president and CEO is part of the larger Executive Committee, which manages KLM and consists of the statutory managing directors and executive vice-presidents of KLM's business units that are represented in the Executive Committee.
The supervision and management of KLM are structured in accordance with the two-tier model; the Board of Managing Directors is supervised by a separate and independent Supervisory Board. The Supervisory Board also supervises the general performance of KLM.
The Board of Managing Directors is formed by the four Managing Directors, including the CEO. Nine Supervisory Directors comprise the Supervisory Board.
KLM's head office is located in Amstelveen, on a 6.5-hectare (16-acre) site near Schiphol Airport. The airline's current headquarters was built between 1968 and 1970. Before the opening of the new headquarters, the airline's head office was on the property of Schiphol Airport in Haarlemmermeer.
KLM also worked closely with ALM Antillean Airlines in the Caribbean in order to provide air service for the Dutch controlled islands in the region with KLM aircraft such as the Douglas DC-8 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 being operated by KLM flight crews on behalf of ALM.
KLM Asia is a wholly KLM-owned subsidiary registered in Taiwan. The airline was established in 1995 to operate flights to Taipei without compromising the traffic rights held by KLM for destinations in the People's Republic of China.
The livery of KLM Asia does not feature Dutch national symbols, such as the flag of the Netherlands, nor KLM's stylised Dutch Crown logo. Instead, it features a special KLM Asia logo. The airline has seven Boeing 777-200ER and two Boeing 777-300ER.
KLM Asia initially operated the Amsterdam-Bangkok-Taipei route with a B747-400 Combi or a B747-400 non-combi aircraft.
Since March 2012, it has operated the revised Amsterdam-Taipei-Manila route with Boeing 777-200ER/-300ER aircraft. Some aircraft are already painted in the revised KLM Asia livery of 2014.
KLM has utilized several major liveries since its founding, with numerous variations on each. Initially many aircraft featured a bare-metal fuselage with a stripe above the windows bearing the phrase "The Flying Dutchman".
The rudder was divided into three segments and painted to match the Dutch flag. Later aircraft types sometimes bore a white upper fuselage, and additional detail striping and titling.
In the mid-1950s, the livery was changed to feature a split cheatline in two shades of blue on a white upper fuselage, and angled blue stripes on the vertical stabilizer. The tail stripes were later enlarged and made horizontal, and the then-new crown logo was placed in a white circle.
The final major variation of this livery saw the vertical stabilizer painted completely white with the crown logo in the center. All versions of this livery had small "KLM Royal Dutch Airlines" titles, first in red, and later in blue.
Since 1971, the KLM livery has primarily featured a bright blue fuselage, with variations on the striping and details. Originally a wide, dark blue cheatline covered the windows, and was separated from the light gray lower fuselage by a thin white stripe.
The KLM logo was placed centrally on the white tail and on the front of the fuselage. In December 2002, KLM introduced an updated livery in which the white strip was removed and the dark-blue cheatline was significantly narrowed. The bright blue color was retained and now covers most of the fuselage.
The KLM logo was placed more centrally on the fuselage while its position on the tail and the tail design remained the same. In 2014, KLM modified its livery with a swooping cheatline that wraps around the entire forward fuselage. The livery was first introduced on Embraer 190 aircraft.
In 2018 KLM will introduce a new livery owing to the unpopular reception to the revised scheme introduced in 2014.
PH-BVA, a Boeing 777-300ER, features an orange forward fuselage that fades into the standard blue to commemorate the Netherlands national team's participation in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
PH-KZU, a Fokker F70, has been applied with a special livery featuring Anthony Fokker, the founder of Fokker, commemorating the airline's long standing history with Fokker aircraft and the phase out of the Fokker 70 aircraft in October 2017.
Several aircraft bear the silver SkyTeam alliance livery, including PH-BVD (a 777-300ER), PH-BXO (a 737-900), and PH-EZX (a KLM Cityhopper ERJ-190).
In April 2010, KLM introduced new uniforms for its female cabin attendants, ground attendants and pilots at KLM and KLM Cityhopper. The new uniform was designed by Dutch couturier Mart Visser.
It retains the KLM blue color that was introduced in 1971 and adds a touch of orange—the national color of the Netherlands.
KLM has used several slogans for marketing throughout its operational history:
- The businessman travels, sends, and receives by KLM
- The Flying Dutchman
- Bridging the World 1994
- The Reliable Airline
- KLM, A Journey of Inspiration 2009–present.
KLM started KLM AirCares, a program that aids underprivileged children in developing countries to which KLM flies, in 1999. The airline collects money and airmiles from passengers. In 2012, new applications for support from the program were suspended because it needed an overhaul.
KLM and its partners serve 133 destinations in 70 countries on five continents from their hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
KLM codeshares with the following airlines:
- Adria Airways
- Aer Lingus
- Aeroflot
- AerolÃneas Argentinas
- Aeroméxico
- Air Astana
- Air Europa
- Air France
- Air Malta
- Air Mauritius
- Air Serbia
- airBaltic
- Alaska Airlines ends April 30, 2018
- Alitalia
- Bangkok Airways
- Belavia
- Bulgaria Air
- China Airlines
- China Eastern Airlines
- China Southern Airlines
- CityJet
- Copa Airlines
- Croatia Airlines
- Czech Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
- Garuda Indonesia
- Georgian Airways
- Gol Transportes Aéreos
- Insel Air
- Jet Airways
- Kenya Airways
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Oman Air
- Pegasus Airlines
- Saudia
- Sichuan Airlines
- TAAG Angola Airlines
- TAROM
- Transavia
- Ukraine International Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- WestJet
- XiamenAir
As of January 2018, the KLM fleet excluding its subsidiaries KLM Cityhopper, Transavia and Martinair consists of the following aircraft:
Airbus A330-200 - 8
Airbus A330-300 - 5
Boeing 737-700 - 18
Boeing 737-800 - 27
Boeing 737-900 - 5
Boeing 747-400 - 4
Boeing 747-400M - 9
Boeing 777-200ER - 15
Boeing 777-300ER - 14
Boeing 787-9 - 12
KLM Cargo Fleet
Boeing 747-400ERF - 3 Cargo
KLM has three cabin classes for international long-haul routes; World Business Class, Economy Comfort and Economy. Personal screens with audio-video on demand, satellite telephone, SMS, and e-mail services are available in all cabins on all long-haul aircraft .
European short-haul and medium-haul flights have Economy seats in the rear cabin, and Economy Comfort and Europe Business in the forward cabin.
World Business Class is KLM's long-haul business class product. Seats in the older World Business Class are 20 inches (51 cm) wide and have a 60-inch (150 cm) pitch. Seats can be reclined into a 170-degree angled flat bed with a length of 75 inches (190 cm).
Seats are equipped with a 10.4-inch (26 cm) personal entertainment system with audio and video on demand in the armrest, privacy canopy, massage function and laptop power ports. World Business Class seating is in a 2–2–2 abreast arrangement on all Airbus A330s.
In March 2013, KLM introduced a new World Business Class seat to the long-haul fleet. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius designed the new cabin. The diamond-type seat is manufactured by B/E Aerospace and is installed on all Boeing 747-400s and Boeing 777s.
The new seats are fully flat and offer 17-inch (43 cm)-high definition personal entertainment systems. When fully flat, the bed is about 2 metres (6.6 ft) long.
The cabin features a cradle-to-cradle carpet made from old uniforms woven in an intricate pattern, which is combined with new pillows and curtains with a similar design.
A completely new design of Business Class seat was introduced with the launch of KLM's Boeing 787; this aircraft's business class seats are based on the Zodiac Cirrus platform used by Air France.
The new seats lie fully flat, with a 1-2-1 layout so every passenger has direct aisle access, a large side-storage area and 16-inch (41 cm) HD video screen.
Dutch design group Viktor & Rolf has designed and provides amenity kits to World Business Class passengers. A new design will be introduced each year and the color of the kits will change every six months.
The kit contains socks, eye mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, earplugs and Viktor & Rolf lip balm.
Europe Business Class is KLM's and KLM Cityhopper's, short-haul business-class product. Europe Business Class seats are 17-inch (43 cm) wide and have an average pitch of 33 inches (84 cm). Middle seats in rows of three are blocked to increase passengers' personal space.
Europe Business Class seats feature extra legroom and recline further than regular Economy Class seats. In-seat power is available on all Boeing 737 aircraft. Europe Business Class has no personal entertainment.
Seating is arranged 3–3 abreast with the middle seat blocked on the Boeing 737 aircraft, and a 2–2 abreast arrangement on the Embraer 190 aircraft.
Economy Comfort is the premium economy product offered on all KLM and KLM Cityhopper flights. Economy Comfort seats on long-haul flights have 4 inches (10 cm) more pitch than Economy Class, a 35–36-inch (89–91 cm) pitch and recline up to 7 inches (18 cm); double the recline of Economy.
Economy Comfort seats on short-haul flights have 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) more pitch, totaling 33.5–34.5-inch (85–88 cm), and can recline up to 5 inches (13 cm) (40%) further. Except for the increased pitch and recline, seating and service in Economy Comfort is the same as in Economy Class.
Economy Comfort is located in a separate cabin before the Economy Class; passengers can exit the aircraft before Economy passengers.
Economy Comfort seats can be reserved by Economy Class passengers. The service is free for passengers with a full-fare ticket, for Flying Blue Platinum members and for Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Platinum or Diamond members.
Discounts apply for Flying Blue Silver or Gold members, SkyTeam Elite Plus members and Delta SkyMiles members.
Economy Class seats in Airbus A330-300 aircraft are also equipped with in-seat power. The Economy Class seats on short-haul flights have a 30-to-31-inch (76–79 cm) pitch and are 17 inches (43 cm) wide. The Economy Class seats on short-haul flights do not feature any personal entertainment.
The long-haul Economy Class seating is in a 3–4–3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and on Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, a 3-3-3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and a 2–4–2 abreast arrangement on the Airbus A330 aircraft.
The short-haul Economy Class seating is in a 3–3 abreast arrangement on the Boeing 737 aircraft and a 2–2 abreast arrangement on the Embraer 175 and 190 aircraft.
KLM's in-flight entertainment system is available in all classes on all widebody aircraft; it provides all passengers with Audio/Video on Demand (AVOD).
The system includes interactive entertainment including movies, television programs, music, games, and language courses. About 80 movies including recent releases, classics and world cinema are available in several languages. The selection is changed every month.
The in-flight entertainment system can be used to send SMS text messages and emails to the ground. Panasonic's 3000i system is installed on all Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200ER, and on most of the Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
All Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and some Airbus A330-200 aircraft are fitted with the Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment system.
KLM provides a selection of international newspapers to its passengers on long-haul flights; on short-haul flights they are only offered to Europe Business Class passengers.
A selection of international magazines is available for World Business Class passengers on long-haul flights. All passengers are provided with KLM's in-flight magazine, the Holland Herald.
On board flights to China, South Korea and Japan, the airline offers in-flight magazines EuroSky (China and Japan), in either Chinese or Japanese, and Wings of Europe (South Korea) in Korean.
On 29 May 2013, KLM and Air France launched a pilot scheme to test in-flight Wi-Fi internet access. Each airline equipped one Boeing 777-300ER in its fleet with Wi-Fi, which passengers can use with their Wi-Fi-enabled devices.
Wireless service was available after the aircraft reached 20,000 feet (6,100 m) in altitude.
World Business Class passengers are served a three-course meal. Each year KLM partners with a leading Dutch chef to develop the dishes that are served on board.
Passengers in Europe Business Class are served either a cold meal, a hot main course, or a three-course meal depending on the duration of the flight. All chicken served in World and Europe Business Class meets the standards of the Dutch Beter Leven Keurmerk or Better Life Quality Mark.
KLM partnered with Dutch designer Marcel Wanders to design the tableware of World and European Business Class.
Economy Class passengers on long-haul flights are served a hot meal and a snack, and second hot meal or breakfast, depending on the duration of the flight.
On short-haul flights, passengers are served sandwiches or a choice of sweet or savory snack, depending on the duration and time of the day. If the flight is at least two hours long, stroopwafel cookies are served before descent.
Most alcoholic beverages are free of-charge for all passengers. After a successful trial period, KLM introduced à la carte meals in Economy Class on 14 September 2011; Dutch, Japanese, Italian, cold delicacies, and Indonesian meals are offered.
On flights to India, China, South Korea, and Japan, KLM offers authentic Asian meals in all classes. Meals served on KLM flights departing from Amsterdam are provided by KLM Catering Services.
In September 2016, KLM launched world's first in-flight draft beer under the partnership with Heineken. The new service made its premiere this week aboard a flight to Curacao in the airline's World Business Class cabin.
Since the 1950s, KLM presents its World Business Class passengers with a Delft blue, miniature, traditional, Dutch house. These miniatures are reproductions of real Dutch houses and are filled with Dutch genever.
Initially the houses were filled with Bols liqueur, which in 1986 was changed for Bols young genever.
In 1952, KLM started to give the houses to its First Class passengers. With the elimination of First Class in 1993, the houses were handed out to all Business Class passengers.
The impetus for these houses was a rule aimed at curtailing a previously widespread practice of offering incentives to passengers by limiting the value of gifts given by airlines to 0.75 US cents.
KLM did not bill the Delft Blue houses as a gift, but as a last drink on the house, which was served in the house.
Every year, a new house is presented on 7 October, the anniversary of KLM's founding in 1919. The number on the last-presented house thus represents the number of years KLM has been in operation.
Special edition houses—the Dutch Royal Palace and the 17th century Cheese Weighing House De Waag in Gouda—are offered to special guests, such as VIPs and honeymoon couples.
KLM offers various check-in methods to its passengers, who can check in for their flights at self-service check-in kiosks at the airport, via the Internet, or via a mobile telephone or tablet.
At destinations where these facilities are not available, check-in is by an airline representative at the counter. Electronic boarding passes can be received on a mobile device while boarding passes can be printed at airport kiosks.
Since 4 July 2008 KLM, in cooperation with Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, has been offering self-service baggage drop-off to its passengers. The project started with a trial that included one drop-off point. The number of these points has gradually increased.
As of 8 February 2012 there are 12 of them. KLM passengers can now drop off their bags themselves. Before they are allowed to do that they are being checked by a KLM employee.
In November 2012, KLM started a pilot scheme at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to test self-service boarding. Passengers boarded the aircraft without interference of a gate agent by scanning their boarding passes, which opened a gate.
KLM partner airline Air France ran the same pilot at its hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The pilot ran until March 2013, which was followed by an evaluation.
KLM is the first airline to offer self-service transfer kiosks on its European and intercontinental routes for passengers connecting through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The kiosks enable connecting passengers to view flight details of connecting flights, to change seat assignments or upgrade to a more comfortable seat.
When a passenger misses a connecting flight, details about alternative flights can be viewed on the kiosk and a new boarding pass can be printed.
Passengers who are entitled to coupons for a beverage, meal, the use of a telephone, or a travel discount can have these printed at the kiosk.
KLM has bus services for customers living in certain cities without flights from KLM, transporting them to airports where they may board KLM flights.
It operates buses from Nijmegen railway station and Arnhem Central Station in the Netherlands to Amsterdam Schiphol, and from Ottawa Railway Station to Montreal Dorval Airport in Canada.
In addition KLM has codeshares with Thalys and SNCF services so passengers from various French cities may travel to Charles de Gaulle Airport and passengers from Belgium may go to Schiphol from Antwerp or Charles de Gaulle from Brussels.
Air France-KLM's frequent flyer program, Flying Blue, awards miles based on the distance traveled, ticket fare and class of service. Other airlines that adopted the Flying Blue programme include Air Europa, Garuda Indonesia, Kenya Airways, Aircalin, and TAROM.
Miles can also be earned from all other SkyTeam partners. Membership in the program is free. Two types of miles can be earned within the Flying Blue program; Award Miles and Level Miles.
Award Miles can be exchanged for rewards and expire after 20 months without flying. Level Miles are used to determine membership level and remain valid until 31 December of each year.
Award Miles can be earned on Flying Blue partner airlines including Alaska Airlines, Air Corsica, Airlinair, Bangkok Airways, Chalair Aviation, Comair, Copa Airlines, Gol Transportes Aereos, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, TAAG Angola, Twin Jet, and Ukraine International Airlines, as well as SkyTeam partners.
Award Miles are redeemable for free tickets, upgrades to a more expensive seating class, extra baggage allowance, and lounge access. They can also be donated to charity through KLM AirCares, or can be spent in the Flying Blue Store.
The membership tier depends on the number of Level Miles earned and is recalculated each calendar year. Flying Blue privileges are additive by membership tier; higher tiers include all benefits listed for prior tiers.
There is an additional fifth tier, Platinum for Life, which can be obtained after 10 consecutive years of Platinum membership. After the Platinum for Life status is obtained, re-qualification is not required.
Level Miles can be earned with Air France, KLM, Air Europa, Kenya Airways, TAROM, and other SkyTeam partners.
The most notable accident involving a KLM aircraft was the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster, which led to 583 fatalities.
The Tenerife disaster, which occurred on 27 March 1977, remains the accident with the highest number of airliner passenger fatalities.
583 people died when a KLM Boeing 747-206B attempted to take off without clearance, and collided with a taxiing Pan Am 747-121 at Los Rodeos Airport on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Spain.
No one on the KLM 747 survived while 61 of the 396 passengers and crew on the Pan Am aircraft survived. Pilot error from the KLM aircraft was the primary cause.
Owing to a communication misunderstanding, the KLM captain thought he had clearance for takeoff. Another cause was dense fog, meaning the KLM flight crew was unable to see the Pan Am aircraft on the runway until immediately prior to the collision.
The accident had a lasting influence on the industry, particularly in the area of communication. An increased emphasis was placed on using standardized phraseology in air traffic control (ATC) communication by both controllers and pilots alike, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings.
As part of these changes, the word "takeoff" was removed from general usage, and is only spoken by ATC when actually clearing an aircraft to take off.
On 24 April 1923, Fokker F.III H-NABS departed Lympne for Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The aircraft was not heard from again. It was presumed to have crashed into the sea, killing the pilot and both passengers.
On 25 June 1925, Fokker F.III H-NABM struck trees and crashed at Locquignol, France while flying too low in poor visibility, killing all four on board.
On 9 July 1926, Fokker F.VII H-NACC crashed in thick fog near Wolverthem, Belgium, killing both pilots.
On 22 August 1927, Fokker F.VIII H-NADU crashed near Sevenoaks, England. One crewmember was killed.
On 14 July 1928, Fokker F.III H-NABR crashed at Waalhaven after striking several ship masts after takeoff; one passenger drowned when the fuselage sank.
On 20 December 1934, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AJU "Uiver" crashed at Rutbah Wells, Iraq, killing all occupants. The aircraft had participated in the Mac Robertson Air Race in October 1934, and won the handicap division.
It was on its first flight after return from the race and was en route to the Netherlands East Indies carrying Christmas mail when it crashed.
On 6 April 1935, KLM Fokker F.XII PH-AFL "Leeuwerik" struck a mountain 15 km (9 mi) from Brilon, Germany after it encountered severe snow and thunderstorms, killing all seven on board.
On 14 July 1935, KLM Fokker F.XXII PH-AJQ "Kwikstaart" crashed and burned just outside Schiphol after both left side engines failed due to a defect in the fuel system, killing four crew and two passengers. Fourteen occupants survived.
On 20 July 1935, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKG "Gaai" crashed near the San Bernardino Pass near Pian San Giacomo, killing all three crew and all 10 passengers.
On 9 December 1936, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-AKL "Lijster" crashed into a house after taking off from Croydon Airport, London. The accident killed 15 of the 17 people on board the aircraft.
On 3 April 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALP "Pluvier" was being delivered to KLM when it struck Mount Baldy, Arizona, killing all eight on board.
On 28 July 1937, KLM Douglas DC-2 PH-ALF "Flamingo" crashed in a field near Beert, Belgium. The crash was caused by an in-flight fire and killed all 15 on board.
On 6 October 1937, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALS "Specht" crashed on take-off from Talang Betoetoe Airport, killing three crew and one passenger; the co-pilot and seven passengers survived.
On 14 November 1938, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ARY "IJsvogel" struck the ground and crashed near Schiphol Airport for unknown reasons, killing six of 19 on board.
On 9 December 1938, KLM Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra PH-APE "Ekster" crashed on take-off from Schiphol Airport because of engine failure while on a training flight, killing the four crew.
On 10 June 1939, KLM Koolhoven F.K.43 "Krekel" stalled and crashed at Vlissingen, killing all three on board.
On 28 December 1941, KNILM Douglas DC-3 PK-ALN "Nandoe" (formerly KLM PH-ALN) was destroyed on the ground by Japanese fighters at Medan, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, killing all crew members and passengers.
On 1 June 1943, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-ALI "Ibis", which had escaped the Dutch occupation and was operating under lease to BOAC, operating BOAC Flight 777, was shot down by eight German Junkers Ju 88 fighters over the Bay of Biscay while on the scheduled Lisbon-Bristol route.
All 13 passengers and four KLM crew perished. The aircraft had survived attacks in November 1942 and April 1943.
On 14 November 1946, a KLM Douglas C-47 crashed at Schiphol Airport during a failed landing in poor weather. All 21 passengers, including the Dutch writer Herman de Man, and the five crew were killed.
On 26 January 1947, KLM Douglas DC-3 PH-TCR crashed after take-off from Copenhagen, killing all 22 on board, including Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden.
On 20 October 1948, KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation PH-TEN "Nijmegen" crashed near Prestwick, Scotland, killing all 40 aboard.
On 23 June 1949, KLM Lockheed L-749 Constellation PH-TER "Roermond", piloted by Hans Plesman—the son of CEO Albert Plesman—crashed into the sea off Bari, killing 33 occupants.
On 12 July 1949, KLM Lockheed L-749 Constellation PH-TDF "Franeker" crashed into a 674-foot (205 m) hill in Ghatkopar near Bombay, India, killing all 45 aboard. Thirteen of those killed were American news correspondents.
On 2 February 1950, KLM Douglas C-47A PH-TEU crashed in the North Sea 40 mi (64 km) off the Dutch coast due to an apparent in-flight fire, killing all seven on board. The aircraft was operating an Amsterdam-London passenger service.
On 22 March 1952, Flight 592, a Douglas DC-6 (PH-TBJ "Koningin Juliana") crashed at Frankfurt, killing 45 of the 47 occupants.
On 23 August 1954, Flight 608, a Douglas DC-6B (PH-DFO, "Willem Bontekoe") crashed between Shannon, Ireland, and Schiphol in the North Sea, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from IJmuiden for reasons unknown. All 21 passengers and crew died.
On 5 September 1954, Flight 633, a Lockheed Super Constellation, ditched in the River Shannon after takeoff from Shannon Airport. Twenty eight of the 56 people on board, 46 passengers and 10 crew were killed.
On 14 July 1957, Flight 844, a Lockheed Super Constellation, crashed in the sea near Biak, after takeoff from Mokmer Airport at Biak on its way to Manila.
The pilot made a low farewell pass over the island, but the aircraft lost altitude, crashed into the sea and exploded. Nine crew and 49 passengers died; there were 10 survivors.
On 14 August 1958, Flight 607-E, a Lockheed Super Constellation flying from Amsterdam to New York via Shannon, crashed into the ocean 180 kilometres (110 mi) off the coast of County Galway, Ireland, killing all 99 on board.
On 12 June 1961, Flight 823, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to Cairo International Airport due to pilot error, killing 20 of 36 on board.
On 25 October 1968, KLM Aerocarto Douglas C-47A PH-DAA flew into Tafelberg Mountain, Suriname, following an engine failure while on a survey flight. The aircraft collided with the mountain in cloudy conditions, killing three of the five people on board.
On 26 October 1921, KLM Fokker F.III (H-NABL) crashed while on approach to Rotterdam from London. The aircraft landed in low visibility, struck the ground and crashed upside down.
The pilot, the sole occupant, survived and although the aircraft was written off, it was rebuilt and re-registered H-NABR and returned to service, but was destroyed in a 1928 crash.
On 17 July 1935, KLM DC-2 (PH-AKM, "Maraboe") crashed near Bushehr, Iran. All occupants were rescued.
On 2 June 1939, KLM DC-2 (PH-AKN, "Nachtegaal") crashed at Schiphol Airport during a single-engine training flight, killing one person on the ground; all four crew survived.
The aircraft was rebuilt and returned to service until it was destroyed in a German air raid on 10 May 1940.
On 10 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, nine KLM aircraft - five DC-2's and four DC-3's were destroyed in a German air raid at Schiphol Airport by aircraft from KG 4.
On 15 November 1942, KLM DC-3 (PH-ALI, "Ibis"), which had escaped the Dutch occupation and was operating under lease to BOAC as G-AGBB, was attacked by a Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter.
The aircraft was able to land in Lisbon where repairs were carried out. The port wing, engine nacelle and fuselage were damaged by cannon and machine gun fire.
On 19 April 1943, KLM DC-3 (PH-ALI, "Ibis") was attacked by six Bf 110 fighters. Captain Koene Dirk Parmentier evaded the attackers by dropping to 50 ft (15 m) above the ocean and then climbing steeply into the clouds.
The aircraft again sustained damage to the port aileron, shrapnel to the fuselage and a fuel tank. A new wingtip was flown to Lisbon to complete repairs. Despite these attacks, BOAC continued to fly the Lisbon–Whitchurch route. The aircraft was later destroyed in the crash of Flight 777-A.
On 6 November 1946, KLM Douglas DC-3 (PH-TBO) crashed near Shere on approach to Croydon Airport after a flight from Amsterdam. All 20 passengers and crew survived the accident.
On 27 December 1947, KLM C-47 (PH-TCV) crashed near Leeuwarden after the left wing struck a church steeple; the aircraft belly-landed and skidded across some ditches which broke off both propellers. All 15 on board survived.
On 16 June 1948, KLM Douglas DC-4 (PH-TCF, "Friesland") landed short of the runway, bounced and landed hard on the runway at Schiphol Airport due to pilot error. All 27 passengers and crew survived. The pilot had come in too low and too slow.
On 23 March 1952, KLM Lockheed Constellation (PH-TFF, "Venlo") suffered a propeller failure and subsequent engine fire during landing in Bangkok.
All 44 passengers and crew escaped shortly before the fire completely consumed the aircraft. A Thai ground crewman ran into the burning aircraft and returned with an infant who had been left behind.
On 1 January 1953, KLM C-54 (PH-TDL) force-landed in the desert 17 miles from Dhahran Airport due to fuel exhaustion after the crew diverted twice due to poor visibility. All 66 passengers and crew on board survived.
On 25 May 1953, KLM Convair 240 (PH-TEI, "Paulus Potter") lost altitude just after takeoff from Schiphol Airport. The aircraft belly-landed on the runway and slid off, crossed a road and came to rest in a field.
All 34 passengers and crew survived, however two people who were watching the aircraft died when the aircraft crossed the road.
On 11 June 1961, KLM Douglas DC-7C (PH-DSN) lost an engine at 17,000 feet over the Atlantic en route to Amsterdam from Windsor Locks; the aircraft landed safely at Prestwick with no casualties to the 81 passengers and crew on board.
On 25 November 1973, Flight 861 was hijacked over Iraq by Palestinian terrorists. The aircraft took off in Amsterdam and was bound for Tokyo. After several hours it made its final landing in Dubai.
The passengers were released earlier in Malta. Everyone survived the hijacking.
On 4 September 1976, Flight 366, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33RC (PH-DNM) flying from Malaga to Amsterdam with an intermediate stop in Nice, was hijacked shortly after takeoff from Nice by Palestinian terrorists.
After aborted attempts to land in Tunis, the aircraft landed in Larnaca, Cyprus. After refueling, the hijackers attempted to reach Palestine before the aircraft was turned around by Israeli F4 Phantoms.
After returning to Cyprus, the passengers were released unharmed and the hijackers surrendered.
On 3 June 1983, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (PH-DTE, "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart") was substantially damaged after landing at Panama City International Airport.
During landing, the aircraft veered off the runway into muddy ground. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane sustained damage. After repair the plane was put back into service.
On 15 December 1989, Flight 867 flew through a volcanic plume causing nearly US$80 million of damage to the brand-new Boeing 747-406M. The plane landed in Anchorage, Alaska, with no reported injuries or fatalities.
On 28 November 2004, Flight 1673, a Boeing 737-400 (PH-BTC), suffered a birdstrike upon rotation from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
The aircraft continued onwards to Barcelona International Airport, where the nose gear collapsed. No injuries or casualties were reported. The aircraft was written off.
On 24 September 2017, a Boeing 777 leaving Kansai International Airport lost a 4 kg fuselage panel falling into the city of Osaka smashing a car window.
The aircraft landed safely at Amsterdam Airport, and no injuries or fatalities were reported.
PLEASE FLY WITH KLM
Tourism Observer
Saturday, 30 September 2017
Shortcomings In Passenger Airport Charges
Enforcing greater cost-efficiency at Europe’s airports will feed through into cheaper air fares, stimulate travel and enhance European competitiveness. In turn, this will support jobs and grow the economy.
The case for stronger airport charges regulation is seen in how European passengers have been denied the full benefits of cheaper air travel, as illustrated over the period 2006-2016 in a just-released IATA study:
- The average cost of an air ticket remained virtually the same,including all ancillary charges such as hold bags.
- The revenue portion of the ticket price for airlines fell from 90% to 79%
- The portion of the ticket price taken by the airport doubled. Passenger taxes also doubled
- Had airport charges remained constant over the 2006-2016 period consumers could have benefitted, on average, 17 Euros per one-way trip. That price stimulus of nearly 10% of average tickets costs would have improved Europe’s competitiveness, and potentially generated an additional 50 million passengers.
In turn that would have unlocked 50 billion Euros in European GDP and created 238,000 jobs.
Airlines, like all competitive businesses, are in a constant struggle to improve efficiency.
Europe’s airports however are largely insulated from competitive forces.
Europe’s light-handed Airport Charges Directive has failed Europe’s travelers and its own competitiveness by letting airport charges rise.
Tighter EU regulation is needed to stop airport monopolies from taking money from the pockets of travelers to reward investors.
The goal should be economic regulation of airport monopolies that is an effective proxy for competition—promoting efficiency while protecting consumers.
In that regard the voice and interests of airlines – airports’ main customers – should be carefully listened to.
This will ensure effective regulation that will broadly balance the interests of travelers, investors, citizens and economies, said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
The trend of increasing private ownership of European airports adds urgency to the situation.
Since 2010 the number of European airports in private hands has almost doubled.
In many cases privatization has failed to deliver promised benefits to passengers and the local economy often suffers the results of higher costs.
The balancing role of effective and strong economic regulation is essential, said de Juniac.
Airport regulation in Europe has not responded adequately to the changing landscape in the airport sector.
The share of fully privately owned airports in Europe increased from 9% to 16% between 2010 and 2016 while the share of mixed ownership models increased from 13% to 25% over the same period.
Where publicly-owned airports may be considered as benign monopolists, often pursuing economic and social goals to support their local region, this is not the case with privately-owned airports who are driven by investor returns.
Increasing private ownership of airports in Europe has not been combined with appropriate regulatory oversight that drives airports to increase cost efficiency and ensure that airports are responsive to consumer demands.
Between 2006 and 2016 the average all-in cost of an air ticket bought to fly from an EU28 airport remained broadly flat, increasing by just 2% in nominal terms from €216 in 2006 to €220 in 20161.
However, the distribution of revenues between airlines, airports and governments changed significantly.
Average airline revenue per passenger fell from €194 in 2006 to €173 in 2016 and shrank from representing 90% to less than 80% of the all-in ticket price.
At the same time, both airport passenger charges and taxes have more than doubled, with average charges increasing from €16 to €33 and average taxes from €6 to €14.
The increased demand for air travel would have provided a significant boost to the European economy.
Lower airport charges would have benefited European businesses through lower travel costs and increased competitiveness, stimulating additional tourism and lastly encouraging the continued development of the European aviation sector.
Economic modelling carried out by IATA suggests that the economic boost from cheaper air travel could have unlocked an additional EUR50 billion in Gross Value Added (GVA) and supported the creation of an additional 238,000 jobs across the EU28.
In its Aviation Strategy, the European Commission has rightly identified the need to boost the efficiency of airport services and has engaged in an assessment of whether and how the Airport Charges Directive needs to be reviewed.
IATA fully supports the urgent finalization of this assessment under the leadership of Commissioner Violeta Bulc and of her team.
Tourism Observer
Wednesday, 20 September 2017
KENYA: Sebastian Mikosz Kenya Airways CEO Appointed To IATA Board
Kenya Airways chief executive Sebastian Mikosz has been appointed to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board an interim basis.
Mr Mikosz will stay on the board until next year when IATA holds its annual general meeting in Sydney, Australia, from June 3-5.
I am honoured to be appointed to the Board of IATA. This for me represents an opportunity to bring knowledge, experiences and passion for my profession to serve current, prospective and future communities, while also focusing on diversity and inclusion in the aviation industry, Mr Mikosz said
The KQ chief executive has more than 20 years of professional experience in executive management both in the private and public sector.
Mr Mikosz, who took over at Kenya Airways in June, has previously been CEO of eSky.pl, the leading central European online travel agent.
He has also been president and CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the world - a position he held twice including an in depth turnaround of the company.
Kenya Airways is eyeing New York as its first destination when it starts direct flights to the US next year.
The national carrier sees the city as a convenient East Coast aviation hub to mark its entry into the US, before spreading its wings across the world’s biggest economy.
The airline, which last week received regulatory approval to operate direct flights to the US, also estimates that it will move 60,000 passengers in its first year of operation on the route.
We are currently focusing on New York due to the importance of point to point traffic with Nairobi. However, we are also studying other options on the US territory as we may expand our network in the US in the near future, Kenya Airways (KQ) Commercial Director Vincent Coste said in an interview.
In its submissions to the United States government, KQ had said that it plans to launch direct flights in April 2018, although the company has since indicated June 2018 as a more likely date.
New York’s JFK Airport was the United State’s fourth-busiest airport in 2016, according to Airports Council International.
The city is the country’s economic hub and being on the East Coast, it would be easier to reach relative to other hubs such as Atlanta International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare, and LAX on the West Coast.
KQ received a foreign air carrier permit on September 5th from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).
Meanwhile Jetways Airlines, is set to launch daily flights to Diani in November targeting tourists visiting the Kenyan Coast famous for its white sandy beaches and marine sports.
The airline will operate two daily flights to and from Wilson and Ukunda Airstrip. This will be the second scheduled flights route for Jetways, which also flies the Wajir.
Ukunda Airstrip is used by both commercial and chartered aircrafts. Passengers will pay Sh10,000 for a one-way ticket. The firm is flying to Wajir at a promotional fare of Sh6,000.
The airline says it is targeting holiday makers visiting Southern Coast regions that include Tiwi, Diani, Galu, Kinondo and Chale Island.
Diani Beach is one of the most exclusive locations for Kenya beach holidays and has consistently been voted one of the top beaches in Africa,it is home to several organisations such as The East African Whale Shark Trust which works to protect whale sharks,reads a statement on its portal.
Tourism Observer
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