Aviation Daily Roundup: Jan. 10

Spirit AeroSystems, the leading aerostructures provider and Boeing’s top supplier, announced Jan. 10 it is laying off 2,800 of its employees in Wichita due to the open-ended production halt at both companies over the 737 MAX.

China Eastern Airlines will begin revamping its frequent flyer program “Eastern Miles” from a mile-based system to a revenue-based one in the second half of 2020.

Lufthansa and its subsidiary Austrian Airlines have postponed operations to Tehran, effective immediately, until Jan. 20, a spokesperson in Vienna confirmed to Aviation Daily.

Ryanair raised its full-year financial guidance Jan. 10 after what it described as stronger than expected figures over the busy Christmas and New Year period.

Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said ice buildup on a Fokker 100 operated by Bek Air has been identified as the main cause of the Dec. 27, 2019 crash at Almaty International Airport.

Lessor AerCap handled transactions involving 353 aircraft over 2019, the Dublin-based company said Jan. 9.

Hungarian LCC Wizz Air has launched SITAOnair’s internet protocol (IP)-based airline operations messaging service in Europe.

U.S. House lawmakers investigating the design and development of the Boeing 737 MAX issued their sternest rebuke of the embattled manufacturer to date, following the release of a trove of internal documents late Jan. 9 that drew widespread condemnation on Capitol Hill.

An infrared image taken by the WorldView-2 satellite on Jan. 9 shows a debris field about 400 m in length.