Aviation Daily Roundup: April. 3, 2023

For a development program that is apparently marking time while awaiting regulatory approval to start certification, the 777X flight test tempo continues to accelerate.

The FAA has finalized additional bird-ingestion requirements that engine manufacturers must meet during certification, adopting recommendations from a rulemaking advisory working group to ensure new testing reflects real-world operations.

Alaska Air Cargo expects to take delivery of two Boeing 737-800BCFs in 2023, and is upgrading its cargo network systems to support planned growth over the next five years. 

Africa’s aviation recovery is tracking ahead of the rest of the world, with traffic set to double over the next decade, triggering IATA to launch “Focus Africa” to help realize that growth.

Dublin-based ASL Aviation Holdings has purchased Australian charter and wet-lease operator Pionair, and the acquisition is expected to mean the addition of a new cargo aircraft type for Pionair.

Japanese-owned ORIX Aviation has taken full ownership of a joint venture (JV) that it previously held on a 50:50 basis with Merx Aviation, as part of a €2 billion ($2.2 billion) investment plan. 

Finnair is seeing favorable trends after the airline was forced to rebalance its network roughly a year ago due to the closure of Russian airspace.

Air passenger duty (APD) on UK domestic routes has been cut by a half, which the country’s government hopes will incentivize airlines to expand their networks to “bolster UK connectivity and ensure passengers have access to more affordable flights.”