Hello and welcome to Simple Flying's first 'Sunday Reads' weekly digest for the month of December 2022! The month has kicked off in style, with an array of fascinating aviation new stories emerging from all around the world.
It's Official: Tata Group To Merge Air India With Vistara
The Tata Group and Singapore Airlines have announced the merger of India's two (and only) full-service airlines: Air India and Vistara. Since Tata Sons bought Air India towards the start of the year, there have been questions about the business strategies of all the airlines under its brand. More recently, speculation began to build that Vistara would be merged with Air India, a decision that has now been confirmed by both Singapore Airlines and the Tatas. You can read all about it here.
Red Hot: Aviationtag Launches Skin Tags From DC-10 Aerial Firefighter
Germany-based memorabilia specialists Aviationtag has launched its latest line of aircraft skin tags, with these limited-edition collectible components coming from a McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The trijet in question is known for having served as an aerial firefighter in its latter years, as pictured below in spectacular fashion.
Volaris Flight 1025 Goes Around After Dogs Are Spotted On Runway In Mexico City
Volaris flight Y4 1025 had to do a go-around, failing in its first attempt to land at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU) on Wednesday after the air traffic control tower spotted dogs on the runway. The incident was reported by passengers onboard the aircraft. You can find out more about this unusual occurrence here.
Is Wizz Air Looking To Launch Connecting Flights?
By operating as an ultra-low-cost carrier, Wizz Air generally follows the point-to-point network model for the lowest airfares, meaning connecting flights are not really an option. However, that might change, as the airline has recently launched a trial that allows some passengers to opt for connecting flights, but with a twist.
easyJet Delivers Record-Breaking Q4 Despite Overall Full-Year Loss
This week, British low-cost carrier easyJet released its full-year financial results for the 12-month period that ended on September 30th, 2022. While the Luton-based budget airline made an overall loss in this period, the fourth quarter was a record-breaker for the company, and gives it reasons to be cheerful going forward.
Single Pilot Operations: The Risks and Challenges
We recently heard the news of some regulators coming together to discuss the possibility of removing one of the pilots in the cockpit and heading toward what is called Single Pilot Operations (SPO). This news was not well taken by most in the industry, but is SPO a real possibility? You can find out more in our article here.
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What was your favorite story this week? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comment section!