New FAA administrator says there is no timeline for the 737 MAX’s return to service
The new head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Stephen Dickson commented on the 737 MAX’s return to service shortly after he was sworn in as the agency’s 18th administrator on Monday. The former senior vice president of flight operations for Delta Air Lines was confirmed by the Senate on July 24 in a 52 […]
ACI: European airport passenger traffic growth slows in 1H
Airport trade body ACI Europe’s new report that passenger traffic growth at European airports slowed in the first half of 2019 to 4.3%—while freight traffic dropped by 3.5%—indicates economic troubles, aircraft groundings, flight delays and air traffic management (ATM) disruptions are taking their toll. The 4.3% passenger traffic increase compares with 6.7% growth in the […]
Airbus closes on 9,000th A320 delivery
Airbus appears likely to deliver its 9,000th A320-family aircraft during August or early September, analysis of the airframer’s production backlog shows. The manufacturer had delivered a total of 8,951 jets from the single-aisle family by the end of July. These comprised 8,037 of the conventional A320 models plus 914 of the re-engined A320neo variants. Airbus […]
US carrier Frontier converts A320neo batch to A321neos
US carrier Frontier Airlines has converted a batch of 15 Airbus A320neo orders to the larger A321neo. The airline had 34 A321neos on order – none of which has yet been delivered – but this figure has risen to 49 in the airframer’s latest backlog revision. Frontier’s firm A320neo commitment has correspondingly reduced to 165 […]
Airbus begins U.S. production of A220
Airbus on August 5 officially began manufacturing the A220 in the United States at its production facility in Mobile, Alabama. The company’s Alabama-based workers received on-the-job training in Mirabel, Quebec, where the A220 program and primary final assembly line are located. “The expansion of our commercial aircraft production in Mobile to a second product line […]
Emirates SkyCargo looks to diversification and digitisation
Product diversification, digitisation of the air cargo supply chain and an ambition to build an e-commerce hub in the Middle East are just three of the projects under way at Emirates SkyCargo. The Dubai-based airfreight giant will also monitor demand for its freighter capacity in these turbulent times for the world economy, but the carrier […]
Cathay introduces fire containment bags for lithium-ion battery shipments
Cathay Pacific Cargo has introduced a new fire containment bag that enables it to carry standalone shipments of lithium-ion batteries safely. Cargo products manager Alex Leung said: “These new fire containment bags have been thoroughly tested and meet our stringent safety requirements, and they have also been approved by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). […]
Air France-KLM signs for up to 120 A220s
Air France-KLM has signed for up to 120 Airbus A220-300s as part of a fleet renewal plan disclosed today. The airline group says the commitment comprises 60 firm aircraft, plus 30 options and 30 acquisition rights. Airbus labels the 60-unit portion of the deal as a memorandum of understanding. The aircraft will «gradually replace» Air […]
Hawaiian posts 2Q net profit drop on growing competition
Hawaiian Airlines reported a decline in net profit for the second quarter, as the airline comes under increasing competitive pressure in some of its key markets. The Hawaiian flag carrier achieved a net profit of $57.8 million in the three months through June 30, a 27.2% decline from Hawaiian’s $79.5 million net profit in 2Q […]
ANA reconfigures 12 Boeing 777-300ERs with new seats
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has reconfigured the interiors of 12 Boeing 777-300ERs aircraft with new seats across four classes, the first of which will serve the Tokyo Haneda-London route from 2 August. The newly reconfigured aircraft has 212 seats: 8 in first class, 64 in business, 24 in premium economy, and 116 in economy. ANA’s […]
