Aviation Daily Roundup: March. 2, 2023

China is the latest driver in a recovering travel market, as Europe, the Americas, and Asia all now exceed 80% of pre-pandemic activity, AerCap says.  

American Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding with Yield10 Bioscience to develop camelina as a low-carbon feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

Etihad Airways Engineering is expanding its capabilities and footprint in its quest to become a one-stop MRO solution.

General Electric, which is undergoing a corporate breakup and next year will be simply GE Aerospace, said March 2 it will invest $355 million in existing aerospace-related sites in 2023 after conducting so-called lean process improvement reviews.

Lufthansa is accelerating the process of retiring its Airbus A340-300, A340-600 and Boeing 747-400 fleets by at least three years, after it placed follow-on orders for more A350-900s, 787-9s and committed to the A350-1000 for the first time.

Scandinavian Airlines’ (SAS) effort to fulfill its restructuring program is making further progress as the Star Alliance member has entered into new sale and leaseback agreements with Aviation Capital Group (ACG).

Turkish Airlines turned in a startlingly strong set of financial results for 2022, more than tripling its net profit compared to 2019.  

Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings has begun an Airbus A320/A321 aircraft swap. 

Virgin Atlantic formally joined the SkyTeam alliance March 2, becoming the grouping’s first UK member and enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network. 

In a few years from now, maybe, offering a green way to travel will be more important than passenger comfort. 

IATA has assigned airport code WSI to the new Western Sydney International Airport, as the facility prepares to enter service by late-2026. 

Kansas City International Airport (MCI) has opened its new passenger terminal, shutting down the two terminals that had been handling all of the airport’s flights.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) CEO Jacqueline Taft has resigned, according to the City of Austin, Texas, which oversees the airport.

A new contract approved by Delta Air Line pilots features a significant raise and improvements in benefits, following a two-year pause in discussions that began just before the pandemic.