Air Transport

AMERICAN AIRLINES took delivery of new 737-8 (44487) and now has 41 737 MAXs.

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES took delivery of new 737-8 (65440) and now has 58 737 MAXs.

BINTER CANARIAS took delivery of its fourth 132-seat E195-E2 (048) from Embraer; it has ordered five to modernize fleet.

AER LINGUS plans to begin Manchester, UK-JFK/-Orlando on July 29; -Barbados on Oct 20; -Boston in mid-2022 (A321LR/A330).

UR AIRLINES, Iraq acquired ex-Kelowna 737-300 (25608); aircraft was stored at Amman, Jordan. It also has 737-400 (25765).

Roger Welaratne to Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of SMBC Aero Engine Lease (SAEL), Amsterdam.

BREEZE AIRWAYS leased second ex-Azul E195 (662) from Elevate Capital Partners; first (660) delivered in December.

AIRBALTIC plans September 1 to begin four-times-weekly Riga-Dubai (A220-300).

WESTJET plans in late June to restore regional services (to Charlottetown, Fredericton, Moncton, Sydney and Quebec City) that were suspended in 4Q20

RYANAIR expanded its UK Summer 2021 schedule to include >2,300 weekly flights across 480 routes (26 new).

Central African carrier RwandAir reported March 24 that it has become the first airline on the continent to vaccinate all personnel against the coronavirus.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP secured 3-year, US$1.8b secured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks that is available to Aer Lingus

A novel active landing gear designed by electric aircraft startup Metro Hop to enable ultrashort takeoffs and landings is to be tested under the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime advanced air mobility program.

Commercial aviation sales at AAR Corp. rose 7% sequentially in the company’s most recent fiscal quarter—an encouraging sign that the aftermarket is starting to recover, particularly in the U.S.

The Airlines Association of Thailand (AAT) is hoping the country’s government will move forward its border reopening plan from October to July, together with a “tourism sandbox” currently planned for Phuket, the Bangkok Post reports.

Aer Lingus will begin its inaugural transatlantic services from the UK in July, launching an initial three routes from Manchester (MAN) this year with a fourth to follow in 2022.

Ryanair has confirmed its summer schedule from the UK, from where the ULCC intends to operate more than 2,300 weekly flights across 480 routes.

Spanish LCC Volotea has confirmed plans to open a new base at Olbia in Sardinia this summer, prompting a response from rivals easyJet and Wizz Air.

Machine learning specialist Daedalean and autonomous system developer Reliable Robotics have partnered to build advanced navigation and situational awareness systems for commercial aircraft.

China Airlines is looking to strengthen its foothold in air cargo operations, increasing frequencies and adding new destinations in Asia and Europe.

The CEO of Austrian aerospace supplier FACC does not see widebody production rates returning to 2019 levels until the end of the decade.

Time was – and it’s not so long ago – when the idea of inflight entertainment systems were the domain of long-haul aircraft and the idea of

United CEO Scott Kirby on why his company is bucking convention by expanding its widebody fleet.

DFW CEO Sean Donohue discusses the US airport’s recovery strategy, its major network targets, and how the US aviation market will fare in the next few months.

Dubai Airport CEO Paul Griffiths outlines how COVID will continue to impact strategy and how he is confident its role as a major hub is secure in the recovery.