The fate of Icelandic ultra-LCC WOW Air seems to increasingly to lie with its creditors, after talks with Icelandair Group collapsed. The two Icelandic carriers resumed talks March 21 following an almost four-month hiatus after negotiations regarding Icelandair’s acquisition of WOW Air ended without agreement. In the intervening period, U.S.-based private equity fund Indigo Partners stepped in, looking to take an initial 49% stake in WOW Air. However, Indigo, which has major stakes in several other LCCs, withdrew from the talks last week.
The White House in its fiscal 2020 budget request indicated plans to reform the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, opening up a schism between the Trump administration and rural airport operators who depend on the pre-deregulation-era program to make sure carriers continue flying to their communities.
UK-based long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic is to open its first service to South America in 2020, with flights between London Heathrow and São Paulo, Brazil.
Airbus’ Skywise data sharing and analysis platform could double to 100 airline customers this year, top Airbus executives reportedly told an investor conference Mar. 20.
Icelandic ULCC WOW Air has restarted talks with Icelandair Group after long-running negotiations with private equity fund Indigo Partners to take a stake in the fast-expanding LCC collapsed.
Spanish LCC Volotea is considering expanding to 40-60 aircraft by 2022, when it will have completed its transition from Boeing 717s to an all-Airbus A319 fleet.
Garuda Indonesia has informed Boeing it wants to cancel its orders for 49 737 MAX aircraft, and is considering seeking a deal for Boeing widebody aircraft instead.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) said Mar. 21 that it is stepping up its inflight sustainability initiatives, introducing new efforts to reduce food waste and cut back on plastic products.
Aviation Week editors discuss the latest from the two MAX accident investigations and look back at the compromises that led to the controversial MCAS system.
Convinced of the growth and development potential of the French long-haul airline Corsair, INTRO Aviation, the German private aviation company, has decided to become the main shareholder, alongside TUI group. The announcement was made this week in Paris.
Ethiopian Airlines has confirmed that Ethiopian pilots have completed the Boeing recommended and FAA approved differences training from the B-737 NG aircraft to the B-737 MAX aircraft before the phase in of the B-737-800 MAX fleet to the Ethiopian operation and before they start flying the B-737-800 MAX.
As CEO of Airbus, Tom Enders has transformed the European aerospace giant from a cross-national conglomerate to an integrated company and made crucial product decisions, including the launch of the A320neo family.
Details of Boeing’s plans to upgrade the 737 MAX’s flight control system are increasing the glare on flight-deck human factors breakdowns in the model’s design.
Boeing Commercial Aircraft’s top salesman asserted Mar. 21 that changes to the 737 MAX related to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 will be approved by U.S. authorities in April, reiterating that safety continues to be the core mission of the embattled manufacturer.
Etihad Airways and Gulf Air plan to step up their recently signed wide-ranging cooperative agreement by instituting a codeshare from the start of the industry’s summer timetable season.
Russia´s Atran Airlines, an air express subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Group, has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-800BCF, Mar. 20, making the carrier the first operator of the type in the country.
