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MONTREAL — Canadian airlines and airports claimed top spots in flight delays over the July long weekend, notching more than nearly any other around the world.

Air Canada ranked No. 1 in delays on Saturday and Sunday as two-thirds of its flights — 717 trips in total — took off late, according to tracking service FlightAware. It was more than 14 percentage points above the three carriers tied for second place.

Jazz Aviation — a Halifax-based company that provides regional service for Air Canada — and the lower-cost Air Canada Rouge both saw 53 per cent of flights delayed, putting them in the No. 2 spot alongside Greek regional airline Olympic Air.

On Saturday, WestJet and budget subsidiary Swoop placed third and fourth at 55 per cent.

On the airport front, Toronto's Pearson claimed the No. 2 spot Sunday after 53 per cent of departures were held up, below only Guangzhou's main airport in China. Pearson beat out Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris and Frankfurt Airport in Germany.

Montreal's airport placed sixth Sunday at 43 per cent of takeoffs delayed, on par with London's Heathrow, according to FlightAware figures.

Air Canada said last week it will cut more than 15 per cent of its summer schedule, nearly 10,000 flights in July and August, as the country's aviation network sags under an overwhelming travel resurgence.

Bookended by statutory holidays in Canada and the U.S., the weekend saw scenes of long lines and luggage labyrinths flood social media as airports across the globe grappled with the start of peak travel season following two years of pent-up demand.

Passenger flow at Canadian airports is already at 2019 levels during peak times, though closer to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic volumes overall, experts say.

"This is going to be with us all summer," said Helane Becker, an airline analyst for investment firm Cowen.

"Almost every airline encouraged people to retire early or take leaves. And those people that retired early maybe don't want to come back to work," she saidof airline employees.

"It's hard to rebuild off those lows."

Some pilots have not yet had their licences renewed, while positions with groundcrews and baggage handling remain unfilled — or quickly vacated — due to low wages and stressful work conditions, unions say.

Government agencies have been on a hiring spree for airport security and customs, with 900-plus new security screeners in place since April — though not all have clearance to work the scanners — according to the federal Transport Department.

"The airlines also used the pandemic to eliminate aircraft types from their fleet, and to ground and retire their oldest aircraft. It's hard to bring these aircraft back once you park them without doing a lot of maintenance," Becker added.

"As demand continues to surge, we're basically looking at an inability for the airlines to easily accommodate it. And I think that's true worldwide."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2022.

Companies in this story: (TSX:AC)

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press

• Worse days ahead, stakeholders fear
• PPMC agreed to supply products to us directly, say, marketers 
• NARTO warns members against smuggling 
• NMDPRA, IPMAN move to steady PMS price at N165 per litre 

Despite assurances of supply and continuous provision of service, scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) has failed to abate in major cities in the country, especially in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as motorists and businesses count losses. 

   
This is coming despite the agreement reached between Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC) and retailers of PMS for direct supply of the product to fuel stations in strategic locations in the country, especially Lagos and Abuja.
   
Though most stakeholders and marketers insisted, yesterday, that the worst days are ahead for the energy crisis in the country, the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN) dispelled such notion, saying an agreement had been reached to ensure petrol is sold at the approved N165 per litre price.
   
Across the highbrow areas of Abuja, including the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), black marketers are smiling to the bank, selling a litre of petrol for between N350 to N500.

   
In Lagos, the queues are longer at stations where the product is being sold at N165 per litre, while stations, mostly those belonging to independent marketers, witness lesser queues, as the product is sold at N180 and above.
  
There are, however, concerns over the growing smuggling of petrol into neighbouring countries, as the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) warned that members engaging in the act would be prosecuted.
   
The President, of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said a meeting with PPMC has led to the direct supply of PMS to retail outlets in some key locations in the country with strict joint monitoring that would ensure that the product is not diverted.
   
At that, Gillis-Harry said the only sustainable solution to the growing fuel crisis in the country is for the Federal Government to allow full deregulation of the downstream segment of the petroleum industry. 
 

  
He said the queues lingered because marketers had to source products from private depots at prices that are not sustainable, adding that the product should not be selling below N600 per litre if market realities were allowed.
   
According to him, it now takes over N9 million to take delivery of a 45,000-litre truck, adding that the cost of diesel to transport the product as well as operate the stations is no longer sustainable.
   
“As a country, we do not have any other option than to deregulate. We can’t sustain the current situation, especially when you look at the difference between the landing cost and the pump price. The bridging rate has just been reviewed upward. That happened without an increase in the price of the products. That additional cost is coming from somewhere,” Gillis-Harry said. 
   
At separate meetings with IPMAN Northern and Southwest branches, the Authority Chief Executive (ACE), Ahmed Farouk, said both organisations are working towards settling the outstanding bridging costs. 

   
While welcoming the association as critical stakeholders in the energy sector, Farouk assured of the Authority’s support in the distribution of petroleum products to all parts of the country.
   
The ACE expressed concern about the rise in petroleum product theft and pipeline vandalism, especially line 2B, which services Mosimi, Ibadan and Ilorin depots, leading to revenue loss for the government. 
   
He urged Southwest IPMAN to assist in checkmating the unscrupulous act as they have done in the past. He also revealed that the Authority had received complaints of private petroleum depots selling PMS above the approved price, thereby, disrupting the value chain and leading to higher pricing in some areas. 
   
He called on the Association to report any depot selling products to its members, above the approved ex-depot price.

   
The Authority assured the association of its commitment to ensuring product availability and sustainability of the industry.
   
In his remarks, the Zonal Chairman, IPMAN Southwest, Dele Tajudeen Lamidi, said the purpose of the visit was to seek collaboration and support the Authority, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021).
   
The zonal chairman identified product sharing, rise in penalties, difficulty in getting tax clearance, and high cost of doing business in the country as challenges confronting their members.
   
He pledged to the Authority and Nigerians that despite all the challenges, it has resolved not to embark on any industrial action as a conflict resolution technique.

   
He added: “As far as we are concerned in the Southwest, we have gone beyond the strike. The strike is not the solution to any problem because if there is a strike, it affects the masses and our businesses.
   
“We will work together to ensure free flow of petroleum products and also make sure that products are sold at the government-regulated price if we get them at the normal price.”
   
National President of NARTO, Alhaji Yusuf Lawal Othman, who commended the Federal Government for acceding to increase the freight rate by reviewing upward the national transport fund by N10, said the association would improve the level of service delivery in the face of the difficult operating conditions occasioned by the high rate of inflation, insecurity and dilapidated road infrastructure in the country.
   
He asked all members of the association to keep away from smuggling petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders, stressing, “we have given Nigerian Customs our full-pledged commitment that our members are law-abiding and patriotic, therefore, they will not be involved in this unlawful practice. Any member that is involved in this unwholesome practice would be made to face the full wrath of the law.”

   
Olufemi Alo, an Abuja resident, said the current fuel scarcity was unnecessary, accusing filling stations of deliberately not selling fuel or at least not selling to their maximum capacity.
   
“In recent weeks, I’ve had to buy black market for my generator at the rate of N350 because filling stations won’t sell and those that sell will have a very long queue. That means, I spend a lot of money on just my generator on a weekly basis.
   
“It is similarly difficult to fuel my car, it takes an average of two hours in a queue to get fuel on a very lucky day. It is so stressful and time-consuming. I wonder why everything gets so difficult nowadays. Hopefully, the government will wake up to their responsibility,” Alo said.
   
An entrepreneur, Akwu Obaje, said the development has resulted in a hike in transport and cost of baking items.
 

  
“The stress of queuing for so long just to get fuel when you have other things to do is stressful. Delivery companies that usually charge N2,000 to deliver products within Abuja now take more. Some end up cancelling orders, even e-hailing drivers,” she stated. 
   
Energy consultant, Henry Adigun, said the current situation may not abate given prevailing economic indexes.
   
Adigun noted that the country is practically spending its earnings on fuel subsidies, adding that the low state of external reserves is worrisome.
   
A motorist, Oyindamola Yinka, who was in the queue at Nipco Station in the Banex area of FCT, said she spent the major part of her productive day in the fuel queue.

She had earlier spent about an hour in the queue at a different station but was unlucky as the fuel finished before her turn.

(Bloomberg) -- British Airways will pull more flights from its summer schedule as the carrier looks to reduce last-minute cancellations amid continuing staffing shortages and long queues at airports.

The unit of IAG SA has now reduced its timetable by 11% through October, compared with a 10% cut for the period announced in May. The UK government has waived rules that require airlines to use takeoff and landing slots or lose them the next season, urging companies to scrap services where necessary.

“As the entire aviation industry continues to face into the most challenging period in its history, regrettably it has become necessary to make some further reductions,” a BA spokesman said by email.  “We’re in touch with customers to apologize and offer to rebook them or issue a full refund.”

Airports and airlines across Europe are slashing capacity and canceling flights after being caught flatfooted by a surge of demand following two years of virtually no travel.

LONDON (AP) — British Airways said Tuesday it will cancel hundreds more summer flights, saying it was necessary after previously announced moves to cut back on scheduled flights proved insufficient to ease travel disruptions.

The announcement will affect tens of thousands of travelers planning to fly from London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

The airline announced in the spring that it would cancel 10% of its flights between April and October to avoid having to call off flights on the day of departure.

The latest cancellations take the figure to around 11%. British Airlines said it is offering customers refunds or rebooking on other flights.

“We took preemptive action earlier this year to reduce our summer schedule to provide customers with as much notice as possible about any changes to their travel plans,” British Airways said.

“As the entire aviation industry continues to face into the most challenging period in its history, regrettably, it has become necessary to make some further reductions,” it added.

Airlines and airports in Europe, the United States and elsewhere are suffering from staff shortages in jobs ranging from luggage handlers to security personnel. The shortages, combined with a surge in demand for travel following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in many places, have led to airport lines and flight delays.

The British Airways cancellations follow a vote by its workers at Heathrow Airport to stage a walkout in a dispute over pay. The workers, including check-in staff, are deciding on strike dates, but they are expected to take place during the peak summer vacation period.

The Associated Press

• Plans China, India launch this month

By Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Air Peace has unveiled plans to extend its wings to Guangzhou, China and Mumbai, India, with scheduled flights in the month.

The airline has also made unveiled plans to kick off Israeli operations.

Spokesperson of Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, who made this known, stated that the new destinations were further testimony to the airline’s determination to connect Nigerians to other parts of the world and deepen socio-economic ties between Nigeria and both countries.

“Guangzhou and Mumbai are not new terrains for Air Peace as we have operated a number of special/evacuation flights into both cities in the past. So, we are very familiar with the airspace and plans to launch Tel Aviv, Israel, are in top gear. This is also not a new space for us as you know, we have operated flights to and from the country.

“Air Peace is unflinchingly committed to reducing the air travel burden of Africans, and we will continue to grow our route network as well as modernise our fleet strategically. Air Peace has accomplished so much in just seven years of operation, as we now have a network of 20 domestic routes, seven regional routes and two international destinations, including Dubai and Johannesburg, which we launched in 2019 and 2020,” Olisa said.

Reiterating Air Peace’s resolve to continue providing peaceful and strategic network connections, in line with its no-city-left-behind mantra, which the airline is aggressively implementing, Olisa hinted that the airline also has in the works two other African destinations- Malabo in Equatorial Guinea and Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Recall that in March 2022, Air Peace launched its Niamey route, and a few months before then, it flagged off Douala operations from Lagos and PH.

The airline parades an optimal, mixed, modern fleet of over 30 aircraft, including five brand new Embraer 195-E2s, and has the largest fleet in West and Central Africa.

(Bloomberg) -- Refueling workers at London Heathrow airport said they would stage a 72-hour walkout over wages beginning July 21, threatening to further disrupt operations at the hub.

The Unite union, which represents the workers, said in a statement Tuesday that the Aviation Fuel Services Ltd. employees voted to strike after the company hadn’t raised wages in three years and had sustained wage cuts for three years.

AFS is a joint venture among fuel companies BP Plc, TotalEnergies SE, Q8 Aviation and Valero Energy, and supplies fuel to over 70 airlines including American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Emirates, the union said. 

The latest announcement adds to the disruptions challenging the travel industry just as the peak summer travel season gets underway, with airports and airlines across Europe slashing capacity and canceling flights on staffing shortages and worker strikes. 

Read More: Summer Travel Chaos Hits Europe Hardest as Delays Escalate

The domestic runway of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos will be completely closed for three months to enable some repairs and installation of Air Field Lighting to be done.

The development means that international and local airlines will use the international runway (18R/36L) for landing and take-off during the three-month period.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria confirmed the runway closure in a statement on Wednesday titled, Airfield lighting installation: FAAN to close domestic runway 18L/36R.

The statement read in part, “As part of efforts aimed at improving safety and efficiency of flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has concluded arrangements to complete the installation of CAT III Airfield Ground Lighting system on Runway 18L/36R. The project, which will commence effectively on Friday, July 8, 2022, is expected to last for 90 days.

“Consequently, Runway 18L/36R will be closed to flight operations during this time. However, stakeholders are to note that there will be no disruption. All normal flight operations will be conducted through runway 18R/36L. A NOTAM (Notice to Air Men) to this effect has already been published and disseminated accordingly.”

The statement was issued by the Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mrs. Faithful A. Hope-Ivbaze.

FAAN had reportedly held a meeting with airline operators on Tuesday where the timeframe and modalities were communicated.

However, airlines operators and industry observers have said there may be slight delays to flights during the period.

A former Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency and the Chief Executive Officer of Topbrass Aviation Services, Roland Iyayi, envisaged that local airlines would bear more of the brunt of the closure.

Iyayi said, “With the closure of the domestic runway, you have additional delays of traffic, inbound and outbound-Lagos both domestic and international. For the domestic carriers, that will mean additional costs in terms of fuel. The international flights will not be pretty much affected because they have a scheduled arrival time. To a large extent, they don’t necessarily expect undue delays, if you know the peak periods for international flights, between early mornings and late evenings, so with more flights coming in the evenings and going out late nights, I expect a minimal impact to be on the international airlines. The domestic carriers will be the ones that will bear it more because it’ll mean that they have to taxi all the way from domestic to international and that’s an additional cost of fuel. The holding time and of course taxing time, all these things add up to cost and that’s the problem the carriers will have to face.”

The President, Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria, Kingsley Nwokeoma, however, expressed the hope that the government  agency would complete the job within the states timeframe.

He said, “Apparently, we should always have in mind that the runways are major operational facilities and if you notice, we have always had runway issues and most times you don’t see the two runways being functional and the functionality is key because it is every airline’s dream to have a runway that is not being overused, these are runways that big birds keep landing on.

“The major effect will be that both the international and the local carriers will be using one particular runway, and this is not operationally healthy. Hopefully, we pray that FAAN and NAMA fix this on time and very well.”

Some filling stations on Wednesday dispensed Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, at over N175/litre, higher than the government-approved N165/litre price, as oil marketers insisted to embark on strike from next week if the government fails to pay them (marketers).

It was gathered that some outlets in Lagos that sold the commodity at N169/litre last week had to adjust their pumps on Wednesday, as they dispensed PMS to motorists at N175/litre.

Also, queues by motorists at filling stations, which had persisted in Abuja and environs since February this year, gradually resurfaced in parts of Lagos on Wednesday.

Our correspondent also observed that many filling stations, particularly those belonging to members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, were shut due to a lack of products to sell to customers.

Gegu Oil, Eterna and Oando filling stations at the Dutse end of the Kubwa-Zuba Expressway in Abuja, for instance, had remained shut for days for lack of products to sell, despite the heavy queues of motorists in a nearby NNPC retail outlet.

Amidst these concerns, oil marketers under the aegis of Abuja-Suleja IPMAN, stated on Wednesday that their proposed strike would go ahead next week if the government fails to substantially clear the bridging claims for transportation of petrol being owed marketers.

Last week, oil marketers warned that Nigeria could witness “the mother of all queues” soon if the Federal Government fails to pay the 12 months bridging claims being owed operators in the downstream oil sector.

 
They had also denied being paid N74bn by the Federal Government as bridging claims for the transportation of petroleum products.

The Federal Government through its Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority had said last week that it paid N74bn as bridging claims to oil marketers for the transportation of petroleum products across the country in seven months.

But the Secretary, Abuja-Suleja IPMAN, Mohammed Shuaibu, whose unit covers Abuja, Kogi, Niger and parts of Nasarawa and Kaduna, told our correspondent on Wednesday that though some members had confirmed the receipt of payments, a host of others had yet to receive theirs.

“Few of our members have confirmed receiving alerts, but the majority have not been paid and so the decision to embark on the mother of all strike still stands, except we get our payments,” he stated.

Shuaibu added, “Many independent marketers are closing shop and because of these debts. We cannot continue to fold our hands. We are sorry about the hardship, but the government has to pay us, otherwise we will withdraw our services.”

Reacting to the concerns, the spokesperson, NMDPRA, Kimchi Apollo, earlier told our correspondent that the petrol price had not changed from the approved N165/litre price, as he also stated that efforts were on to settle to bridging claims being owed the marketers.

Meanwhile, there were indications that long queues were beginning to resurface in Lagos State and its environs on Wednesday, as findings showed that filling stations were beginning to sell petrol above N175 per litre.

The Federal Government and oil marketers are yet to come to a compromise on how much a litre of petrol should be sold, and marketers are beginning to sell products at prices not approved by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.

The PUNCH on Wednesday, noticed that while most filling stations in Lagos in Ogun state were under lock and keys, long queues were beginning to reappear at few stations with products.

A source close to the matter told The PUNCH that marketers met with Chief Executive, NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, in Abuja on Tuesday, where he pleaded with them not to increase the price.

According to our source, Farouk has promised that the N74bn bridging claims owed marketers would be paid any time soon.

Marketers, however, said they could no longer bank on the Federal Government’s promise to pay the claims, while they continue to run at a loss for selling petrol at N165 per litre.

Marketers had held a similar meeting with the NMDPRA two weeks ago, where they aired their grievances on the high costs of running their petrol stations.

Also, the Depots and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria had hinted that it would be impossible for its members to keep prices at N165/litre when the landing costs to their stations were already on the high side.

British Airways has reached a deal with union at Heathrow airport, potentially averting some strike chaos this summer.

The airline improved its pay offer to check-in staff, according to Unite, which will now re-ballot members on proposed strike action.

Swerving strikes could prevent further disruption after travel disruptions including staff shortages forced the flag carrier to cancel more than 10,000 flights this summer.

(Bloomberg) -- Australians are turning on Qantas Airways Ltd. and its boss as widespread travel disruptions and airport ordeals test their affection for one of the country’s biggest brands. 

Qantas, which carries the slogan “Spirit of Australia,” has become a punching bag for passengers exasperated with canceled flights, lost belongings and unscheduled sleepovers on airport floors. It’s an ugly reversal of fortune for a company that carefully navigated Covid-19 and emerged in better financial shape than almost any other airline in the world.

The backlash comes as the global aviation industry struggles to cope with a rebound in travel demand after laying off staff to get through the pandemic with bare-bones operations. While chaotic scenes at airports in the US and Europe have become commonplace, emotions are running particularly high for Australians who feel let down by Qantas. 

Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce has landed in the firing line of social-media vitriol, with customers lashing out and accusing him of being overzealous in shedding more than 8,000 jobs, leaving Qantas so short of manpower that it can’t function properly. 

Qantas had Australia’s worst flight-cancellation record in May, scrapping 7.6% of its services, or one in 13. It’s even become the subject of an online parody by national broadcaster ABC. 

The operational lapses are pushing some disaffected passengers to Virgin Australia, which was on the brink of collapse in 2020 before private equity group Bain Capital stepped in. Virgin Australia canceled 5.1% of its services in May. The long-term cancellation rate in Australia is 2%.

Qantas leans heavily on advertisements that pull on the heartstrings, with tag-lines such as I Still Call Australia Home. Its recent media campaigns have dramatized emotional family reunions to encourage people to fly again.  

“It feels like the brand’s breaking a number of promises,” said Paul Nelson, managing director of Sydney-based consultancy BrandMatters. “Loyal customers fall a lot further when they’ve had you on a pedestal and you haven’t met expectations.”

The operational failings place unexpected and premature pressure on Joyce, who took the Qantas helm in 2008 and is one of aviation’s longest-serving leaders. At the height of the Covid crisis in June 2020, with Australia essentially off limits to international travel, he agreed to stay at the airline for at least another three years to oversee a recovery.  

“The longer Alan sits there, it gets more difficult for him to demonstrate that things are going to be different,” Nelson said.

Rusty Passengers

Joyce didn’t help matters in April when he said delays were partly because rusty passengers had forgotten airport security protocols and weren’t “match fit.”  

Graeme Breen is one frequent flyer Qantas is losing. The schoolteacher’s attempt in April to catch a lunchtime Qantas flight from Canberra to Brisbane, a trip of about 1 hour 40 minutes, turned into an eight-hour marathon. The service was delayed at least three times at the gate before being scrubbed. Breen was diverted to Sydney for a connecting flight north to Brisbane. When he eventually got there, his luggage was still in Canberra.

“It’s definitely dented my confidence in the reliability of the airline,” said Breen. The 57-year-old gained the impression that Qantas puts profit over customer service and he booked his next trip, in October, with Virgin Australia.

In the early evening of July 3, a three-hour Qantas flight from Sydney to Wellington in New Zealand was so late leaving it missed the 1 a.m. landing curfew at its destination. It diverted to Christchurch in the middle of the night. Passengers, some of whom slept on a bench in the airport, didn’t leave for Wellington until the following morning.

Ryan Walkinshaw, director of Melbourne-based motor-racing team Walkinshaw Andretti United, has kept a log on Twitter of his weeks-long effort to be reunited with his luggage. Qantas finally returned the remains of his suitcase, last seen at London’s Heathrow Airport in mid-June, this week.

Qantas has said it is taking steps to cope better, such as rolling out new check-in and baggage kiosks in Sydney. It has even called up hundreds of head-office staff to track down luggage and manage queues. The airline’s performance is “not where we need it to be,” Joyce said on June 24. “But it will improve over the next few weeks.”

Worker Woes

Some critics blame the mishaps on Qantas’s decision during the pandemic to outsource ground-handling operations with the loss of more than 2,000 jobs. A court later judged the cuts were unlawful.

The number of cabin crew at Qantas’s international division has also shrunk to about 2,000 from over 3,000 before Covid, according to Teri O’Toole, federal secretary of the Flight Attendant’s Association of Australia International. 

“It’s like they’ve been caught short and they didn’t see it coming,” O’Toole said. “Their industrial relations agenda is savage and leaves no goodwill. They have to be responsible for it.” 

Adding to Qantas’s woes, its engineers are threatening to strike as soon as next month as they seek a 12% pay increase. Steve Purvinas, federal secretary of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers’ Association, said Qantas has 750 engineers, 30% fewer than before the pandemic, which isn’t enough to get through the required maintenance and repair work. 

“The challenges Qantas is facing are all of its own doing,” Purvinas said by phone. “They’re not caused by Covid. They’re caused by management.”