Air Transport

Japanese LCC Peach will prepare for its merger with sister-carrier Vanilla Air by taking over Vanilla’s routes in 2019.

The first Boeing 737 finished at the joint Boeing-COMAC completion facility in Zhoushan, China was delivered to its first customer, Air China, Dec. 15.

Israeli startup Eviation says it is making progress with plans to display the first prototype of its Alice all-electric regional aircraft at the Paris Air Show in June 2019.

UK and Swiss authorities have signed a new bilateral air services agreement to ensure the continuation of flights between the two countries post-Brexit.

2019 will be a year of rebuilding the strained long-standing relationships between engine-makers and airframers.

For commercial aviation in 2019, though each major manufacturer has its own challenges, it’s all about executing on the production side.

Services agreements are increasingly becoming part of the asset-purchase process.

The year ahead holds milestones in human space transport, airliner first flights and new launches and more, but it also promises significant uncertainty.

Conservative 2019 guidance from Delta Air Lines, despite strong macro trends and solid fourth-quarter momentum, suggests the airline—not content with leading its peers—is paying even closer attention to Wall Street.

FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell has appointed former FAA official D. Kirk Shaffer to serve as FAA associate administrator-airports, effective Dec. 17.

Air Astana officially unveiled its first Embraer E190-E2s on lease from Netherlands-based AerCap, making the Kazakhstan flag-carrier the first operator of the type in Central Asia.

Japanese startup Euglena has completed construction of the country’s first demonstration plant for producing renewable jet and diesel fuel.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has suspended regional carrier CemAir from operating, following what it called “unacceptable and intolerable behavior” that posed a threat to safety.

The African Civil Aviation Commission (‏AFCAC)—the body responsible for implementing intra-African Open Skies—has chosen former Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) director general Tefera Mekonnen as its next secretary general (SG).

Icelandic LCC WOW air is reducing its fleet by nearly a half and is letting 10% of its staff go.

Airbus named Philippe Mhun as its new head of programs, a role he will take on in addition to his current job as the company’s top services executive.

Airbus' Mobile assembly line is preparing to break ground on a new A220 factory that will nearly double employment. Listen in as general manager Daryl Taylor shares details with our editors.

With a focus on new technology more crucial than ever to maintain its competitive edge, Boeing steps up the tempo of its EcoDemonstrator testbed series.

Only a few months ago, Avianca Brasil had big plans, but it now has filed for bankruptcy.

IATA is signaling that global cargo revenue is forecast to rise more than 5% year-over-year to $116 billion in 2019, driven in part by a continued robust (albeit slower) global economic outlook, as well as the recent substantial fall in oil prices.

A group of 35 U.S. senators have signed onto a bipartisan letter urging FAA to implement a provision from the FAA Reauthorization Bill that will enhance funding for air traffic control (ATC) facilities at rural and small airports across the U.S.

Cambodia has signed an aviation agreement with Kenya, opening the way for flights operating from Africa into the southeast Asian country.

IATA unveiled a data-sharing platform to help airlines avoid turbulence during flights and named Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines as the first contributor.

Colombia-based Avianca—which reported load factors of nearly 90% in the third quarter on hub routes to Europe—plans to add a second daily Bogota-London Heathrow service if slots are available.

Amsterdam-based specialist regional aircraft lessor TrueNoord has completed the delivery of four ATR 72-600s to Indonesian regional carrier PT Wings Abadi.