All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 167
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NewsAirbus set to fly A321XLR in mid-June
Airbus is aiming to conduct the first flight of its long-range A321XLR from its Hamburg Finkenwerder plant on 15 June. The aircraft, which has been undergoing pre-flight simulation and ground checks, was rolled out in its test-flight livery last month. Airbus has scheduled a first flight event for 15 June, ...
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NewsA320 thrust rollback on serviceability flight traced to overspeed-protection valve
UK investigators believe a thrust rollback on an Airbus A320, after which the affected engine would not respond to control inputs, resulted from inadvertent activation of a fuel-control protection valve. But the inquiry says the issue – which has occurred previously on some International Aero Engines V2500 powerplants – has ...
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NewsConnect Airlines plots expansion with up to 100 hydrogen-powered ATR 72s
Proposed US start-up carrier Connect Airlines is ordering 75 converted ATR 72-600 turboprops, which will be fitted with hydrogen-fuelled powertrains. The firm agreement with Universal Hydrogen also covers an additional 25 converted aircraft. Universal Hydrogen was founded by former Airbus chief technology officer Paul Eremenko, and has an advisory board ...
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NewsAkasa reaches sale-and-leaseback pact for initial 737 Max fleet
Indian start-up carrier Akasa Air has entered a sale-and-leaseback agreement covering five Boeing 737 Max 8 jets. The airline has reached the deal with Griffin Global Asset Management. Delivery of the 737s is scheduled to commence in June and the lessor says the agreement covers several of Akasa’s initial aircraft. ...
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NewsITA’s latest A350 flags carrier’s sustainability ambitions
Italian carrier ITA Airways will take its operational fleet of Airbus A350-900s to four – half of the eight planned – in June, through the introduction of a twinjet with a minimalist livery intended to highlight sustainability. The aircraft is largely white, in contrast to the distinctive blue which dominates ...
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NewsWizz continues to switch Airbus commitments to A321neo
Wizz Air has converted 21 Airbus A320neo commitments to the A321neo, a further shift of its single-aisle backlog towards the higher-capacity variant. The airline disclosed, as it released full-year final results, that it formalised the conversion in May. Deliveries of these aircraft will be carried out over the course of ...
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NewsWizz optimistic on restoring low cost levels as inflation adds to airline misery
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is expecting the current fiscal year to be one “marked by high inflation”, as it looks to return to pre-crisis cost levels and improve its competitiveness. Wizz Air turned in a full-year net loss of €642 million ($686 million) – higher than the previous ...
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NewsSweden to convert SAS debt but refrains from injecting new capital
Sweden’s government is proposing that it be authorised to enter a debt-to-equity swap to provide financial assistance to flag-carrier SAS. But it will not supply fresh capital to the struggling airline. Swedish trade and industry minister Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson disclosed the proposal on 7 June. It would require the legislature to ...
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NewsWizz Air to explore hydrogen fleet operations through Airbus collaboration
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is to explore the potential for hydrogen-powered aircraft operations under an agreement with Airbus. The two sides have signed a memorandum covering analysis of hydrogen operations, intended to provide the carrier with a “deeper understanding” of how such aircraft could change its business model, ...
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NewsAeroflot A330 returns to Russia after days of detention in Sri Lanka
Aeroflot has retrieved an Airbus A330-300 from Colombo, after several days of wrangling after the twinjet was impounded by Sri Lankan authorities. It departed for Moscow Sheremetyevo on 6 June, apparently after intervention to overturn a court order which led to the detention. Russian federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia confirms ...
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NewsAzorra picks up 37-aircraft portfolio as lessor NAC exits Chapter 11
US lessor Azorra has acquired a portfolio of 37 aircraft previously owned by Nordic Aviation Capital, the leasing firm which has newly emerged from Chapter 11 protection. Azorra says it has picked up 29 Embraer E-Jet regional aircraft plus ATR and De Havilland turboprops. The aircraft are leased to 13 ...
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NewsPressure setting suspected after two low approaches by Paris-bound A320
French investigators are probing an incident in which an Airbus A320 descended below the glidepath at Paris Charles de Gaulle during two separate approaches, triggering minimum safe altitude warnings. The aircraft was operated by the Maltese wet-lease specialist Airhub and had been inbound to Paris from Stockholm Arlanda on 23 ...
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NewsBelavia axes planned revised service to Israel
Belarusian flag-carrier Belavia is having to scrap planned services to Israel, claiming that Israeli authorities have reversed a decision to allow the airline entry to Tel Aviv along a revised route. Belavia says it had received permission to operate from Minsk to Tel Aviv in mid-May and drawn up a ...
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NewsAirbus and Qatar Airways should encourage regulator to rethink A350 position: judge
Airbus and Qatar Airways should co-operate to persuade the Qatari civil aviation authority to adopt a different position regarding the grounding of the airline’s A350s, the judge overseeing the two sides’ legal dispute has stated. In a detailed ruling which followed the latest High Court session on 26 May, the ...
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NewsSAS seeks widebody fleet relief from lessors as Asian routes stay closed
Scandinavian operator SAS has stressed that it needs to relieve the financial pressure from its long-haul fleet, owing to limitations in its ability to operate to Asian destinations. Chief executive Anko van der Werff, speaking during a second-quarter briefing, said the airline had “too many” widebody aircraft. He says SAS ...
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NewsSAS cuts back summer flight programme to avert ramp-up bottlenecks
SAS is aiming to achieve 80% of pre-crisis capacity deployment during the summer season, although the airline has cut a large number of planned flights in order to ensure stability. The Scandinavian operator says it is experiencing “positive” market development and “strong” ticket sales in the run-up to summer. But ...
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NewsSAS could seek court assistance to help with crucial financial restructuring
Scandinavia’s SAS is prepared to utilise court-based restructuring proceedings in order to assist with resolving its financial problems and help push through parts of its ambitious ‘SAS Forward’ transformation plan. It is looking to raise at least SKr9.5 billion ($970 million) in fresh equity – expecting to source this from ...
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NewsEmbraer accelerates Brazilian renewable electricity commitment
Embraer has accelerated an energy-purchase plan which will ensure that all the electricity it acquires in Brazil will be drawn from renewable sources. It has brought forward this plan by a year and will achieve it from 2024 rather than the original commitment of 2025. Two-thirds of the total electric ...
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NewsNorse Atlantic to open London-New York from mid-August
Start-up long-haul carrier Norse Atlantic Airways has opened bookings for services between the UK and USA, with a London-New York link set to commence on 12 August. Norse Atlantic will operate between Gatwick to JFK daily using Boeing 787s. It will also be offering a temporary service between Gatwick and ...
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NewsJudge rules Airbus-Qatar A350 case must head for early trial
Airbus’s legal clash with Qatar Airways over A350 skin-paint degradation appears likely to go to trial in summer 2023, after a judge ruled that the case should be tried at the earliest opportunity. Qatar Airways is claiming a degree of success from securing the expedited hearing but the airframer – ...