Airline COVID-19 capacity, network, staff cuts for 17-22MAR

Switzerland's Edelweiss Air to add wet-leased widebodies

Lufthansa to add four ex-LATAM A350-900s

Lufthansa Group has signed an agreement to acquire four incremental A350-900s from Deucalion Aviation, continuing its strategy of opportunistic A350 fleet growth.

The four aircraft will deliver later this year. But while the carrier did not provide any more information regarding the identity of the aircraft, the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows the Dutch lessor owns only four A350-900s. The ex-LATAM Airlines Brasil aircraft are of 2016 (three units) and 2019 (one) vintage, and have been parked at Victorville since 2020-2021. LATAM Airlines Group retired its entire A350 fleet during Chapter 11 restructuring in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier reports suggested that Lufthansa Group was also targeting two more second-hand A350-900s, formerly operated by South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) and owned by Park Aerospace Holdings.

The German holding currently operates twenty-one A350-900s, including four ex-Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) units added in the first half of 2022. It has a firm order for a further...

Ljubljana set to decide on new Slovenian flag carrier

The Slovenian government will decide in June whether it should create a successor to Adria Airways (Ljubljana), with the aim that the new carrier would be operational by the end of next year to improve the country’s faltering connectivity, the local news site 24ur reported.

A final decision should be made in the coming weeks, when the Ministry of Infrastructure completes its analysis of a feasibility study on the economic effects of establishing a new airline. According to 24ur’s sources, this will reveal that the Slovenian economy, especially tourism, has suffered losses of about EUR150 million euros (USD163 million) since Adria’s collapse.

Departures from Ljubljana Airport, also known by its previous name Brnik, are less frequent, and connections with other European capitals have deteriorated. The participants of a recent large-scale medical congress were driven with cars and buses from other nearby airports because of their better connections, one of the sources said.

Demand is buoyant, but aviation experts cited in the news report, such as a former chief executive (1992-2001) and president (2001-2005)...

Lufthansa Group parks A320s, A220s over P&W engine problems