Aviation Daily Roundup: May 03, 2022

VietJet Records Profit As Flights Recover In First Quarter

VietJet achieved robust profit growth in the 2022 first quarter, thanks to the airline’s restored domestic flights and the start of more international services. The LCC’s parent company reported an after-tax profit of VND244 billion ($10.6 million) for the three months through March 31, which was up by 98% year-on-year (YOY). Credit: Airbus / Christian Brinkmann

Luxembourg ACMI Startup FlyLux Prepares For Launch

Luxembourg startup FlyLux Airlines is planning to become active in wet-lease, charter and cargo flying, operating Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. Luxembourg startup FlyLux Airlines is planning to become active in wet-lease, charter and cargo flying, operating Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. The company is planning to operate 180- to 188-seat A320neos and 192- to 220-seat A321neos. The startup’s marketing is heavily focused on the neo’s environmental efficiency. Credit: Airbus/Stefan Kruijer

Boulter To Serve As Top FAA Aviation Safety Executive

FAA Flight Standards Service executive director David Boulter has been tapped to serve as head of the agency’s Aviation Safety office, part of a series of personnel changes announced in several May 3 internal memos. Boulter will take the agency’s top civil-service safety job when current acting associate administrator for Aviation Safety Chris Rocheleau leaves government service at the end of May. Credit: FAA

Daily Memo: JetBlue Stuck In The Middle Following Spirit Board Rejection

JetBlue Airways may have been a “breath of fresh air” when it launched two decades ago, but it may need a new niche to stay competitive. The airline finds itself in an increasingly vulnerable position in the middle of the U.S. market, wedged between the three global network carriers and the fast-growing ULCC sector. Credit: Airbus

AirBaltic Leasing In Ukraine Aircraft, Leasing Out A220s

Latvian flag-carrier airBaltic plans to wet-lease a Boeing 737-900ER from Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), at the same time the company is wet-leasing some of its own fleet of Airbus A220s to other airlines. The UIA move, which will see the Ukrainian aircraft and crews operating airBaltic routes on a short-term basis, comes as airBaltic said that it had chosen to bring in additional aircraft because of the impact of “global supply chain issues” on its own fleet of A220-300s. Credit: Airbus

Pilot-Training Bottlenecks Vary Among U.S. Carriers

U.S. airlines are unified in recognizing the need to get more pilot candidates in the pipeline but are grappling with training-process bottlenecks as they work to grow their near-term pool of qualified line pilots. United Airlines is pushing to hire 200 pilots per month and believes that figure will address its projected demand. Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

South African Airways Changes Leadership Again

South African Airways (SAA) plans to instate another CEO, following the departure of the position’s interim holder. Thomas Kgokolo left the airline at the end of April after what the airline described as “a successful year at the helm.” He is being replaced―in the joint roles of CEO and executive chairman―by John Lamola, non-executive chairman of the SAA interim board since July 2021. Credit: Joe Pries

EU Approves New State Aid For Romania’s Tarom

Romanian carrier Tarom has received the go-ahead for a €1.9 million ($2 million) capital injection to compensate for losses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 2, the European Commission (EC) said it had approved the payment, covering damages for 14 affected routes over the period from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2020. Credit: Rob Finlayson

IATA DG Walsh: Full Network Restoration Years Away

While airlines are reporting a strong demand environment going into the northern hemisphere summer, the full restoration of global airline networks is likely years away, IATA DG Willie Walsh cautioned. Speaking to Aviation Week Network editors in Washington on May 2, Walsh forecast a strong summer for the industry, especially on transatlantic routes and in domestic markets. He expects the U.S. domestic market will have a particularly robust performance. Credit: IATA

Boom Supersonic, Climeworks Sign Carbon Capture Agreement

Boom Supersonic has signed a 10-year agreement for carbon dioxide removal via Climeworks direct air capture technology. As part of the agreement, Climeworks will remove a portion of carbon dioxide emitted by Boom’s supersonic airliners, an effort to help the company reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2025, the aircraft developer said on May 3. Credit: Climeworks

Avolon Records $304M Impairment On Leased Aircraft Seized By Russia

Dublin-based lessor Avolon said it had recognized an impairment of $304 million against its exposure to the Russian market during the 2022 first quarter (Q1), reducing the carrying value of its 10 owned aircraft in the country to zero. Avolon said May 3 that the impairment was partially offset by the net release of $43 million in other lease-associated balances, resulting in a $261 million net impact to its income. Credit: Russian Look Ltd. / Alamy Stock Photo

Corrum Capital, Icelease To Convert Three 737-800s

Icelandic lessor Icelease and U.S. private-investment firm Corrum Capital Management have secured $40 million in funding to acquire three Boeing 737-800s for cargo conversion. The aircraft are being acquired by a strategic joint venture between Corrum Capital and Icelease that was set up in 2019, aimed at seizing cargo-conversion opportunities. Credit: Boeing

VietJet records profit as flights recover in first quarter,  Luxembourg ACMI startup FlyLux prepares for launch and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

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