Air Transport

While challenges from low-cost carriers remain, legacy airlines in North America expect to continue their return to profitability in 2016.

The tension between flight-hour maintenance support and operating leases could ease if the MRO agreements could transfer between operators.

While challenges remain for some legacy carriers, prospects for the Asia-Pacific airline industry appear positive for 2016.

Air cargo continues to battle weak yields and overcapacity as multi-modal transport gains traction.

Airline-representative flight testing continues as Bombardier builds the CS100’s maturity ahead of service entry with launch customer Swiss International Air Lines.

Military customers focus on upgrades in the absence of clarity and funding for new programs, while the civil market races ahead in technology and numbers, but remains relatively small in value.

Commercial lows and military highs help define a challenging time for the rotorcraft industry.

Latin American airlines continue to struggle with weakened currencies and recessions in their home countries.

Crichton has been at the helm of Nav Canada since its creation, and is retiring effective Dec. 31.

The dispute is the most high-profile political topic in Germany’s air transport industry.

Delta Air Lines’ pilots have returned to labor contract negotiations, more than five months after rejecting a tentative agreement.

Vueling has signed three interline agreements with Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines and Royal Jordanian covering routes to and from its hubs at Barcelona-El Prat and Rome Fiumicino airports.

Vueling is launching two seasonal routes to London Luton Airport, marking its third London gateway and 12th airport in the U.K. and Ireland.

HNA Group is planning the revival of its subsidiary in the northwestern Chinese province Shaanxi as the next major airline project after establishing Ningbo Airlines next year.

HNA Group subsidiary Ningbo Airlines—already established as a company but not yet ready for operations—should begin flying next year, following the arrival of support from its other intending shareholder: the government of the city of Ningbo in eastern China.

Retirements are down, MRO efficiency is up—what’s it all mean for the aftermarket?

In 2016, a nasty lawsuit between avionics provider IS&S and Delta Air Lines will play out, potentially leaving aftermarket suppliers and airlines more wary of the “big catch.”

Passing a safety audit by European regulators represents an important milestone for Thai Airways, after other countries sought to restrict Thailand-based airlines because of concerns about oversight deficiencies.

Malaysia-based turboprop operator Firefly is set to codeshare on parent Malaysia Airlines’ flights for the first time.

Sensing a late opportunity this winter and spring in Orlando, Frontier Airlines is adding two new seasonal routes in February: one to Minneapolis and the other to Omaha, Nebraska.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is giving operators of the Airbus A350 until Jan. 11 to begin daily post-flight checks of the aircraft’s two inboard ailerons to verify that the electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHAs) that drive the roll-control surfaces are working correctly.

United Airlines has started using self-park technology at many gates in Chicago and Houston, and it is considering adding it elsewhere.

Avcorp’s acquisition of Hitco’s Aerostructures division, Hitco Carbon Composites, has strengthened its ability to address the growing market for composite airframe structures in the aviation sector, its CEO said.

Belgian regional airline VLM is opening three German domestic routes from Friedrichshafen, replacing bankrupt carrier Intersky.

Rolls and other aeroengine OEMs need two types of critical mass: scale in gas turbines to fund ongoing R&D and corporate critical mass to ride business ebbs and flows