Aviation Daily Roundup: April 28, 2022

April 28, 2022

Qantas Finalizes A350 Deal for Project Sunrise

Qantas has confirmed a much-delayed order for the Airbus A350-1000s it will use for its Project Sunrise ultra-long-range flights; it has also finalized orders for Airbus narrowbodies to replace its domestic fleet. Credit: Airbus

AirAsia Group Passenger Volumes Double As Region Opens Up

Air transport in Southeast Asia appears to have turned the corner now that most countries have opened their borders to passengers from abroad. Credit: Duy Phuong Nguyen / Alamy Stock Photo

Southwest Converts 40 MAX 7 Orders To MAX 8s Amid Certification Delays

Southwest Airlines has converted 40 firm orders for the Boeing 737-7 to the slightly larger 737-8, as Boeing’s timeline for certifying the smallest MAX family variant continues to slip. Once slated to enter service in 2019, the 737-7’s certification slowed during the MAX family’s 20-month grounding following two fatal 737-8 crashes in 2019 and 2020. Flight testing on the 737-7 wrapped up in 2021, but amended type certification testing is currently ongoing, Boeing confirmed in March. Credit: Ashlee D. Smith / Southwest Airlines

Air France 777 Probe Focuses On Pilots’ Control Inputs

Opposing flight-control inputs and a lack of overall coordination may explain an Air France Boeing 777-300ER flight crew’s challenges that led to a go-around amid concern that the aircraft’s flight-control system was malfunctioning, an update from French air accident bureau BEA suggests. The April 5 occurrence involved a final approach to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). The aircraft, registered F-GSQJ and operated as Air France Flight 011 from New York John F Kennedy Airport (JFK), deviated to the left when on approach to runway 26 Left. Air traffic control requested that the crew go around. Credit: Air France

Aeroflot Suspends SkyTeam Membership

Russia’s largest carrier on international routes Aeroflot has temporarily suspended its membership in the SkyTeam alliance. However, the airline reported on April 27 it would not stop using the alliance trademarks, products and services, but some SkyTeam benefits could be limited on Aeroflot’s flights. Credit: Airbus / Stefan Kruijer

Volaris Remains Optimistic Mexico Will Gain Safety Upgrade By Year-End

Mexican ULCC Volaris is hopeful the FAA will restore Mexico’s safety rating by year-end as the next phase of the U.S. regulator’s assessment for the country starts in May. The FAA downgraded the country to Category 2 in May 2021 after it reviewed Mexico’s Agencia Federal de Aviacion Civil (AFAC) from October 2020 to February 2021 and identified several areas of non-compliance with minimum ICAO safety standards. Credit: Airbus

Textron Aviation Deliveries, Sales Rise In Q1

Despite the Russia-Ukraine war and volatility in the stock market, business aircraft activity at Textron Aviation has remained strong during the first quarter of 2022, company officials say. In January, Textron officials discussed raising rates throughout the course of 2022. Credit: Textron Aviation

EasyJet Links With GKN On Hydrogen Propulsion

EasyJet is continuing to lend its support to efforts to develop technology for zero-emission commercial aircraft. In its latest move, the London Luton airport-headquartered LCC is working with GKN Aerospace on two projects to develop hydrogen propulsion systems. Credit: GKN Aerospace

Daily Memo: Malaysia Airlines Broadens Capabilities Of Firefly Subsidiary

Malaysian carrier Firefly has relaunched its narrowbody jet operation, giving its parent Malaysia Airlines Group a dual-model approach for jet services. This move represents an important part of the Malaysia Airlines Group’s domestic plans, and it will also eventually play a role in the group’s international strategy. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Embraer Maintains Full-Year Guidance Despite Delivery Slowdown

Embraer reaffirmed its full-year revenue and delivery targets for 2022 despite a sharp deceleration in commercial and executive jet deliveries in the first quarter (Q1). The Brazilian manufacturer handed over just six commercial jets in Q1, consisting of four E175s to U.S. regional carrier SkyWest Airlines and two E195-E2s to KLM via lessor Aircastle. Commercial deliveries were down from 16 in the fourth quarter and nine in Q1 2019. Credit: Embraer

Let L-410 Manufacturer Freed From Russian Ownership

Aircraft Industries, the manufacturer of the Let family of turboprop regional aircraft, is now back in Czech hands after being acquired from its Russian owner. The Kunovice, Czech Republic-based company is now 100%-owned by OMPO Holding, part of the Czech defense supplier Omnipol, which also has a minority shareholding in Aero Vodochody, the Czech Republic’s other aircraft OEM. Credit: John Martin Davies / Alamy Stock Photo

Joint Committee To Advise Archer On Operational Concepts, Maintenance

Beyond developing and producing an air vehicle that meets civil aviation authority certification standards, advanced air mobility companies also must certify how the aircraft will be serviced and maintained, and their flight operations also must be certified. These will be the areas of focus for a new advisory committee formed by Archer Aviation and United Airlines. The committee is tasked with making recommendations for Archer’s Maker eVTOL. Credit: Archer

ANA Forecasts Return To Full-Year Net Profits

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is seeing enough signs of demand recovery to predict that it will return to profitability in fiscal 2022, which ends March 31, 2023. Parent ANA Holdings is forecasting a net profit of ¥21 billion ($164 million) for fiscal 2022. This would be a welcome result given it has reported steep losses in each of the previous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Guangzhou Airport operations come to a halt after three positive cases, AirAsia Group passenger volumes double as region opens up and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

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