Starting off the new year, this week’s top air transport story includes an update on the runway incursion between a Japan Airlines A350 and a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Canada Dash 8.
The Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Canada Dash 8 struck by an arriving Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350 at Tokyo International Airport Jan. 3 was on the runway despite air traffic control (ATC) instructions to hold short on an intersecting taxiway—directions that one of the Dash 8 pilots read back correctly, a transcript released by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) showed. But instead of stopping at the hold-short line on C5, the Dash 8 taxied onto the runway. Nearly 50 sec. after the Dash 8 stopped, the A350, which touched down seconds before closer to the runway end, struck the national guard aircraft.
In airline news, European ULCCs Ryanair and Wizz Air both reported rises in passenger numbers for December 2023 and for the full year, while Ryanair warned that the removal of its flights from online travel agent (OTA) websites, a move it has welcomed, would nonetheless have a short-term negative effect on its load factors.
Saudi Arabian LCC flynas plans to continue its major growth program in 2024, both in terms of its route map and fleet.
AirAsia Malaysia announced CEO Riad Asmat stepped down on Dec. 31, 2023.
Management at Canadian leisure carrier Air Transat resumed negotiations with flight attendants after the workgroup rejected a tentative agreement the two sides brokered in December 2023.
The Estonian government is in discussions with seven potential new owners of the Baltic nation’s Nordic Aviation Group (NAG), the parent of ACMI specialist airlines Nordica and Xfly.
In aircraft news, nineteen Embraer regional jets will join the fleet of American Airlines Group subsidiary Envoy Air. Building on orders announced in 2023 including 17 E175s and five E170s, Envoy will now welcome an additional eight E175s and 11 E170s, with deliveries expected to begin later in 2024.
Air China wants to raise CNY6 billion ($840.1 million), of which CNY4.2 billion will be used to acquire six COMAC C919s and 11 ARJ21s. The remaining CNY1.8 billion will be used for working capital. The flag carrier said all 17 aircraft will cost CNY7.6 billion, with the C919 and ARJ21 costing $108 million and $38 million, respectively.
In airport news,
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport would have room for 483,000 flights in 2024, after the Dutch government suspended controversial plans to introduce a flight cap to reduce noise at the airport. Airport operator Royal Schiphol Group said it plans to provide capacity for 293,000 flights in the summer season from March 31 to Oct. 26, on condition that peak times are relieved.
In sustainability news, researchers at the University of Connecticut (UConn) have been funded to continue developmentof a carbon-neutral energy storage and power generation system that, by 2050, could allow a future single-aisle airliner to perform the same mission as a Boeing 737 using 70% less fuel.
A hybrid electric propulsion configuration where a regional aircraft uses full electric power for short-haul and a range extender for longer missions is emerging as a promising solution for a reduced carbon footprint, a study led by the French national aerospace research center ONERA reveals.
Australian startup Stralis Aircraft plans to retrofit a Beechcraft A36 Bonanza with a hydrogen-electric propulsion system, aiming for first flight in 2024 as a stepping stone toward enabling Australia’s first zero-emission commercial flight in 2026.
In advanced air mobility news, Boeing-owned electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) developer Wisk Aero has adapted its autonomous unmanned urban air mobility (UAM) operating concept to leverage existing ATC procedures.
Guangzhou, China-based autonomous aerial vehicle technology company EHang conducted its first commercial flight demonstrations by a passenger-carrying electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle following type certification of its autonomous two-seat EH216-S by the Civil Aviation Administration of China in October.
Related Content
