Air Transport

Canadian LCC WestJet’s contracted regional service WestJet Link debuted June 20 with its first flight between British Columbia cities Cranbrook and Prince George, flown via a capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Vancouver-based regional carrier Pacific Coastal Airlines.

Paris airports operator Groupe ADP and Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) said they signed two memoranda of understanding (MOU) covering airport management, aviation development and cargo development aimed at strengthening cooperation between Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).

New York JFK International Airport Terminal 4 (T4) remains on firm footing following its recent expansion, with Delta Air Lines and its SkyTeam alliance partners holding a dominant, and growing, position, while vacancies are quickly snapped up by newcomers, a Fitch Ratings analysis finds.

The process of choosing a new CEO for Air France-KLM is causing turbulence for the airline group after French media reports that Philippe Capron, the CFO of water and waste company Veolia, was about to be named to the post sparked a backlash.

FAA will respond to recommendations of its NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) to focus air traffic management (ATM) improvements in the U.S. Northeast corridor and to provide enhanced surveillance service in oceanic airspace at the committee’s June 27 meeting.

Japan’s Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) has extended the grounding of its freighter fleet while it finishes reviewing maintenance records.

Bombardier will unveil the first production-line installation of its new Atmosphere cabin, on a CRJ900 bound for Delta Air Lines, at next month’s Farnborough Airshow, using the event as the centerpiece of its post-C Series focus on the 60-100-seat regional aircraft market.

LCC Norwegian plans to enter the Canadian market later this year, announcing three initial routes.

A joint plan by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Orlando International Airport (MCO) to accelerate deployment of biometric facial recognition scans on every passenger arriving or departing on international flights at the airport is reviving privacy concerns.

Bombardier’s plans for building a sustainable commercial aircraft business without the C Series includes increased emphasis on the aftermarket, but the company has not unveiled a detailed strategy.

Incremental upgrades to CRJ and Q400 seen as near-term differentiators.

A government-industry advisory panel has been established in Thailand to provide greater collaboration amongst stakeholders regarding the country’s airport development program.

The first two Comac C919 flight test aircraft returned to the air on June 22 after weeks on the ground for what industry sources described as modifications.

France’s secondary airlines are looking at ways they can work together to better compete with legacy carrier Air France and with growing competition from LCCs on both long- and short-haul routes, executives told Aviation Daily on the sidelines of the Paris Air Forum.

Greek carrier Aegean Airlines firmed an order for 30 A320neo family aircraft. The purchase agreement, announced June 22, follows an MOU signed in March.

Airbus says it will need to re-consider its footprint, investments and dependency on the UK in the event of a hard Brexit.

Avic confirms plans to fly the first MA700 late in 2019 and says it is aiming for Chinese certification at the end of 2021.

After demonstrating unaccompanied operation of a large unmanned aircraft, NASA moves on to develop detect-and-avoid for smaller UAS.

EasyJet and Norwegian both see more potential from connecting services following the success of the Worldwide by EasyJet service the LCC launched with its Norwegian low-cost long-haul counterpart and other partners in September 2017.

The UK’s trade minister resigned on June 21 over a planned House of Commons vote on whether to build a third runway at London Heathrow Airport.

Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger will step down at the end of the year and be succeeded by Shai Weiss, the UK carrier’s current chief commercial officer and former CFO, on Jan. 1, 2019.

With barely seven months left before new emissions reporting requirements come into force for international flights, governments are being pressed to take urgent action so that standards are in place in time to comply.

Kenya Airways plans to merge with Nairobi International Airport (NBO) to better compete with other state-owned carriers in Africa and the Middle East, such as Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates Airline.

Korean LCC Jin Air is experiencing a change in leadership, with the resignation of co-CEO Kwon Hyuk-min.

Dan Elwell, FAA’s acting administrator, called on the UK and world governments to accelerate the pace of bilateral aviation negotiations ahead of Brexit in March 2019.