This week’s top air transport stories include Australia’s competition watchdog blocking the Qantas takeover of regional and charter operator Alliance Aviation but reauthorized Qantas and Jetstar’s continued coordination between two Asia-based affiliates—Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Japan—for another five years.
Australia’s competition watchdog opposed moves by Qantas to take over regional and charter operator Alliance Aviation. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) concluded that a takeover would significantly reduce competition in the market for charter flying for the country’s extensive resources industry. The ACCC also found it was unlikely another airline could expand quickly enough to address the loss of competition in this sector.
However, the ACCC reauthorized Qantas and Jetstar’s continued coordination between two Asia-based affiliates—Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Japan—for another five years. The coordination across the Australian flag carrier and its LCC subsidiary is part of the so-called Jetstar Pan-Asia Strategy. The five-year timeframe, which ends May 11, 2028, was half of what Qantas and Jetstar requested due to the “dynamic and rapidly evolving nature of the travel industry.” ACCC said the approval allows the airlines to integrate services such as coordinating schedules, accessing shared business services, and revenue sharing on certain routes.
In manufacturer news, Boeing is being forced to delay delivery of “a significant number” of undelivered 737 MAXs due to production problem with vertical stabilizer fittings. Unaffected aircraft, including all 787-9s, can still be produced and delivered.
In startup news, Indonesian airline TransNusa began commercial operations with the COMAC ARJ 21, becoming the first international customer to fly China’s regional jet.
Estonian startup Marabu Airlines received its air operator’s certificate and operating license from the Estonian Transport Administration, clearing the way to begin its first commercial routes. The carrier took delivery of an Airbus A320neo aircraft on April 12 and launched its inaugural commercial flight three days later, connecting Munich with Palma de Mallorca. The service will be daily.
In the US, Southwest Airlines made headlines again as it moved quickly to recover from a brief ground stop the morning of April 18 as the company’s internal work continues to ensure operational integrity following its historic meltdown in late 2022. In a statement, the airline said it temporarily paused operations to work through some data connection issues after a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost. The ground stop was soon lifted.
In the Middle East, a Jeddah-based Saudia Airbus A330 and Ukrainian charter and low-cost airline SkyUp Boeing 737-800 were damaged in a coup attempt April 15 when fighting spread to Sudan's Khartoum International Airport.
In aircraft news, Austrian Airlines will replace its aging fleet of three Boeing 767-300ERs and six 777-200ERs with 10 787-9s. Delivery of the first 787-9 is expected to begin in early 2024 and all 10 will have arrived by 2028. The Lufthansa Group subsidiary’s total fleet will grow to 66 aircraft, including its existing Airbus A320/320neo family and Embraer E195 fleets.
TrueNoord secured a new five-year term loan of $275 million, which it plans to use to expand on its existing aircraft assets and to finance its existing portfolio.
In route network news, Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways plans to expand its network from Abuja, the country’s capital, with three new domestic routes starting Aug. 12. The airline intends to fly to Ibadan and Kano twice daily and offer a daily flight to Sokoto. Service will also resume from Abuja and Owerri with four round trips per week, while Abuja-Benin frequencies will increase to 2X-daily. The move is part of the airline’s plans to establish a base in Abuja to complement its operations in Lagos, from where it serves Abuja, Akure, Benin, Ilorin, Enugu, Owerri and Port Harcourt.
Finally, in airport news, the French government approved a 35-acre solar panel plant to be built at France’s Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport (LYS), which will produce 24 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity annually to be injected into the grid to supply neighboring communities.
China began work on the second phase of the Yangzhou Taizhou International Airport (YTY) expansion project, which will see the airport attain the capacity to handle 10 million passengers, 50,000 tons of cargo and 88,670 aircraft movements annually by 2030. The cornerstone of the CNY5.6 billion ($810 million) project is the construction of the 1,050,750-ft.2 (97,587-m2) Terminal 2 with 36 new gates. Other improvements include a new 10,500-ft.-long parallel taxiway and a ground transportation center.
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