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CAPA News Briefs

CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.

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Below is a sample of the latest news headlines. 324 news briefs have been published for CAPA Members in the past 2 days.

Surinam Airways announced (03-Jun-2025) the suspension of services to and from Cayenne until further notice, due to the placing of Suriname on the EU Air Safety List. The decision follows an audit by EASA and excludes the carrier from operating services to EU destinations. Services to and from Amsterdam are operated by Universal Sky Carrier and remain unaffected. [more - original PR - Dutch]

Background ✨

Surinam Airways previously operated twice weekly Paramaribo-Cayenne services and had no competition on the route as of Mar-20221. It also entered into a series of partnership and distribution agreements in recent years to broaden its network access2 3. The carrier has used various wet lease operators for services to Amsterdam, including Privilege Style and Universal Sky Carrier4.

Finnair announced (02-Jun-2025) plans to cancel approximately 110 flights due to industrial action at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on 04-Jun-2025. The Finnish Aviation Union IAU announced industrial action at Helsinki Airport, causing disruptions to traffic on 04-Jun-2025. The four hour industrial actions target different work shifts and thus affect many functions essential also to Finnair's flights. Cancellations are expected to affect approximately 11,000 Finnair customers. Affected customers will be offered alternatives. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

The Finnish Aviation Union IAU staged similar industrial actions at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on 30-May-2025 and 02-Jun-2025, leading to the cancellation of approximately 110 and 50 Finnair flights respectively, and affecting thousands of travellers. The actions targeted various essential functions and caused widespread disruption to Finnair's operations on each date1 2 3 4.

Riyadh Air and Air France-KLM signed (02-Jun-2025) an MoU to establish a strategic cooperation and partnership agreement, subject to regulatory approvals. The parties aim to collaborate to enhance connectivity between and beyond their respective hubs at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. In addition, Riyadh Air and Air France-KLM "will collaborate to enhance the guest experience, exploring opportunities in reciprocal loyalty programme rewards, operational support, and lounge access", as well as working together in areas including aircraft MRO, digital transformation, sustainability and cargo services. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Air France announced plans to launch Paris CDG-Riyadh service from 19-May-2025, increasing to five times weekly from 02-Jun-2025, with all Air France-KLM Group airlines serving Saudi Arabia. Transavia France connects Paris Orly and Lyon to Jeddah, while KLM operates from Amsterdam Schiphol to Riyadh and Dammam, strengthening the group's presence in the Saudi market1 2.

IndiGo announced (30-May-2025) the following network expansion plans:

IATA reported (01-Jun-2025) USD1.3 billion in airline funds were blocked from repatriation by governments as of the end of Apr-2025, an improvement of 25% compared with the USD1.7 billion reported as of Oct-2024. Africa and the Middle East accounted for USD1.1 billion, or 85% of blocked funds. The following countries accounted for 80% of the blocked funds:

Bolivia made the largest improvement, clearing its backlog of USD42 million as of Oct-2024. IATA urged governments "to remove all barriers preventing airlines from the timely repatriation of their revenues from ticket sales and other activities in accordance with international agreements and treaty obligations". [more - original PR]

Background ✨

The level of blocked airline funds globally decreased from USD1.8 billion in Apr-2024 to USD1.7 billion in Oct-2024, with significant reductions in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria and Ethiopia, while Mozambique and the XAF zone saw increases. IATA highlighted persistent delays in repatriation, particularly due to bureaucratic processes in Pakistan and foreign exchange prioritisation in Bangladesh, and continued to call for urgent government action to resolve these issues1 2.

New Zealand Customs Service welcomed (26-May-2025) eligible ePassport holders from an additional 11 countries and territories to use New Zealand's automated eGates nationwide. The additions comprise Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and the Vatican, as well as Macau and an initial group of Middle Eastern countries consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. This follows a successful trial period in which Customs worked with Immigration New Zealand to ensure ePassports from these visa-waiver countries met the necessary border security and technological biometric requirements. Customs has opened its eGates to 48 countries in total. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

New Zealand Customs Service previously expanded eGate access to passport holders from countries including the Republic of Korea, China and Japan, and installed over 50 eGates across Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports as part of its modernisation programme1 2. The government has also progressively introduced digital arrival declarations, supported by new legislation aimed at streamlining border processing3 4.

IndiGo, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic signed (01-Jun-2025) an MoU to enhance connectivity from India to Europe and North America. Commercial contracts and regulatory procedures will be completed to enable IndiGo to sell partner flights as its own under its 6E marketing codes. IndiGo customers will then be able to book onward travel on select flights operated by the international partners, including:

The MoU also creates a framework for enhanced collaboration between the carriers on a bilateral and multilateral basis. The carriers will contemplate commercial collaboration including network, loyalty, cargo and sales, subject to regulatory approvals. They will also explore areas of non-commercial cooperation including aircraft maintenance, sustainability, training, ground handling and advanced collaboration through use of technology to service joint customers. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

IndiGo planned to launch its first long haul services to Manchester and Amsterdam in Jul-2025, using wet leased Boeing 787-9s, as part of its strategy to expand in Europe ahead of new aircraft deliveries from 2027 onwards1. IndiGo also aimed to reach 40% international available seat kilometres by 2030, highlighting growth opportunities in Europe, North America, and beyond2.

Finnair announced (01-Jun-2025) plans to cancel approximately 50 flights due to industrial action at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on 02-Jun-2025. The Finnish Aviation Union IAU announced industrial action at Helsinki Airport, causing disruptions to traffic on 02-Jun-2025. The four hour industrial actions target different work shifts and thus affect many functions essential also to Finnair's flights. Cancellations are expected to affect approximately 3600 Finnair customers. Affected customers will be offered a new route. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Recent industrial action by the Finnish Aviation Union at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport resulted in Finnair cancelling around 110 flights on 30-May-2025, affecting approximately 8000 travellers, with further disruptions anticipated on 02-Jun-2025 and 04-Jun-2025. The actions targeted essential functions including ground handling and aircraft maintenance, leading to widespread disruption of Finnair's operations and impacting thousands of customers1 2 3.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, via its official website, announced (28-May-2025) the launch of a trial visa free entry policy permitting ordinary passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain to enter China for business, leisure or transit and stay for up to 30 days without a visa. The trial will run from 09-Jun-2025 to 08-Jun-2026.

Background ✨

China has recently expanded its visa free entry policies to include additional countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and Uzbekistan, allowing ordinary passport holders to visit for up to 30 days for business, leisure or transit purposes, with trial periods commencing in Jun-2025 and lasting for one year1 2.

Finnair announced (28-May-2025) plans to cancel approximately 110 flights on 30-May-2025 due to industrial action by the Finnish Aviation Union (IAU) at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Cancellations are expected to affect approximately 8000 travellers, who will be offered alternative flights. The four hour industrial actions target different work shifts and affect functions essential to Finnair's flights throughout the day, such as ground handling operations and aircraft maintenance.  IAU industrial actions will also affect ground operations at Helsinki Airport on 02-Jun-2025 and 04-Jun-2025. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II]

Background ✨

The Finnish Aviation Union's industrial action at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has caused repeated disruptions, with similar strikes leading to flight cancellations and operational impacts on 16-May-2025, 19-May-2025, and earlier dates in May-2025 and March-2025. Finavia and Finnair previously warned of ongoing disruptions on 02-Jun-2025 and 04-Jun-2025, affecting ground operations and essential services at the airport1 2 3 4.

Eurowings announced (28-May-2025) plans to introduce premium business class seats in its A320neo aircraft on medium haul routes commencing from Nov-2025. The new seat concept will be initially available on the Berlin-Dubai route. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Eurowings notably increased its capacity on the Berlin-Dubai route for the 2024/25 winter, operating daily from Berlin and up to four times weekly from Stuttgart, following strong demand from business and leisure travellers and deploying A320neo equipment on these routes1. The carrier has also expanded its BIZclass offer, reserving the first four rows for premium fare passengers on A319 and A320 flights2.

Finavia announced (28-May-2025) disruptions of ground operations at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport are expected on 30-May-2025, 02-Jun-2025 and 04-Jun-2025, due to industrial action called by the Finnish Aviation Union. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

The Finnish Aviation Union's industrial action at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport has led to repeated disruptions of ground operations in recent months, causing Finnair to cancel flights on multiple dates in May-2025. These actions have affected key airport functions such as ground handling and catering, with thousands of passengers impacted and offered alternative arrangements1 2 3 4 5 6.