Aviation Daily Roundup: Oct. 13. 2022

Delta Air Lines said it expects continued sales growth in the fourth quarter (Q4), after posting a record quarterly revenue performance in the third quarter (Q3), signaling that passenger demand remains resilient despite fears of an impending economic slowdown.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) has unanimously approved a final commitment to guarantee a $304 million loan from JP Morgan to cargo operator Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings to finance aircraft exports. 

When you do eventually step into an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, what assurances will you have that its batteries are reliable and safe for the next flight? 

LATAM Airlines Group has firmed up plans to add Airbus A321XLRs to its fleet after forging a new agreement with Air Lease Corporation (ALC) for the lease of five aircraft. 

AviaAM leasing has signed on as launch customer for Mammoth Freighters’ 777-300ERMF freighter conversion, inking a deal for six of the widebody twinjets, the companies said Oct. 13. 

The European Regions Airline Association (ERA) has raised the issue of LCC “fare dumping” with the European Commission and is considering further action.

As airlines begin to add back services to Hong Kong in response to quarantine restrictions easing, it remains to be seen how extensive or rapid the capacity recovery will be—and whether there has been any permanent damage to demand.

Several European regional airline CEOs are taking new aircraft technology timelines with a pinch of salt—they are welcoming the eco push but are generally technology agnostic. 

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is in discussions with Indian conglomerate Tata Group over its shares of Vistara, presaging a potential integration of the latter with Air India, which Tata now fully owns. 

Ethiopian Airlines has announced the completion of its first passenger-to-cargo conversion of a Boeing 767-300ER. 

Lessor AerCap has placed a firm order for 15 Airbus A321-200 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions with German conversion specialist Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), with options for a further 15 A321P2F conversions. 

EasyJet says bookings for 2023 are coming in fast after a “record bounce back” over the summer, but the UK LCC will post a full-year pre-tax loss of up to £190 million ($210 million), partly because of costs linked to operational problems the industry has faced in recent months. 

Qantas is predicting a sustained rebound in its international operations as more aircraft are delivered or return from storage, while rising demand is expected to result in a welcome half-yearly profit.