Aviation Daily

U.S. federal safety officials are investigating an American Airlines flight that tipped and struck an object at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) during takeoff Apr. 10, cutting the flight short and forcing the plane to return to the airport.
Air Transport

By Sean Broderick, Guy Norris
CFM International is monitoring its Leap engine fleet for signs of an issue believed to be tied to the March 26 contained engine failure on a Southwest Airlines 737 MAX 8 that was being ferried to storage.
Air Transport

Air Mauritius received the first of two Airbus A330-900s it has on order at Airbus’s Toulouse final assembly plant Apr. 18; the aircraft are provided under contract with U.S.-based Air Lease Corp. (ALC).
Air Transport

By Helen Massy-Beresford
Hong Kong Airlines said it had to hire external security personnel and lawyers because of an unfolding spat between the airline’s shareholders, but insisted it was business as usual for the airline’s customers.
Air Transport

By Thierry Dubois
Officials from French aerospace industry lobbying group Gifas are predicting the ongoing safety crisis around the Boeing 737 MAX will cause certification costs to increase.
Air Transport

Steve Morrissey
Later this year, the US and Japan plan to sign a formal aviation accord to expand access for US airlines flying to Tokyo Haneda airport, the closest airport to downtown Tokyo and a gateway for connection points throughout Japan.
Air Transport

View the Airline Snapshot: Lufthansa German Airlines chart in PDF format.

United Airlines doubled its profit in the first quarter of 2019, reporting net income of $292 million, up from $145 million in the year-ago quarter, capping out the best first quarter for the Chicago-based carrier in three years.
Air Transport

Pilots of Spanish regional operator Air Nostrum, represented by the SEPLA union, have reached an agreement, ending strikes planned for Apr. 15-17 and Apr. 22-24.
Air Transport

By Helen Massy-Beresford
A French court has ruled to annul the controversial 2015 privatization of Toulouse Airport, in the latest step in a long legal process that could eventually see the airport sale being canceled.
Air Transport

By Alan Dron
Uganda Airlines has taken delivery of the first two of four Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets the new Ugandan flag-carrier ordered in July 2018.
Air Transport

By Victoria Moores
UK long-haul operator Virgin Atlantic is planning to use its acquisition of UK regional Flybe and closer ties with new shareholder Air France-KLM to become a more comprehensive competitor to UK incumbent British Airways (BA).
Air Transport

By Adrian Schofield
AirAsia has decided not to pursue its plan to create a joint venture (JV) airline in Vietnam, at least in the short-term.
Air Transport

By Alan Dron
Continuing a long-running dispute over Airbus and Boeing subsidies involving their respective governmental bodies, the European Commission (EC) on Apr. 17 launched a public consultation on a preliminary list of U.S. products against which the European Union (EU) may impose countermeasure sanctions.
Air Transport

Finnair made two executive appointments Apr. 17, announcing Ole Orvér as its new CCO and Nicklas Ilebrand as SVP Strategy; both will start their new positions May 1.
Air Transport

By Karen Walker
FedEx chairman and CEO Fred Smith has joined with the CEOs of Atlas Air Worldwide and JetBlue to strongly rebuke an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump from the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines claiming that Qatar Airways’ stake in Air Italy breaches the U.S.-Qatar Open Skies agreement.
Air Transport

By Alan Dron
Etihad Aviation Group CFO Mark Powers has left the Abu Dhabi-based company for what the airline described as “personal reasons;” Powers took on the position in January 2018.
Air Transport

By Adrian Schofield
India’s Jet Airways has suspended all of its remaining flight operations, after failing in its efforts to gain emergency funding.
Air Transport

Kevin Mitchell
For over four years American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines—the Big Three—have waged a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign to frustrate competition in the US-EU market where—together with foreign alliance and JV partners—they control nearly 90% of the seats.

By Victoria Moores
The European Commission has blacklisted Moldova and put Belarus and the Dominican Republic under closer scrutiny in its latest EU Air Safety List update, while also lifting bans on two Angolan airlines.
Air Transport

View the Airport Profile — Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) chart in PDF format.

By Sean Broderick
An FAA update of minimum training required for pilots to fly the Boeing 737 MAX will cover the aircraft’s maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), but simulator sessions will not be needed, a draft of a new report reveals.
Air Transport

The top executives of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines called on U.S. President Donald Trump to “hold Qatar accountable” for allegedly subsidizing Air Italy’s expansion into the U.S., saying Qatar Airways’ 49% stake in the Italian airline “represents a grave threat to American jobs and the health of the airline industry.”
Air Transport

Chen Chuanren
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Indonesia’s Garuda announced an expanded codeshare agreement that will cover flights between Singapore and Jakarta.
Air Transport