This week’s top air transport stories include Lufthansa resuming A380 services and the Irish CAA approving the use of unmanned aerial systems on a commercial basis for ASL Airlines Ireland.
Lufthansa transferred its first Airbus A380 from its maintenance base in Frankfurt to its second hub in Munich on April 12. From there it will resume scheduled A380 services starting June 1 after a three-year interruption. A second A380 is expected soon in Munich, to be followed by two more. By October, four A380s will be back in service. Starting June 1, Lufthansa will resume A380 operations with a daily service from Munich to Boston Logan International, followed by daily services from Munich to New York JFK starting July 4.
ASL Airlines Ireland (ASLI) has received Irish CAA approval to operate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on a commercial basis, as well as securing another $155 million in funding to support its Boeing 737-800BCF fleet expansion. With assistance from Dublin-based Avtrain, ASL Future Flight has become the third operator to obtain an Irish light UAS operator certificate (LUC). This will allow the ASLI subsidiary to fly small packages (up to about 5 kg [11 lbs.]) over a short range, using drones under 3 m (10 ft.) in diameter, with a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 25kg.
Malaysia Aviation Group, the parent company of Malaysia Airlines, will transfer the flag carrier’s routes within Borneo to its LCC arm Firefly from May 16 as part of a “strategic route rationalization plan.” Firefly will launch once-daily Boeing 737-800 flights from Kota Kinabalu (BKI) to Kuching (KCH), Sandakan (SDK) and Tawau (TWU), as well as Kuching to Miri (MYY).
Hydrogen-electric propulsion developer ZeroAvia says its launch platform and product road map includes the first application for the startup’s 600-kW ZA600 powertrain now in flight testing is the Cessna Caravan, targeting market entry in 2025. Work is already underway on the initial 2-megawatt version of the follow-on ZA2000 for retrofit to large regional turboprops beginning in 2027.
A JetBlue Airways venture (JBV) capital subsidiary is partnering with Shift5, a data and cybersecurity company expanding its defense focus to include capabilities for commercial aircraft. Shift5 says the investment will allow it to develop new capabilities for commercial air travel. Its platform captures real-time data from onboard sources which it translates, enriches, correlates, and analyzes for anomalies—to detect threats and maintain resilience of operational technology (OT) systems. In addition to cybersecurity, JBV sees implications for improving reliability and safety.
Airbus delivered 61 aircraft (five A220s/51 A320 Fam/three A330s/two A350s) in March 2023 vs 63 in March 2022; and 127 (12 A220s/104 A320 Fam/six A330s/five A350s) in 1Q23 vs 140 in 1Q22. For the first three months of the year, Airbus reported deliveries of 127 aircraft, down 9% on the 140 aircraft handed it over to customers in the same period of 2022. In the first quarter of 2023, Airbus delivered 116 single-aisle aircraft—59 A321neos, 45 A320neos, 10 A220-300s, and two A319neos—along with five A350s and six A330s on the widebody side.
Boeing 737 MAX deliveries surged in March to 52, nearly doubling the first two months of the year and keeping the manufacturer’s full-year delivery goals well within range. Boeing delivered 64 airliners (53 737s; one 767F; three 777Fs; seven 787s) in March vs 41 in March 2022; and 130 (113 737s; one 747F; one 767F; four 777s; 11 787s) in 1Q23 vs 95 in 1Q22.
Russia’s largest airline Aeroflot sent one of its Airbus A330-300 widebody airliners to Iran for technical maintenance for the first time. This is likely the first known experience of a Russian airline servicing a Western-made aircraft in Iran.
Airbus will add a second final assembly line (FAL) at its site in Tianjin, China, doubling capacity at its Chinese plant. The deal also includes a general terms of agreement (GTA) with China Aviation Supplies Holding (CAS) for the acquisition of 150 A320neo family aircraft and 10 A350-900s.
Azerbaijan Airlines placed a firm order with Airbus for 12 A320neo family aircraft, part of its broader fleet renewal strategy as the flag carrier seeks to further develop its domestic and international route network. The airline will announce its engine choice at a later stage.
Air India completed the first phase of its five-year overhaul program and is now preparing for the second phase that will include some major structural shifts. The first stage of its Vihaan.AI program, which took six months, included major investment decisions. These addressed large-scale legacy issues to lay the foundation for future growth. During the second phase, the carrier will work on developing the platforms, processes and systems needed to support its plans.
FedEx Corporation will consolidate its operating companies into one unified organization, “Federal Express Corporation,” a restructuring it says will help streamline operations and enable a distinct focus on air and international volume. FedEx called the consolidation an important step in its “DRIVE” transformation, which seeks to reduce costs to the tune of $4 billion by the end of fiscal 2025, including $1.3 billion in its air network and international operations.
Icelandair plans to add the Airbus A321 family into its current fleet of Boeing 737s, 757s, 767s, and De Havilland Canada DHC-8s. The expansion will begin with four leased A321LRs, which the airline expects to begin operating in 2025. Additionally, it will purchase 13 A321XLR aircraft under an MOU with Airbus, including purchase rights for an additional 12. Deliveries of the XLRs are slated to begin in 2029. The Airbus aircraft will complete the carrier’s replacement of its 757s.
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