Aviation Daily Roundup: September 29

Daily Memo: COVID-19 Drives Passenger-To-Freighter Conversion Demand
Credit: BoeingFor the air cargo sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a reversal in fortunes–with complex travel restrictions suppressing passenger demand, suddenly airlines’ cargo activities are the better performers.

Breeze To Launch Next March With Scheduled Routes
Credit: Breeze AirwaysBreeze Airways has pushed back its planned commercial launch date and now intends to begin operations with scheduled routes from two U.S. airports, rather than fly charter services as previously planned.

Guangzhou Starts China’s Largest Airport Expansion Program
Credit: Guangdong Airport GroupWork has begun at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) on China’s most ambitious and largest airport expansion project yet.

EgyptAir Edges Back Into African Services
Credit: Rob FinlaysonEgyptAir is gradually re-opening its African network as it starts to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAA To Suspend Flights; LCC Mango Forced To Charter Aircraft
Credit: South African AirwaysBusiness rescue practitioners (BRP) acting for South African Airways (SAA) have decided to suspend the airline’s remaining operations.

Singapore Airlines Offers Experiences To Generate Revenue
Credit: SIASingapore Airlines (SIA) is opening the doors to its training center and offering an A380 dining experience under the banner “discover your Singapore Airlines” as it searches for alternate revenue streams.

U.S. Payroll Support Talks At Impasse Before Deadline
Credit: Delta Air LinesU.S. House Democrats proposed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package that would extend the CARES Act Payroll Support Program (PSP) until March 2021, although they had only one day to pass it before the airline aid program was set to expire on Sept. 30.

Delta To Retire 717s, 767-300ERs, CRJ-200s
Sean BroderickDelta Air Lines will retire its Boeing 717s by the end of 2025 and speed up planned removals of its 767-300s and Bombardier CRJ-200s, parking the remainder of those-in service fleets by the end of 2025 and 2023, respectively.

IATA Forecasts Slower Air Travel Recovery
Credit: United AirlinesIATA is now forecasting a slower than expected recovery of air travel for 2020 and into 2021, highlighting the need for further financial assistance from governments and urging the introduction of broad testing that would allow a quick reopening of borders.

Former SA Express Employees Win Bid For Airline
Credit: SA ExpressLiquidators acting for state-owned South African regional airline SA Express have selected a ZAR50 million ($3 million) bid for the airline, led by a group of five former SA Express employees.

SWISS CEO Thomas Klühr To Step Down At Year’s End
Credit: Kurt HofmannSwiss International Air Lines (SWISS) CEO Thomas Klühr is to leave the Lufthansa subsidiary at the end of 2020 after some five years in Zürich and more than 30 years within the Lufthansa Group.

JAL Backs Volocopter’s Plans For UAM In Japan
Credit: VolocopterJapan Air Lines (JAL) plans to work with Volocopter to promote the development of urban air mobility (UAM) for passenger and cargo transportation in Japan. The announcement comes on the heels of an agreement between JAL and Matternet to explore development of a drone healthcare delivery business in Japan.

Canada Expands Airport Temperature Screening
Credit: Toronto Pearson AirportCanada recently began mandatory passenger temperature screening at 11 airports, expanding a program that began in July.

Shell, Neste See Further Cooperation On Sustainable Fuel
Credit: NesteNeste Corp. and Shell Aviation expect to eventually add more areas of cooperation to their recently signed partnership on sustainable aviation fuels, executives at both companies told Aviation Daily in a Sept. 29 interview.
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