Aviation Daily Roundup: September 18

Eastar Jet appears to be making progress in its talks to find a new purchaser that could see the heavily indebted South Korean LCC return to the skies.

After closing its borders on March 23, Vietnam restarted international flights on Sept. 18, beginning with a one-way Vietnam Airlines service from Hanoi (HAN) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT).

Restrictions limiting border crossings between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. to essential travel have been extended through Oct. 21 as the three countries work to minimize the risk of novel coronavirus transmissions.

Delta Air Lines will seek to raise $9 billion in debt backed by its SkyMiles frequent-flier program, amounting to a nearly 40% increase from previous plans to raise $6.5 billion.

The FAA plans to begin collecting data on emergency aircraft evacuations and scrutinize manufacturers’ data more carefully to ensure its certification standards are sufficient.

With the weeks of progressive recovery in traffic that European airlines noted over the peak summer season now little more than a memory, the need to find a way to boost passenger demand is becoming increasingly urgent for the region’s carriers.

RwandAir will not take delivery of two Airbus A330neos or two Boeing 737 MAX 8s as had been planned any time soon as the Rwandan flag-carrier must first restore its network and simplify its fleet.

South American operator Avianca Holdings has hit a stumbling block in its Chapter 11 restructuring after a Colombian court issued an injunction against a $370 million loan the country’s government has offered to the company.

Airline-industry groups are among 25 travel and tourism organizations that have called on the European Commission (EC) to replace quarantines with a common testing protocol for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

China’s Spring Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo at the Airbus Tianjin Delivery Center on Sept. 18.