Sunday Reads: Our Most Notable Stories This Week

The month of August may be ending, but there's no stopping the world of commercial aviation news! Here's a look at some of the top stories from the past seven days.

Emirates Will Drop The A380 From 3 Routes In September

The coronavirus pandemic has been a challenge for larger aircraft like the A380, whose extra capacity has become somewhat obsolete. This September, Emirates, which is the type's largest operator, is set to drop the superjumbo from three of its routes. It will also add restart A380 flights on one corridor. You can read more about these changes here.

Alitalia Cancels All Flights And Prepares For Closure In October

Alitalia has set a date for its closure. October 14th this year will see the airline operate its last flights, ahead of new carrier ITA becoming Italy's national airline. Passengers who have flights booked after October 14th can reschedule their trip or request a refund.

Alitalia Airbus A330-200 — Alitalia will officially shut down on October 14th and hand over operations to the newly formed ITA. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

American Airlines Has Shifted Some Of Its Hub Strategy

The ongoing global health crisis has provided carriers worldwide with a myriad of challenges. However, American Airlines has used the pandemic as an opportunity to experiment by shifting its hub strategy. You can read more about how it has done this here.

American Airlines Getty — American's strong hubs have helped sustain additional flying to major international destinations, but mostly known international markets like Paris or London. Photo: Getty Images

20 Airlines Say Sayonara To Sydney

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia has been among the countries with the strictest restrictions when it comes to international travel. Ongoing uncertainty on this topic has forced airlines to withdraw from the country, with 20 having left Sydney.

airlines-sydney-flights-getty — The domestic market is inching closer to a full recovery as COVID cases remain stable across the country. Photo: Getty Images

SpiceJet Launches 7 New Domestic Routes

Indian carrier SpiceJet is looking to increase its footprint on the country's domestic market by expanding its internal network. This has seen the airline add seven new routes to its portfolio, of which six have no direct competitors. You can read more about these here.

SpiceJet Q400 — According to the Swiss-based MRO company, SpiceJet owes around $24 million for availing maintenance services over the years. Photo: Getty Images.

Hawaii Urges Tourists To Stay Away

A recent rise in coronavirus cases in Hawaii has prompted the state's Governor, David Ige, to request that airlines don't encourage tourists to travel there. Hawaiian restaurants presently have limited capacity, and there is also a shortage of rental cars there. You can read more about Ige's take on the recent surge in cases here.