Divers

🛫 Saudia, Saudi Arabia's largest airline, has purchased 15 Airbus A321XLRs. From August 1, these will replace Boeing 787s on the four weekly flights to Madrid, increasing to six flights weekly. Barcelona will see a switch from B787s to A321XLRs on October 27, maintaining three weekly flights. The A321XLR debuts on May 23 to Vienna, followed by routes to the Maldives, Moscow, Athens, Geneva, and Mauritius. Configured for 120 economy and 24 business seats.

✈️ Ryanair's Boeing 737 Max flight FR1211 encountered severe turbulence on Sunday, half an hour after departing Birmingham for Tenerife. The turbulence occurred at 37,000 feet near Brest, France, prompting the pilot to issue an emergency code 7700 and return to Birmingham. Landing 50 minutes after takeoff, several passengers and two crew members sustained minor injuries. The plane resumed its journey at 10,000 feet, departing at 21:00 and reaching Tenerife without further incidents.

📈 30 diciembre 2025, Alexis Montenegro writes about strategic planning for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Evaluating the past year's performance using indicators like total revenue, profits, and customer loyalty is crucial. Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Tools like Trello, Asana, Google Sheets, and Excel help manage tasks and budgets. A well-defined plan is essential for guiding SMEs, turning uncertainty into action, and achieving sustainable growth.

✈ Wamos Air plans fleet expansion through agreements with Abra, adding up to seven Airbus A330neo. In 2026, they'll introduce a new A330 with upgraded cabins, including business class and advanced entertainment systems. By 2027, Wamos Air will grow its fleet to 15 A330s, a historical high. The partnership with Abra enhances their ability to operate modern, efficient aircraft like the Boeing 787, strengthening long-haul operations and expanding airport accessibility.

🛩 Iberia’s Airbus A321XLR, registered EC-OOJ, resumed flights after over four months of repairs following a collision with a vulture on August 3. The impact severely damaged the nose and affected one engine. The aircraft was grounded until October 27, when it flew from Lisbon to Madrid. Yesterday, it began operations to Boston, USA.

✈️ Tui, the largest British tour operator, exits Luton, shifting focus to Gatwick, and sells airport slots to Hungarian airline Wizz Air. Wizz Air plans to add an aircraft and introduce six new routes, including direct flights from London to Yerevan. Other new destinations are Alicante, Faro, Corfu, Lyon, and Turin. Wizz Air's Luton base outperforms EasyJet, offering a strong network to Eastern Europe. Past UK ventures in Cardiff and Doncaster failed, but Gatwick operations are stable.

❄ More than 9,000 flights were canceled or delayed due to a snowstorm in the northeastern U.S. on Saturday. Airports in New York, including JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, were severely impacted. A state of emergency was declared in parts of New Jersey and New York. In central Manhattan, snowfall reached 10 cm, with some areas up to 30 cm. Twenty percent of airport departures were canceled, and visibility was severely reduced. Airlines waived fees for travel date changes.

🛩 Air travel disruptions hit Rovaniemi, Lapland, over the weekend due to adverse weather in northern Finland. Iberia, Air Europa, and Easyjet flights faced diversions, delays, and rescheduling. An Iberia Airbus A320neo had to land in Oulu and Helsinki before reaching Rovaniemi, delaying its departure to Madrid to 20:56 the next day. Air Europa diverted to Helsinki and Amsterdam before Madrid, while Iberojet diverted to Lulea, Sweden.

🛩 World2Fly, founded in January 2020 and operational since 2021, reported a net profit of €12.3 million in 2024. The airline's profitability has been rising, with past profits of €207,952 in 2021, €3 million in 2022, and over €8 million in 2023. In contrast, Iberojet ended 2024 with a €692,000 profit, its first since the pandemic. Despite improvements, Iberojet grapples with a €61.8 million net asset deficit.

✈️ Ryanair faces a competitive year in Spain, marked by capacity adjustments due to rising taxes and airport fees. The airline plans to cut 1.2 million seats and cease operations in Asturias by March. Ryanair, operating in 23 Spanish airports and moving 62 million passengers annually, emphasizes reducing fees to maintain low costs. The company is expanding in countries like Italy, Sweden, Hungary, and Morocco, and has ordered 300 new aircraft for delivery between 2027-2030.