Air Transport

Safran executives say CFM56 shop visits are surging as projected, with no detectable ramifications from the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, largely because overhaul slots were filled before the fleet was pulled from service in March.

Drone delivery service provider Flirtey on Sept. 9 unveiled the Flirtey Eagle, a boxy quadcopter that it expects will begin delivering food and packages to households by the end of the year.

Air France CEO Anne Rigail is considering possible replacements for the airline’s Airbus A380s, before turning her attention to a Boeing 777 successor and the remainder of Air France’s medium-haul renewal.

Air France and UK LCC easyJet are among the bidders to express interest in taking over all or part of Aigle Azur, as around 13,000 passengers are stranded after the French leisure carrier went into receivership and flights were canceled as of Sept. 7.

China Eastern Airlines and Juneyao Airlines have announced plans to deepen cooperation and take large shares in each other’s equity.

Disruptions caused by Hurricane Dorian created more financial headwinds during an already sagging 2019 third quarter (Q3) for Spirit Airlines, removing an estimated $25 million in revenue and pushing unit costs up, the airline calculates.

Taiwanese startup StarLux Airlines will begin commercial operations Jan. 23, 2020, with three Airbus A321neos.

British Airways’ (BA) flights were largely grounded Sept. 9, as pilot union BALPA began a two-day walkout over pay and benefits.

Aviation Week’s Ben Goldstein sat down with IATA Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac to discuss when and how governments should regulate airlines.

Future flight deck studies focus on finalizing features of Honeywell onboard traffic and alerting system to avoid runway incursions

Final loads testing on Boeing’s 777-9 has been suspended after the failure of a cargo door during pressurization evaluations on the static test airframe at Everett, Wash.

All-Boeing operator Icelandair is acknowledging the Boeing 737 MAX grounding as “a big challenge,” impacting the carrier’s financial performance, operational planning and efficiency.

Air France has expressed an interest in French leisure carrier Aigle Azur, which is suspending flight operations in the face of financial and operational difficulties.

Saudi LCC flyadeal expects to make an engine decision for its order of Airbus A320neos within the next two months, the airline’s CEO said Sept. 6.

Air Canada continues to reveal little about its plans for Air Transat beyond keeping the leisure airline’s brand and Montreal headquarters, but a senior executive said that getting its aircraft flying more often will be a near-term focus.

Turkish Airlines lowered its revenue guidance for 2019 in the face of decreasing demand and other factors that have hampered operations.

Taiwan’s China Airlines (CAL) has finalized an order for six Boeing 777F freighters in a deal worth $2.1 billion at list prices.

Airbus is expanding the scope of work of the A320-family assembly line in Tianjin, China, adding more equipping of fuselages.

Thai Airways and Airbus plan to begin construction of a new, expanded MRO facility at Thailand’s U-Tapao airport next year, as part of the airport’s development program.

Egyptair has taken delivery of its first of 12 A220-300 aircraft on order, becoming the first A220 operator based in the Middle East and North African region and the sixth operator worldwide.

The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has this year welcomed four new member airlines namely: Safarilink aviation operating from Kenya; Air Djibouti - the flag carrier of Djibouti, Air Senegal - the flag carrier of Senegal and Uganda National Airlines Company - the flag carrier of Uganda.

Persistent difficulties in cooperation between the Chinese and Russian sides of Craic are delaying progress.

Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group, Inc. signed an MOU with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. (MITAC) Sept. 5 to enter negotiations for the purchase of 100 SpaceJet M100 aircraft.

Rolls-Royce is fast-tracking the removal of certain older Trent 1000 intermediate pressure turbine (IPT) blades and modifying its blade-life calculation methods in the aftermath of a Norwegian Air Boeing 787 engine failure near Rome linked to blades that cracked before established life limits.

The CEO of Kuwaiti LCC Jazeera Airways believes that the low-cost model has huge potential in the Middle East, as many of the region’s airlines are failing to grasp opportunities in the market.