Aviation Daily Roundup: June 09, 2022

South Africa’s Comair Collapses After 76 Years

South African regional carrier Comair filed for liquidation June 9, after its administrators failed to find the necessary funding to keep the airline going. Comair, a 76-year veteran of the African aviation scene, suspended flights May 31 after running out of cash. The airline has been in South Africa’s business rescue process, roughly equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, since May 2020. Comair was able to start flying again in December 2020 when the Comair Rescue Consortium (CRC) invested ZAR500 million ($32 million) for a 99% share of the equity in the company at the time. Credit: HARRY TEREZAKIS / Alamy Stock Photo

Brazil’s Airlines Oppose Legislation For Mandatory Baggage Allotment

Airline industry stakeholders have banded together in objecting to the return of a mandatory baggage allowance in Brazil. The country’s airlines were allowed to start charging for baggage in 2017, but in May, Brazil’s Senate provisionally approved a measure to allow free bags for air passengers. Domestic passengers would receive a 23 kg (50 pound) allowance while the allotment for international passengers would be 30 kg. Credit: jchizhe / Getty Images

IATA: Recovery Continues Despite China Restrictions, Russia-Ukraine War

Air travel resumed its strong recovery trend in April, despite the Russia-Ukraine war and continuing travel restrictions in China, IATA said June 9. Growth was driven primarily by international demand, which continued to accelerate. IATA has now returned to comparisons with the previous year, rather than with 2019, pre-pandemic figures. The organization accepts that this means that comparisons with 2021, when traffic was still stunted by international travel restrictions, will show some very high year-on-year growth rates—even if the size of markets is still significantly smaller than in 2019. Credit: shaunl / Getty Images

Daily Memo: Dassault’s In-Development BizJet Heralds Single-Pilot Operations In Commercial Aviation

“Several airframers in commercial aviation are ready to go ahead with single-pilot operations,” says a Toulouse-based professor in an aerospace engineering course. “And they are waiting for one another to go first.” At least Dassault Aviation, a major player in large-cabin business jets, is the first to talk openly about leaving one pilot alone at the controls in its next design. Credit: EasyJet

Greater Push For European SAFs Required, Campaign Group Says

European sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) manufacturers could produce 1.83 million tons of e-kerosene in 2030, saving about 5 million tons of CO2, but it must be of the right type, according to European campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E). In its latest forecast issued June 9, T&E said that e-kerosene, generated by combining green hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2), could substantially reduce aviation’s impact on the climate. Credit: Nicolas Jooris-Ancion / Getty Images

Russian Domestic Traffic Dropped By 20% In March-April

While Russian aviation authorities have stopped publishing any commercial aviation statistics from March, recently released—albeit sketchy—data is showing a serious drop in domestic air service. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia reported on May 31 that Russian airlines carried more than 19.8 million passengers across the country in January-April 2022. “This accounts for 95% of passengers carried on domestic routes in the similar period 2021,” the agency said. Credit: Airbus - Stefan Kruijer

Hawaiian Airlines Signs MOU To Explore Local SAF Production

Hawaiian Airlines is partnering with a Hawaii-based energy supply company to investigate the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) locally. The project will involve the airline and Par Hawaii studying the commercial viability of using SAF “to replace all or a percentage of traditional kerosene-based jet fuel with fuel that is made with sustainable feedstocks.” This is another example of how airlines are increasingly looking to stimulate the development of a SAF industry. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Airlines Reel At Hungary’s New Passenger Departure Tax

Airlines serving destinations in Hungary are decrying the imposition of a new passenger departure tax to be imposed by the Hungarian government beginning July 1. Hungary’s government on June 4 published a decree that new taxes on several business sectors will enter into force next month, including for air traffic. If a passenger’s destination is within the EU or to the majority of other European states, the tax will be HUF3,900 ($10.65) per passenger. To other destinations it is HUF 9,750 ($26.62). Transit passengers are excluded. Credit: Budapest Airport

Niceair’s UK Operations Interrupted, Solution Underway, CEO Says

Icelandic startup Niceair’s operations to the UK have been interrupted after its first flight. The new carrier launched 2X-weekly flights from Akureyri to Copenhagen on June 2, followed by 2X-weekly services to London Stansted starting June 3. Credit: Niceair

S7 Airlines Suspends Launch Of Low-Cost Subsidiary Citrus

Russia’s largest private carrier S7 Airlines has suspended the launch of its low-cost subsidiary as it cannot take delivery of new aircraft. The new LCC, branded Citrus, was expected to start operations in July. Credit: Airbus / Master Films / Hervé Goussé

Air India Express Eyes ‘Huge’ International Expansion

Air India Express is eying more international connections from second and third tier cities in India as part of a “huge” expansion plan over the next five years. Chief of Commercial Tara Naidu said the LCC intends to rapidly grow its network under new owner Tata Group, maintaining its strategy of offering inter-regional routes within a six-hour stage length. Credit: Ocean Driven Media

IPP Air Cargo Prepares For Launch, Eyes More Boeing Freighters

Vietnamese retail conglomerate IPP Group (IPPG) is hopeful that it will receive its air operator certificate by the end of July, in time for the delivery of the first of four Boeing 737-800BCF freighters on July 25. Philip Nguyen, IPP Travel Retail CEO, said the new carrier, named IPP Air Cargo, is set to commence operations from September, serving Hong Kong and Singapore initially. Credit: Ocean Driven Media

South Africa’s Comair collapses after 76 years, Brazil’s airlines oppose legislation for mandatory baggage allotment and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

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