Aviation Daily Roundup: May 04, 2022

ANA Suspends London, Paris Routes Over Airspace Restrictions

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is not operating its services to London and Paris because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent airspace restrictions. In a report issued with the release of its financial results for the 12 months ended March 31, the Japanese airline said its Tokyo Haneda (HND)-London Heathrow (LHR) and HND-Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) routes have not been operated since late March and will remain suspended because of the closure of Russia’s airspace. Credit: Joe Pries

Chorus Aviation Completes Acquisition Of Lessor Falko

Canadian regional aviation specialist Chorus Aviation has completed its acquisition of UK-headquartered lessor Falko Regional Aircraft, triggering investment firm Brookfield Asset Management to take a 12.5% stake in Chorus, as planned. On Feb. 27, Chorus announced that it had agreed to acquire Falko from Fortress Investment Group. The deal completed on May 3, on track with the second-quarter (Q2) 2022 timeline announced back in February. Credit: Bombardier

Daily Memo: French Industry Tackles Hiring Conundrum

While the French aerospace industry has long experienced difficulties in hiring to meet its needs in production, the problem has become more acute in the tail end of the COVID-19 crisis. As production is ramping up and projects for environmentally friendly aircraft firm up, GIFAS, the sector’s lobbying association, has stepped up its promotion efforts. The company has launched a publicity campaign that especially targets the young and women, as well as experienced workers considering a career change. Credit: Airbus

BAE Systems Unveils Lighter, Lower-Cost Head-Up Display

BAE Systems has lifted the veil on a new lightweight head-up display (HUD) it is targeting at the business jet and single-aisle airliner market. The cockpit-ceiling mounted LiteWave HUD uses the company’s digital waveguide technology originally developed for its LiteHUD. The new version is cheaper, lighter, less power hungry and easier to install than previous generations of HUD, which use a combination of optics and cathode ray tubes and combiners to produce the HUD image. Credit: BAE Systems

Following Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems Inches Back Forecast

Spirit AeroSystems, the leading supplier of aircraft subsystems to Boeing, this week reached production of 31 737 MAX shipsets a month and expects to stay there all year, producing 315 total, according to top executives. The new outlook—lower than previously hoped for and coupled with Boeing’s near-stop of 787 production—in turn has led the Wichita supplier to cut its 2022 cash flow guidance, now predicting red ink. Spirit expects cash outflow, or burn, this year of $175-225 million versus earlier expectations of breakeven. Credit: Spirit AeroSystems

Kenya Airways Details Stages For South African Airways Partnership

Kenya Airways Group MD and CEO Allan Kilavuka has outlined three phases for his carrier’s strategic cooperation with South African Airways (SAA), spanning the period to the end of 2023. The two African airlines announced their planned partnership in September 2021 and finalized the agreement in November 2021. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Junkers Aircraft Proposes Reviving Ju-52 Transport

Swiss light aircraft developer Junkers Aircraft is proposing reviving development of the Ju-52 trimotor as a potential low-cost transport aircraft. The Ju-52NG would reuse the basic configuration of the wartime transport aircraft, using the corrugated duralumin skin, but introducing new-generation avionics and piston engines. Credit: Bernd K

Airbus To Further Boost Narrowbody Production, Delay A321XLR Service Entry

Airbus is going ahead with the long-debated further increase in its single-aisle output over the next three years and is delaying entry-into-service of the A321XLR by a few months. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury confirmed May 4 that the manufacturer will raise its A320neo family single-aisle production from 65 aircraft per month that it aims to reach by the summer of 2023 to 75 aircraft per month in 2025, roughly a 14% increase. Credit: Airbus

Brussels Airlines Removes Mask Mandate For Passengers

Brussels Airlines has joined the growing number of airlines that have scrapped the requirement for passengers to wear masks on board its aircraft. The Belgian flag-carrier dropped the mandatory use of masks May 3, following several other major European carriers including British Airways, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. U.S. airlines have also scrapped the requirement. Credit: Nigel Howarth / Aviation Week

Unified Stance Needed To Challenge 1,500-Hr. Rule, Airlines Say

Convincing U.S. lawmakers to revisit the 2010 law that required the FAA to boost minimum flight hours for airline pilots to 1,500 hr. will require a unified push backed with data to support revised standards, executives from two major carriers said. Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Initiative To Heighten Connectivity Performance Gains New Partners

Alaska Airlines and JetBlue Airways have joined Boeing, Safran, Panasonic Avionics and U.S. IT company Riverbed Technology in the Seamless Air Alliance (SAA), which aims to make it easier for passengers to access inflight connectivity. SAA is a consortium founded by Airbus, Airtel, Delta Air Lines, OneWeb and Sprint amid fears that the current connectivity experience can be brand-damaging. Credit: JetBlue

Bestfly Takes First Regional Jet, Plans To Boost Cabo Verde Services

Angolan carrier Bestfly has moved into the regional jet market as it steps up its services in Cabo Verde. Bestfly moved into the small archipelago off the northwest African coast in 2021 to provide primarily inter-island services, using three ATR 72-600 turboprops. The airline has now taken delivery of an Embraer E190 as it prepares to launch services to the African mainland. Credit: ACIA Aero Leasing

Freight Operation Helps Korean Air Achieve Record Profit

Korean Air managed to post impressive profits in the 2022 first quarter (Q1), with freight operations again a major factor and passenger services starting to make more gains as well. The airline achieved a net profit of KRW543.9 billion ($449.6 million) for the three months through March 31, a turnaround from a loss of KRW28.8 billion in the same period in 2021. Credit: Joe Pries

ANA suspends London, Paris routes over airspace restrictions, Chorus Aviation completes acquisition of lessor Falko and more. Take a look at the daily roundup of air transport news.

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