Aviation Daily Roundup: Jan. 22-24, 2021
January 25, 2021
AirAsia To Raise $113M In Rights Issue, Airbus Order Still In Place
Credit: Airbus
AirAsia is planning to raise MYR455 million ($113 million) in a private placement to raise cash, pay off debts and cover expenses.

WestJet Raises Concerns Over Air Canada’s Purchase Of Transat
Credit: Air Transat
Nearly two years after Air Canada announced its plans to purchase Transat, Air Canada’s major rival WestJet has raised competitive concerns about the tie-up.

Lufthansa Cargo Logistics Center Upgrade Gets Go-Ahead
Credit: Lufthansa Cargo
Lufthansa Cargo plans to upgrade and expand its logistics center at its home hub of Frankfurt. The air freight operator announced Jan. 21 that its supervisory board has approved investments for a comprehensive infrastructure improvement program for the center.

Daily Memo: Divested American Airlines, JetBlue Slots Should Be Reserved For LCCs
Credit: American Airlines
In approving the new Northeast Alliance (NEA) between American Airlines and JetBlue Airways, the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) instructed both carriers to shed a series of slot pairs at crowded airports in New York City and Washington, D.C.

New Chengdu Airport Begins Test Flights, Plans For June 30 Opening
Credit: Sichuan Airports Group
The new Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) began test and verification flights Jan. 22, during which the majority of its future airline users deployed their various aircraft types.

Iraqi-UK Joint Venture To Run Services At Baghdad International
Credit: Menzies Aviation
Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) has awarded the contract to provide a suite of ground handling, cargo and fueling services at Baghdad International Airport (BIA) to an Iraqi-UK joint venture (JV).

Turkmenistan Airlines Switches To Airbus For Converted Freighter Order
Credit: Airbus
Turkmenistan Airlines has placed an order for two A330-200 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) converted aircraft, shopping with Airbus for the first time.

New South Korean Start-Up Aero K Schedules First Flights
Credit: Aero K
South Korea’s latest LCC Aero K plans to begin scheduled domestic flights from its Cheongju International Airport (CJJ) base to Jeju (CJU) on Feb. 19.

U.S. Airlines Welcome Mask Order; Lawmakers Reintroduce Aviation Task Force Bill
Credit: Delta Air Lines
WASHINGTON—U.S. airlines and flight attendants have welcomed a presidential executive order requiring masks to be worn at airports and onboard commercial flights.

Boeing’s 787 Glut Includes 80 Undelivered Aircraft, Analysis Shows
Credit: Joe G. Walker
Boeing has not delivered a 787 in more than three months and now has at least 80 of the widebody twins awaiting customer handover, an Aviation Week analysis shows.

European Leaders Looking To Further Tighten COVID-19 Travel Rules
Credit: Paris Aeroport / Twitter
PARIS—European travel rules aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 are set to tighten. The region’s leaders are proposing adding new testing requirements to travelers from newly classified zones in which the virus is circulating fast, in addition to discouraging all non-essential travel.

Qatar Airways Boosts U.S. Flying, Emirates Returns To Australia
Credit: Qatar Airway
Atlanta will return to the Qatar Airways network in June as part of an expansion of services to the U.S.

KLM To Cut Up To 1,000 More Jobs As Long-Haul Recovery Falters
Credit: KLM
KLM has announced plans to cut a further 800-1,000 jobs as COVID-19 travel restrictions continue to prevent the Dutch flag-carrier’s recovery.

BWI Marshall Airport Launches Social Distancing Technology
Credit: BWI
WASHINGTON—Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) has launched a pilot program using innovative technology to provide social distancing information and assessment for customers at a security checkpoint.

Flydubai Becomes Latest Carrier To Reinstate Doha
Credit: flydubai
Flydubai has become the latest airline to announce a restart of flights to Qatar following the end of the blockade.

ICAO Chief Paints Gloomy Picture Of Travel Amid Pandemic
Credit: ICAO / Twitter
There are few signs of near-term relief for the travel and tourism markets, given continued limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines and gaps in data relating to the coronavirus’s transmission, according to ICAO’s CEO.
From Boeing's 787 glut including 80 undelivered aircraft to European leaders looking to further tighten COVID-19 travel rules. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.
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