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Faury: Airbus not benefitting from MAX grounding
Airbus does not see any change in demand or supply chain relief for the A320neo family as a result of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding. “An A320 is an A320 and a MAX is a MAX,” CEO Guillaume Faury said April 30, presenting the company’s first-quarter results. The current situation “is not changing the mid- to long-term picture,” Faury stated. “We have a very strong backlog for the A320neo and we are limited by the supply chain.”
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ARSA: Boeing should be included on FAA rulemaking committee
A trade group representing the global aviation maintenance and manufacturing sector is defending Boeing’s inclusion on FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) amid ongoing investigations into the Boeing 737 MAX.
In an April 24 letter to the leadership of the House Transportation Committee and Senate Commerce Committee, Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) EVP Christian Klein said ARSA disagrees with calls from senate minority leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) to have Boeing removed from the committee for the duration of the investigations into the MAX.
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GE Aviation maintains output amid Max crisis and warns of Q2 hit
The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max has not yet significantly impacted the profits of engine maker GE Aviation, though General Electric’s chief executive warns of a potential financial impact in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, GE Aviation’s CFM International joint venture has continued to produce 737 Max Leap-1B engines at previous rates despite Boeing slowing its own production.
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PICTURE: Pilatus hands initial PC-24 to U-Haul International
Pilatus has delivered the first of two PC-24s to US self-storage company and long-time customer U-Haul International.
The superlight business jet – serial number 127, registered N124UH – was handed over on 29 April at the Swiss airframer's North American subsidiary in Broomfield, Colorado.
LinkAirlines
United takes no enforcement action in Avianca shareholder loan violation
United Airlines has not leveraged collateral in Avianca Holdings that could see it take control of the Colombian carrier following loan-covenant violations by majority shareholder BRW Aviation, which put up its ownership stake to guarantee a loan from the Chicago-based carrier.
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Virgin Australia to delay MAX deliveries to 2021
Virgin Australia has decided to delay its Boeing 737 MAX orders for two years, the first major move by the carrier’s new CEO as he seeks to improve the carrier’s near-term financial health. The carrier has restructured its MAX order after reaching a revised agreement with Boeing. The first of its 48 MAX orders is now scheduled to arrive in July 2021, instead of November 2019 as previously scheduled.
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SkyWest takes strategic minority stake in Southern Airways
Southern Airways Corp., parent of Mississippi-based commuter Southern Airways Express and Hawaii-based commuter Mokulele Airlines, has announced a strategic minority investment by SkyWest Inc., parent of Utah-based regional SkyWest Airlines.
Southern chairman and CEO Stan Little called the investment a “win-win solution” for both companies.
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Lufthansa stops Eurowings growth plans as 1Q losses mount
Lufthansa on April 30 decided to stop any planned growth of its low-fare brand Eurowings as that unit’s financial performance continued to deteriorate in the first quarter.
Lufthansa had planned Eurowings capacity to grow by 2% for 2019 but that target is now reduced to zero. The airline posted a €257 million ($288.3 million) operating loss in the first three months of the year compared to €218 million a year earlier.
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Hainan Airlines posts 2018 net loss on higher operating costs
China’s Hainan Airlines has incurred CNY3.6 billion ($523 million) loss for 2018, reversed from a net profit of CNY3.3 billion in 2017, ending its profit-making run.
Including non-recurring items, the HNA Group subsidiary’s total loss was CNY4.08 billion—the only carrier among the top four Chinese airlines that was not profitable in 2018.
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Air France increases frequencies for winter 2019-20 schedule
Air France has made modest changes in its winter 2019-20 schedules, increasing frequencies rather than the number of destinations.
In the long-haul sector, the company will add three weekly frequencies on its Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Santiago de Chile route, taking the total to 10 flights. Three weekly flights operated by Boeing 787s will add to the daily 777 service.
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Deadline set to be extended for Alitalia rescue plan
An April 30 deadline for the presentation of a new business plan to rescue Alitalia looked set to be extended after Italian railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), which is expected to lead the relaunch, said it had discussed the possibility of an extension at a board meeting.
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Austrian Airlines deepens 1Q net loss on LCC competition, higher costs
Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines reported a 2019 first-quarter net loss of €99 million ($111 million), widened from a €73 million loss in the year-ago quarter.
The company cited higher fuel and maintenance costs, as well as intense competition at its hub at Vienna International Airport, for the loss.
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WestJet’s 787-9 completes first transatlantic flight
WestJet has introduced its latest Boeing 787-9 with an inaugural transatlantic flight.
This is the third 787 for the Canadian carrier (registration C-GUDO), which is being used on its Calgary to London Gatwick service.
The aircraft is named Clive Beddoe after the founder and chairman, who was on the flight to London.
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PICTURES: First painted JAL A350 rolls out
Japan Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900 has rolled out of the paint facility in Toulouse carrying the airline’s colour scheme for the type.
The aircraft, MSN321, is fitted with its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB powerplants.
It features the red crane logo on its fin as well as red wing-tips and a special red ‘Airbus A350’ banner on its aft fuselage.
LinkAirports
Industry associations create task force to address drone incursions
Associations representing airports and the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry have formed a high-level task force to address the challenge of drone incursions at US airports.
Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) announced the Blue Ribbon Task Force on UAS Mitigation at Airports on April 30, during the AUVSI conference in Chicago.
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Minor ramp collision occurs in East Midlands fog
Two aircraft have been involved in a minor ramp collision at the UK’s regional East Midlands airport.
The airport’s operator says that one of the aircraft was taxiing when it “made contact” with a stationary aircraft on 30 April.
It states that the incident occurred on the central passenger apron.
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French firm to develop Hanoi airport masterplan
French consulting firm ADP Ingénierie and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam have entered a memorandum of understanding related to the planned expansion of Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport.
The 12-month project will see ADP Ingénierie complete a masterplan for the airport’s future development, and make projections for the airport’s growth requirements to 2030 and 2050.
LinkMilitary
Airbus still wrestling with A400M contract revision
Airbus is aiming to have a revised contract for the A400M signed off by mid-year, as negotiations with the programme's launch nations continue.
Speaking on a first-quarter results call on 30 April, chief executive Guillaume Faury said that talks were "progressing".
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ANALYSIS: US Navy's stealth fighters find new and evolving roles
US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) may have declared the Lockheed Martin F-35C initial operational capable in February 2019, but the evolution of the stealth fighter – and its US Marine Corps (USMC) cousin, the F-35B – is far from over.
In hopes that it can outgun long-range anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles from China and Russia, the Joint Strike Fighter programme plans to continually update the F-35 Lightning II’s internal software and hardware, as well as its ability to carry new sensors and weapons.
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PICTURE: RAAF C-130Js to get high-speed satcom capability
The Royal Australian Air Force will equip five Lockheed C-130Js with Ka-Band satellite communications systems.
The work will be undertaken from late 2019 and be completed in 2022, says the RAAF. One RAAF C-130J was fitted with the system in 2017 for trial purposes.
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RAAF EA-18Gs achieve IOC
The Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) fleet of Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft have achieved initial operating capability (IOC).
“Over time, this aircraft will work with Army and Navy platforms to enhance our ability to control the electronic environment, and where necessary, deny or degrade the electronic systems of adversaries,” says Air Marshal Leo Davies.
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Aviation Quote
"I have seen the curvature of the earth. I have seen sights most people will never see. Flying at more than 70,000 feet is really beautiful and peaceful. I enjoy the quiet, hearing myself breathing, and the hum of the engine. I never take it for granted."
- Lt. Col. Merryl Tengesda
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