15.02.2021 - 23:36 UTC
Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) plans to launch services from Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l to the United States on or around September 1, 2021, according to its application for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit and exemption authority to the US Department of Transportation.
In a regulatory notice dated February 11, 2021, Senegal’s national carrier seeks permission for scheduled and charter air transportation of persons, property, and mail from any point/s behind Senegal, via any point/s in Senegal and intermediate stations, to any point/s in the US and beyond, subject to a wet-lease or codeshare arrangement with a duly authorised US or foreign carrier.
It requests that scheduled and charter exemption authority be granted for two years, or until the Foreign Air Carrier permit is granted.
None of Air Senegal’s aircraft will be used to conduct the service, rather, all flights will be operated by a wet-lessor, presumably referring to Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) which operates the Senegalese carrier's A330-900 9H-SZN (msn 1910) on its behalf under...
25.01.2021 - 01:25 UTC
SpiceJet (SG, Delhi Int'l) has announced that it will wet-lease an unspecified A330 and a B767 for its growing cargo business under the SpiceXpress brand.
"With the latest induction, SpiceXpress, the airline’s cargo arm, aims to further strengthen its cargo fleet while providing a seamless and secure transportation of COVID-19 vaccine," the airline said in a press release distributed to Indian media.
It did not reveal any further details about the variants of the aircraft or their operators and did not respond to ch-aviation's request for further information. AirNav RadarBox ADS-B data has not recorded any A330 or B767 flights under SpiceJet's code in recent days.
SpiceXpress's dedicated freighter fleet currently comprises three B737-700(BDSF)s and two B737-800(BCF)s. The airline has also converted nine DHC-8-Q400s into makeshift freighters to respond to COVID-induced demand, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows. Besides the in-house aircraft, SpiceJet also wet-leases an A340-300 from Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) for cargo-only charters.
SpiceJet also operates a passenger fleet of five B737-700...
15.01.2021 - 18:18 UTC
Mesa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hi Fly (5K, Beja), opened a maintenance, repair, and overhaul base at the group's home airport at Berau in Portugal.
The group said the new facility would be authorised to perform line and base maintenance on all in-production Airbus aircraft families except for A380-800s. It will be able to perform A- and C-checks, engine replacements, cabin modifications, and other services. Mesa will maintain the fleet of Hi Fly and Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l), but will also provide services to third-party airlines.
"Beja is a prime location for aircraft maintenance, and with this additional capacity, we hope not only to keep up with the strong growth of Hi Fly’s fleet but also to acquire new customers mainly from Europe and Africa. It’s a big project for the Group, and we’re looking forward to welcoming our fleet to this fantastic facility. Mesa invested EUR30 million euros (USD36.5 million) in the project, which will create about 150 jobs in its first three years of activity," Hi Fly...
15.01.2021 - 03:32 UTC
Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad Int'l) is planning to operate at most five A380-800s once it reactivates them, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said during a CAPA Live event.
"[The A380 is] one of the worst aircraft, when it comes to emissions, that is flying around today... Even when we operate [our A380s], we will only operate half of the numbers we have," Al Baker said.
He added that due to the slump in demand, the Qatari carrier has no plans to reactivate any the double-decker jets for the foreseeable future.
According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the carrier owns its fleet of ten A380-800s which are 5.5 years old on average. All have been parked at Doha Hamad Int'l since late March or early April. As of this posting, the airline has not filed any schedules for the type for the foreseeable future.
Al Baker indicated that the carrier would be open to selling the aircraft, although the likelihood of a second-hand market for...
