Divers

✈ Comandante Tato García Cabrerizo from Iberia retired after nearly 40 years; joined the airline in 1987. His last flight occurred the past weekend, and he was honored with a tribute video by air traffic controllers. Esteemed throughout the airline and accompanied by his children and friends on his final journey, he expressed emotion after the control tower's farewell message. ???? December 14, 2024.

🌏 Samarcanda and Bukara, historical cities visited by Marco Polo and medieval merchants, are part of Uzbekistan's effort to become a popular tourist destination, despite past obscurity. To attract investment and improve its tourism appeal, Uzbekistan has offered tax breaks of three, five, or seven years based on investment size. Currently, the country has over 5,000 hotels with 155,000 beds, varying in quality. Tourism diversity includes the Silk Road, health, and gastronomic experiences, as well as developing MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) tourism. 2025 is projected to be a breakthrough year for tourism, including from Spain.

🎄 La industria hotelera, durante la temporada navideña, busca fidelizar clientes y atraer nuevos a través de menús exclusivos, eventos culturales y solidarios, convirtiéndose en centros de celebración. El Rosewood Villa Magna ha creado Santa’s Bar, y el InterContinental Madrid ofrece una experiencia que evoca a Frank Sinatra. En Barcelona, El Palace ofrece talleres creativos y "Té de la tarde" con personajes navideños. Artiem Hotels promueve "Navidad de las Sonrisas para cambiar el mundo" con mercadillos solidarios y cenas benéficas. El hotel Mayorazgo de Madrid atenderá a 150 personas vulnerables el 23 de diciembre, con la presencia de 25 directores de hotel.

🛩 A Norwegian Boeing 737 with 171 occupants nearly plunged into the sea during a route from Oslo to Molde in Norway. The aircraft was traveling at 206 kilometers per hour during landing—four times the appropriate speed of 50 km/h. Ice on the runway and human error are considered possible causes, with Norwegian attributing the incident to bad weather and icy, slippery conditions.

💸 Bolivia owes airlines $42 million, risking international air isolation due to its refusal to convert local currency ticket sales into dollars, amidst looming bankruptcy. Boliviana de Aviación, the state airline, reduced travel agency commissions from 6% to 1%, causing commercial tensions. Bolivia's main airport, Viru Viru, is located in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Most foreign airlines operating in Bolivia are regional, with eight potentially ceasing operations.

✈ British Airways, the UK's leading airline, serves just over ten airports, including London Heathrow. Ryanair operates in nearly twenty airports, with London Stansted being its largest base in Europe. Easyjet offers local flights and connections but doesn't match British Airways' international reach. KLM connects to 18 UK airports at least once daily, primarily offering connections via Amsterdam Schiphol. KLM's network includes major and unusual UK airports like Exeter and Cardiff, unlike British Airways, using Embraer aircraft through City Hopper for competitive prices.

💸 An Airbus A321 from Vueling, flying from Barcelona to Banjul, was diverted for an emergency landing in Gran Canaria after encountering a disruptive passenger over Western Sahara. The incident was monitored on Flightradar24 and led to police intervention upon landing. The flight later resumed.

✈ Air Canada, since January, introduced a policy requiring passengers with a basic ticket to pay for carry-on baggage regardless of size. On January 3, basic ticket holders won't have rights to carry-on or checked luggage, with exceptions for small purses, coin holders, and a laptop with a case. Wheelchairs remain free. Passengers also lose the right to choose seats and must pay to change assigned ones, pushing Air Canada towards a low-cost model.

✈️ EasyJet benefits from EU competition policies, acquiring flight slots in Lisbon from TAP Portugal and key routes in Milan Linate and Rome Fiumicino following Lufthansa's ITA acquisition. EasyJet must allocate eight aircraft to these new routes, with five based in Linate and three in Fiumicino starting this summer. Additionally, EasyJet exits Venice but remains dominant in Malpensa with an exclusive terminal and maintains operations in Naples.

💸 Two Vueling flights reported in-flight medical emergencies on domestic routes within a 24-hour span. The first incident involved an Airbus A320 flying from Sevilla to Lanzarote, where a passenger received medical attention from onboard health professionals. Air traffic controllers expedited the route and landing. Shortly after, another A320 from Barcelona to Santiago declared an emergency due to a passenger's potential heart attack, triggering a similar response.