NewsEmirates, flydubai expanded partnership has growing passenger interestMore than 400,000 passengers took advantage of the extended partnership between Dubai-based Emirates Airline and LCC flydubai from October 2017 to March 2018, with another 250,000 planning to do so, according to flydubai. The partnership began with codeshare flights to 29 cities, but has quickly expanded as customers took advantage of expanded access to destinations on a single ticket and checking in their baggage through to the final destination, flydubai said.
LinkUS regionals Silver Airways and Seaborne Airlines to mergeFort Lauderdale-based regional carrier Silver Airways finalized its purchase of San Juan, Puerto Rico-based Seaborne Airlines April 23, creating a combined fleet of 31 aircraft serving Florida, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean. Financial details of the transaction were not released.
LinkAir China’s relaunched business jet subsidiary eyes Beijing’s new airport baseAir China has secured clearance from the CAAC North China Regional Administration to relaunch its business jet subsidiary, Beijing Airlines, for public passenger transport, which could pave the way for Air China to get a position at Beijing’s new airport, expected to open in 2019.
LinkJetBlue posts $88 million 1Q net profit despite storm-related capacity hit New York-based JetBlue Airways reported $88 million in net profit for the first quarter of 2018, reflecting a 6.1% rise in RASM despite a 1% loss in capacity during the sequence of winter storms hitting the US northeast during the quarter.
LinkProposed FAA reauthorization amendment calls for engine safety reviewUS House Transportation Committee chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania) has submitted an amendment to proposed FAA reauthorization legislation that would require a “call to action” review of airline engine safety in the wake of the Southwest Airlines flight 1380 engine failure.
LinkLaudaMotion, Eurowings to end cooperationLufthansa LCC subsidiary Eurowings will end its cooperation agreement with Austrian startup LaudaMotion by the end of May, LaudaMotion confirmed to ATW. The move follows the April 11 announcement that German leisure carrier Condor is also ending its cooperation with the startup carrier by the end of the month.
LinkOman Air unveils new first-class cabin; acting CEO reportedly confirmedOman Air has unveiled a new first-class “mini-suite” on its fleet of Boeing 787s, as it responds to new premium products from other Gulf carriers such as Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways. The Muscat-based carrier made the announcement at the opening of the Arabian Travel Market exhibition in Dubai April 22.
LinkUnited takes first Boeing 737 MAX; set to begin services in JuneUnited Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX-family aircraft, a 737-9, and confirmed plans to start service with the newest Boeing narrowbody twinjets in early June. The Chicago-based carrier, which has 161 737 MAX-family aircraft on order, expects to take delivery of three 737-9s in April and six before the aircraft enters scheduled service on June 7. It will have 10 737-9s by year-end, meaning the aircraft will make up nearly half of the 24 planned additions to the carrier’s mainline fleet in 2018.
LinkNokScoot to launch Japan route as international network expandsThai long-haul LCC NokScoot is preparing to launch its first route to Japan, part of the carrier’s plans to expand its fleet and international network this year.
LinkANA to equip A380s with 520 seatsAll Nippon Airways (ANA) will equip its three on order Airbus A380s with 520 seats, the second highest seat density deployed on the type. The four class configuration includes 383 economy class seats on the main deck, says ANA. The upper deck will have 137 seats with eight in first class, 56 in business, and 73 in premium economy.
LinkAlaska reports smooth operations after reservations switchAlaska Air Group's "cutover" this morning to a single reservations system has not caused cancellations or otherwise disrupted the company's network, suggesting Alaska might have completed without major hiccups a task that has marred previous airline mergers.
LinkLondon City seeking E190-E2 certification in 2019London City airport is working with Embraer to obtain certification for the E190-E2 to operate out of the gateway during 2019. Speaking to FlightGlobal at the Routes Europe conference in Bilbao on 23 April, London City chief executive Robert Sinclair says certifying the jet for the steep approach and "specific requirements" for operating out of London City is a "major objective" for the airport.
LinkRussia's Azur Air indicates 777 intentionsRussian carrier Azur Air has given stronger signals that it is looking to acquire Boeing 777s for its operaitons. The airline has newly increased its fleet to include a sixth 737-800, a 189-seat jet which it put into service on 25 April on the Moscow-Heraklion route.
LinkNorth Africa and Israel markets 'doing really well': TransaviaTransavia acknowledges overcapacity in some European leisure markets, but notes "North Africa is not struggling right now for tourism" and that Turkish demand has made "a small improvement".
LinkDelta and Korean Air to launch partnership on 1 MayDelta Air Lines and Korean Air will launch their planned joint venture on 1 May, meeting the tight deadline they set for implementation less than a month ago. The SkyTeam Alliance carriers will launch the immunised partnership on routes between Asia and the USA, and beyond points in both regions, a notice filed with the US Department of Transportation on 23 April shows. It has a term of at least 10 years.
Link Safran rules out single-aisle rate hike proposals until 2019A key engine supplier for Airbus and Boeing will not entertain until after January any proposal to further increase production rates for single-aisle aircraft engines beyond planned increases through 2019. An analyst on a first quarter earnings call on 25 April questioned whether another round of production volume increases was coming, but Safran chief executive Philippe Petitcolin dismissed the idea completely.
LinkBoeing raises guidance on 'strong' first-quarter resultsA push to improve productivity paid off for Boeing in the first quarter as operating profits rose 30% compared with the same period a year ago on only a 6% improvement in revenues.
LinkZodiac interiors division showing gradual financial improvementZodiac Aerospace's troubled seating business is showing signs of recovery despite sales over the first half deteriorating by more than a quarter. The company says sales for its seats branch – part of its aircraft interiors division – were down by 26% to €449 million ($548 million). This included an organic decline of 21.8%.
LinkFokker Techniek wins first ACJ319neo completionDutch maintenance, repair and overhaul company Fokker Techniek has secured the first VIP completion contract for the Airbus ACJ319neo, following its appointment by German charter operator K5-Aviation to design and outfit a re-engined narrowbody on behalf of its unnamed owner.
LinkSyberJet readies SJ30i for third-quarter maiden flightSyberJet Aircraft has begun ground functional testing on the SJ30i, in preparation for the revamped, light business jet's first flight early in the third quarter. Mark Fairchild, general manager and director of sales for the Cedar City, Utah-headquartered company, says the test aircraft's systems are being "rigorously evaluated". These include the hydraulics, avionics, electrical power generation, pressurization, engines, fuel system, landing gear and flap/slat actuation, as well as flight control and engine rigging, he says. "We want to make sure everything is in order before we fly it."
LinkDARPA approval clears Boeing's transition to new air taxi approachVirginia-based Aurora Flight Sciences is now poised to transition an all-electric version of the XV-24A Lightning Strike to the commercial air taxi market. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has agreed to allow the newly-acquired Boeing subsidiary to transition government-funded technology - such as an electric-powered distributed propulsion system – for commercial applications, Aurora announced on 24 April.
LinkUS Army's powerful vision for ITEP engineA 12-year-old competition to define the most important military helicopter engine for perhaps the next half a century has entered an intense, final phase: by January 2019, the US Army plans to select the contractor for its Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP).
LinkF-35 deployment to Japan hit with sustainment problemsSince the US Marine Corps’ deployment of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan in January 2017 the aircraft has been hit with an assortment of sustainment problems. Many problems plaguing the first overseas deployment of the F-35 are logistical in nature and are related to the aircraft’s distance from maintenance and parts manufacturing facilities in the USA, according to a 25 April report titled “DOD Needs to Share F-35 Operational Lessons Across the Military Services” by the Government Accountability Office.
LinkBoeing unveils team for German Chinook bidBoeing has partnered with 10 aerospace suppliers that have operations in Germany to support its bid to supply CH-47 Chinooks for the nation’s heavy-lift helicopter competition. In addition to several German equipment and training specialist suppliers, the group includes CAE, Diehl Defense, Honeywell, Liebherr, Rockwell Collins and Rolls-Royce.
LinkEurofighter to upgrade Typhoon engine to lift salesEurofighter will upgrade the engines and systems on its Typhoon combat aircraft as part of a bid to replace Germany’s fleet of Panavia Tornados and support efforts to sell additional aircraft to other European countries. On 24 April, Airbus and Eurofighter submitted to Germany’s defense ministry an offer to replace the nation's 90 Tornados, which are to be phased out from 2025.
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