Air Transport

Two Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737s reportedly approached an under-construction airport near Ndola, Zambia on April 4 and one proceeded to land.

Flydubai said deliveries of further Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2021 are not currently on the table as the LCC focuses on bringing the type back into service.

As the pandemic’s impact seems clearer, updated cost-benefit analysis supports acceleration of air traffic management upgrade in Europe.

It may not yet be considered a mature aviation market, but Africa is expected to be a huge area for growth in aircraft acquisition during the 2020s

New details are emerging of a potential freighter derivative of the A350 which Airbus is discussing with industry suppliers and operators.

An Estonian court has determined that Tallinn-based Nordic Aviation Group (Nordica) is the legal successor to Estonian Air, opening up the airline to potential liabilities for unpaid wages and the repayment of historic state aid.

The AirAsia group is something of a bellwether for the Southeast Asian airline industry considering its footprint in multiple countries.

EASA has certified the Boeing 737-8200, revealing the move in an updated version of the 737 family’s type certificate data sheet published April 6.

South African regional carrier SA Express’ future remains uncertain, as would-be buyer Fly SAX awaits a decision from the company’s provisional liquidators.

CHORUS AVIATION completed previously announced $115m bought deal public offering and convertible senior unsecured debentures, plus concurrent $30m

SILVER AIRWAYS plans June 3 to begin twice-weekly Jacksonville, FL-New Orleans, LA (ATR 42).

AVIATRIX, CA was selected by Republic Airways to provide cloud network platform to simplify operations of its multi-cloud network environment.

US DOT reports fuel cost for US airlines was $1.60/gallon in February 2021 vs $1.81 a year ago; YOY consumption fell 43%.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has partially lifted the ban on Boeing 737 MAX operations, allowing the type to fly over the country’s airspace after a two-year ban.

ALLEGIANT plans to invest $75m to establish base at Austin-Bergstrom International, TX in mid-November with three A320s.

INTERUPS (Laxmi Prasad), NY is acquiring 49% of TRUJET, India (seven ATRs) and is expected to infuse $1.9b into airline and increase fleet to >100

PUPPYSPOT AVIATION leased two Saab 340Bs (212/346) from Jetstream Aviation Capital; CASTLE AVIATION will operate.

Air freight operators Atlas Air, LATAM Cargo and Chinese logistics operator Cainiao plan to launch a seamless flight operation program aimed at halving transport time from China to Latin America.

JAPAN AIRLINES accelerated planned retirement of its last seven 777-200s from FY2021 to FY2020; A350-900s will replace.

AIR FRANCE-KLM says AIR FRANCE has EC approval for €4b in State aid via €1b share offering and €3b loan, while the Dutch State is continuing

Pierre Hermann to co-General Manager of DFS Aviation Services, Langen, Germany.

The UK travel sector has reacted with general disappointment and dismay at the government’s latest pronouncement on foreign air travel.

ETIHAD AIRWAYS began twice-weekly Abu Dhabi-Tel Aviv (787-9).

WESTAIR, Namibia purchased ex-HOP! ERJ 145 (342) in transaction arranged by Skyworld Aviation.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has advanced the retirement of its Boeing 777s in domestic configuration, phasing the aircraft out of its fleet a year earlier than expected.