Miguel Praga

🛩 Iberia, from June 16 to October 16, operates flights from Barajas to Uruguay's Carrasco Airport using the secondary runway due to main runway closure. Weight restrictions necessitate refueling at Las Palmas, prompting a 1 hour 40 minute earlier departure. The airport shuts down on August 12, 13, 19, 20, and September 2, 3.

✈ Vueling, IAG's low-cost airline, will introduce seven new routes from its main base in Barcelona this summer. One route, to Comiso in Sicily, is a reinstatement available July through September with flights on Fridays and Sundays. Other new routes include Rimini, Salerno, Tivat, Essaouira, Tirana, and Córdoba (starting September 18). Vueling operates 220 routes annually across 30 countries, enhancing its presence in hubs like Paris-Orly and London-Gatwick.

✈️ World2Fly is expanding its presence in the Portuguese market with a new direct route between Lisbon and Montego Bay, Jamaica, a top Caribbean destination. Flights will be weekly on Wednesdays until October 1, operated by an Airbus A330-300 with 352 seats, as part of W2M's Newblue vacation programs. Jamaica's Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, expects over 6,000 European visitors through this alliance, enhancing future collaborations.

✈️ China is set to announce the purchase of 200-500 Airbus planes in July during a visit by European leaders. Likely involving around 300 aircraft, the deal includes single and twin-aisle models. Investors reacted, boosting Airbus shares by 4%. With its Tianjin assembly plant, Airbus strengthens its position in China, distancing itself from Boeing. This announcement also serves as a message to Donald Trump amid US-China tensions. Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz will travel to Beijing for the 50th anniversary of Europe-China relations.

✈️ Lufthansa, a German airline, will extend the operation of its Airbus A340 fleet until early 2026. Initially set for retirement after the 2025 summer season, this decision results from delays in receiving new Boeing 787s and A350s, mainly due to premium cabin supply issues. Currently, Lufthansa operates seven A340-600 aircraft.

🛩️ Norwegian Air Shuttle, March 2025, Oslo: The Norwegian government plans to sell its 65 million shares in Norwegian Air Shuttle, valued at 14 NOK each, totaling over €81 million. Currently, Norway holds over 6% of the airline, with its government pension fund owning nearly 9%. Geveran Trading Company, the largest shareholder, holds 14.5%. Despite past financial struggles, Norwegian Air now operates stably, recovering from prior over-expansion halted by the 2020 Covid pandemic.