Aviation Daily Roundup: May. 3, 2023

Allegiant Air says system upgrades are bringing it one step closer to expanding internationally through a proposed joint venture (JV) with Viva Aerobus.

Airbus is delaying entry-into-service of the Airbus A350F. The company said May 3 that “the industrial planning for this variant is being slightly adjusted with the entry-into-service now slipping into 2026.”

As the pace of progress in thermoplastic composites is accelerating, the technology is coming closer to enabling higher production rates, as well as improved aircraft and engine designs. 

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) CEO Firoz Tarapore sees no “road bumps” in his leasing growth strategy, because the company has already balanced its dependence on aircraft manufacturer deliveries.

A massive amount of sustainable energy and fuel production infrastructure will be required for aviation to meet its target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, warns a report by engineering consultancy Atkins.

Lufthansa Group carriers Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss International are gearing up to carefully manage the summer peak, after a highly seasonal first quarter (Q1) driven by increased leisure demand.

The pilots of a Coulson Aviation Boeing 737-300 firefighting tanker tried to pull the aircraft out from a retardant drop before accelerating the engines, resulting in the aircraft clipping a ridgeline and then crashing. 

Singapore’s Changi Airport Group (CAG) will fully reopen its Terminal 2 (T2) in October, months ahead of the initial projection of early 2024. 

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr expects engine shortages will continue to significantly affect the group’s airlines, particularly its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines.

Korean Air expects to see passenger demand continue to increase toward a full recovery in 2023, and the carrier is boosting its capacity in response.