Ryanair to add first B737 MAX 200 in 2Q19

LCCs awarded seasonal slots at Milan Linate

Several low-cost carriers, including easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air, have secured slots at Milan Linate airport for seasonal leisure services during the summer 2021 season, although thus far, only easyJet has confirmed its intention to use them.

easyJet said it would operate from the metropolitan airport to Catania and Palermo in Sicily given growing optimism of a strong recovery in the domestic leisure market during the upcoming season. The airline plans to begin the services on June 11, operating 2x daily on both routes.

In turn, Ryanair's and Wizz Air's plans seem more opportunistic and less clear. The two LCCs benefitted from relaxed slot utilisation rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allow operators to return slots they do not intend to utilise without permanently losing them. As such, they have secured slots only for several weeks of the current season.

According to Corriere della Sera, Ryanair has secured slots to operate from Linate to Brussels National and Berlin Brandenburg Int'l only in June, September, and October, with a gap...

Ryanair to appeal EU court rulings on Finnair, SAS state aid

Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l) has said it will appeal a ruling by the General Court of the European Court of Justice on April 14 which overturned its complaint against Covid-related government support for SAS Scandinavian Airlines (SK, Copenhagen Kastrup) and Finnair (AY, Helsinki Vantaa).

The court underlined the European Commission’s belief that Swedish, Danish, and Finnish financial support for the two flag carriers in the wake of pandemic-related travel restrictions was allowed under revised European Union state aid rules. In August 2020, the commission had approved Danish and Swedish plans to contribute up to SEK11 billion kronor (USD1.3 billion) to the recapitalisation of SAS.

In March 2021, the commission approved a Finnish government loan to Finnair of EUR351.38 million euros (USD420 million), a measure that took the form of a hybrid loan with the aim of compensating it for losses sustained during the travel shutdowns between March 16 and December 31. It had already approved, in June 2020, Finnish plans to contribute to the recapitalisation of Finnair with the state investing...

Croatia Airlines demands equal treatment with Ryanair

Croatia Airlines (OU, Zagreb) has issued an open letter to the operator of Zagreb airport, demanding fee reductions and incentives on par with or exceeding those granted to Ryanair (FR, Dublin Int'l), which is set to open a base in the Croatian capital in September 2021.

"Passengers and the Croatian public have the right to competitive prices and complete and objective information. It is unacceptable for the national airline to finance the entry of new competitors into the Croatian market," Croatia Airlines wrote, alluding to its position that incentives for Ryanair would be financed from fees paid by Croatia Airlines.

The flag carrier said that while it welcomed competition, it demanded a level playing field. It alleged that incentives publicly offered to Ryanair under the recently adopted Growth Incentive Model at the airport were distorting the market and would have an adverse effect on Croatia Airlines.

Croatia Airlines currently accounts for more than 50% of revenues of Međunarodna zračna luka Zagreb (MZLZ), the concessionaire of the airport. MZLZ itself is a...

Nordica is Estonian Air successor, court says; inherits debt

Tallinn Circuit Court has legally recognised Nordica (ND, Tallinn Lennart Meri) as the successor to Estonian Air - and must settle unpaid staff wages and return state aid that had been granted to the defunct flag carrier and was ruled as illegal, the Estonian broadcaster ERR has reported.

The second-tier court found on March 31 that Estonian Air, which ceased operations in November 2015, has a legal successor in state-owned Nordica, a company legally incorporated as Nordic Aviation Group that took on the role as Estonia’s flag carrier when it was launched that same month.

The virtual carrier owns the ACMI/charter subsidiary Xfly (EE, Tallinn Lennart Meri) as well as Transpordi Varahaldus, a lessor financed by privately-owned banks which owns some of Xfly’s fleet, though there are plans to merge the lessor with Nordica.

The court ruled that the company owes the outstanding wages to Estonian Air’s former employees, estimated at EUR1.5 million euros (USD1.77 million), and that other outstanding creditors could also file claims with the courts.

While Estonia’s...