Dominating this week’s top air transport story is the ongoing investigation into the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 incident in which the exit door plug broke away from the aircraft inflight, prompting FAA to ground and order immediate inspections of most 737-9s.
The FAA has launched a formal investigation into possible production-related regulatory violations on Boeing’s 737-9s and provided the strongest evidence yet that reports of loose door plug assembly hardware from operators and the Jan. 5 Alaska Airlines 737-9 accident are linked.
New analyses from industry watchers and the U.S. government conclude U.S. airlines delivered a solid operational performance during the recent holiday season, and although Southwest Airlines had a higher cancellation rate than some of its peers, the Dallas-based carrier’s operational performance and recovery was a major improvement from the meltdown that occurred at the end of 2022.
While Western sanctions introduced in 2022 stopped Russian carriers from operating their most lucrative international routes and many foreign aircraft technologies, the industry has been adapting to its new reality, and this effort will continue in 2024.
In airline news, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines filed for antitrust clearance of their proposed merger, a $1.9 billion deal announced on Dec. 3, 2023.
New York-based ULCC JetBlue Airways president and COO Joanna Geraghty will succeed CEO Robin Hayes upon his retirement, effective Feb. 12.
AirAsia X, the long-haul arm of AirAsia, entered into a non-binding letter of acceptance to acquire all of AirAsia’s short-haul AOCs from Capital A and combine them into a single entity, as the LCC group charts a new fleet and network expansion plan. The move, announced Jan. 8, will see AirAsia Berhad (AirAsia Malaysia) and AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AirAsia subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and Cambodia) merged with AirAsia X and the latter brand scrubbed into a mixed fleet carrier group.
Cebu Pacific confirmed in a stock market filing that it is still in negotiations with Airbus and Boeing regarding its planned order for up to 150 aircraft within the first half of this year.
Florida-based ULCC Spirit Airlines completed a series of sale and leaseback transactions covering 25 aircraft. The transactions, announced in a Jan. 3 filing, allow the airline to repay roughly $465 million of debt on the aircraft, while netting cash proceeds of approximately $419 million.
Turkish Airlines’ new LCC subsidiary AJet secured its air operator’s certificate (AOC) and is set to start operations at the end of March. AJet previously operated as AnadoluJet, prior to its rebranding and transformation into a wholly owned subsidiary of Turkish Airlines.
Cathay Pacific plans to remove on average six flight pairs daily for the remainder of January and February to avoid cancellations during the busy Chinese New Year period.
In aircraft news, Boeing delivered 528 aircraft in 2023 from its Commercial Airplanes programs, which included 396 737s. Several production-quality issues slowed deliveries as completed aircraft required inspections and re-work, but Boeing handed over 46 737s in November and 45 in December. Boeing delivered 73 787s in 2023. December’s delivery total included three 767-300Fs, four 777Fs, and four KC-46 tankers.
Taiwanese carrier EVA Air firmed a previously announced order for 18 Airbus A350-1000s and 15 A321neos. The A350s are expected to be used to replace EVA’s Boeing 777s, although delivery dates have not been announced.
Canada Jetlines brokered a deal with CMB Leasing for two Airbus A320 aircraft scheduled for delivery in Q2. The aircraft—featuring 174 economy seats—will join two existing A320s in the operator’s fleet.
In airport news, Tokyo Haneda airport on Jan. 8 reopened runway 16L/34R, which had been closed for six days following the collision of a landing Japan Airlines A350-900 and a Japan Coast Guard de Havilland Canada Dash 8 in the A350’s path on the runway, resulting in five fatalities on the Coast Guard aircraft.
Sharjah International Airport, which is located adjacent to Dubai in the UAE, has begun a major AED2.4 billion ($653 million) expansion project designed to increase the terminal’s annual capacity from 8 million to 20 million passengers. It is expected to be completed in 2027.
In advanced air mobility news, Surf Air Mobility announced a new partnership with Kenyan carriers Safarilink and Yellow Wings to electrify their Cessna Caravan fleets by 2027.
California-based advanced air mobility (AAM) startup Pivotal began selling its single-seat Helix personal electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle to customers in the U.S., ahead of first deliveries planned in June.
German aerospace company Lilium announced a partnership with airport operator Fraport aimed at defining requirements for a network of vertiports across Germany and nearby countries, part of the startup’s plans to launch regional air mobility services across Central and Northern Europe.
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