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Air Transat reaching for new horizon with flights to Africa

Eastern Canada’s Air Transat has big ambitions to expand transatlantic flying with its growing fleet of long-range jets, and Africa is now within reach. 

Chief executive Annick Guerard told reporters on 23 April that the Montreal-headquartered carrier remains on track to  launch its first flights to that continent this summer. Transat plans to operate twice-weekly flights from Montreal to Marrakesh, Morocco starting on 12 June, with a reduced schedule of once weekly flights during winter months. 

“We’re very pleased about the booking so far,” Guerard says. “The response from consumers has been very positive since the day we announced this route… We have spoken about the fact that we want to increase our network in North Africa and potentially other places in Africa.”

“This is definitely a goal and part of our strategy in terms of network development,” she adds. 

Source: Liner/Shutterstock.com

Air Transat has long-term plans for expanded flying to Africa from its position in Eastern Canada 

However, Transat’s planned Africa expansion is being hindered by the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF) engine issues that have been affecting A320neo-family aircraft operators globally, from Air Baltic   to JetBlue to  Volaris . “Our development will not go as fast as planned, considering the challenges we’re facing with Pratt & Whitney engines at this point,” Guerard says. 

P&W has recalled more than 1,000 PW1000G-family engines, requiring airlines ground jets so the engines can be taken off-wing to address a defective disc issue it flagged last year. The repair process can last hundreds of days. Parent company RTX estimates that the number of jets grounded by the potential manufacturing defect has peaked . It  remains unclear exactly how many aircraft are currently out of service for inspections, but Cirium data and analysts suggest the figure is greater than 500.

During Air Transat’s annual call with investors on 23 April, an English-speaking translator for Guerard elaborated on the carrier’s engine troubles. 

”It’s not a security problem, but these problems mean the engines need to be returned to the manufacturer more frequently,” she says. “There is a bottleneck of Pratt & Whitney engines from different airlines that is accumulating… There is an impact on costs because we have to lease planes in the short-term market, which is saturated because of this situation.”

During the company’s 14 March earnings call, Transat disclosed plans to   temporarily lease three Airbus A330s to help it cover Canada’s upcoming summer travel season. Lack of available aircraft is holding back the carrier’s revenue-generating potential as it seeks sustained profitability, and Transat is negotiating ”compensation for these losses”, Guerard says. 

P&W has reportedly reached compensation agreements with nine GTF customers, including an $150-$200 million settlement with   Spirit Airlines .  

Cirium fleets data show that three of Transat’s PW1100G-powered A321LRs are listed as in storage, which does not necessarily mean they are parked for engine repairs. It currently has 12 of the type in service. 

Looking further ahead, the carrier’s long-haul network will get a boost when it starts taking delivery of the four Airbus A321XLRs it placed on long-term lease orders in September 2022. The extra-long range variant of the A321neo has range of 4,700nm (8,700km), according to Airbus. 

Source: Airbus

Air Transat is waiting on the Airbus A321XLR to be certificated  

Transat now expects the first of those jets to arrive in early 2026, Guerard says. “I think the whole industry is anticipating not to have deliveries of the XLR in 2025 [due to] several delays that are happening on the Airbus side.” 

Guerard says her team is not concerned about operating GTF-powered aircraft in Africa’s hot and dusty climate – conditions that have reportedly posed problems for next-generation engines. 

PARTNERING WITH PORTER 

Starting in June, Air Transat plans to launch the first phase of its joint venture with fellow Canadian carrier Porter Airlines , which is based in Toronto. 

The airlines intend to coordinate flight schedules and routes in an effort to expand their respective networks and do what many other airlines have attempted unsuccessfully – compete with Air Canada and WestJet . 

“The coordination is going to take effect during the summer, basically connecting the domestic and transborder network of Porter with our European network,” she says. “Making sure there is a flow of passengers between those three networks is the first phase.”

Transat, which operates an outsized international network, has long sought an effective means to feed passengers from within Canada and the USA to its international flights.

The airlines will take another step in the fall, when they plan to start coordinating their respective networks in the USA. Air Transat and Porter have potential to become “extremely competitive against Air Canada”, Guerard says, but it will take 18-24 months of feeding one another’s networks to see the full benefits of the partnership. 

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May 16, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news

By Tara Subramaniam , Christian Edwards, Aditi Sangal , Adrienne Vogt and Tori B. Powell , CNN

Kyiv hit by "exceptional" air raid, Ukrainian military official says

From CNN's Josh Pennington

Kyiv was hit by an “exceptional” dense attack early Tuesday, a senior Ukrainian military official said in a Telegram post.

“This time, the enemy launched a complex assault from multiple directions simultaneously, using UAVs, cruise missiles and probably ballistic missiles. This attack was exceptional in its density, with the maximum number of attacking missiles in the shortest time possible,” said Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city military administration. 

Popko added that “the vast majority of enemy targets in Kyiv's airspace were detected and destroyed.”

This marked the eighth attack on Kyiv since the beginning of May, Popko said.

Popko noted that falling debris was reported in Kyiv’s Solomyanskyi, Shevchenkivskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Obolonskyi and Darnytskyi districts.

The most damage was reported in Solomianskyi, where a non-residential building and several vehicles caught fire, Popko said.

Multiple loud explosions heard in Kyiv, at least 3 people injured

From CNN's Tatiana Arias and Josh Pennington

Civilians in Kyiv were ordered to seek shelter as multiple explosions were heard early Tuesday (local time). 

Air raid sirens went off throughout the city as Ukraine's air defense system was activated to intercept UAVs and other flying objects over several districts, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said via Telegram.

Initial reports indicate at least three people were wounded in the capital's Solomyanskyi district, Klitschko said, adding that falling debris set several cars on fire and damaged a large building.

"There have been explosions in Kyiv. Some have happened in the Solomyanskyi district. And in Shevchenkivskyi, rocket debris fell on the territory of the zoo. All emergency services are enroute," Klitschko said.

CIA launches online campaign to recruit Russian spies

From CNN's Alex Marquardt in Washington

The Central Intelligence Agency has launched a new effort to capitalize on what US intelligence officials believe is an “unprecedented” opportunity to convince Russians disaffected by the  war in Ukraine and life in Russia to share their secrets, posting a slickly produced, cinematic recruitment video online on Monday.

The push includes a new CIA channel on  Telegram , the social media network that is a highly popular source of unfiltered news in Russia. The CIA first posted the video on Telegram, which ends with instructions on how to get in touch with the CIA anonymously and securely. The video is also being posted to its other social media platforms, including YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

CIA officials involved in the project said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a historic opening “to have Russians come to us and deliver information the United States needs.” It also comes after a previous recruitment drive following the launch of the invasion that the officials said has been successful, with “contact coming in.”

The message, one official said, that they hope Russians who work in sensitive fields with access to valuable information now hear is: “We understand you, maybe better than you think.”

“We wanted to convey to Russians in their own language we know what they’re going through,” added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive project.

Read the full story here.

Heavy shelling but little movement on eastern front lines, Ukraine's military says 

From CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Voitovych

There’s been little change on the front lines in Ukraine over the past day, according to the Ukrainian military — but plenty of shelling.

In its daily report, the Ukrainian General Staff said there was heavy fighting around Bakhmut and that Russia had launched “unsuccessful offensive actions” in several locations to the west and southwest of the eastern city.

Russians also targeted other areas on the front lines in Donetsk, including Avdiivka, Mariinka and Vuhledar, with a mix of airstrikes and artillery fire. “There were 37 combat engagements. Bakhmut and Mariinka remain at the epicenter of the fighting,” it said.

“Ukrainian defense forces repelled numerous enemy attacks near the town of Mariinka,” it said. The town is in ruins and almost every civilian has left.

Yuriy Fedorenko, an officer in Ukraine’s 92nd Brigade, posted on Telegram that in Bakhmut Ukrainian defenders had managed not only to stabilize the situation but also to gain an advantage in some areas over the past three days.

The General Staff said the Russians had launched more attacks with S-300 missiles against the town of Kostiantynivka, which lies west of Bakhmut.

Geolocated social media video also shows Russian attacks in the Kharkiv region, where the two sides are separated by the river Oskil in some areas.

The General Staff said that in Russian-occupied areas, civilians were still being pressured to take Russian citizenship.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, it said:

“People who agreed to cooperate with the Russian occupiers have been asked to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship in writing and accept Russian citizenship. Those who refuse are threatened by the invaders with dismissal from their jobs and further persecution.”

It also claimed that security checks on the civilian population had been stepped up in Crimea.

31 US Abrams tanks have arrived in Germany for training of Ukrainian forces, Pentagon says

From CNN's Oren Liebermann

Thirty-one M1 Abrams tanks have arrived in Germany ahead of a training program for Ukrainian forces on the US tanks, the Pentagon said Monday. 

The Ukrainian crews are expected to begin training at Grafenwohr in Germany in the next couple of weeks, Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Monday. The training program is expected to take several months, and the tanks are expected to be sent to Ukraine sometime in the fall. 

The tanks now arriving in Germany are specifically meant for training Ukrainian crews while the tanks that will ultimately be sent to Ukraine are going through refurbishment and preparation for shipment, Ryder said. 

Ukraine says Russian forces are no longer capable of large-scale offensive actions

From CNN's Tim Lister and Kostan Nechyporenko

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said Russian forces are no longer capable of large-scale offensive action and are mainly on the defensive — but Moscow is able to sustain the current rate of missile attacks.

Defense Intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov told Ukrainian television Monday that Russia "is on the defensive" when it comes to discussing "the entire front line" and they are without the resources "to repeat large-scale offensive actions."

"They have been preparing for defense all this time, and this is a serious factor that the Ukrainian command certainly takes into account when preparing for the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories," the official added.

Yusov said the goal of Russian missile strikes have changed and their intensity has lessened since the winter when there were high-volume attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

The Russians had a shortage of some types of missiles, such as the Kalibr, he claimed.

“They are actively looking for ways to compensate for and change not only the Shaheds [Iranian-made attack drones] ...They are looking for weapons all over the world. So far, they have not been very successful," he said.

Despite this, Yusov said the Russians are "capable of sustaining the intensity of attacks,” at least for now. He estimated that they still have large stockpiles of S-300 missiles, which are capable of considerable destruction. The S-300 was designed as an anti-air weapon but the Russians have frequently used it in a ground-to-ground mode, in which it is not very accurate.

Yusov said that on Ukraine’s northern border, the Russians were increasingly using “subversive reconnaissance groups” that were trying to probe border regions. Some had shot at civilians in the northern region of Chernihiv, he alleged.

Belarus leader: The Ukrainian official also claimed that Kyiv was aware of the “health problems” of Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, but said he would not elaborate on the topic "for various reasons." Lukashenko has not been seen in public since a recent visit to Moscow. On Sunday he did not appear at a national celebration in the capital Minsk to mark the annual Day of the State Flag, Emblem, and Anthem of Belarus.

Wagner chief denies report he offered Russian intelligence to Ukraine in exchange for territory

From CNN's Kostan Nechyporenko, Victoria Butenko, Anna Chernova and Sana Noor Haq

Yevgeny Prigozhin  has denied a report that he proposed sharing Russian intelligence with Kyiv in exchange for ceded territory around the besieged city of  Bakhmut  — a denial that came days after the Wagner chief issued a series of criticisms revealing deep fissures within Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

The Washington Post article was based on a trove of highly classified  US intelligence documents  leaked on social media in April, which revealed the degree to which the US has penetrated Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Post reported Sunday that Prigozhin offered to give the Ukrainian military information on Russian troop positions if Kyiv would pull back its forces from the area around Bakhmut, which remains a key battleground in the Kremlin’s attempted advance through eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin made the offer to Ukraine’s military intelligence directorate, known as HUR, in January, the Post alleged. It quoted one leaked document as stating that Prigozhin met HUR officers in an unspecified country in Africa.

But the head of the Russian paramilitary group speculated the story could have been planted by his enemies, according to an audio message posted to his Telegram channel on Monday.

“I can say with confidence, if we’re being serious, that I have not been in Africa at least since the beginning of the conflict, but in fact a few months before the start of the SMO (Special Military Operation),” Prigozhin said, referring to Moscow’s euphemism for the war in Ukraine. “Therefore, I simply could not meet with anyone there physically.”

Read more here.

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Air defence activated in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, explosions rock capital

Air defence forces are operating in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, repelling an attack from Russian drones.

Sources : Oleksii Kuleba, Head of Kyiv Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram; Ukrainska Pravda ; Kyiv City Military Administration on Telegram

Quote from Kuleba: "Kyiv Oblast: air defence is in operation.

Stay in shelters and safe places.

Do not take photos and post images online of soldiers or air defence systems in operation in any way."

Details: Kuleba has also reported that Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones were launched to attack Kyiv Oblast.

Kyiv City Military Administration has confirmed that air defence forces have been activated in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.

Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda have also reported on the explosions in Kyiv, which were particularly heard in the centre of the capital.

Updated at 01:15 : Ukrainska Pravda journalists have said that explosions rocked Kyiv again, and air defence has been activated.

Updated at 02:20: Another two explosions have been heard in Kyiv.

Updated at 03:20: The Head of the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration has stated that the Russians had launched several waves of Shahed drones and were trying to hit critical infrastructure facilities.

Air defence forces continue to repel the night drone attack on the capital and its region.

Updated at 04:00 : The all-clear has been sounded in Kyiv and Kyiv oblast. The air raid lasted more than four hours.

Background: Vitalii Kim, Head of Mykolaiv Oblast Military Administration, said that two groups of Iranian-made UAVs had entered Ukraine on the evening of 1 January. At the same time, air-raid sirens were sounded in many oblasts.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron !

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