Air Transport

FLYBE reached commitment from UK Treasury to review current £26 air pax duty, convincing owner (CONNECT AIRWAYS) to inject £110m to avoid shutdown.

AZUL plans June 15 to begin daily São Paulo-JFK (A330).

BRAATHENS REGIONAL AIRLINES leased second new ATR 72-600 (1626) from Avation as part of deal for five.

China’s all-Boeing operator Xiamen Airlines is seeking 10 A321neos under operating leases, according to a document seen by Aviation Daily.

SAS signed new SEK1.4b deal with Apollo (tour operator) to operate passenger flights to 26 European destinations in summer/winter 2020.

STARLUX AIRLINES, Taiwan leased third new A321-200neo (9147) from GECAS in preparation for startup (SPNWS; Dec 27).

Royal Air Maroc will join oneworld Apr. 1, making it the alliance’s first full member in the African continent and adding 39 new destinations in 23 countries to the network.

AIRBALTIC completed record 62,748 flights in 2019, up 12% vs 2018.

MAGNETIC LEASING signed its first landing gear lease deal with Ryanair.

ALARIS AEROSPACE SYSTEMS, FL acquired two A319-100s (612; ex-Swiss/2396; ex-Olympic) for part out.

Southwest Airlines will not resume commercial Boeing 737 MAX operations until June 6, bringing its schedule into line with fellow U.S.-based MAX operators American Airlines and United Airlines.

The Russian government is considering a new airline in the country Far East to connect remote areas of the region.

Cathay Pacific Group saw passengers carried for 2019 slip 0.7% year-on-year (YOY) to 134.4 million passengers, reflecting seven months of ongoing anti-government protests in Hong Kong.

Qatar Airways will launch eight destinations in 2020, as well as expand its codeshare agreement with Malaysia Airlines.

The term “merger of equals” has become buzzworthy in A&D M&A, but under the tie-ups of big names are trends toward diversity and size.

The airport slot system in Europe is overdue for a comprehensive overhaul, according to Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe).

Brian Znotins to Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning of American Airlines.

BAMBOO AIRWAYS, Vietnam took delivery of new GEnx-powered 787-9 (62735) from CALC.

Boeing will study the certification challenges of its Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) ultra-efficient airliner concept as part of a new phase of work following wind tunnel tests that prove the basic viability of the 737-class aircraft design for typical airliner cruise speeds of Mach 0.8.

Air Canada unveiled its first Airbus A220-300 to reporters at the company’s headquarters in Montreal Jan. 15.

The near silence on Boeing’s new midmarket airplane (NMA) program from the manufacturer in the last year has expanded to one of the project’s most supportive customers.

Etihad Airways is targeting halving its net carbon emissions by 2035 and achieving net zero emission status by 2050, the airline said Jan. 15.

Chinese private carrier Loong Air has moved to set up a freight airline in association with a district government at Chengdu in southwestern China.

Ryanair subsidiary Laudamotion is expected to widen its losses in 2020 as a result of increased competition at its Vienna base and in Germany.

EASTERN AIRWAYS, UK plans in 2020 to add one E170 and three E190s to fleet.