Aviation Daily Roundup: March 22, 2022

March 23, 2022

Few Details Emerge In China Eastern Airlines Accident Probe

Credit: CNS / AFP / Getty Images


Air traffic controllers reacted to China Eastern Airlines (MU) Flight 5735’s sudden shift from cruise to a rapid dive by attempting to contact the aircraft’s pilots several times but received no response before the Boeing 737-800 hit the ground, a senior Chinese official said March 22. Given what is known so far, “it is impossible to make a clear judgment on the cause of the accident,” Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) aviation safety director Zhu Tao cautioned during a March 22 press briefing.

Southwest Airlines Flight Attendants Seek Mask Mandate Removal

Credit: Southwest Airlines


The union representing Southwest Airlines’ flight attendants called on the Biden administration to end the federal mask mandate on aircraft “as soon as practicable.” The executive board of the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 556—which represents Southwest’s roughly 16,000 flight attendants—urged President Joe Biden and the heads of the FAA and U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) in a letter to lift the mask mandate, which it partly blamed for an increase in unruly passenger incidents during the pandemic.

Delta Commits To Seven-Year Annual SAF Supply From Gevo

Credit: Delta Air Lines


Delta Air Lines has agreed to purchase over 500 million gal. of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Colorado-based advanced biofuels company Gevo. Announced on March 22, the deal will see Gevo supply Delta with 75 million gal. of SAF annually for seven years, beginning in 2026. The renewable fuels will be developed using alcohol-to-jet pathways that convert various low-carbon feedstocks into Alcohol-to-Jet Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (ATJ-SPK), which can be used for up to a 30% blend in conventional jet fuel for commercial flights.

European Commission Ready To Rediscuss SAF Blend Mandates

Credit: DLR/Alejandro Morello


The European Commission (EC) is open to talk again about the goals of the proposed RefuelEU legislation on sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), according to Transport Commissioner Adina Valean. “We can discuss the RefuelEU mandate,” Valean says, speaking March 22 at the Clean Aviation Forum in Brussels. For several weeks, both the air transport industry—including OEMs—and some EU governments have lobbied for more ambitious targets. The envisaged mandates have thus far called for a 2%-blend of SAFs in 2025 and then 5% in 2030, before further increases.

Air Canada Sees Wide Range Of Opportunities With New A321XLRs

Credit: Airbus


Air Canada is fleshing out its narrowbody fleet with a decision to add 26 Airbus A321XLR aircraft. The airline expects to start taking deliveries of the new long-range Airbus narrowbodies in the first quarter of 2024; the final aircraft should arrive in the first quarter of 2027. Air Canada is leasing 15 of the aircraft from Air Lease Corp., five will be leased through AerCap and six are being purchased directly from Airbus through an agreement that includes purchase rights for 14 additional aircraft between 2027 and 2030.

Daily Memo: From Collapsed To Coveted, Suitors Line Up For ITA Airways

Credit: ITA - Italia Trasporto Aereo


When Alitalia filed for bankruptcy in 2017 few would have predicted that five years later some of the biggest players in aviation would be battling it out to buy a stake in the Italian flag-carrier’s successor. ITA’s phoenix-like emergence from Alitalia’s ashes came after a painfully long-drawn-out process. For years the Italian government tried in vain to find an investor for Alitalia. When the pandemic hit, the decision was finally taken to nationalize the carrier, but that move was not celebrated by Brussels.

Air Greenland Eyes Sustainable Tourism With eVTOLs

Credit: Avolon/Vertical Aerospace


With the goal of being able to develop tourism sustainably, Air Greenland has partnered with lessor Avolon to explore the potential for zero-emission domestic air travel using Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 electric air taxi. The Greenland flag carrier and Avolon are forming a working group to assess the opportunity for commercial zero-emission flights in the region and to identify local infrastructure and certification requirements.

FAA Flags Boeing 777 Fuel Systems For Modifications

Credit: Sean Broderick / AWST


The FAA plans to require affected Boeing 777 operators to modify fuel systems to ensure they are accurately tracking the amount of fuel going into center wing tanks, correcting a design flaw that has led to over-reporting of fuel amounts—and some diversions as a result. A draft airworthiness directive (AD) published March 21 calls for mandating Boeing-recommended changes to fuel quantity processor units (FQPUs)—either updated software or replacing existing units with new ones containing the new software.

Europe, China Aim To Increase Sustainable Aviation Cooperation

Credit: Pete Starman / Getty Images


Representatives from European and Chinese aviation bodies have identified areas of mutual interest for sustainable aviation, as part of an ongoing cooperation project. At a workshop on Sustainable Aviation Strategies Overview in Europe and China held March 22, members of the European Commission (EC), EASA and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) met representatives of industry and academia to kickstart renewed cooperation on sustainability. The workshop gave participants the opportunity to share their programs and identify areas of mutual interest and future cooperation.

Russian Airlines’ International Service Capacity Dips To 200 Aircraft

Credit: Airbus / Stefan Kruijer


Russian airlines have very limited capacities for international services despite the government forcing airlines to relocate most of the Western-made airliners to the domestic registry, Russian Transport Minister Vitaly Savelyev said March 22. During a meeting with Russian senators, Savelyev explained that almost 800 Western-made airliners had already been transferred to the Russian registry to avoid their return to foreign lessors.

Airlines Schedule More Flights As Malaysia Border Reopens

Credit: Rob Finlayson


Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are both looking to boost their international networks due to Malaysia’s decision to open borders to visitors. The Malaysian government has previously said it will allow international travelers to enter the country without the need for quarantine starting April 1. Airlines have already begun to ramp up their international flights to prepare for this, and more growth will occur in April.

Embraer Confident On Demand For E-Jet P2F Conversions

Credit: Andrei Filippov / Alamy Stock Photo


Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer is optimistic about demand for the newly launched passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion program for E190 and E195 jets, estimating that it could transform between 100 and 200 of the jets into cargo aircraft over the next 10 years. “We are discussing our product with the main operators in all regions,” Embraer’s strategic marketing director Daniel Galhardo Gomes tells Aviation Daily. He believes the company may have an announcement to make as a result of those discussions before the end of 2022.

Revived Flybe Returns With 23 Routes

Credit: flybe


The Flybe brand will return to the skies in April, serving 16 airports in the UK, France and the Netherlands during the upcoming summer 2022 season. The reborn airline intends to connect 23 city pairs across its network using De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, operating up to 530 flights per week. The relaunch comes two years after the previous incarnation of Flybe collapsed into administration, resulting in more than 2,000 job losses.

Dubai International To Close Runway For Refurbishment

Credit: Dubai Airports


Dubai International (DXB), the world’s busiest airport in terms of international passengers, plans to close one of its two runways for 45 days in May and June, to allow for a major refurbishment. The airport will close its Northern Runway from May 9 to June 22. The Southern Runway underwent a similar closure for refurbishment in spring 2019.

Cathay Pacific Plans Few Frequencies On Restored Routes

Credit: Joe Pries


Cathay Pacific is preparing to add back more international routes, although it will keep frequencies low to avoid the risk of further flight suspensions. The carrier intends to resume certain routes after the Hong Kong government lifts the suspension of flights from nine countries starting April 1. However, the carrier plans to operate just one flight every 14 days on the inbound legs to Hong Kong.

Few details emerge in China Eastern Airlines accident probe, Southwest Airlines flight attendants seek mask mandate removal and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

These are some of the top stories from AWIN. Subscribe now for unrivalled, intelligent content, trustworthy data, exclusive analytics and meaningful insight. AWIN Premium is the only online resource that spans the commercial, military, business aviation and MRO market sectors.

With a focus on the programs and technologies shaping the market, as well as the most robust databases in the industry, AWIN Premium simplifies locating new business opportunities so you can generate new revenue.

AWIN Premium Membership includes Aviation Daily, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, and The Weekly of Business Aviation, and digital access to Aviation Week & Space Technology, Inside MRO, Air Transport World (ATW), and Business & Commercial Aviation (BCA). 

Aviation Week Intelligence Network
Monitor the market and connect your business to the people, programs and proprietary data driving the Commercial Aviation market - only available with AWIN.

AVD_AWIN_270

Stay Connected.
Stay Informed.
Grow Your Business.

Learn How