Aviation Daily Roundup: June 20, 2022

Virgin Australia Eyes Return Of Long-Haul Operations

Virgin Australia is considering the aircraft choices available that would allow it to eventually resume long-haul international routes. “We are knee-deep in evaluating our options to re-enter long-haul international flying,” Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka told Aviation Week on the sidelines of the IATA annual general meeting on June 19. Credit: Virgin Australia

ANA Urges Japan’s Government To Remove International Constraints

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is starting to see international demand returning, but the carrier is pushing for Japan’s government to ease restrictions that are preventing a more significant traffic recovery. One of the major challenges for Japanese airlines is a government rule capping inbound travelers at 20,000 per day. While the limit has been increased recently, it still restricts arrivals at one-seventh the average daily volume from before the pandemic, said Jun Miyagawa, ANA EVP for alliances and international affairs. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Emirates Airline Budgets For Continuing Cargo Boom

The continuing boom in air cargo has spurred Emirates Airline to further increase its dedicated freighter fleet. Emirates’ SkyCargo division plans to order a further six Boeing 777-300ER freighter conversions, to be undertaken by IAI in Abu Dhabi. This comes on top of an earlier order for four IAI-converted 777s announced in 2022. Credit: Boeing

Daily Memo: Supplier Issues Compound OEM Delays At Emirates, Other Airlines

Emirates has been among the airlines suffering the most from Boeing’s aircraft delivery delays. The problems have been continuously derailing the Dubai-based carrier’s capacity and network planning; getting schedule certainty has been impossible, not only for Emirates but for other carriers as well. Credit: Airbus

European Labor Crunch Leads To Airport Caps

Labor shortages have forced Amsterdam Schiphol and London Gatwick to set capacity limits, while Brussels Airlines canceled almost all flights from its home base on June 20 in the face of eight-hour security wait times. The summer travel rebound in Europe has exceeded all expectations and the labor market is incredibly tight, causing a perfect storm for airlines and airports during the long-awaited post-pandemic recovery. Credit: Nigel Howarth / Aviation Week

Cathay Pacific Urges Stable Government Policies Post-Pandemic

Cathay Pacific calls for policy stability from the Hong Kong SAR government as the territory gradually but cautiously relaxes border restrictions. The flag-carrier also hopes to raise the awareness of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to the Chinese government for it to potentially set up an aviation fuel plant in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Credit: Cathay Pacific

Shell Launches Blockchain SAF Corporate Travel Platform

Shell Aviation has partnered with Accenture and American Express Global Business Travel to create a blockchain-powered system that would let corporate travel buyers to participate in the funding of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and gain credit. A pilot program for the platform, called Avelia, was launched June 19 on the eve of the IATA annual general meeting in Doha. The so-called “book-and-claim” platform allows companies to trace the entire SAF supply chain and obtain a tangible data and carbon reduction certificate for its environmental social and governance (ESG) reporting. Credit: Sjoerd van der Wall/Getty Images

EasyJet Gains Lisbon Slots; Flight Disruption Continues

UK LCC easyJet has emerged as the front-runner for 18 additional daily slot pairs at Lisbon Airport, which TAP Air Portugal is required to give up as a competition remedy for its €2.55 billion ($2.68 billion) restructuring. Following the start of the reallocation process on Feb. 25, the European Commission (EC) said a number of airlines voiced interest in the remedy slots. The proposals were ranked by additional seat capacity, with easyJet emerging as the leading candidate. Credit: Rob Finlayson

JetBlue Boosts Transatlantic Offer, Remains Cautious On Capacity Plans

JetBlue Airways will increase its presence in the New York-London market later in 2022 and plans to make Paris its first mainland European destination in 2023, CEO Robin Hayes has confirmed. During the upcoming northern winter season, the airline has secured permanent slots at London Heathrow (LHR) and plans to add a second daily flight to London Gatwick (LGW) from New York John F Kennedy (JFK). Credit: JetBlue

IATA Expects Industry Profits To Return In 2023

IATA believes overall industry profitability is within reach for 2023 based on a strong recovery of demand in recent months now that travel restrictions have been eased in many countries. However, serious new risks are emerging that could still derail the recovery. Credit: San Francisco International Airport

Japan Airlines Begins Evaluation Of Boeing 767 Replacements

Japan Airlines (JAL) is beginning to consider its options for an order to replace its long-serving Boeing 767s while also preparing to continue the replacement process for its 777 fleet. JAL is conducting the internal evaluation for its 767 fleet replacement during the current fiscal year, which extends through March 2023, says Ross Leggett, the carrier’s deputy SVP for route marketing, international relations and alliances. Formal negotiations with aircraft manufacturers and the placement of an order are expected to occur in the following fiscal year beginning April 1, 2023, Leggett told Aviation Daily on the sidelines of the IATA Annual General Meeting. Credit: Airbus

Maintenance Bottleneck Crimping Aerolineas Argentinas Recovery

Aerolinas Argentinas aims to return to full pre-pandemic operations in 2023 once it clears a back-up in aircraft maintenance. The airline is currently operating roughly 70% of its pre-crisis capacity, Aerolineas Argentinas CEO Pablo Ceriani told Aviation Daily during the IATA annual general meeting. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Royal Brunei Mulls Fleet Optimization Amid Limited Resources

Facing a shortage of talent and resources as a result of the pandemic, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) is looking to further optimize its fleet into a leaner airline. Speaking to Air Transport World at the IATA annual general meeting in Doha, RBA’s new acting CEO Sabirin bin Abdul Hamid said he wants to have further fleet commonality and tap into a single pool of pilots, crew and spares. Credit: Airbus / DOUMENJOU Alexandre - Masterfilms

IATA Urges Latin Governments To Take Lead In SAF Development

IATA is stressing Latin America governments must bolster infrastructure for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to support the growing use of alternative fuels. “It will not help our industry when you have flights that will operate SAF across North America and Europe into our region, and those same airplanes cannot return flying SAF,” IATA Regional VP of the Americas Peter Cerda said on June 19 during the association’s annual general meeting. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Hawaiian Airlines Considers Boosting Fleet To Meet Demand

Hawaiian Airlines is considering leasing more aircraft to accommodate projected demand growth, as the carrier faces the prospect of further delays for its Boeing 787 deliveries. The airline is talking with suppliers and lessors during the IATA annual general meeting, and it is “open to the possibility” of leasing additional aircraft, CEO Peter Ingram told Aviation Daily. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Qantas, Airbus Look To Spur Australian SAF Development

Qantas and Airbus have jointly committed to invest in the Australian sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry, with the airline hoping to use locally produced fuel to help meet its long-term SAF targets. The two companies signed an agreement at the IATA annual general meeting to provide up to $200 million to accelerate the development of Australian SAF production. Pratt & Whitney will also contribute to the fund. Credit: Qantas

Virgin Australia eyes return of long-haul operations, ANA urges Japan’s government to remove international constraints and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

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