As the industry is assigning an increasing importance to manual piloting skills, regional turboprop manufacturer ATR has received a certification for the use of a full flight simulator in stall recovery training.

Air Vanuatu has become the first carrier in the Pacific region to order Airbus A220s, after announcing a deal for four aircraft.

Turboprop manufacturer ATR said Feb. 25 it had received certification from EASA to extend the intervals between Type A maintenance checks for all its aircraft from 500 to 750 hours.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is planning relatively little fleet growth through its next two fiscal years, although the Japanese flag carrier plans to expand capacity at a slightly faster rate.

Airbus officially opened its first innovation center in Shenzhen China on Feb. 21.