Air Transport

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Feb. 28 handed down fines of $1 million to American Airlines and $750,000 to Delta Air Lines for subjecting passengers to extended tarmac delays at airports across the U.S. over the last several years.

Indian Ocean carrier Air Seychelles will drop its final long-haul route as the airline increasingly focuses its energies on serving regional destinations.

Qatar Airways plans to place an aircraft order at the Paris Air Show and, separately, is looking to further develop its aircraft leasing business.

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will begin testing smaller-scale, long-haul flights starting in summer 2020 with three Airbus A321LRs, SAS president & CEO Rickard Gustafson said during an analyst call Feb. 27.

Aerospace propulsion and equipment manufacturer Safran is pressing on with the Zodiac Aerospace integration, targeting product offering consolidation after successful synergies in procurement and overhead costs, Safran CEO Philippe Petitcolin said.

Safran may bid for becoming a supplier on a future civil supersonic aircraft program, according to CEO Philippe Petitcolin.

European turboprop manufacturer ATR has agreed to a partnership with non-profit organization AviAssist to strengthen flight safety awareness and accident prevention activities in Africa.

A Dublin court has ruled in Ryanair’s favor over its refusal to pay compensation to Irish passengers whose flights were delayed or canceled as a result of internal strike action by the airline’s staff.

Laos’ capital Vientiane is looking to build a new airport by 2040, as the South East Asian country faces a surging influx of tourists.

French and Dutch politicians have agreed to “work together” on strengthening cooperation on the future strategy of Air France-KLM, with the aim of announcing a series of joint recommendations before the end of June.

Southwest Airlines has asked a federal court to intervene in its battle with mechanics by forcing them to stop writing up minor maintenance issues as part of what the airline claims is an illegal job action designed to wreak havoc on the airline’s operations.

Avation PLC, a commercial passenger aircraft leasing company, and ATR have confirmed Avation has entered into an options exercise to acquire a further eight new ATR 72-600 aircraft for scheduled deliveries between 2020 and 2022.

EU urges ICAO to agree at its assembly in September on a “long-term goal” to address the aviation industry’s rising CO2 emissions.

As NASA gears up for first U.S. human spaceflights since 2011, a training tool from the ‘60s is back in vogue.

At last, a U.S spaceship for orbital human flight is ready for a test run to ISS.

A new study from Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) documented $128 billion in unmet infrastructure needs and a debt burden totaling $91.6 billion from past projects at U.S. and Canadian airports, reflecting what ACI-NA described in a statement as the “terminally challenged” state of North American airport infrastructure.

A Harris Corp. subsidiary has completed renovations of a new facility in New Delhi, India, that will serve as the network operations center of that country’s aviation telecommunications network, called the Futuristic Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI).

LCC Ryanair will launch two new routes from Ireland and two from the UK as part of its winter schedule, starting in October.

Russia’s Irkut Corporation will manufacture an additional prototype of its new MC-21 narrowbody airliner to test Perm PD-14 turbofans.

Japan’s first long-haul LCC is on the verge of unveiling its brand name and inflight products, which may happen within “weeks.”

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has reported a SEK576 million ($64 million) net loss for November 2018-January 2019, its fiscal 2019 first quarter, widened from a SEK291 million loss it posted in the year-ago period.

Rolls-Royce is hopeful that the number of Boeing 787s grounded by Trent 1000 engine problems could drop to single figures by the end of the year.

Air New Zealand is tweaking its business plan in response to cooling demand and falling profits, and more changes could follow after the carrier completes a review of its operation.

Airservices Australia has changed aircraft-separation protocol to reduce wake-turbulence risk at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport (SYD) following an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) analysis, but ATSB says the air-traffic services provider’s moves do not go far enough.

International Airlines Group (IAG) placed an order Feb. 28 for up to 42 Boeing 777-9s for its British Airways subsidiary. If all options are exercised, the deal is valued at $18.6 billion, at list prices.