NAS Daily 07 JAN 19

airtrainer 07 Jan 19, 02:03

News

Commercial

Boom raises $100 million for supersonic commercial airliner
Startup Boom Supersonic has closed a $100 million Series B investment round to finance continued work on its Mach 2.2 commercial airliner—now called the Overture. The 55-seat aircraft is planned to enter service in the mid-2020s.
The latest round includes $56 million in new financing, plus previously announced strategic investments, and takes the total raised to $141 million. Denver-based Boom has said it expects development of the Overture to cost about $6 billion.
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ANALYSIS: What operators have to say about the A320neo
Nearly three years on from first delivery, the Airbus A320neo family is, in sales terms, an undoubted success story. More than 60 operators have the aircraft in service.
However, a significant number of these have had to contend with either engine-related performance issues or late aircraft deliveries. Perhaps partly as a consequence of this, several operators declined to be interviewed by FlightGlobal about their in-service experience with the re-engined narrowbody.
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Airlines

Tributes to Southwest founder, low-cost airline pioneer Kelleher
Herbert D. “Herb” Kelleher, who founded Southwest Airlines and began a global low-cost airline revolution, died Jan. 3 at age 87.
Dallas-based Southwest issued a statement describing Kelleher as “a pioneer, a maverick and an innovator.”
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LaudaMotion to boost aircraft, routes in 2019
LaudaMotion plans to increase its Airbus A320 fleet from nine to 21 aircraft in 2019.
The Ryanair subsidiary also wet-leases up to six Boeing 737-800s from its Ireland-based parent carrier. The 27 aircraft will enable the Austria-based carrier to add short- and medium-haul routes, as well as increase frequencies on existing routes. All of the new aircraft will be leased and are on average about five years old.
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India’s IndiGo, Turkish Airlines agree to codeshare
Indian LCC IndiGo and Star Alliance member Turkish Airlines announced a codeshare and mutual cooperation agreement on Dec. 21, 2018.
The cooperation is subject to board and regulatory approvals.
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India’s Jet Airways seeks capital injection, defaults on loan payment
India’s Jet Airways continues to seek fresh capital to secure its future after the carrier defaulted on a debt payment.
On Jan. 1, the company informed the National Stock Exchange of India that the payment of “interest and principal installment … to the consortium of Indian Banks (led by State Bank of India) on [Dec. 31] has been delayed due to temporary cashflow mismatch.” Jet said it has “engaged with” the lenders in relation to the default.
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Saudi Arabian LCC flyadeal expands operations
Saudi Arabian LCC flyadeal has substantially expanded its operations in the eastern industrial city of Dammam, one of the centers of the nation’s oil industry.
The fast-expanding carrier already operates a 3X-daily roundtrip service from Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport to the country’s commercial center, Jeddah.
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Korea’s Air Busan eyes services to Singapore
South Korean LCC Air Busan hopes to begin scheduled operations from the port city of Busan to Singapore from as soon as February, and is in the process of getting an operating license.
The Asiana Airlines subsidiary began a seasonal Busan-Singapore service Jan. 4, a first for any Korean carrier. The twice-weekly service uses an Airbus A321-200 through Jan. 29.
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JetBlue fears Delta's JV could hinder ability to serve Europe
JetBlue Airways in recent weeks filed regulatory documents related to slots at several European airports – a move amid increasing speculation that the carrier's next major expansion could be to Europe.
The filings do not describe concrete plans by JetBlue to serve Europe, but call on US regulators to ensure a proposed joint venture led by Delta Air Lines will not hinder new carriers from serving constrained European airports.
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US government shutdown casts doubt on Delta's A220 launch plan
Delta Air Lines' long-running quest to begin Airbus A220 flights may face another hurdle – this one due to the ongoing shutdown of the US federal government.
The Atlanta-based carrier – the first US airline to acquire the A220 – has planned to place the type into revenue service on 31 January with flights from New York LaGuardia airport to Boston and Dallas-Fort Worth.
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Tigerair Australia pilots to take industrial action
Tigerair Australia pilots will undertake limited industrial action from 4-9 January and from 11-18 January.
The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) says that 90% of the airline’s pilots have approved taking industrial action.
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Genghis Khan Airlines canters toward launch
Chinese start-up Genghis Khan Airlines appears one step closer to launch, as it applies for a business licence.
The carrier first received preliminary regulatory approval last March. The Civil Aviation Administration of China is now seeking comments to its application for a business licence, by 17 January.
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Airports

London airports invest in anti-drone measures
London’s two largest airports say they have acquired, or plan to acquire, anti-drone technology in the wake of the pre-Christmas disruption at London Gatwick.
There, flights were suspended for varying periods between Dec. 19-21 after drones were spotted over the runway, resulting in severe delays and cancellations for an estimated 140,000 passengers.
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Israel’s Eilat Ramon airport prepares to open
Israel plans to open its second international airport, Eilat Ramon, on Jan. 22.
Situated at the southern tip of the country and serving the popular Red Sea resort of Eilat, the new airport will have an initial annual capacity of 2 million passengers, with expansion allowing that figure to rise to 4.2 million by 2030 as demand increases.
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Russia signs concession agreement with Sheremetyevo operator
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has signed a 49-year concession agreement with Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO), giving the airport management company the right to invest in the state-owned airfield infrastructure.
SVO will invest RUB61 billion ($890 million) in runways, taxiways and aprons, the agency said in a statement. The agreement is valid through Dec. 31, 2067 and could be extended for up to five more years.
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CAAC details airline allocation plan for two Beijing airports
The Chinese aviation regulator has provided more details on how airlines will be divided between Beijing’s two airports, when the new Daxing International opens in September.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) says foreign carriers, as well as those from Hong Kong and Macau, can choose which Beijing airport they want to operate out of, including having a presence at both.
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Three-quarters of AAI-run airports in the red
India has revealed that the majority of airports owned and managed by state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) lost money in the 2018 fiscal year.
In response to a parliamentary question, minister of civil aviation Suresh Prabhu says this affected 94 out of the 129 airports under AAI's purview.
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Military

KAI upbeat after Jakarta resumes K-FX/I-FX payments
Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has received a W130 billion ($117 million) payment from Indonesia’s defence ministry, suggesting Jakarta’s involvement in the K-FX/I-FX programme is back on track.
KAI confirmed receipt of the payment, in an email to FlightGlobal.
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Boeing to upgrade Spain CH-47D fleet to -F standard
Boeing will upgrade Spain’s fleet of 17 CH-47Ds to the CH-47F standard, in the first such order outside the United States.
The work will see the 17 helicopters receive a digital automatic flight control system, a common avionics architecture, and an improved cargo handling capability,” says Boeing.
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