Cargo hub is latest attempt to get Manston airfield off the ground 

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The latest attempt to turn the former Battle of Britain airfield of Manston into a sustainable commercial proposition could take off this autumn. 

Plans to turn Manston back into a passenger and freight airport are due to be submitted this autumn after a consultation programme this summer. 

Reports state the odds of Manston getting off the ground appear to be against it, if history is any guide. 

The airfield on the Isle of Thanet, at the most easterly point of Kent near Ramsgate, has at times been branded Kent International and London’s sixth airport. 

However, over the years during which ministers have identified it as a potential solution to the congested southeastern aviation network, services from airlines like KLM and Flybe have begun and then closed.

But now, there is rumours of a £300 million development plan for stands for freighters and passenger aircraft as well as associated airport infrastructure. 

The business plan cites the potential to divert airfreight from Heathrow and Gatwick which are effectively closed to new take-off and landing slots.

It could also bring goods direct into the UK rather than have them land at continental airports and then be transported via ferry or the Channel tunnel.

We will post more info if and when plans are confirmed. Watch this space.

Eurowings to hire 600 crew for A320 fleet expansion

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 Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings will hire 600 new crew, (200 pilots and 400 cabin crew members), as its fleet expands to a further 20 Airbus A320s. 

In addition, Eurowings management has confirmed that temporary working contracts for flight attendants will be changed to permanent contracts. Eurowings employs 1,500 flight attendants. 

Keep an eye on our job pages for further info.

Jet2.com on recruitment drive on the back of successful expansion

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Jet2.com is to recruit another 1,700 staff as the airline confirms it will put almost 10 million seats on sale next summer. 

A series of recruitment road shows is taking place in a bid to fill vacancies among pilot, cabin crew and ground operations roles. 

Jet2.com opened bases at Stansted and Birmingham this summer and has increased capacity for summer 2018 by 13 per cent,putting 9.8 million seats on sale.

Info on their roadshows relevant to pilots is below:

As Jet2.com and Jet2holidays continue to grow, they are holding Pilot Roadshows at each of their UK bases to discuss future opportunities for experienced Pilots to join our Team. We are particularly interested in meeting B737 Type Rated First Officers.

We would love to meet and have an informal conversation with experienced Pilots (and their families) who are interested in hearing more.

The calendar of events is as follows:

Wednesday 6 September – Birmingham
Thursday 7 September – East Midlands
Tuesday 12 September – Glasgow
Wednesday 13 September – Edinburgh
Tuesday 19 September – Belfast
Friday 22 September – Newcastle

If you are a Pilot with a strong training record and the commitment, energy and flexibility required to deliver friendly low fares and send our all-important customers on holiday, then why not come and meet us to find out more.

Air New Zealand and Qantas report near record profits for financial year 2017 

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Air New Zealand has announced earnings before taxation for the 2017 financial year of $527 million, compared to $663 million in the prior year – the second highest result in the airline’s history.

Net profit after taxation was $382 million. Chairman Tony Carter praised the strong result, acknowledging the airline’s staff for their continued focus on driving profitable network growth during a period of significant new competition.

Qantas shares have risen today after the company reported the second highest profit in its 97 ­year history.

Its domestic operations reported record earnings and international competition eased in the second half. The airline announced underlying profit for the 12 months to June 30 at A$1.4bn, down 8.6 per cent from the record profit reported a year earlier. This was in line with analysts’ estimates of A$1.39bn.

The company’s domestic Qantas and Jetstar operations reported record underlying earnings before interest and tax at $865m.

Thomas Cook pilots 12-hour strike over pay dispute 

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Pilots with Thomas Cook UK are planning a 12-hour strike over a pay dispute.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has authorised a strike in Thomas Cook Airlines following a ballot in which 91% of pilots voted to take action in a dispute over their 2017 pay negotiations. The turnout in the ballot was 88%.

The dispute follows nearly eight months of negotiations over a pay rise that was due in April.

Thomas Cook has offered a 1.5% rise and BALPA has asked for at least inflation plus catching up with other comparable airlines and better travel facilities for pilots.

The strike action is planned to take place on 8th September and will affect Thomas Cook UK operations.

BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, said:

“Disrupting people’s travel plans is the last thing pilots want to do and we very much regret taking this step. However, our members are frustrated that after many months of negotiations we still do not have a decent pay offer on the table and they have said loud and clear ‘enough is enough’.

“That is why BALPA has authorised a strike to take place on 8th September. In the meantime I will continue trying to negotiate with Thomas Cook to achieve an outcome that will be acceptable to pilots.”

Both parties have been engaging with ACAS since the strike was announced around two weeks ago, but there seems to have been little progress.

Thomas Cook have stated they plan to operate all flights, albeit with some changes to their scheduled departure and arrival times.

IndiGo grounds 13 planes after engine issues 

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India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, has been forced to ground 13 planes and cancel 84 flights because of issues with the Pratt and Whitney made engines on its Airbus A320 neo aircraft. 

IndiGo and rival GoAir have been facing delays in receiving planes from Airbus due to continuing problems with engines developed by Pratt and Whitney, owned by United Technologies. IndiGo, which flies four in every 10 Indian air passengers, operates hundreds of flights each day. 

Spanish carrier Iberia to cut up to 955 more jobs 

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Iberia, part of International Consolidated Airlines Group, aims to cut up to 955 jobs as part of a fresh round of redundancies outlined to unions, a spokeswoman for the company today.

The layoffs would involve voluntary redundancies and early retirement plans, she said, after the firm flagged plans for more job cuts in April. 

The Spanish carrier has been through two rounds of redundancies in recent years, cutting about 4,500 workers.

WOW Air sees a huge 49 per cent growth in July 

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WOW Air has reported a 49 per cent increase in the number of passengers it flew in July of this year, compared to the same month in 2016.

A total of 318,000 passengers travelled with the airline in July.

Wow Air also boasts that the average age of its fleet of airplanes is lower than that of any other European airline. The average age of WOW Air planes is just 2.05 years. 

Jet2.com post impressive financial results

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Jet2.com have posted their financial results for the year ending 31st March 2017.

A summary of the chairman’s report is here:

Profit before taxation reduced by 14% to £90.1m (2016: £104.2m). This result includes considerable investment to launch our two new Jet2.com operating bases at Birmingham and London Stansted Airports and also includes a £10.9m charge for foreign exchange revaluation losses (2016: £1.3m). Before accounting for these revaluation losses, underlying profit before taxation reduced by 4% to £101.0m (2016: £105.5m). Basic earnings per share fell by 14% to 51.80p (2016: 60.22p).

In consideration of these results, the Board is recommending a final dividend of 3.897p per share (2016: 3.100p), which will bring the total proposed dividend to 5.272p per share for the year (2016: 4.000p), an increase of 32%. This final dividend is subject to shareholders’ approval at the Company’s Annual General Meeting on 7 September 2017 and will be payable on 27 October 2017 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 22 September 2017.

The profit performance in the year primarily reflects the continuing investment in, and success of, the Group’s Leisure Travel business, which combines both Jet2.com, our leisure airline and Jet2holidays, our package holidays provider.

Jet2.com flew a total of 7.10m passengers (one-way passenger sectors) (2016: 6.07m), to and from popular sun, city and ski destinations during the year, an increase of 17%. Demand for our real package holidays continued to grow as Jet2holidays took 1.73m customers on package holidays (2016: 1.22m), an increase of 42%, representing 49% of overall flown passengers (2016: 40%). Our important flight-only product was enjoyed by 3.64m passengers in the year (2016: 3.63m). Average airline ticket yields at £86.65 (2016: £91.11) and average load factors at 91.5% (2016: 92.5%) were respectively 5% and one percentage point lower than those achieved in the prior year. The average price of a package holiday was £617 (2016: £616). As a result, revenue in our Leisure Travel business increased by 24% to £1,565.8m (2016: £1,261.4m).

In July and September 2016, we were delighted to announce Birmingham and London Stansted Airports as our 8th and 9th UK operating bases. Operations at both commenced on 30 March 2017, providing customers with a combined 58 new routes to Mediterranean and Canary Island holiday destinations. We believe both bases have great potential for our holiday business, further strengthening our position in the Midlands and enabling us to serve, for the first time, customers in North & East London and the East of England.

Full results can be viewed here

Southwest is found the favourite US airline among travel industry insiders 

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Travel industry insiders in the US love Southwest more than twice as much as any other airline, according to a new survey.

A poll from YouGov found that 35 per cent of those who worked in the travel, restaurant and lodging industries, listed Southwest as their favourite US airline.

It is the only major US airline to offer customers two check bags for free, and also offers frequent fliers a ‘companion pass’ which allows customers to take another person along on their flight for free or almost free.