COMMERCIAL AIRLINE NEWS
Stephen Moon E-mail: [email protected]
General News
- Amsterdam Schiphol Airport may gain 40,000 more aircraft slots if
it meets strict new government criteria on noise levels. - Angola will move forward in the case against Sonair (Angola) and
TAP (Portugal) for money laundering, as the recent court ruling
was overturned. - Antigua & Barbuda’s attempt to purchase some of the LIAT shares
held by Barbados might not happen after all as talks have broken
down. - Argentina has signed a memorandum for monitoring the
operation security with Chile that would open the door to their
respective airlines operating in each other’s airspace. - Armenia has prepared legislation to remove taxes for airlines
starting new routes to Yerevan, as the government is in no rush to
launch a national airline. - Australia’s safety regulator will send a team to review
maintenance operations at Regional Express (Australia), following
complaints. - Brazil and Portugal have finalised negotiations for a new air
services agreement, which eliminates restrictions on the transport
of passengers and cargo. - Brazil and Sint Maarten have signed the Open Skies agreement.
- China hopes to launch a prototype of a supersonic civil aircraft by
2035, according to a senior engineer at the Chinese Aeronautical
Establishment under the state‑owned Aviation Industry of China. - The Dominican Republic and Antigua & Barbuda have signed a
new bilateral air services agreement, with LIAT possibly resuming
services between the two countries. - The Dutch bankruptcy administrator has appeared before the
National Company Law Appellate Tribunal on the Jet Airways
(India) matter, which has agreed to hear the case here. The Dutch
administrator has agreed not to sell the confiscated assets of Jet
Airways. - EASA has ordered inspections on some older A380s after some
cracks were detected in wings. - EASA has outlined five major requirements it wants Boeing to
address before it will allow the manufacturer’s B737 MAX to return
to service. One of them concerns the jet’s autopilot function. - The EU has said it is open to talks with the US in a dispute over
aircraft subsidies while preparing retaliation after the US added
other items to a list of goods in line for hefty tariffs. - European airline chiefs have hit back against efforts to discourage
Europeans from flying, arguing that the industry was making
huge strides in cutting its carbon footprint and that there was no
shame in air travel. - The European Cockpit Association has urged EASA to conduct its
own thorough and independent review of the B737 MAX before
allowing the the type to fly again. - In Finland, Helsinki Airport saw a rise of 5 per cent in passenger
using the airport in the first six months of 2019 up to 10.6 million. - Four of the world’s leading aircraft regulators have agreed in
principle to coordinate in restoring B737 MAX to service once
they’re confident that technical updates and new training meet
safety standards. - France will introduce a tax on airlines flying from its airports to
help support the environment, in a move expected to raise around
US$202 million from 2020. - Germany is considering a CO2 tax on aviation, and called for a
Europe‑wide approach. - Government and industry officials say the fix for the B737 MAX’s
flight‑control software and completing other steps to start
carrying passengers is likely to stretch into 2020. - IATA met with Zimbabwe’s government to discuss the contribution
of aviation to the country’s economy and development and to find
a mutually acceptable and workable solution for the release of
US$196 million in revenues owed to airlines.- IBA (UK) expects the narrowbody freighter market to grow from
about 705 in 2019 to approximately 880 in 2024, while mid‑sized
freighters will grow from about 563 to 660, and widebody
freighters from 573 to 680. - ICAO said Thailand achieved an effective implementation of
standards score of 65%, which exceeds the minimum pass
threshold of 60% set by the watchdog. - India has announced budget plans to further relax Foreign Direct
Investment in the civil aviation sector. - India has ordered an investigation into alleged mismanagement
of funds at Jet Airways (India), which halted operations in April
after running out of cash. - The Indian bankruptcy court has stalled the deregistration of a Jet
Airways (India) B777 by the aviation regulator, after Fleet Ireland
Aircraft Lease (Ireland) had appealed for its deregistration due to
missed lease payments. - The Indian CAA says a total of 209 slots vacated by the Jet Airways
are currently unused at 31 airports across the country. - India’s Delhi High Court has refused to grant urgent relief to
founder of Jet Airways (India) Naresh Goyal, and sought a
response on his plea to travel abroad. - The Indian government is counting on a US$3.2 billion bond sale
to revive efforts to privatise Air India after a first botched attempt
in 2018. The SPV, Air India Asset Holdings, is set to name
underwriters soon. The government reconstituted a group of
ministers tasked with working out requirements for the sale of Air
India. The Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism will now be
headed by home minister Amit Shah. - Indonesia plans to remove VAT on the lease of aircraft from
abroad in order to increase competition. - Indonesia has suggested it may ground B737 MAX until 2020,
underscoring the challenges faced by Boeing as it looks to get the
type back in the air. - Indonesian President Joko Widodo has signed a government
regulation that will give fiscal incentives to airlines after all
relevant stakeholders in the aviation industry agreed to cost
sharing to push airfares down. The Indonesian Transport Minister
said that low‑cost airlines will be required to cut prices on certain
domestic routes and “during certain hours”. All aviation
stakeholders will be required to make price cuts to reduce the
cost of aviation operations in Indonesia. - Italy’s Milan Linate Airport will temporarily close from 27 July to
27 October 2019 for runway maintenance. - Japanese airlines are interested in starting flights to Islamabad
from Tokyo, as the two countries want mutual cooperation in the
field of aviation. - Kuwait and Greece have signed an MOU on a new aviation
agreement for open skies. - Liberia and Belgium have concluded an air transport agreement
aimed at strengthening air services between the two countries. - Lithuania is considering the construction of a new international
airport between Vilnius and Kaunas, with the final decision on the
new airport expected in 2022. Construction could start in the years
2025‑2026, and the new airport would be ready by 2030‑2035. - The Mozambican government is negotiating with a Portuguese
airline for LAM to return to European air space from 1Q20. - Netherlands is working at a European level to introduce a tax on
aircraft fuel; alternatively it is planning to introduce its own
aviation tax of some €7 a ticket if no European agreement is
reached before 2021. - New Zealand’s Regional Economic Development Minister says mayors
should apply for Provincial Growth Fund money to get around the
Transport Ministry and keep their regional airports in business. - The Nigerian CAA currently is processing at least 27 applications
for AOCs.