This week’s top air transport stories include Boeing’s June orders and deliveries and IATA’s call for action on air traffic control improvements.
Boeing reported 60 deliveries in June, including 48 737 MAXs to customers including Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Ryanair. Boeing delivered six 787s in June. Boeing reported 304 new gross orders in June. Air India’s 220-aircraft deal—190 737 MAXs, 10 777Xs, and 20 787s—accounted for the bulk of the bookings. The other notable deal is 39 787s for Riyadh Air. Emirates Airline made a significant change to its backlog, canceling its 16 777-8s and replacing them with 16 777-9s. The move leaves Etihad Airways as the only confirmed 777-8 customer.
IATA called for action on Air Traffic Control (ATC) improvements, on “disappointing” performance in Europe and the U.S. IATA says accountability and better decisions are needed to move the needle on constraints.
Vietnam-based Bamboo Airways CEO Nguyen Minh Hai resigned after just two months in the post. According to VNExpress, Deputy Chairman Nguyen Ngoc Trong has been named acting CEO.
ULCC Ryanair resigned from the UK Aviation Council, referring to the body as a “talking shop” rather than an organization delivering concrete improvements to aviation services.
ANA Holdings, the parent company of All Nippon Airways (ANA), will take over all shares held by Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) in Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), making the latter a fully owned subsidiary of ANA. First announced in March 2023, the deal was confirmed on July 10 and will take place on Oct. 1.
German leisure airline Condor received approval by its board of directors to buy up to five more Airbus A330-900s. The airline confirmed the vote July 11, but made clear it has not placed an order yet and has also not decided how many additional aircraft it may take. Condor is in the process of replacing its aging Boeing 767-300ER widebody fleet with A330-900s.
Dubai-based Emirates Airline launched an on-demand regional charter service, using five Embraer Phenom 100EV entry-level executive jets previously used by Emirates Flight Training Academy.
LCC startup Northern Pacific Airways says it has FAA approval to begin commercial service with four Boeing 757-200s. The Anchorage-based carrier began its Proving Flights on June 21, a final regulatory hurdle it had to clear before receiving its operations specifications (OpSpecs). According to a statement posted on Twitter, the milestone was reached on Saturday, July 8.
UK LCC easyJet pre-emptively canceled around 1,700 flights over the remainder of the summer season—representing nearly 2% of its scheduled flights—because of European air traffic control (ATC) disruption. The easyJet cancellations, which primarily affect easyJet’s London Gatwick base, represent nearly a full day’s worth of peak season flying. EasyJet typically operates around 1,800 daily flights across its network during the summer months, totaling around 90,000 flights for the whole season.
Thales entered into exclusive negotiations to buy cockpit communication specialist Cobham Aerospace Communications(AeroComms) from Advent International, the private equity owner of UK-based defense group Cobham. The move is expected to give Thales more possibilities for flight deck system integration, at a time when broadband datalinks are gaining importance to make flight operations greener.
China’s government has approved an investment of CNY2.36 billion ($327 million) to build a new domestic airport at Jincheng in the southeastern Shanxi province. The development includes the construction of a 10,000 m² terminal, a single 2,800 m runway, apron space for 10 aircraft and relevant airport infrastructure. Passenger and cargo throughput is expected to reach 900,000 passengers and 3,300 tons every year, respectively.
Newham Council—the local authority for London City Airport—unanimously rejected the airport’s application to increase its passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million, while maintaining its 111,000 annual flight limit, and extend its opening hours due to concerns over the noise and environmental impact on those living nearby.
Taiwan’s Taichung International Airport (RMQ) completed a three-year upgrade of its two terminals, which will see its handling capacity increase from 2.9 million to 3.69 million annually. To reinstate and expand its international network, Taiwan premier Chen Chien-jen reportedly said a third terminal will be built.
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