Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

Europe To Raise Concerns Over Boeing Tax Breaks

Ministers from France, Germany, Britain and Spain said they would will work together with the European Commission to raise their concerns over tax breaks received by Boeing, which they said represent unfair subsidies.
Boeing has received USD$8.7 billion in tax breaks from the state of Washington for production of the 777x, with Airbus describing the tax breaks as "unacceptable".
The so-called "Airbus ministers", who regularly meet at Europe's three airshows in Paris, Farnborough and Berlin to discuss the civil plane making business of Airbus, said they would support the Commission in making additional representations about the subsidies and would raise written concerns.
The move could open a tense new phase in the decade-old formal trade dispute over aircraft industry aid, as Brussels and Washington argue about whether they have complied with rulings by the WTO, which in turn could set the tone for sanctions.
"This is an additional distortion of the competition rules," Frederic Cuvillier, the French minister for transport, seas and fisheries, told journalists at the Berlin ILA Airshow.
British business minister Michael Fallon said he had already raised the issue with the US Department of Commerce and Boeing during a trip to Seattle last month.
Boeing has responded by saying that the tax breaks are available to all aerospace companies operating in the state.
The ILA Airshow is the world's oldest airshow and expected to welcome over 200,000 visitors, but it is much smaller than Europe's main airshows in France and Britain.

Monday, 5 May 2014

Lufthansa: “Best European Airline serving the Middle East”

Lufthansa proved that it is the best among the best after clinching the “Best European Airline serving the Middle East” title during the gala ceremony of the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2014 on the eve of the Arabian Travel Market 2014 in Dubai. The magazine holds its prestigious awards based on independent polls from readers in the Middle East. 
“To receive this award is a tremendous honour for us as it expresses the trust of our customers to our company, product and services.  We are proud having a long history of operations in the Middle East since our first flight landed here in 1960”, said Karsten Zang, General Manager UAE and Director Gulf and Pakistan. 
“We have set ourselves a number of objectives for 2014 – it will be Lufthansa’s biggest service initiative in recent years. As well as installing the latest cabins in all classes of our aircraft, which is already proceeding apace, we will also be demonstrating to an even greater degree our qualities as a dedicated host with a keen understanding of service and hospitality,” added Zang. 
“We thank Business Traveller Middle East for spearheading this objective initiative which is helpful for like-minded travellers and those who are planning to go on an adventure.  Our passengers in the Middle East know that Lufthansa offers more connections to Europe, North America and beyond than any other carrier,” concluded Zang. 
No stranger to awards, Lufthansa’s products enjoy a strong recognition worldwide. Not only has there been excellent feedback from top customers in the few months since it was introduced, it has also received major awards. Lufthansa’s First Class and its range of services were awarded 5 stars in the Skytrax star ranking, while the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) presented its International 5 Star Diamond Award to Europe’s leading airline. These awards promise passengers an outstanding travel experience, since five stars are synonymous with top quality, first-class comfort and personal service. And this will soon be the case not just in First Class, but throughout the Lufthansa range.

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Aviation: European Parliament gives boost to the Single European Sky

Today, 12th March, the European Parliament in full session adopted the report of its Transport and Tourism Committee, drafted by Rapporteur Marian-Jean Marinescu MEP, on the Single European Sky II+ programme to defragment European airspace.

Saturday, 1 March 2014

Ryanair Will Fly to US for $14, CEO Says

Ryanair's colorful CEO is in the travel headlines again. But this time it's not for promising to someday charge passengers for using the bathroom in-flight. 

Michael O'Leary said his airline plans to offer flights from Europe to the United States for as little as $14. Flights from the United States to Europe will be even cheaper, he said.