- The Sri Lankan government has announced it will reduce ground
handling charges for airlines and slash aviation fuel prices and
embarkation fees to help the country’s tourism industry recover. - Switzerland may introduce a CO2 tax on airline tickets in the near
future as the Senate is to discuss inclusion of the CO2 Act. - Tata Group (India) is ready to buy a stake in Jet Airways (India),
following preliminary discussions on the matter. Tata has sought
management control of Jet, seeking at least 26% initially and
another 26% via an open offer later. - Thien Minh Aviation (Vietnam) will set up an aviation company
after its deal with AirAsia (Malaysia) fell through. The company is
owned by Tran Trong Kien and TMG (Vietnam). The new company,
which will focus on passenger and cargo transport and aircraft
leasing, was granted a business registration certificate with a
chartered capital of US$$43 million. - Tianjin Bohai Leasing (China) will take over leases on four B737s
from Yangtze Leasing (China) at a price of US$94.5 million. - Turkey’s CAA has prepared a draft guide on handling 17
abandoned aircraft at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, which was closed
to commercial passenger flights on 05Apr19. - In the UK, Belfast City Airport’s calender yeat to December 2018
saw an increase in turnover of 4 per cent to £22 million and an
increase in profit of 12.5 per cent to £3.25 million. Some 2.51
million passengers used the airport. - Carlisle Airport launched services with Loganair operating to
Belfast, Dublin & Southend on 04Jul19. - Marshalls have announced that Cambridge Airport will close by
2030. - The Stobart Group made a £42 million loss for its financial year to
March 2019. - A Ukraine court, at the request of the Chief of the National Police
Department in Kiev, has seized and banned five An‑124‑100s. The
airworthiness of the aircraft had been extended in violation of
ICAO rules to bypass Antonov (Ukraine). - The United States is expected to be open to negotiations on an
“enforceable mechanism” that could allow Airbus to receive
government funding on commercial terms and ease the risk of tit‑
for‑tat sanctions. - US federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records from Boeing
relating to the production of the B787 in South Carolina. - The US government has ratcheted up pressure on Europe in its
long‑running dispute over aircraft subsidies, threatening tariffs
on US$4 billion of additional EU goods. - A US House bill that would limit access of foreign airlines to the
US based on substandard labour conditions for their workers is
the latest round in a long fight by US airlines and aviation unions
to keep low‑cost foreign competition out of the US market. - US President Donald Trump met with the chief executives of
major American airlines to discuss their accusations that subsidies
by Qatar and UAE are costing jobs in the US. - Pakistan has opened its airspace for commercial airlines after a
gap of about five months. The airspace shutdown cost over
US$94.9 million to the global aviation industry. - Punjab National Bank (India) has set aside about US$129 million
as provisioning charges against loans sanctioned to Jet Airways
(India). - Rosaviatsia says about 400 aircraft operating in the Russian fleet
but on foreign registers do not meet the new requirements
regarding certification. - Russia has approved a draft law exempting value added tax on
the import of aircraft, provided the aircraft are registered in the
country. Aircraft engines, spare parts and accessories will also be
exempt. - Russia is planning a new twin‑engined “next‑generation” aircraft
concept with a potential range of nearly 4,900nm and a new wing
sweep. - Russia plans to add two MC‑21s to its existing fleet of test aircraft,
defying production hurdles created by US sanctions. - Russia plans to produce at least another 200 SSJ100s, despite a
fatal crash that raised questions about the future of the country’s
first new passenger jet. - Russia has signed a decree that prohibits Russian airlines from
transporting Russian citizens to Georgia because of “mass
disorder” and “radical opposition actions”. - In Russia, following an order from President Putin, Moscow airports
have been renamed with SVO becoming Alexander Pushkin, DME
Mikhail Lemonosov and VKO Andrei Tupolev. Meanwhile, passengers
using Pulkovo Airport between January and April 2019 totalled
5,071 million, up 13.7%; and SVO (now Pushkin) saw 14.6 million
use the airport in the same period, up 16.2%. - Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has decided to ignore its
agreement with Bermuda, where many aircraft are registered, as
it looks to bring the aircraft to its own registrar. - The Russian Minister for Development of the Far East and the
Arctic, Alexander Kozlov, has called for the creation of its own
airline for the development of transport between the regions of
the Far East. - The Sao Tome government is working with Equatorial Guinea to
achieve “a formal alliance” between the airlines of both countries. - The Serbian government has issued a tender seeking bids for the
privatisation of Jat Tehnika, offering 99.4% of the Belgrade‑based
MRO. - In other news, it has rejected a complaint lodged against Air
Serbia by Adria Airways (Slovenia) over what the Slovenian carrier
alleges are unfair state aid practices. - Singapore and Maldives have signed an Open Skies agreement to
expand connectivity between two countries. - The Slovenian government has developed contingency plans in
case Adria Airways ceases operations.
Boeing 737-8 MAX B-206L (61374/7263) of 9 Air, in storage at Moses Lake, Washington State on 19th July 2019. [Duncan Kirk]