Aviation Daily Roundup: May 26, 2022

May 27, 2022

Court Decisions Move Airbus-Qatar A350 Dispute Forward

Airbus and Qatar Airways both claimed victory following a London court’s May 26 ruling on several procedural issues involving a dispute over A350 fuselage surface degradation. High Court Judge David Waksman granted Qatar’s request for an expedited trial but rejected the carrier’s call to prevent Airbus from delivering its A350s to the airline or, if the carrier refuses to take them, enforcing contractual provisions and possibly re-marketing them. Credit: Airbus / Alexandre Doumenjou - Master Films

Airlines See Strong Recoveries, Ramp-Up Challenges

Airlines on either side of the Atlantic are seeing big recoveries in passenger demand this year—some even back to 2019 levels—while also dealing with operational challenges as the air travel system restores. There are also signs of changes in air travel passenger behavior trends, although it is too early to know if they will be permanent. Airline executives shared their experiences at the CAPA 2022 Aviation America Aviation & LCCs Summit in Puerto Rico May 26. Credit: Virgin Atlantic

JetBlue, Spirit CEOs Trade Barbs Ahead Of Shareholder Vote

The war of words between JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines is heating up ahead of a critical shareholder vote on whether to merge Spirit with Frontier Airlines. Speaking on a May 26 investor webcast hosted by Wolfe Research, JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes described Spirit’s board as “entrenched” and accused it of disingenuously entering into negotiations while having already fully decided on merging with Frontier. Credit: Rob Finlayson

Viva’s CEO Sees More Consolidation In Latin America

The CEO of Colombian ULCC Viva Air believes more merger activity could emerge in Latin America once the formation of the Abra group is finalized. Viva, Avianca and GOL are in the process of creating a new wave of consolidation in the Latin American market. Credit: Viva Aerobus

Natilus Tunnel Tests Blended Wing Body Uncrewed Regional Feeder

U.S. startup Natilus is conducting wind tunnel tests of the initial regional feeder member of its planned family of blended wing body uncrewed cargo aircraft. The Natilus 3.8T is a twin turboprop with a payload of 3.8 metric tons and a range of 900 nm at 220 kt. Credit: Natilus

Airports Council International Calls For Seamless AAM Integration

Airports Council International (ACI) World has released a policy brief on advanced air mobility (AAM), advocating for a seamless integration of these new entrants into airports, alongside a knowledge center on drone risk mitigation to promote safe and secure operations at airports. The policy brief, “Advanced Air Mobility: Integration into the Airport Environment,” sets forth ACI’s positions and key policy statements on the integration of AAM into the airport environment. Credit: Airports Council International

SAF, Hydrogen Production Plans Advance

To meet growing demands to decarbonize aviation, plans to build sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plants continue to proliferate, with new projects taking shape from Spain to Sarawak. Energy companies Repsol and Aramco have selected process technology from Johnson Matthey for a synthetic fuels plant to be built in Bilbao, Spain. Credit: Repsol

MHIRJ Supporting CRJ Retrofit To Hydrogen Propulsion

Following up on an MOU signed in October 2021, CRJ certificate holder MHI RJ Aviation Group has agreed to provide engineering services and aircraft integration and certification support for the retrofit of CRJ700 regional jets with ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric propulsion system. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) acquired the CRJ regional-jet program from Bombardier in June 2019 and Montreal-headquartered MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) now supports the in-service fleet globally. Credit: ZeroAvia

San Juan’s Munoz Airport Shows Public/Private Investment Benefits

In 2013 Puerto Rico’s primary airport Luis Munoz Marin International (SJU) faced a host of challenges: safety concerns, facilities with a long list of repairs and much-needed upgrades, and runways and apron that appeared more like a little-used airfield than an international mid-sized hub. Jorge Hernandez De Leon, CEO of Aerostar Airport Holdings, discussed the reversal of this situation during the GAD Americas conference, held in San Juan, Puerto Rico May 26-27. Credit: Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

Daily Memo: New Technology Is Going To Eat Aerospace And Defense; Here’s How

“We’re having 50-to-100-year events every year now,” says Accenture Research Principal Director Jeff Wheless. That provocative observation came this month as Wheless discussed why and how the aerospace and defense industry already is rushing into the metaverse. That is not just the new name of Facebook’s parent company, it is the term for the continuum of the physical and digital worlds that promises―and/or threatens―to upend the nature of manufacturing, services and profitability in the A&D sector. Credit: Airbus

Ethiopian Airlines Orders Five 777Fs As Cargo Demand Grows

Ethiopian Airlines confirmed on May 25 an order for five additional Boeing 777 freighters. “The addition of these five 777 freighters will enable us to meet the growing demand in our cargo operation,” Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mesfin Tasew said. “The growth of our freighter fleet takes the capacity and efficiency of our shipment service to the next level.” Credit: Boeing

New U.S. Mechanic Training Standards Finalized

A years-long push to update decades-old standards that U.S. maintenance technician schools must follow officially ended May 24 as the FAA published its long-awaited final rule updating its Part 147 regulations. The new requirements, which go into effect in 120 days, "introduces a performance-based regulation that will massively change the way FAA approves and oversees aviation technical programs,” said the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC), one of the industry leaders in advocating for the updated standards. Credit: Lindsay Bjerregaard/Aviation Week

China Introduces Financial Subsidies For Domestic Carriers

China’s ministry of finance and the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) are rolling out an aid package for the country’s domestic airlines currently financially affected by lockdowns and closed borders. The finance ministry said the subsidy will help airlines tackle rising fuel prices and repeated lockdowns, while ensuring minimum flights to maintain safe operations. Credit: Star Alliance

Turkish Leisure Carrier SunExpress Boosting Fleet For Summer Demand

Turkey’s SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, is increasing capacity by eight additional aircraft. The Antalya-based leisure and domestic carrier has signed a damp-lease contract with Lithuanian aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) provider Avion Express for six Airbus A320s to cover the summer holiday peak season. Under a damp-lease agreement, the lessor provides the equipment to the lessee but without the cabin crew. Credit: Avion Express

Joby Receives FAA Part 135 Operating Certificate On Path To eVTOL Air Taxis

Joby Aviation has received its FAA Part 135 air carrier certificate, allowing it to begin aircraft operations ahead of the planned 2024 launch of commercial air taxi service with its S4 electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Expected in the second half of 2022, the clean-sheet certificate was received earlier than expected and allows Joby to begin internal company shuttle flights using the fixed-wing Cirrus SR22. Credit: Joby Aviation

Court decisions move Airbus-Qatar A350 dispute forward , Airlines see strong recoveries, ramp-up challenges 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