Aviation Daily Roundup: Mar. 25, 2021

Credit: Heart Aerospace

Finnair has signed a letter of interest in acquiring up to 20 19-passenger electric aircraft from Swedish startup Heart Aerospace for use on its shortest routes.

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Credit: Frontier Airlines

Airline initial public offerings (IPOs) are relatively rare events in the U.S., with just two carriers going public during the last decade—Mesa Airlines in 2018 and Virgin America in 2014. 

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Credit: Southwest Airlines

A special IATA task force is supporting airlines as they return Boeing 737 MAXs to service, and the association’s safety audit program has been modified to help ensure return-to-service requirements are followed. 

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Credit: Airbus

Airbus is increasing the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of the A220-300 by around one additional ton and is now offering the aircraft with a 70.9-ton option. 

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Credit: Dante

Spanish airlines Volotea and Air Nostrum have partnered with startup Dante Aeronautical to apply for European pandemic recovery funding to support the conversion of their short- and medium-haul aircraft fleets to electrified propulsion to reduce carbon emissions.

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Credit: Delta Air Lines

With an agreement under its belt to supply more than 60 million gal. of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) a year to Delta Air Lines, Northwest Advanced Bio-Fuels (NWABF) has secured an equity commitment to build a plant to produce jet fuel from waste wood.

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Credit: Rob Finlayson

Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir and Kenyan Airways have signed up as strategic partners for the African Union (AU) “Trusted Travel” (TT) initiative, which has been ratified by 54 AU member states.

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Credit: Rob Finlayson

Hawaiian Airlines is the latest U.S. operator to cite growing momentum in bookings, and as a result the company’s outlook for the first quarter has improved. 

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Credit: Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Getty Images

European airlines have welcomed news of progress on a European Commission plan aimed at facilitating international travel while calling on governments to do more to support a summer recovery.

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Credit: Boeing

Optimistic about a European summer travel recovery, Ryanair is expanding its Marseille base, its largest in France. 

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Credit: Airbus

WASHINGTON—Pratt & Whitney has released updated engine control software that eliminates the need for repetitive inspections put in place to prevent damage that led to four Airbus A220 infight shutdowns; the FAA plans to mandate its installation. 

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Credit: Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty Images

Bulgarian long-haul startup GullivAir has been awarded permission to begin flying to the U.S. and Canada. 

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Credit: Tiziana Fabi / AFP / Getty Images

EASA is suggesting aircrew members wait 48 hours after receiving a dose of COVID-19 vaccine before taking to the skies in case of side effects.

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Credit: Kyiv International Airport

New Ukrainian carrier Bees Airline has been approved to operate flights on more than 30 routes as the startup begins to scale up its operations.

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Credit: Austrian Airlines / Florian Schmidt

Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines will further reduce its fleet and cut more jobs as the COVID-19 crisis drags on.

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Credit: Kurt Hofmann

Kenya Airways has announced the worst financial results in its 44-year history for 2020.

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