This Week in Air Transport (W/C Sept. 22)

This week’s top air transport stories include order announcements from Air Canada for 18 Boeing 787-10s and Air France-KLM for its intention to place an order for 50 Airbus A350 family aircraft.

Air Canada opted out of an order for two Boeing 777 freighters with a new order for 18 787-10s, plus 12 options, which are scheduled for delivery beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Air France-KLM announced it will place an order for 50 Airbus A350 family aircraft to be delivered starting in 2026, with purchase rights for 40 more, to replace A330s and older Boeing 777 aircraft as the Franco-Dutch group continues its fleet renewal and rationalization efforts. The group order will cover 50 Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft, along with purchase rights for 40 additional aircraft. First deliveries are expected in 2026 with remaining deliveries continuing through 2030.  

In airline news, Ryanair is cutting winter capacity citing delays in deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, canceling flights and reducing aircraft at a number of airports. Dublin-based Ryanair said it will receive only 14 737-8200 between September and December, instead of the 27 previously expected.

American Airlines officially appealed a court decision ordering the airline and JetBlue Airways to dismantle their Northeast Alliance (NEA), going alone in its challenge after JetBlue opted to focus on defending its proposed merger with Spirit Airlines in separate litigation.

Royal Air Maroc and Air Senegal signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a strategic partnership, which the airlines say should consolidate long-term cooperation between them and will contribute to boosting economic, social and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

In other aircraft news, Lufthansa committed to equip 38 of its Airbus A320ceos with new Airspace cabins beginning in spring 2025 to operate on routes that are ordinarily flown using newer A320neos.

South African Airways is progressively rebuilding its fleet and network, adding five Airbus A320s, an A330 and two Boeing 737-800s to be used for network restoration ahead of the busy Christmas season.

HiSky Europe signed a long-term lease placement for one Airbus A330-200 with Air Lease Corp. HiSky is a European Union Aviation Safety Agency-certified airline that operates in Romania and Moldova from three operational bases: Bucharest and Cluj, in Romania, and Chisinau, Moldova.

Brunei-based startup GallopAir signed an aircraft purchase intention agreement with the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) to acquire 15 ARJ21s and 15 C919s, in a deal estimated to be worth around $2 billion at list prices. The ARJ21 order consists of a mix of airliners, converted freighters, business jets and medical variants of the type. The airline could be operational by the third quarter of 2024.

In regulatory news, European airlines could face new hand-luggage regulations—affecting the size of bags allowed on board and the ancillary fees that can be charged—after a European Parliament committee backed a draft resolution calling for greater hand-luggage transparency and consistency as a passenger right.

In manufacturer news, Airbus is carving out its commercial aircraft business as a separate entity and has named sales chief Christian Scherer as the new unit’s CEO. Scherer, 61, is planned to take up his new position as CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft on Jan. 1, 2024.

In airport news, London Gatwick Airport has been forced to impose a cap on flight movements at the airport until Oct. 1, following a shortage of air traffic controllers in the airport’s control tower.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) completed a 3.5-year upgrade and renovation of Singapore Changi Airport's Terminal 2 (T2). The revamp increases T2’s handling capacity by 5 million to 28 million passengers annually. This in turn expands Changi’s overall yearly capacity to 90 million travelers across its four terminals.

In sustainability news,

Australia’s Canberra Airport Group plans to invest in Vast Solar, a developer of concentrated solar thermal power systems, with an eye to using the renewable-energy technology to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The airport operator has entered into a subscription agreement to purchase up to $10 million of Vast shares.

The FAA has announced almost $300 million in funding for projects to develop SAF supply chains and technologies to reduce aviation emissions. The first round of awards under the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) grant program is expected in mid-2024.

Elyse Energy, a French producer of low-carbon molecules for use in chemicals and fuels, secured funding provided by Hy24 and Mirova to support development of projects to produce power-to-liquid SAF and e-methanol for maritime transport in France and Spain.