Aviation

Austrian Airlines cancelled 150 flights due to internal assembly

Long haul flights to North America are also affected
More than 12,000 passengers have to be rebooked

After the works council board invited the employees, who spontaneously would like to take part in the internal assembly earlier than planned to a so-called “framework program”, starting at 05:30, Austrian Airlines had to cancel a further 80 flights at short notice last night and today. Around 150 out of a total of about 380 flights were cancelled from today’s flight program. That’s about 40 percent of today’s flights. Affected by the cancellations are for example flights between Vienna and Amsterdam, Basel, Bologna, Berlin, Belgrad, Brussels, Bucharest, Cairo, Copenhagen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Graz, Hamburg, Innsbruck, Kiev, Leipzig, London, Lyon, Milan, Minsk, Moskow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Sofia, Stuttgart, Teheran, Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Venice, Zagreb and Zurich. The flights to Washington and Toronto also had to be canceled. The flight to Newark had to be canceled due to weather conditions (blizzard on the east coast).

Austrian Airlines CEO Kay Kratky: ”The short-term expansion of the combat measures clearly indicates that the union’s and the works council’s target is a disruption. It is incomprehensible and absolutely unacceptable to us that higher salary demands are carried out on the backs of our customers while competition is intensifying as well. In total, today more than 12,000 passengers are affected by the cancellations. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.”

Aviation

China Eastern Receives Its Ninth C919 Aircraft, Marking a New Milestone

China Eastern Airlines (CEA) has reached a significant milestone with the delivery of its ninth COMAC C919 aircraft, continuing its lead as the launch customer for China’s domestic narrow-body airliner.

On Thursday, the airline received the latest addition to its fleet, registered as B-657T, marking another step in China’s ambitious efforts to establish itself as a key player in the global aerospace market.

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This delivery is part of a major achievement for COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China), which has now delivered a total of 10 comac c919 in 2024 alone, a remarkable increase from just three jets delivered by the end of 2023.

The C919 program represents China’s entry into the competitive market for commercial aircraft, aiming to rival the dominance of manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing in the narrow-body sector.

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One standout feature of the c919 is its innovative in-flight technology, particularly its Wi-Fi system. Developed by the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC), this system allows passengers to connect to the “CEAIR-WIFI” wireless hotspot, providing seamless access to in-flight entertainment.

Through the website www.muflyer.com, travelers can enjoy a range of features including “Air Cinema” and “Air Games,” which enhance the flying experience.

Looking ahead, COMAC’s ambitions are not limited to narrow-body aircraft. At the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, c919 aircraft price made waves with the announcement of over 100 new aircraft orders.

A significant highlight was a high-profile agreement with Air China for the development of the C929, a widebody aircraft set to compete c919 vs a320 and c919 vs 737 with these models.