Airlines & Lessors

SkyWest Airlines is placing 47 Embraer E175s into service from the 2022 first quarter (Q1) through early 2023, as demand for dual-class regional jets remains strong despite higher fuel prices and a national shortage of pilots.

Although Frontier Airlines is seeing higher levels of pilot attrition, the ULCC has an excess of pilots in the short term.

Norwegian startup Norse Atlantic Airways has started selling tickets for its transatlantic services, together with announcing inaugural dates for its initial batch of routes.

A union between Colombia’s flag-carrier and its largest low-cost operator promises to bring a lower cost structure and a more joined up route network.

Turkish Airlines has stepped up its sustainability efforts with the first operational flight of an A321 utilizing a range of environment-friendly measures.

Virgin Australia has boosted its fleet growth plans by increasing its commitments for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Africa has become important for the Lufthansa Group’s further development and Brussels Airlines will play a leading role.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is seeing results from its partnership with Google Cloud that supports its flight operations, utilizing the technology provider’s artificial intelligence software to improve decision making.

Sporadic city-wide lockdowns and closed borders are weighing heavily on Chinese carriers’ balance sheets.

Issues with delays to the first 777X deliveries show the depth and breadth of Boeing’s challenges.

Russian operators’ reregistration push triggered by new Russian law permitting operators to take ownership of leased assets.

Southwest Airlines has converted 40 firm orders for the Boeing 737-7 to the slightly larger 737-8, as Boeing’s timeline for certifying the smallest MAX family variant continues to slip.

Mexican ULCC Volaris is hopeful the FAA will restore Mexico’s safety rating by year-end as the next phase of the U.S. regulator’s assessment for the country starts in May.

Russia’s largest carrier on international routes Aeroflot has temporarily suspended its membership in the SkyTeam alliance.

EasyJet is continuing to lend its support to efforts to develop technology for zero-emission commercial aircraft.

Malaysian carrier Firefly has relaunched its narrowbody jet operation, giving its parent Malaysia Airlines Group a dual-model approach for jet services.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is seeing enough signs of demand recovery to predict that it will return to profitability in fiscal 2022, which ends March 31, 2023.

Air transport in Southeast Asia appears to have turned the corner now that most countries have opened their borders to passengers from abroad.

The FAA will host a two-day meeting with a group of U.S. airlines in early May to discuss ways to increase the efficiency of busy airspace in Florida, following a spate of operational meltdowns there affecting JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and others.

British Airways (BA) appears to be continuing to feel the operational pinch of COVID-19 absences, with further flight capacity being removed from the carrier’s planned June schedules.

The push to establish urban air mobility (UAM) networks in Europe took a step forward April 27 with the signing of an MOU between Airbus and Italian flag-carrier ITA Airways to collaborate on UAM in Italy.

Oneworld carrier Finnair plans to outsource seven aircraft, sell another four plus other surplus aircraft, start accessing a €400 million ($427 million) government loan, and roll out a further €60 million in cost savings—all in an effort to mitigate the ongoing impact of the Ukraine-Russia war.

Air India has applied to buy out the remaining minority share in AirAsia India, which would give the Tata Group full control over the LCC subsidiary.

Hawaiian Airlines saw encouraging signs of improvement in some of its international markets in the 2022 first quarter (Q1), and it expects further gains to occur in the second quarter.

A Sri Lankan government committee has recommended that national carrier SriLankan Airlines postpone its tender for 21 leased aircraft by three months and review the entire procurement process amid the country’s economic crisis.