Divers

✈️ Johannes Klinsmann, former manager of Germania and Air Berlin, launches a new charter airline, Leav. Leav received its certificate and will focus on the holiday market. The company is managed by Daniel Broda, a former Easyjet pilot. Starting with two A320 aircraft, Leav will fly routes to Mallorca, Cos, Rhodes, Crete, and the winter destination Arvidsjaur in Lapland. The main base is Cologne Bonn with a smaller presence in Munich. Leav also offers ACMI services to other airlines and has about forty employees. The airline has three weekly flights scheduled to Mallorca from Cologne in October, with the option for seat reservations, indicating some regular or seat-only sales. The fleet operates on a leasing basis.

🚂 Iryo will start a new Barcelona-Málaga route on December 15, with two daily frequencies and 336,530 annual seats available. The journey, stopping in Zaragoza, Madrid, and Córdoba, takes approximately 5 hours and 50 minutes. Departures are at 11:50 from Barcelona, arriving at 17:42 in Málaga, and vice versa at 11:35. Iryo also launched advanced ticket sales for 2025, making 70% of next year's tickets available now.

✈ On Saturday, Cathay Pacific's 18 A350s in Hong Kong will fly unrestricted after changing a piece in Rolls Royce engines. EASA ordered all A350s in Europe to inspect and replace this part to prevent fire risks. The issue arose last Monday when a flight from Hong Kong to Switzerland had to return, affecting 88 aircraft worldwide, with British Airways as the main European user. Singapore Airlines is also inspecting its 64 A350 900s as a precaution. ????

🛰 A Vueling Airbus A320 en route to Bilbao from Palma de Mallorca Airport diverted to Barcelona due to a "strong burnt smell." Air traffic controllers provided continuous descent and space for fuel dumping over the Mediterranean. The plane landed without incident on runway 06L at El Prat, causing delays for other aircraft.

🚀 Flight CX383 from Cathay Pacific, en route from Hong Kong to Zurich, encountered engine issues shortly after an on-time departure and returned to land safely 75 minutes later. Cathay Pacific grounded all 18 of its A350-1000 model planes, utilizing the XWB97 engine, after identifying a faulty engine part. Subsequently, Rolls Royce's stock value plunged by 6.5%. Three aircraft have had the defective valve replaced, with the full fleet expected to return to service shortly. Worldwide, 88 planes use the XWB97 engine. Qatar operates 24, followed by British Airways with 18. Cathay Pacific canceled 34 flights due to the grounding but is now resuming normal operations.

🛫 Norse Atlantic, successor to Norwegian, faces increasing losses, downsizing its fleet to 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and returning three to lessors. Despite a positive Ebitdar of €3 million in April-June, the airline reported a €24 million loss for the semester. Bjorn Tore Larsen aims to optimize by entering GDS in 2024 and offering the market's lowest prices on their website. Norse is also considering ACMI service contracts with other airlines amidst fierce North Atlantic competition.

🏆 Pablo Motos launched the 19th season of 'El hormiguero' on Antena 3, featuring Rafa Nadal who promoted his hotel brand 'Zel' partnered with Meliá, achieving a 21% audience share and nearly 2.4 million viewers. The show peaked at over 5.1 million unique viewers, outperforming Telecinco's 'Babylon Show' with 699,000 viewers and a 6.1% share. Nadal emphasized the Mediterranean essence of his hotels, with locations in Mallorca and Costa Brava, co-led with Gabriel Escarrer.

✈ Air Europa's cabin crew, represented by USO union, express dissatisfaction over management's inaction concerning "onboard heat protocols." USO claims crew face high temperatures during boarding, leading to fatigue and potentially unruly passengers. USO conducted temperature measurements on July 24 and August 15, revealing notable results. The union has been seeking action from Air Europa's management since April, advocating for changes in both personal (uniform) and technical aspects.

🚨 Hackers rusos han perpetrado ciberataques contra las torres de control de los aeropuertos de Alemania, afectando la "infraestructura informática administrativa" del DFS. BR24 revela que aún se investiga el posible acceso a datos, mencionado por un vocero de la Oficina Federal para la Protección de la Constitución. La Oficina Federal de Seguridad de la Información (BSI) colabora en la indagación, mientras el Ministerio de Transportes asegura que el tráfico aéreo no ha sufrido interrupciones. Estos ataques siguen el patrón de agresiones rusas contra defensores de Ucrania.

✈ Tenerife Norte Airport, mid-August Saturday: fog delays a flight, forcing it to reschedule from Tenerife Sur, but no buses are available for passenger transfer. Both airports halt operations by midnight, resulting in the flight's cancellation. Travellers, unable to find last-minute lodging in La Laguna or Santa Cruz, end up spending the night at the airport. The following day, services resume, and an arriving plane concludes the ordeal. The airline pledges to cover incurred expenses, although travelers express frustration over the mishandling and inconvenience.