NewsNCA suspends flights over 747 maintenance discrepancyJapanese freight operator Nippon Cargo Airlines is suspending services for several days after discovering a maintenance record discrepancy with its fleet. The carrier says it will halt departures from Tokyo Narita
frohttps://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar ... c-449523/m 16 June and all flight operations from 17 June.
LinkHawaiian Airlines, JAL seek to expand partnership Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines (JAL) have taken a major step to expand their partnership by applying to operate a revenue-sharing joint venture (JV) in the busy Hawaii-Japan market. The two carriers have filed their application with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and with Japanese regulators. They are already codeshare partners, and they propose to strengthen this to a metal-neutral arrangement on their networks between Hawaii and Japan and some beyond destinations. The carriers said they hope to gain approvals later this year, allowing the JV to be launched in the second quarter of 2019.
LinkCOMAC grounds C919 flight-test aircraft to modify prototypesThe Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) has grounded the C919 flight-test aircraft for modifications, costing about three months in the flight-testing schedule. The company has nonetheless restated a target to achieve certification in 2020. The two prototypes that have so far flown are having their tailplanes and flaps modified, according to two industry sources.
LinkItaly fines Ryanair $2.1 million for flight cancellations The Italian Competition Authority has fined Irish LCC Ryanair €1.85 million ($2.1 million) for mass cancellations of flights because of personnel rostering problems in the fall 2017 and early 2018. The authority concluded in September 2017 that Ryanair had cancelled numerous flights as a result of its own organizational and management failings, rather than extraordinary circumstances outside its control. These cancellations, the authority said, caused “considerable inconvenience to consumers who had long planned their travels and already booked and paid for their flight ticket.”
LinkDelta, Korean Air expand JV codeshares, add new transpacific routes Delta Air Lines expanded its transpacific partnership with Korean Air June 14 as the Atlanta-based carrier announced a new nonstop route between Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) and Osaka, Japan’s Kansai International (KIX) starting in 2019. Specific schedule details were not released. Delta will codeshare the flight with Korean Air, as part of the joint venture (JV) partnership launched between the airlines in May. Delta plans to fly the route with a Boeing 767-300ER equipped with 25 lie-flat seats in Delta One, 29 “comfort plus” seats and 171 main cabin seats.
LinkCanada ULCC Flair Airlines expands domestic network Canadian ULCC Flair Airlines on June 15 launched flights from three new airports—Calgary International (YYC), Halifax Stanfield and Victoria International—stretching its all-domestic network from coast-to-coast, and setting up more direct competition with other carriers. The new routes and added frequencies immediately boost the carrier's weekly flights from 90 to 188, Flair said. It also adds WestJet’s Calgary headquarters to a route network that is increasingly overlapping with existing and soon-to-be competitors.
LinkBrussels Airlines cancels Sharm-el-Sheikh services Belgian flag carrier Brussels Airlines has scrapped a series of planned charter services to the Egyptian holiday resort Sharm-el-Sheikh. The airline had been planning a schedule of 10 flights with an Airbus A320 from June 29 to the end of August on behalf of tour operator Thomas Cook Group.
LinkEasyJet readies to take first A321neo at FarnboroughUK LCC easyJet plans to take delivery of the first of the Airbus A321neos it has on order at the Farnborough Air Show in July, easyJet France director Francois Bacchetta said at a June 14 media briefing at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. “We will receive the first A321neos in Farnborough—they will operate at our Gatwick base,” Bacchetta said.
LinkInternational premium traffic, fares steady in 1Q, IATA saysThe share of traffic and revenue coming from international premium passengers held steady in the first quarter compared to year-ago figures despite apparent sluggishness in the key North Atlantic and Europe-Asia markets, IATA said. Premium-class passengers accounted for 5.5% of total international origin-destination traffic for the first three months of the year, matching 2017’s first quarter. Premium passengers generated 30.6% of international revenue during the quarter, down 0.5% year-over-year.
LinkWizz Air uses A320 to open Vienna base Central and Eastern European LCC Wizz Air launched operations at its Vienna, Austria base on June 14, with one Airbus A320. First routes from Vienna includes 4X-weekly services to Valencia (Spain); 1X-daily Rome Fiumicino (Italy); 3X-weekly Malta; 4X-weekly Bari (Italy); and 4X-weekly to Tel Aviv (Israel).
LinkSwiss regional SkyWork Airlines adds sixth Saab 2000 Swiss regional SkyWork Airlines plans to add a sixth Saab 2000 turboprop to its fleet, which will be used on the carrier’s regional network from its Berne home base. SkyWork operates to 24 destinations this summer; the airline carries around 140,000 passengers per year.
LinkTrent aircraft-on-ground situation improving: Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce believes the number of aircraft withdrawn from operations over Trent engine issues is starting to decline, without reaching the manufacturer's peak estimate of 50. Chief executive Warren East detailed the manufacturer's progress on addressing the problems, focused on Trent 1000 blades for Boeing 787s, during an investor briefing on 15 June.
LinkAir Transat prepping for A321LRs by rapidly expanding in Europe Air Transat executives are describing the company's rapid European summer expansion as part of a long-term strategy to remain competitive in transatlantic markets. The airline will dump 15% more seats into Europe this summer – and do so with widebody aircraft that executives concede are not ideal for the job.
LinkA350-900ULR will have inactive forward freight holdAirbus's ultra-long range A350-900ULR will feature a de-activated forward cargo compartment, the airframer confirms in the variant's formal technical documentation. It lists the aircraft – which has a 280t maximum take-off weight – as one of 17 weight variants, designated WV013, of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered twinjet.
LinkOPINION: Johnson's Skunk Works legacy is in safe handsIn 1986, a team of Lockheed engineers at the Skunk Works gathered around a board to invent what became the F-35 Lightning II. At the time, of course, these engineers had no idea that the fruit of their brainstorming would lead to a contract award 15 years later for the most expensive weapons system in history.
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