Airlines for Europe (A4E) reported (10-Jun-2021) the cost of carbon allowances under the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) has more than doubled compared with pre-pandemic levels and increased 140% since May-2020. Air travel is the only transport sector included in the ETS scheme, with airlines purchasing carbon credits to help offset their emissions since 2012. A4E managing director Thomas Reynaert said the COVID-19 crisis is a "clear opportunity for both industry and politicians to join forces and build our sector back greener and smarter", but proposals for meaningful reforms "continue to be thwarted by national interests". [more - original PR]
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The Russian Federation is now Europe's biggest aviation market by seats, having recovered 82% of its 2019 capacity in the week of 07-Jun-2021. By contrast, Europe's historical leader, the UK, has recovered only 19% and now ranks seventh.
Russia's performance has been strengthened by its domestic market, the largest in Europe, which is back above 2019 levels of capacity and traffic.
Total passenger numbers (domestic and international) carried by Russian airlines were back to 77% of 2019 levels in Apr-2021, the most recent month for which data are available, compared with approximately 20% for Europe as a whole.
Russia's leading airline, Aeroflot, carried only 45% of pre-crisis traffic in Apr-2021, but its regional subsidiary Rossiya carried 80%. Remarkably, its LCC Pobeda was 33% above Apr-2019 passenger numbers.
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Tweed New Haven Airport's innovative public-private lease schemeThe US airport privatisation process, which began in 1996 as a pilot programme and was dragged screaming into the 21st century in 2019 by way of a revamped procedure, remains in limbo. At the same time, the number of public-private deals to build and operate airport infrastructure has been increasing quickly.
Now a small, secondary level airport in Connecticut, with a handful of air services each week, has come up with an innovative deal with its existing operator to build a runway extension and associated infrastructure to service the needs of a start-up low cost carrier based on the other side of the country, and with that operator taking on much of the risk.
For all parties it is either a masterstroke or a disaster waiting to happen.
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Both capacity and traffic data show the impact of changes in travel restrictions in Europe. Most recently, the expansion and contraction of the UK's green list – specifically the addition and then removal of Portugal – is clearly visible in capacity data.
Seat capacity in Europe is 59.5% below 2019 in the week commencing 7-Jun-2021, almost the same as the previous week after six weeks of a clear improvement. Europe remains below the other regions on this metric.
Middle East seat capacity is down by 54.4% versus 2019, Africa is down by 48.8%, Asia Pacific by 41.3%, Latin America by 36.8%, and North America by 27.3%.
Weekly passenger data from ACI Europe are only available up to the final week of May-2021. Nevertheless, this week's capacity data – coinciding with Portugal's removal from the UK green list – suggest that the previously improving trend of passenger data will also pause, or even reverse.
Moreover, Europe's airlines suffered the most negative cash flows in 1Q2021 (source: IATA). There is a real risk that this underperformance will continue into the European summer peak if travel restrictions do not relax.
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SAS to consolidate activities at Copenhagen Airport hub?It is rare, anywhere, for a ‘country’ of 20 million people to have three gateway/hub airports.
That is essentially what Denmark, Norway and Sweden – all historically connected, once part of a union, and with a common passport for all three – collectively offer, and in competition with each other for the business of the tri-national airline, and others.
But the new paradigm set by the pandemic demands a review of historical agreements such as this while all airports strive merely to exist. The first mover in this instance is Copenhagen Airport, which was easily the most aggressive before the COVID-19 pandemic and whose CEO perceives a change of emphasis in SAS towards consolidating business at one airport – most likely meaning intercontinental business.
This report looks at what that would mean for CPH and the other airports.
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Burgas Airport, via its official Facebook account, announced (10-Jun-2021) Wizz Air opened a seasonal base at the airport on 10-Jun-2021. As previously reported by CAPA, the LCC plans to base one A320 aircraft at the airport from 10-Jun-2021 to 12-Sep-2021 and will launch seven new services from Burgas to Dortmund, Eindhoven, Kyiv, Liverpool, Poznan, Tel Aviv and Turku in Jun-2021.
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11-Jun-2021 3:58 PM
A4E calls for EU states to put political interests aside in reforming Single European Sky regulation
Airlines for Europe (A4E) reported (10-Jun-2021) its members reiterated demands that policymakers "put sovereignty interests aside" to adopt a more ambitious reform of the Single European Sky (SES) regulation. A4E managing director Thomas Reynaert said it makes "no sense environmentally or economically" to invest in new aircraft or sustainable aviation fuel and "at the same time, continue to delay the long-overdue introduction of more fuel-efficient airspace". A4E stated EU member states agreed earlier in Jun-2021 to roll back proposed reforms in favour of measures which would benefit their monopoly-owned ANSPs instead. [more - original PR]
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11-Jun-2021 3:57 PM
A4E: Airline CEOs call for gradual lifting of European travel restrictions for summer 2021
Airlines for Europe (A4E) reported (10-Jun-2021) airline CEOs attending its aviation summit called on European governments to restore freedom of movement for citizens and gradually lift all travel restrictions for summer 2021, citing rising vaccination rates and tools such as the EU's Digital COVID Certificate system. A4E expects EU ambassadors to finalise council recommendations on a coordinated lifting of travel restrictions in Europe during a meeting on 11-Jun-2021. A4E is calling for the adoption of updates to the latest proposal, including the following:
- Vaccinated people can travel restriction free;
- People who have recovered from COVID-19 in the last 180 days should be able to travel without a test or being subjected to quarantine measures;
- People who have tested negative should be exempted from additional tests and/or quarantine measures;
- EU member states must adopt a uniform approach to ease travel restrictions, accepting either a negative PCR test 72 hours before arrival or 48 hours in the case of rapid antigen tests and no testing needed from non-risk areas;
- Unified rules for children travelling with exempt parents: Minors accompanying their parent(s) should not be forced to test/quarantine when their parents are not required to do so. Children under six years old should be exempt from all measures;
- 14 day incidence rate thresholds in the ECDC map should be increased from 50 to 75 for orange areas;
- Vaccination, recovery from COVID-19 or a negative test must be proven by producing a Digital Covid-19 Certificate (DCC) or by other means, until the DCC is available. [more - original PR]
Loganair, via its official Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, announced (10-Jun-2021) its 'GreenSkies' initiative as a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2040. The programme includes immediate action to offset carbon emissions from all services and further investment in new technologies to assist the carrier in reaching its goal. A GBP1 mandatory 'GreenSkies' charge will be added to all Loganair services, effective 10-Jun-2021.
Air Montenegro commenced (10-Jun-2021) regular commercial operations on 10-Jun-2021 with the launch Tivat-Belgrade and Podgorica-Belgrade services. As previously reported by CAPA, the airline plans to commence services from Tivat to Ljubljana and Banja Luka on 27-Jun-2021 and Podgorica-Frankfurt service on 15-Jul-2021. [more - original PR - Croatian]
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