FAA bans US civilian flights over Iraq

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned all US civilian flights over Iraq on Friday (Aug 8), just hours after air strikes ordered by Washington on Islamist fighters.

In a Notice to Airmen, the FAA cited the "potentially hazardous situation created by the armed conflict" between Islamic State militants and Iraqi security forces and their allies as the reason for the indefinite ban. The ban extends to "all US air carriers and commercial operators," as well as US-licensed pilots unless they are flying aircraft registered in the United States for a foreign operator.

Northern and eastern Iraq lie on the flight path for several non-American long-haul carriers operating between Europe, the Middle East and Asia, according to online flight tracking services.

Concern about civilian flights over conflict zones soared after the July 17 downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur above an area of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatist rebels.

Turkish Airlines, one of the key foreign carriers flying to Iraq, said it had halted flights to the main city of Iraq's Kurdish region for security reasons amid the Islamist offensive.

"Our flights to Arbil are being cancelled for security reasons until further notice," the airline said in a statement.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways on Thursday (Aug 7) also announced a suspension of flights to Arbil, while Britain has urged citizens living in parts of Kurdistan to leave.

US warplanes earlier bombed positions held by Islamic State insurgents who have advanced to take swathes of northern Iraq.

Last month, the FAA prohibited US airlines from overflying eastern Ukraine in the wake of the Malaysian Airlines tragedy. It also briefly barred them from Tel Aviv after a Hamas rocket fell near the Israeli city's Ben Gurion airport in the midst of the Gaza crisis.

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Turkish Airlines to purchase up to 117 Airbus jets

Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines said on Friday it would buy up to 117 planes from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, with deliveries scheduled between 2015 and 2020.

"The airline's board of directors announced 117 air planes will be joined to the existing fleet," the airline said in a statement announcing the deal estimated to be worth $9.3 billion at catalogue prices.

The order centres on Airbus' A320 medium-haul family and includes firm orders for 82 planes and an option for 35 additional planes. The plane maker said engine selection would be made at a later date.

Most of the orders are for more fuel efficient planes in the A320 stable including the bestselling A320neo which is due for delivery in late 2015.

"The A320 Family with its economic benefits combined with superior cabin comfort will greatly contribute to meet our ambitious growth plans," said Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief Marketing Officer at Turkish Airlines.

The purchase was smaller than a much rumoured order for 150 planes and hinted at by France's trade minister during a visit to Turkey in January.

Unlike other ailing carriers in Europe, Turkish Airlines is in an aggressive push to become a global airline player, putting itself in direct competition with Middle Eastern rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways.

In December, the airline passed orders for 15 long-haul A330 planes from Airbus and 15 777-300ER from Boeing. In February the airline followed up with a firm order for two more A330-300s.

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Cutting down on fuel bill I reckon, with the A320 leaner and meaner. If they're able to keep their fares competitive against the low cost carriers, it is going to be quite a competition.

Turkish Airlines Ad

Cute eh? Turkish Airlines loves using sports stars as an attraction in their advertisement. Previously they even used the whole team of Manchester United to shoot the ad. Thumbs up!!

Air Canada to introduce service next summer to Istanbul and upgrade to Asia

Air Canada is introducing direct service next summer to Istanbul, Turkey and will use two new Boeing 777 aircraft to expand its reach into the lucrative Asia-Pacific market.

Year-round service to Istanbul three times a week from Toronto will begin June 4 and serve as a gateway to Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa with alliance partner Turkish Airlines.

"Istanbul and Turkey is growing incredibly fast. The traffic that we have been carrying to date via our European partners we feel warrants now a non-stop service," chief commercial officer Ben Smith said in an interview.

Air Canada will also add a fifth destination in Asia from Toronto by launching non-stop, three-times-a-week service to Seoul. The flights will complement existing service from Vancouver and provide daily departures from Canada to the South Korean capital.

Three more weekly departures between Toronto and Beijing will begin June 1, bringing the total to 10 a week. Vancouver will offer 11 weekly departures with the addition of four additional flights, including a new late night flight.

Service from Calgary to Tokyo Narita will be upgraded to daily flights on Boeing 767 planes with the addition of two flights a week starting May 1.

"We're now up to 12 times a day with these new routes to Asia-Pacific out of Canada and we expect with the (Boeing) 787s starting in 2014 to grow that even further," Smith said.

"So obviously we're going to deploy our aircraft with the most profitable opportunities that are out there and we feel that's what we're seeing in Asia."

The expanded service will appeal to leisure travellers, but the airline is focused on enhancing its Toronto hub for use by business travellers originating from the eastern United States and Canada.

The Montreal-based airline released part of its summer schedule on Thursday but hasn't yet disclosed the destinations for its new low-cost service.

The unnamed discount carrier will focus on leisure destinations in the United States and Caribbean and some routes in Europe. It will begin operations with two Boeing 767-300ER and two Airbus A319 aircraft that will be released from Air Canada's mainline fleet.

Additional planes will be added as Air Canada starts to take delivery of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft in 2014, ramping up to 50 planes.

Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline and the 15th largest airline in the world, serving more than 33 million passengers last year.

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Exciting times ahead for Air Canada as they recognise the fact that Asia's demand for air travel is far stronger than North America. Indeed, there isn't much flights which connect Asia or Singapore to Canada. I for one would love it if there's a reputable airline doing such a route. 

It's baffling as to why Singapore Airlines doesn't do it.