Air Malta has launched its second ‘lifeline schedule’, following the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic all over Europe. The schedule, intended to ensure essential passenger and cargo connectivity to and from the Maltese Islands to key airports, will commence on Wednesday 27th January.
For now, the lifeline schedule is being introduced until the end of February, however, following evaluations in the coming weeks on developments throughout Europe, Air Malta will consider whether to extend it further.
The National Airline has been at the forefront in efforts to ensure essential passenger connectivity to selected major European cities as well as a continuous connectivity for cargo, mail and essential medical supplies including the COVID-19 vaccine and other resources that are critical to the Islands’ supply chain. It is intended to guarantee peace of mind and stability for the Islands during these uncertain and testing times.
Air Malta will be operating 19 weekly return flights to eight destinations: Amsterdam, Brussels, Catania, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Rome and Zurich with the below schedule:
The Airline will continue making changes to its flight schedule to maximize capacity whilst ensuring connectivity.
Vic Scheibert (l), President of Alaska Operations, Trident Seafoods, and Joe Bundrant, CEO, Trident holding up the first Copper River salmon.
Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Copper River Marketing Association and Tom Douglas partner to salute local medical professionals
Alaska Airlines Captain Brent Carricaburu presenting the first Copper River salmon, which weighed in at 33 pounds.
More than 200 health care workers at Swedish Medical Center – Ballard will be among the first to enjoy the season’s first catch of prized Copper River salmon. Alaska Air Cargo this morning delivered the first catch of fresh, sustainable Copper River salmon to Seattle, which will be delivered to grocery stores across the country.
Helping fishing communities, fisheries and processors like Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Cooper River Seafoods get the coveted salmon to market, often in less than 24 hours from being pulled from the water, is Alaska Air Cargo’s specialty. The airline plays a critical role in the economic vitality of Cordova, Alaska, where more than 50 percent of residents work in the fishing industry.
“Alaska Air Cargo has long been a partner of the Alaska seafood industry,” said Torque Zubeck, managing director of cargo for Alaska Airlines. “Now more than ever, we provide a critical service that directly impacts the economic vitality of the region. In Cordova alone, more than half of residents are directly involved in the fishing industry or related business.”
As a thank you for their efforts on the frontlines of the battle against coronavirus, Alaska Airlines, Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Copper River Seafoods, Copper River Marketing Association and famed Seattle chef Tom Douglas are partnering to provide a delicious meal to health care heroes, and feed the community, while raising money for Food Lifeline.
“I love everything about Copper River salmon,” said chef Tom Douglas. “I love the richness of its delicate flesh and flavor. It’s very short season makes it a true delicacy. I am glad we get to share it with our health care workers and the Greater Seattlecommunity.”
Alaska Air Cargo employees begin to unload 9,000 pounds of Copper River salmon, part of the first shipment to arrive in Seattle.
Douglas will feature salmon donated by the seafood processors and the Copper River Marketing Association to prepare over 200 meals for Swedish Hospital medical professionals working on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Pilots, flight attendants and management employees from Alaska will be on hand Saturday to deliver the meals and thank workers for their efforts.
“We’re thankful for Alaska Airlines, Copper River Marketing Association, Trident, Ocean Beauty, Copper River Seafoods and especially Tom Douglas for providing our heroic health care workers at Swedish Ballard with the meal today,” said Swedish Ballard Chief Operating Officer Kasia Konieczny. “While this pandemic has been difficult for us all, it is great to see the community coming together, like these partners, to provide for one another.”
On Sunday, May 17, fish lovers are invited to partake in the festivities, while social distancing, of course. For a limited time and while supplies last, Trident and Douglas will be “Grilling for Good.” He and his Serious TakeOut team will prepare grilled Copper River sockeye salmon entrees available for purchase through the Tom Douglas website, with all proceeds donated to Food Lifeline.
Alaska Air Cargo transports more than 30+ million pounds of cargo annually—including seafood, mail and freight —and operates the most extensive air cargo operation on the U.S. West Coast of any passenger airline.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 115 destinations across the United States and North America, providing essential air service for our guests along with moving crucial cargo shipments, such as food, medicine, mail and e-commerce deliveries. With hubs in Seattle; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Anchorage, Alaska, the airline is known for low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability efforts. With Alaska and its Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 800 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
Vic Scheibert (l), President of Alaska Operations, Trident Seafoods, and Joe Bundrant, CEO, Trident holding up the first Copper River salmon.
MILAN, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Alitalia is set to win a temporary lifeline on Tuesday, when its latest rescue deadline expires, with toll road operator Atlantia expected to give a conditional green light to hundreds of millions of euros of investment, according to two people close to the situation.
The future of the troubled Italian carrier remains in doubt with no binding offer and no clear business plan in sight but it should avoid an immediate liquidation after the expiry of the Oct. 15 deadline set by the industry ministry.
Atlantia, which is controlled by Benetton family, has been in talks since July over taking part in a government-orchestrated rescue of the airline, together with railway group Ferrovie dello Stato, the treasury and Delta Air Lines.
“Atlantia is expected to give its commitment to invest in Alitalia subject to several conditions,” one of the sources said. But issues that still cause concern range from potential antitrust problems, treatment of state aid under European Union rules, the cost of possible redundancies and the future of the carrier’s long-haul routes, the source said.
Oct. 15 is the latest in a series of deadlines set for Ferrovie and potential partners in a rescue for Alitalia, which has been under special administrators since May 2017 and needs new funds to continue flying.
The board of Atlantia, which runs Rome’s airports through its Aeroporti di Roma unit, is expected to approve a preliminary commitment to the Alitalia rescue on Tuesday, the sources said.
The rescue plans include potential investment of a total of around 1 billion euros in the carrier, which has cut costs under the special administrators but still burns cash and had only 310 million euros left at the end of September.
Atlantia is expected to invest some 300 million euros, depending on commitments from other partners.
A second source said more time was needed to iron out a complete business plan for Alitalia. Possible involvement by Delta Air Lines or Germany’s Lufthansa AG is still under discussion.
A third source said Atlantia, Ferrovie and other potential partners were under pressure from Italy’s Industry Ministry to present a binding bid and take control of the carrier which in the past two years has already received 900 million euros from the state to stay afloat.
Atlantia’s participation in the rescue was put in doubt this month when it wrote to the Industry ministry, urging a radical overhaul of the Alitalia plan if talks were to go ahead.
(Reporting by Francesca Landini, Stefano Bernabei, Giuseppe Fonte. Editing by Jane Merriman)
An Alitalia Airbus A320 takes off on September 26, 2017 from Toulouse-Blagnac airport in southwestern France. / AFP PHOTO / PASCAL PAVANI
PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai’s Emirates is exploring switching some orders for the world’s largest jetliner, the Airbus A380, to the smaller A350 in a move raising new doubts about the future of Europe’s superjumbo, people familiar with the matter said.
The Gulf carrier, which has invested tens of billions of dollars in more than 100 A380s, has been struggling to finalise a deal to buy another 36 to keep assembly lines open, due to differences with engine maker Rolls-Royce.
Now, Airbus is looking closely at closing A380 factories sooner than expected as part of a reshuffle of orders, with Chief Executive Tom Enders unlikely to leave the situation unresolved when his mandate ends in April, they said.
A person familiar with the matter said Airbus was looking “extremely seriously” at setting the timetable for a shutdown but said no decision had been taken.
Airbus said in a statement after Reuters first published news of the talks that it “confirms it is in discussions with Emirates airline in relation to its A380 contract”. But it said details of negotiations were confidential.
Emirates and Rolls-Royce declined to comment.
Emirates announced the deal for up to 36 aircraft worth as much as $16 billion (£12 billion) at list prices a year ago, throwing a lifeline to the programme’s roughly 3,000 workers and securing its future for at least another decade.
The airline is an ardent supporter of the jet, which was designed with luxury features like bars and showers.
But sales of four-engined planes are tumbling as many airlines switch to smaller twin-engined jets like the A350 and Boeing 777 due to improvements in range and efficiency.
A year-long impasse between Emirates and Rolls-Royce over shortfalls in fuel savings has so far blocked the order.
Airbus is trying to broker a complex workaround which could see Emirates take smaller jets also powered by Rolls-Royce while it tries to secure homes for as many A380s as possible, with British Airways recently expressing interest.
Airbus has dangled the prospect of closing A380 production before, and industry sources say such manoeuvres can be a negotiating tactic to force the feuding parties to agree.
But time is running out for the A380 with few airlines willing to spend the sums invested by Emirates, which has made it a backbone of its global network alongside the Boeing 777.
The production line is “untenable”, a senior industry source said
A decision by Emirates to order the A350 would offer a respite for Airbus and its main engine partner Rolls-Royce after the Gulf carrier axed an order for the A380 in 2014.
Airbus and Rolls are keen to maintain a foothold with the Gulf carrier and prevent Boeing filling the gap with more of its General Electric-powered 777s.
(Reporting by Tim Hepher and Alexander Cornwell; Editing by Michel Rose and Edmund Blair)
