Divers

🛫 Russia has formally requested the U.S. to remove flight restrictions on Aeroflot, the state airline of the Russian Federation, announced Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Almaty. The request was made prior to a bilateral meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but after a month, Russia received no response. The issue was raised again at an expert meeting in Istanbul, with hopes of resuming direct flights as a key step to normalizing bilateral relations. If the U.S. accepts Russia's request, European airspace veto would still force Russian and American airlines to fly over the North Pole to reach the U.S.

🏖 Tour Partner Group, a British inbound travel agency with offices in London, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Copenhagen, acquired JacTravel, a specialist in trips to Great Britain and Ireland. The transaction is expected to close by the end of April. JacTravel, with a 50-year history, was owned by Web Travel Group and is known for group and independent travel, serving markets including the USA. Tour Partner Group was formed by merging several companies, including Hotels & More (UK), Irish Welcome Tours (Ireland), Authentic Vacations (USA), Trans Nordic Tours (Denmark), and Experience Scotland (Scotland). The merger positions Tour Partner Group as a leading DMC in Europe. JacTravel will operate under its existing brand this year, ensuring continuity for clients and suppliers. Karen Robertson remains as JacTravel's director. There will be no immediate changes to customer terms, bookings, supplier agreements, or operational processes.

🌎 China and India, the world's most populous countries, have agreed in principle to resume direct flights as of January this year. The decision came after a meeting in October 2024 between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, despite strained relations and a halt in flights following the 2020 Galawan border incidents and the COVID crisis. Specific implementation timelines or preferred routes are yet undisclosed, but the countries' airports are within range for single-aisle aircraft like B737 or A320.

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✈ Two Ryanair planes landed on Monday morning at Bilbao Airport after being diverted from Santander due to fog, completing the flight in just 12 minutes, described as an unprecedented "express air bridge." Ryanair ceased regular operations at Bilbao in 2013, briefly resumed a route to London in 2018, and currently operates from other airports in the Basque Country, which made the diversion to Bilbao instead of alternative bases like Vitoria-Gasteiz unexpected.

🚃 SNCF, the French railway company, has ordered 15 high-speed trains for routes in Italy: 9 for Turin-Naples, 4 for Turin-Venice, and 2 for Paris-Milan. The project is delayed due to Italian authorities not granting the necessary slots, aiming for only 15% of slots requested. Maintenance centers and train manufacturers are also not meeting expectations. Consequently, the new Italian routes are expected to launch in 2027, one year behind the initial schedule, with SNCF targeting a 15% market share, despite the presence of two existing operators, Trenitalia and Italo. Italian competition authorities are investigating potential obstruction by local rail services. It's still uncertain if SNCF will adopt a low-cost model in Italy as it may have in Spain.

🌋 In southwest Iceland, the famous Blue Lagoon was evacuated and closed due to the eighth eruption in 12 months of the Sundhnúkagígar volcano near Grindavik, following earthquakes on April 1. The most serious eruption yet, causing severe problems on the Reykjanes Peninsula, led to the closure of all access roads to the Blue Lagoon, though flights at Keflavik Airport operate normally. Reykjanes had been dormant for eight centuries until volcanic activity resumed in March 2021. Iceland has 33 active volcanic systems situated on a fault dividing the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

🛫 A Vueling Airbus A320 en route from Barcelona to Amsterdam reported a possible misaligned door shortly after takeoff. The crew communicated with air traffic control and returned to Barcelona Airport over the Mediterranean, landing without further incidents. The event was monitored on Flightradar24, as confirmed by air traffic controllers on their X account.

🚨 On November 25, a Swiftair Spanish cargo 737 crashed near Vilnius Airport, Lithuania, killing the Spanish pilot and injuring the co-pilot and two passengers on board. Despite initial suspicions of Russian interference, the Lithuanian authority's 30-page report attributed the crash to human error, with no external factors involved. The hydraulic system B was off, the flaps were not deployed, and the anti-icing system was inactive. The aircraft was undamaged before the crash, which also led to a fire. Swiftair has a history of air incidents, with the worst in terms of human casualties occurring in Africa.

✈ Plus Ultra's Airbus A340, named Santa María Portugalete with registration EC-MQM, ends its service after eight years. It was the last one operating in Spain. The aircraft's final flights were documented before its dismantling in Enschede, Netherlands. Plus Ultra standardizes its fleet to use only A330s, enhancing operational costs and fuel efficiency.