News from FlightGlobal
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NewsAir China becomes latest carrier to reveal A320neo top-up agreement
Air China has become the latest Chinese operator to disclose a purchase agreement for additional Airbus aircraft, with a deal for 60 A320neo-family jets. The flag-carrier states that it entered the agreement on 30 December. Air China will start receiving the aircraft in 2028 and the deliveries are scheduled to ...
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NewsIraqi start-up Basra Airlines secures air operator’s certificate
Iraqi start-up carrier Basra Airlines has been granted an air operator’s certificate by the country’s civil aviation regulator. Basra Airlines says the approval by the Iraqi civil aviation authority means it becomes a “fully authorised and certified” operator. “This achievement marks the culmination of years of continuous effort and dedicated ...
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NewsChinese airlines Spring and Juneyao disclose A320neo purchase agreements
Chinese carriers Spring Airlines and Juneyao Air have each disclosed agreements to purchase Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. Both operators are based in Shanghai. Spring Airlines states that it signed an agreement to acquire 30 aircraft, deliveries of which will take place over the course of 2028-32, subject to approval. Juneyao says ...
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NewsKazakh wealth fund discloses sale price of controlling stake in Qazaq Air
Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, has disclosed that it sold a majority share in regional operator Qazaq Air for 1.02 billion tenge ($2 million). The fund revealed the figure in financial results for the third quarter ending 30 September. Samruk-Kazyna states that it completed the sale of a 49% share ...
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NewsEVA Air board approves 787-9 purchase plus 777-300ER leases and upgrades
Taiwanese carrier EVA Air’s board has approved the purchase of four Boeing 787-9s, as well as measures relating to its Boeing 777-300ER fleet. The board approved the 787 transaction on 26 December, valuing the agreement at up to $1.94 billion. EVA Air’s brief statement to the Taiwan stock exchange confirming ...
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NewsSpirit wins new maintenance terms and $140m IAE credit
International Aero Engines will provide Spirit Airlines with up to $140 million in credits as compensation for the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G recall that severely disrupted the ultra-low-cost carrier’s operations, following approval by a US bankruptcy judge.
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NewsCathay chair Patrick Healy to retire
Cathay Pacific Group has appointed Swire Group veteran Guy Bradley as its new chairman, following the retirement of incumbent chair Patrick Healy.
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NewsNumber of stored jets with Pratt geared turbofans climbed after mid-year
Number of grounded jets rises nearly 90 aircraft between mid-year and end-October, with storage rates holding steady at one-third of total GTF-powered fleet as manufacturer works to expand maintenance capacity and introduce durability upgrades
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NewsSpirit Airlines burned $47m in November but maintains $800m in cash reserves
Spirit Airlines presented a mixed financial situation in a monthly operating report for November, as the company appears stressed but not immediately imperilled.
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NewsArif Habib consortium emerges as successful bidder in long-running PIA privatisation
Diverse Pakistani investment firm Arif Habib Group has emerged as the successful bidder for flag-carrier Pakistan International Airlines. Its bid of Rs135 billion ($480 million) for a 75% share of the carrier follows a drawn-out privatisation programme. Pakistan’s ministry of privatisation confirms Arif Habib and its partners – which were ...
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NewsRyanair vows to appeal Italian regulator’s $300m fine over travel agency ‘obstruction’
Budget carrier Ryanair has vowed to appeal after Italian competition regulators imposed a fine of €256 million ($302 million) on the airline, accusing it of exploiting a dominant market position. The regulator, AGCM, states that the carrier implemented an “abusive strategy” to hamper travel agencies relying on Ryanair flights. It ...
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NewsVietjet tops out new MRO facility at Long Thanh airport
Vietjet has topped out its new MRO facility at the in-development Long Thanh international airport, located outside of Ho Chi Minh city.
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NewsRise Air takes delivery of Canada’s first ATR 72-600 turboprop
The Saskatchewan-based passenger and cargo operator signed for three new ATR aircraft in November 2024.
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NewsMunicipal government entity to take 20% of Shenzhen Airlines under equity financing plan
China’s Shenzhen Airlines is to receive an initial capital injection for a proposed equity financing, following the selection of a candidate investor identified as Shenzhen Kunhang Investment Partnership. Kunhang Investment is a Chinese enterprise controlled by the state-owned assets supervision commission of the Shenzhen municipal government. Air China already holds ...
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NewsLufthansa Group to upgrade A320-family jets with 4D trajectory-based navigation capability
Lufthansa Group is committing to upgrading over 130 Airbus A320-family jets with the advanced navigation system already being delivered on new-build A320neos in its fleet. The company opted last year to take the FANS-C technology on new aircraft, which is intended to support trajectory-based operations through a version of ADS-C ...
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NewsPhilippine Airlines receives first A350-1000
Philippine Airlines has taken delivery of the first of nine Airbus A350-1000s, as it fleet expansion programme gets underway. The aircraft, registered RP-C3510, arrived at PAL’s Manila hub on 20 December. The carrier, which also operates the smaller -900, is the first Southeast Asian operator of the type. ...
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NewsFedEx expects to resume MD-11F service in spring 2026 as it outlines grounding impact
US express cargo operator FedEx is working on the expectation that the grounded Boeing MD-11 freighter fleet will return to service in spring next year. Operators of the MD-11F were forced to suspend operations with the type after the fatal accident involving a UPS aircraft at Louisville in November. Speaking ...
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NewsVolaris and VivaAerobus agree to ‘merger of equals’ to form new Mexican airline group
Mexican discounters Volaris and have agreed to form a new airline group under a holding company structure in a merger of equals, pending regulatory approval expected in 2026.
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NewsUzbekistan’s Qanot Sharq takes first A321XLR through long-term lease
Privately-owned Uzbek carrier Qanot Sharq has received an Airbus A321XLR, one of a batch to be delivered to the airline. The carrier had reached an agreement with US lessor Air Lease earlier this year to take five A321neos – comprising two LR and three XLR models. But the lessor states ...
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NewsUS government admits fault in deadly mid-air collision between airliner and army helicopter
The US government has formally admitted liability for the January 2025 collision between a US Army Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines CRJ700 near Ronald Reagan Washington National airport that killed 67 people, citing multiple failures by military and civilian authorities.