Pan Am plane lands in Lisbon on luxury flight for aviation nostalgics
If you saw a Pan Am aeroplane in the skies over Lisbon this week, you weren't seeing a ghost. A special commemorative Pan Am flight passed over the Portuguese capital on Thursday.
The plane, which was flying the Tracing the Transatlantic route, landed yesterday evening at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport, where it will remain until Saturday.
This flight attempts to recreate the company's historic routes. It left New York on Tuesday, then passed through Bermuda before arriving in Lisbon.
Also on the itinerary are the cities of Marseille in France, London in the United Kingdom and Foynes in Ireland. Its return to New York is scheduled for 28 June.
In the Portuguese capital, passengers stayed at the Ritz Hotel and experienced an evening of fado music.
This is a dream trip for those nostalgic for the golden days of transatlantic aviation. The 50 or so passengers are travelling in business class, eating chef-cooked meals and drinking at an open bar, just like in the old days.
All, of course, served by stewardesses in the company's iconic blue uniform.
The price of the tickets also predates the era of low-cost aviation, around €52,000 per person. Even so, those responsible for organising the nostalgia trip say they weren't difficult to sell.
Pan American World Airways used to be the largest US airline operating international flights, but went bankrupt in 1991.
Then, last year, businessman Craig Carter and other investors bought the brand. For now, they're reviving it by selling merchandise and luxury travel experiences like this one.
For this first trip, they used an Icelandair aeroplane, which was suitably adapted, and also the company's crew.
Air India is facing disruptions following last week's fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have led to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety.
India's aviation safety regulator ordered deeper checks on Boeing 787 aircraft operated by the airline soon after its London-bound flight crashed during take-off in Ahmedabad city on 12 June, killing at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew.
The precautionary inspections, as well as the closure of airspace in some Middle Eastern countries, have strained Air India operations across domestic and international routes.
Since the crash, Air India has cancelled operations for 83 wide-body flights, including 66 Dreamliners, according to data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's aviation safety regulator.
In a statement late Wednesday, Air India said wide-body aircraft service would remain curtailed by 15 per cent until mid-July because of the unfolding conflict in the Middle East and the additional inspections.
The airline said it would inform affected passengers and try to accommodate them with alternate flights. The 'curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary,' the airline said.
The airline is performing an even greater number of checks than required, which has had a cascading impact on operations, a company executive familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak to the media.
The airline said in its statement that it has decided to also inspect all of its Boeing 777 aeroplanes in its fleet, even though that model wasn't involved in the crash.
The cuts in the flight schedule will allow Air India to keep more planes in reserve to deal with any unplanned disruptions.
The company on Tuesday announced the cancellation of multiple flights, including one from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. Another flight from Delhi to Paris was cancelled when a mandatory pre-flight check raised an issue, the airline said in a statement. The issue was not identified.
In a statement Tuesday, the aviation directorate said surveillance conducted on Air India's Dreamliner fleet so far has found no 'major safety concerns.'
The aircraft and their associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards, the directorate said, adding that of the 33 planes, 24 have completed the inspections, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon.
The regulator advised the airline to 'strictly adhere to regulations," and asked it to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations and ground handling units and ensure adequate availability of spares to mitigate flight delays.
Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing.
Some aviation experts see the crash as a temporary setback for Air India as it transforms from a financially troubled state-owned carrier to a privately owned company with ambitions for broad expansion.
'If you ask me whether the accident will derail the ambitious growth plans, no way. There can be no looking back,' said Jitender Bhargava, a former Air India executive director.
The company has already placed huge orders for new aircraft. Its present challenge is to boost the morale of employees and passengers through confidence-building measures, Bhargava said.
'The faster you make people forget this one-off accident, the better it is,' Bhargava said.
Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled national carrier to private ownership after decades of government control. The $2.4 billion (€2 billion) deal was seen as the government's effort to sell off loss-making, state-run businesses. It was also in some ways a homecoming for Air India, which was launched by the Tata family in 1932.
Since the takeover, Air India has ordered hundreds of new planes worth over $70 billion (€61 billion), redesigned its branding and livery and absorbed smaller airlines Tata held stakes in.
The company has additionally committed millions of dollars to digital overhauls of aircraft and refurbishing the interiors of more than five dozen legacy planes.
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Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
Pan Am plane lands in Lisbon on luxury flight for aviation nostalgics
If you saw a Pan Am aeroplane in the skies over Lisbon this week, you weren't seeing a ghost. A special commemorative Pan Am flight passed over the Portuguese capital on Thursday. The plane, which was flying the Tracing the Transatlantic route, landed yesterday evening at Lisbon's Humberto Delgado Airport, where it will remain until Saturday. This flight attempts to recreate the company's historic routes. It left New York on Tuesday, then passed through Bermuda before arriving in Lisbon. Also on the itinerary are the cities of Marseille in France, London in the United Kingdom and Foynes in Ireland. Its return to New York is scheduled for 28 June. In the Portuguese capital, passengers stayed at the Ritz Hotel and experienced an evening of fado music. This is a dream trip for those nostalgic for the golden days of transatlantic aviation. The 50 or so passengers are travelling in business class, eating chef-cooked meals and drinking at an open bar, just like in the old days. All, of course, served by stewardesses in the company's iconic blue uniform. The price of the tickets also predates the era of low-cost aviation, around €52,000 per person. Even so, those responsible for organising the nostalgia trip say they weren't difficult to sell. Pan American World Airways used to be the largest US airline operating international flights, but went bankrupt in 1991. Then, last year, businessman Craig Carter and other investors bought the brand. For now, they're reviving it by selling merchandise and luxury travel experiences like this one. For this first trip, they used an Icelandair aeroplane, which was suitably adapted, and also the company's crew. Air India is facing disruptions following last week's fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have led to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety. India's aviation safety regulator ordered deeper checks on Boeing 787 aircraft operated by the airline soon after its London-bound flight crashed during take-off in Ahmedabad city on 12 June, killing at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The precautionary inspections, as well as the closure of airspace in some Middle Eastern countries, have strained Air India operations across domestic and international routes. Since the crash, Air India has cancelled operations for 83 wide-body flights, including 66 Dreamliners, according to data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's aviation safety regulator. In a statement late Wednesday, Air India said wide-body aircraft service would remain curtailed by 15 per cent until mid-July because of the unfolding conflict in the Middle East and the additional inspections. The airline said it would inform affected passengers and try to accommodate them with alternate flights. The 'curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary,' the airline said. The airline is performing an even greater number of checks than required, which has had a cascading impact on operations, a company executive familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak to the media. The airline said in its statement that it has decided to also inspect all of its Boeing 777 aeroplanes in its fleet, even though that model wasn't involved in the crash. The cuts in the flight schedule will allow Air India to keep more planes in reserve to deal with any unplanned disruptions. The company on Tuesday announced the cancellation of multiple flights, including one from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. Another flight from Delhi to Paris was cancelled when a mandatory pre-flight check raised an issue, the airline said in a statement. The issue was not identified. In a statement Tuesday, the aviation directorate said surveillance conducted on Air India's Dreamliner fleet so far has found no 'major safety concerns.' The aircraft and their associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards, the directorate said, adding that of the 33 planes, 24 have completed the inspections, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon. The regulator advised the airline to 'strictly adhere to regulations," and asked it to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations and ground handling units and ensure adequate availability of spares to mitigate flight delays. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. Some aviation experts see the crash as a temporary setback for Air India as it transforms from a financially troubled state-owned carrier to a privately owned company with ambitions for broad expansion. 'If you ask me whether the accident will derail the ambitious growth plans, no way. There can be no looking back,' said Jitender Bhargava, a former Air India executive director. The company has already placed huge orders for new aircraft. Its present challenge is to boost the morale of employees and passengers through confidence-building measures, Bhargava said. 'The faster you make people forget this one-off accident, the better it is,' Bhargava said. Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled national carrier to private ownership after decades of government control. The $2.4 billion (€2 billion) deal was seen as the government's effort to sell off loss-making, state-run businesses. It was also in some ways a homecoming for Air India, which was launched by the Tata family in 1932. Since the takeover, Air India has ordered hundreds of new planes worth over $70 billion (€61 billion), redesigned its branding and livery and absorbed smaller airlines Tata held stakes in. The company has additionally committed millions of dollars to digital overhauls of aircraft and refurbishing the interiors of more than five dozen legacy planes.
Euronews
2 days ago
- Euronews
Passengers face disruption as Air India inspects aircraft after crash
Air India is facing disruptions following last week's fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet have led to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety. India's aviation safety regulator ordered deeper checks on Boeing 787 aircraft operated by the airline soon after its London-bound flight crashed during take-off in Ahmedabad city on 12 June, killing at least 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew. The precautionary inspections, as well as the closure of airspace in some Middle Eastern countries, have strained Air India operations across domestic and international routes. Since the crash, Air India has cancelled operations for 83 wide-body flights, including 66 Dreamliners, according to data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's aviation safety regulator. In a statement late Wednesday, Air India said wide-body aircraft service would remain curtailed by 15 per cent until mid-July because of the unfolding conflict in the Middle East and the additional inspections. The airline said it would inform affected passengers and try to accommodate them with alternate flights. The 'curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary,' the airline said. The airline is performing an even greater number of checks than required, which has had a cascading impact on operations, a company executive familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorised to speak to the media. The airline said in its statement that it has decided to also inspect all of its Boeing 777 aeroplanes in its fleet, even though that model wasn't involved in the crash. The cuts in the flight schedule will allow Air India to keep more planes in reserve to deal with any unplanned disruptions. The company on Tuesday announced the cancellation of multiple flights, including one from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick. Another flight from Delhi to Paris was cancelled when a mandatory pre-flight check raised an issue, the airline said in a statement. The issue was not identified. In a statement Tuesday, the aviation directorate said surveillance conducted on Air India's Dreamliner fleet so far has found no 'major safety concerns.' The aircraft and their associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards, the directorate said, adding that of the 33 planes, 24 have completed the inspections, while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon. The regulator advised the airline to 'strictly adhere to regulations," and asked it to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations and ground handling units and ensure adequate availability of spares to mitigate flight delays. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the US and officials from Boeing. Some aviation experts see the crash as a temporary setback for Air India as it transforms from a financially troubled state-owned carrier to a privately owned company with ambitions for broad expansion. 'If you ask me whether the accident will derail the ambitious growth plans, no way. There can be no looking back,' said Jitender Bhargava, a former Air India executive director. The company has already placed huge orders for new aircraft. Its present challenge is to boost the morale of employees and passengers through confidence-building measures, Bhargava said. 'The faster you make people forget this one-off accident, the better it is,' Bhargava said. Indian conglomerate Tata Sons took over Air India in 2022, returning the debt-saddled national carrier to private ownership after decades of government control. The $2.4 billion (€2 billion) deal was seen as the government's effort to sell off loss-making, state-run businesses. It was also in some ways a homecoming for Air India, which was launched by the Tata family in 1932. Since the takeover, Air India has ordered hundreds of new planes worth over $70 billion (€61 billion), redesigned its branding and livery and absorbed smaller airlines Tata held stakes in. The company has additionally committed millions of dollars to digital overhauls of aircraft and refurbishing the interiors of more than five dozen legacy planes. Flights were cancelled in Indonesia earlier this week after a volcano erupted, releasing a massive cloud of ash. All flights to and from the resort island of Bali have now resumed following the disruption. An eruption from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on Tuesday afternoon sent a thick grey plume up 11km into the sky, creating a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as far as 150 kilometres away. Several more eruptions on Tuesday evening sent ash up 5km into the sky. It erupted again on Wednesday morning, belching a 1km high ash cloud, according to Indonesia's volcanology institute, which has raised the alert to the highest level. The danger zone where people are recommended to leave has been expanded to 8 kilometres from the crater. But, ash and debris fell in a number of places outside of the danger zone, including the villages of Boru, Hewa and Watobuku. Some residents from Nurabelen village in Ile Bura subdistrict fled to evacuation sites in Konga to avoid the impact of the eruption, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement. The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki led to a number of cancellations and delays on Wednesday. A total of 87 flights to and from Bali were affected on 18 June, according to the airport operator. That included 66 international flights connecting the resort island to Australia, Singapore and Vietnam and 21 domestic flights. By Thursday morning, the ash cloud had cleared and all flights from Bali to locations in Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and China, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi were operating on schedule. Arrivals and departures from airlines including Qantas, JetStar, Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia now appear to be running smoothly. Two airports in the East Nusa Tenggara province also reopened on Thursday after being closed due to the eruption. The closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere has been extended until Friday as authorities are still concerned about some volcanic ash in the air posing a risk to aircraft, the airport's operator said in a post on social media. Volcanic ash clouds pose a risk to planes because they can cause severe damage to aircraft engines and affect flight controls. When ash enters a plane engine, the glass inside it melts, which then sticks to various other engine parts. Sensors can fail, and the ash can block the thousands of tiny holes that direct air through the turbine blades to keep the engine cool. Flying through an ash cloud is also a bit like sandblasting the outside of the plane and can reduce visibility for pilots by damaging the glass in the cockpit. There are around 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The archipelago sits between the most seismically active region of the world, the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the Alpide Belt, an area where there are a large number of eruptions and earthquakes. Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki last erupted in May and also in March. Indonesia's volcanology agency says it has erupted a total of 427 times this year. Though people who live close to the volcano have learned to live with it, seismic activity can still be very dangerous. An eruption last November killed nine people and injured dozens more.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Swiss central bank cuts interest rates to zero percent
The SNB, however, held off a decision to return to its era of negative rates -- a policy that helped to curb the Swiss franc's rise but was unpopular among pension funds and other investors. The franc's movement is also under scrutiny in the United States, as the US Treasury Department added Switzerland to its watch list of countries likely to manipulate their currencies earlier this month. The SNB says its interventions in the foreign exchange market aim to ensure price stability, not unduly increase the Swiss economy's competitiveness. The Swiss currency is a safe haven investment that has climbed against the dollar since US President Donald Trump launched his tariff blitz in April. In Thursday's statement, the SNB -- which has denied manipulating the franc -- said it "remains willing to be active in the foreign exchange market as necessary". The SNB cited easing inflationary pressure in its decision to cut rates by a quarter point, but it also pointed to a gloomy economic forecast. "The global economic outlook for the coming quarters has deteriorated due to the increase in trade tensions," the central bank said, adding that the outlook for Switzerland remained uncertain. "Developments abroad continue to represent the main risk," it said, expecting growth in the global economy to weaken over the coming quarters. Cooling inflation The SNB said Swiss gross domestic product growth was strong in the first quarter of the year -- largely due to exports to the United States being brought forward ahead of Trump's tariff manoeuvres. But stripping that factor out, growth was more moderate, and is likely to slow again and remain subdued for the rest of the year, the SNB said. The SNB expects GDP growth of one percent to 1.5 percent for 2025, and for 2026 too. It said Swiss unemployment was likely to continue to rise slightly. The bank lowered its inflation forecast for 2025 from 0.4 percent to 0.2 percent, and for 2026 from 0.8 percent to 0.5 percent. The consumer price index even fell into negative territory in May, at minus 0.1 percent. Negative rates Between 2015 and 2022, the SNB's monetary policy was based on a negative interest rate of minus 0.75 percent -- which increased the cost of deposits held by banks and financial institutions relative to the amounts they were required to entrust to the central bank. Those seven years left a bitter memory for major savers, who bore the brunt in fees, while pension funds were forced into riskier investments. Negative rates make the Swiss franc less attractive to investors as it reduces returns on investments. Thursday's decision was widely expected by analysts. Adrian Prettejohn, Europe economist at the London-based research group Capital Economics, said the SNB is expected to move rates to negative 0.25 percent at its September meeting due to deflation. "There are also significant downside risks to inflation from trade tensions as well as heightened geopolitical uncertainty, which could push up the value of the franc further," he said. He said the central bank's language on currency interventions "supports our view that the SNB is not planning to use foreign exchange interventions as its main tool for loosening monetary policy anytime soon".
