Must read – Page 31
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Airline BusinessWhich airlines welcomed new aircraft types into their fleets during 2021?
Established airlines around the world debuted aircraft types and variants in their fleets during 2021, despite the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. We look back at some of the highlights, from nimble narrowbodies through to heavyweight widebodies.
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Airline BusinessWhich airlines launched, failed or merged in 2021?
One of the most counter-intuitive things about the pandemic for the airline sector has been that during the worst crisis the industry has ever faced, relatively few carriers have collapsed.
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NewsEthiopian Airlines plans to resume Boeing 737 Max operations in February
Ethiopian Airlines intends resume operations with Boeing 737 Max 8 jets in February 2022, nearly three years after the crash of one of its examples prompted the global grounding of the type.
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Airline BusinessReasons for the airline industry to be optimistic about 2022, despite Omicron
Much as the emergence of the Alpha variant of Covid-19 in late 2020 put a damper on hopes for a strong air traffic recovery in the new year, the Omicron variant is playing the same trick as 2021 comes to an end.
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Airline BusinessHow far through the crisis are Americas’ biggest airlines?
While many international services remained heavily restricted for US carriers until November’s easing of travel rules into the country, access to the large domestic market had already helped give the travel recovery momentum..
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AnalysisWhat awaits the aviation sector in 2022?
Our special package of forecast articles looks at a dozen topics which are likely to be in the headlines during the coming 12 months.
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Airline BusinessHow far through the crisis are Asia-Pacific’s biggest airlines?
Airlines in Asia-Pacific paradoxically, are both among the hardest hit yet also the most profitable since the crisis hit. No region’s international passenger business has been harder by the pandemic than Asia-Pacific’s airlines, as international borders have remained all but shut and only started reopening in the last quarter of ...
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Airline BusinessHow far through the crisis are Europe’s biggest airlines?
For European airlines, momentum had been growing across the year, in line with the successful roll-out of vaccination programmes. European short-haul travel began opening up in the summer with the lifting of quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers. That notably stepped up in the second half of the summer and into an extended shoulder season for leisure travel.
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AnalysisLoss of Qantas and Air France-KLM deals to Airbus highlights Boeing’s competitive gaps
Defections of two long-time narrowbody customers – Air France-KLM and Qantas – to Boeing’s arch-rival in Toulouse does not mean the 737 Max is a worse aircraft than the A320neo, but the comparative strength of Airbus’s single-aisle strategy appears to be a winning formula.
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NewsSIA orders seven A350 freighters, as 747s exit fleet from 2025
Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to operate the Airbus A350 freighter, after it committed to seven examples, with a further five options
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NewsFirst business jet A220-100 carries out maiden flight
Airbus has conducted the first flight of a business jet variant of its A220-100, which the airframer has branded as the ACJ TwoTwenty. The aircraft, MSN50062, took off from Montreal’s Mirabel airport on 14 December with two test pilots and a flight-test engineer on board. Airbus is intending to deliver ...
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NewsDe Havilland and ZeroAvia to develop hydrogen-electric Dash 8-400
Turboprop manufacturer De Havilland Canada and UK propulsion company ZeroAvia intend to develop hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for integration into a Dash 8-400 turboprop, with certification targeted as soon as 2026.
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Airline BusinessAirlines wait for more visibility as Omicron clouds recovery track
The emergence of a new Covid variant of concern and of its spread beyond southern Africa where it was first identified is the news airlines have feared since vaccination programmes began emboldening governments to reopen their borders for travel.
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NewsUAE signs record export deal for 80 Rafale fighters
Dassault has scored a record export order for the Rafale, with the United Arab Emirates signing for 80 examples of the multi-role fighter.
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NewsChina approves changes to Boeing 737 Max and clears way for jet’s return
China’s civil aviation regulator has issued an airworthiness directive that clears the way for Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to return to flight operations in that country after almost three years.
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NewsPilots’ lack of flying explored after serious 737 go-around incident at Aberdeen
UK investigators are examining whether lack of line flying, as a consequence of the pandemic, is directly linked to a serious go-around incident involving a TUI Airways Boeing 737-800 at Aberdeen. Neither pilot had flown for significant periods during the 18 months prior to the 11 September incident, and the ...
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Airline BusinessAirline Business Index shows industry nearing three-quarters of pre-Covid size
The latest Airline Business Index shows the global airline industry is nearing three-quarters of its pre-Covid size, driven by rapidly returning passengers and revenue in the third quarter. The overall score of 72 (2019 = 100) represents an increase of six from the score on 30 June 2021, 12 ...
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NewsHi Fly details pioneering A340 flight to Antarctic runway
Wet-lease operator Hi Fly has detailed its landing of an Airbus A340-300 on an Antarctic ice runway, the first time the four-engined type has carried out such an operation. The Maltese-registered aircraft (9H-SOL) conducted the flight from Cape Town to the runway at Wolf’s Fang – a distance of some ...
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AnalysisIndigo, Air Lease and Akasa drive Dubai air show order commitments past 500
Major commitments for Airbus aircraft from airline investor Indigo Partners for its low-cost carriers and Air Lease, as well as from Indian start-up Akasa Air for Boeing Max 8s drove the bulk of the more than 500 aircraft order and option commitments announced during the first three days of the Dubai air show.
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NewsA350F timeline in ‘right place’ for single-pilot operations: Faury
Airbus is not specifically linking its new A350F to single-pilot operations, but it acknowledges that the entry-into-service schedule coincides with the timeline for testing initial concepts – and that it could serve as a platform. US lessor Air Lease has become the launch customer for the freighter, a five-frame shrink ...