Aviation Daily Roundup: February 7, 2022

Xiamen Air Claims First Carbon Neutral Flight

Credit: James D. Morgan / Getty Images

To celebrate the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Xiamen Air mounted what it calls its first carbon neutral flight on its Xiamen to Beijing service.

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Australia Reopening To Vaccinated Travelers From Feb. 21

Credit: Rob Finlayson

After more than two years of strict border restrictions, Australia will allow vaccinated tourists to travel into the country from Feb. 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced.

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Mesa Backs Regional Services Using Regent’s Seagliders

Credit: Regent

U.S. regional airline Mesa Air Group has invested in startup Regent and signed a letter of intent (LOI) to purchase 200 of its sea-skimming electric seagliders for overwater routes between coastal cities.

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Boeing 747 To Be Retired From Passenger Service In Russia

Credit: Rob Finlayson

Russia’s only operator of passenger Boeing 747s, Rossiya Airlines, will retire the type by the end of 2024.

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Danish E-Fuels Project Aims To Accelerate SAF Production

Credit: Orsted

After Denmark’s Prime Minister in January set the goal of all domestic aviation being fossil-free by 2030, a massive Danish project to produce sustainable fuels from renewable energy is investigating whether it can begin jet fuel production in 2025, two years earlier than planned.

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Frontier, Spirit Aim To Create U.S. ULCC Powerhouse

Credit: Spirit Airlines

Denver-based Frontier Airlines and southern Florida-based Spirit Airlines have agreed to merge in a deal that would create the largest ULCC in the Americas through a combined fleet that could inch close to 500 Airbus narrowbodies during the next five years.

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SkyWest CEO Sees Opportunity For 1,500-Hr. Rule Discussion

Credit: Joe Pries

Strain on regional airline networks caused in part by rising demand for pilots may lead to discussions on revisiting the 1,500-hr. rule, SkyWest President and CEO Chip Childs said.

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Daily Memo: Few Good Reasons To Reject Frontier-Spirit Merger

Credit: Frontier Airlines

The Biden administration has made its distaste for airline consolidation well-known, but even its own Department of Justice will be hard-pressed to reject the recently proposed merger between Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

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