Aviation Daily Roundup: October 12

EASA has certified the latest high-gross-weight variant of the Airbus A330-900.

Air Canada and Air Transat parent Transat AT have agreed to a revised purchase agreement that would see Air Canada buy its smaller competitor for C$5 ($3.81) per share and support another C$250 million in funding.

U.S. airlines are already highly regulated. A potential Democratic Party sweep in the 2020 General Election this November could increase the size of that burden.

One of the world’s best-known airline names seems destined for the history books following the announcement that Italian flag-carrier Alitalia will be replaced by Italia Trasporti Aereo (ITA).

Chinese airlines carried 13.3 million passengers over the week-long holiday between Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, with the domestic market seeing double-digit growth.

The FAA should strengthen its oversight of avionics cybersecurity to protect against evolving risks to commercial aircraft, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) advised in an Oct. 9 report to Congress.

European member states are set to approve a set of measures aimed at harmonizing COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, according to an EU source.

British Airways (BA) CEO Alex Cruz plans to cede his role to Aer Lingus CEO Sean Doyle, as part of a management reshuffle announced by parent company International Airlines Group (IAG).

Hawaiian Airlines will suspend its ‘Ohana by Hawaiian interisland passenger and cargo services effective Nov. 1, citing the “economic challenges of low travel demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions.”

Southwest Airlines’ plans to add Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Houston Intercontinental (IAH) airports to its route map continue its push into the few top metro-area airports it did not serve—while better positioning the carrier for a rebound in business traffic.