British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) said its first-quarter loss widened as fuel costs crimped margins, European economies slowed and pilots at its Spanish Iberia unit staged strikes. IAG reported a loss of 249 million euros ($321 million), compared with a 102 million-euro shortfall  last year. According to Bloomberg, ‘Analysts had expected a loss of 240 million euros, on average, according to a Bloomberg survey’. Airline-industry profit will probably drop 62 percent [...]

Wales Online reports that 1,000 jobs will be created by Cardiff Aviation. Lead singer with rock band Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, has confirmed a multi-million pound aviation project in South Wales which will create up to 1,000 jobs. Through his company Cardiff Aviation a major commercial airline maintenance repair and overhaul operation at St Athan in the of Vale of Glamorgan is being established. The company finalised the deal on the investment with the Welsh [...]

ABU DHABI-BASED airline Etihad has acquired 2.987 per cent of Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus. The Irish government currently owns 25% of the airline. The Irish Times reports that Aer Lingus last night confirmed it was in discussions with Etihad in relation to reciprocal code-sharing arrangements. The two airlines are also investigating the possibility of joint procurement opportunities. Under stock market rules, Etihad is not required to disclose its shareholding until it has passed the [...]

The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner has touched down in the UK today as the so-called ‘green’ aircraft, which boasts revolutionary jetlag-busting technology, makes a round-the-world tour. Bosses of three major UK airlines are at Heathrow Airport to welcome the ultra-modern plane before taking delivery of their own orders of the finished product over the next few months. The Daily Mail has some great shots of the featured LED lighting and bigger windows, as well as [...]

The owner of British Airways and Iberia, IAG, has completed its takeover of BMI from Lufthansa. The main BMI airline is to be integrated with BA. IAG will not keep the BMI Baby and BMI Regional businesses. BBC reports that ‘IAG is receiving a “significant price reduction” on the agreed £172.5m purchase price for taking the BMI Baby and BMI regional airlines on’. The Guardian reports that ‘Douglas McNeill, analyst at Charles Stanley Securities, said the [...]

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has today announced that it will begin operating a year-round service to Tel Aviv from Manchester this autumn with the inaugural flight taking off on 1 November. Flights on the new route will go on sale from 19 April, with fares starting from £82.99 (one-way, including taxes). The twice-weekly service will provide passengers in the region with flexible and affordable access to the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, as well [...]

Ryanair, Europe’s biggest discount carrier, said it would cut a further eight routes at Edinburgh Airport after failing to reach an agreement on fees with the terminal’s owner BAA. Ryanair will axe flights to destinations including Spain and Germany from October, adding to the five routes that the carrier said in February it would remove from its summer schedule. The cuts will reduce the number of its passengers using Edinburgh by about 500,000 a year — [...]