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The Ischgl Protocol – A party location infects half of Europe

The winter sports village Ischgl in Tyrol was known for its parties. Then it became the hub of the corona virus – out of unscrupulousness and greed. A team of reporters reconstructed the case.

From: Der Spiegel on 27.03.2020

“Home of Madness”

By Jürgen Dahlkamp, Hauke Goos, Roman Höfner, Felix Hutt, Gunther Latsch, Timo Lehmann, Walter Mayr, Max Polonyi and Jonathan Stock.

Ischgl in Tyrol is a mountain village in the Paznaun valley at an altitude of 1377 metres. It has a parish church and a chapel for the dead, about 1600 inhabitants and 11,800 guest beds, 239 kilometres of ski slopes, 1000 snow cannons, 45 lifts. There is the disco “Kuhstall” and the après ski bar “Kitzloch”. In Ischgl you can ski and party all night long at Jägermeister-Red Bull. Ischgl is a brand like Ibiza, Sylt or the Oktoberfest. Millions of tourists meet here every year. They come from Dublin, Reykjavík, Copenhagen and Helsinki, from Bavaria, Hamburg and Neuss. The tourism industry in the valley has a turnover of 250 million euros a year. Continue reading “The Ischgl Protocol – A party location infects half of Europe” »

Lufthansa fights the corona crisis with massive cuts

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr grounded around 700 of the 763 aircraft fleet/Foto: Lufthansa

Lufthansa wants to fight the corona crisis with massive cuts. “We must counter this extraordinary situation with drastic and in some cases painful measures,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr announced. “The longer this crisis lasts, the more likely it is that the future of aviation cannot be guaranteed without state aid.”

The top management of the Executive Board will forego 20 per cent of its basic remuneration this year, said Spohr. Around 700 of the 763 aircraft in the fleet are currently on the ground. According to the Group, only five percent of the originally planned flights are currently taking off. Continue reading “Lufthansa fights the corona crisis with massive cuts” »

European aviation research: IMOTHEP, an ambitious technology programme for hybrid electric drives

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is an important key to the further development of aviation. It requires ambitious research and solutions that go far beyond the continuous improvement of current aircraft technologies. On January 20, 2020, Bauhaus Luftfahrt e. V. and its partners from aviation research and industry officially launched the IMOTHEP project in Brussels, a research initiative on hybrid electric propulsion that is funded by the European Commission as part of Horizon 2020 .

Continue reading “European aviation research: IMOTHEP, an ambitious technology programme for hybrid electric drives” »

USA: Immediate punitive tariffs on European aircraft

Airbus A321 XLR of the US-American airline JetBlue/Foto: Airbus

The USA is beginning to impose new penalties on imports from Europe. An additional penalty duty of 25 percent will be imposed on imports of numerous products such as cheese, wine, butter and olive oil. When importing aircraft, an additional duty of 10 percent is levied.

The USA had Continue reading “USA: Immediate punitive tariffs on European aircraft” »

Established aviation companies must keep pace with innovative ideas from start ups

the development of environmentally friendly mobility concepts will be one of the central challenges of the coming decades/Foto: Dassault Systemes

The development of environmentally friendly mobility concepts will be one of the central challenges of the coming decades. An interesting exhibitor in this field at this year’s Paris Air Show was “Dassault Aviation”, a subsidiary of the multinational software development company “Dassault Systemes”. “Established aviation companies must keep pace with innovative ideas from start-ups that are entering the market”, says CEO David Ziegler. Continue reading “Established aviation companies must keep pace with innovative ideas from start ups” »

Austrian Airlines inspects aircraft using drone technology

Since mid-year, Austrian Airlines has been testing a completely new technology for the technical inspection of its aircraft fleet:/Photo: Austrian Airlines

Using autonomous drones developed by the French start-up “Donecle”, Austrian Airlines’ aircraft are checked for damage to paintwork and structures. The innovation not only makes work easier for the airline’s technicians, but the shorter duration of the check – less than two hours instead of the previous four to ten hours – also ensures faster availability of the aircraft in daily operations. Continue reading “Austrian Airlines inspects aircraft using drone technology” »

Mahler´s Fourth Symphony at the end

RMF 2019 – Final concert, Christiane Karg, soprano, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mirga Grazinyté-Tyla/Foto: RMF / Ansgar Klostermann

On 31.08.2019 the 32nd season of the Rheingau Music Festival came to an end with Gustav Mahler’s 4th Symphony in the Basilica of Eberbach Monastery with the soprano Christiane Karg and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla from Lithuania.

Mahler’s 4th Symphony is balm for the soul. It calms, decelerates and helps the listener to ,come down to earth´. The Basilica was the ideal place to make this happen on August 31, 2019. Continue reading “Mahler´s Fourth Symphony at the end” »

Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem

Brahms Requiem at Eberbach Monastery, Matthias Winckhler Bassbariton, Bach Choir Mainz, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, conducted by Ralf Otto, © RMF / Ansgar Klostermann

Brahms gave a very special Requiem to the music world: “A German Requiem”. On August 24, the soprano Sophie Wagner, the bass baritone Matthias Winckhler supported by the Bach Choir Mainz and accompanied by the Deutsche Radio Philharomie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern performed as part of the Rheingau Music Festival in the basilica of Eberbach Monastery with overwhelming intimacy and impressive intensity.

When Brahms presented his work to the public Continue reading “Johannes Brahms: A German Requiem” »

Ryanair: hundreds of jobs on the tip

Because of the flight ban for Boeings medium range jet 737 MAX there are hundreds of jobs on the tip of the Irish low-cost airline. The company needs around 1,500 fewer pilots and flight attendants than originally planned, Michael O’Leary told the staff in a video message. Continue reading “Ryanair: hundreds of jobs on the tip” »

Lufthansa on the verge of restructuring?

Discussion about a lean holding company has begun/Foto: Lufhansa

First the profit warning, then the fall in the share price, Lufthansa recently shocked investors. Various media speculate that Group CEO Spohr could counter the increasing pressure with a restructuring. Apparently a lean holding company is being discussed.

Lufthansa could transform itself into a holding company in the future. The “Handelsblatt” writes that a new, leaner group structure is being discussed in the company’s Executive Board and parts of the Supervisory Board. Continue reading “Lufthansa on the verge of restructuring?” »