This week’s top air transport stories include Irish startup Fly Atlantic’s planned launch in 2025 and the FAA finalizing flight deck secondary barrier final rule.
Northern Ireland long-haul narrowbody startup Fly Atlantic is planning to launch Airbus A321LR or Boeing 737-8 operations in 2025, serving destinations in North America and Europe via its Belfast International home hub. Fly Atlantic will fly under its own air operator’s certificate (AOC), launching with six destinations from Belfast—three in North America and three in Europe. The initial fleet will comprise six long-range narrowbodies, operating a single daily wave of connecting flights, with the aim of reaching 16-17 hours of daily utilization.
The FAA finalized its flight deck secondary barrier final rule, leaning heavily on congressional language mandating the requirement to reject various industry calls to broaden or narrow the requirements’ scope. Set to be published in the coming days, the rule calls for all new passenger aircraft entering Part 121 service to have installed physical secondary barriers (IPSBs) starting in about 26 months. The final rule gives industry two years to comply, and it is effective 60 days after publication.
United Airlines and Eve Air Mobility have partnered to introduce urban air mobility (UAM) services in San Francisco, marking the latest effort by the airline to incorporate sustainable aviation technologies into its operations. The planned services build on an existing partnership between the two companies, which signed a conditional purchase agreement last year for up to 200 of Eve’s electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicles, alongside a $15 million strategic investment from United.
Airbus expects airlines and lessors to order 40,850 aircraft over the next 20 years, according to the latest issue of its global market forecast, published June 14. The figure represents a marked increase from the 39,500 aircraft the manufacturer predicted in the 2022 edition of its outlook.
Boeing’s May deliveries underscored its commercial programs’ inconsistency of late as 737 MAX handovers rebounded following a decline in April related to a newly discovered production-quality issue. May’s totals included 50 deliveries—35 of which were 737 MAXs, more than doubling April’s total.
Satellite network and inflight connectivity provider Intelsat is considering creating a network of Mid-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites to further improve connectivity for airlines. The company is eyeing a multi-orbit pathway to boosting coverage.
Virgin Australia is scheduled to receive its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the end of June, which the airline plans to deploy on flights to Tokyo soon thereafter.
A U.S. federal judge on June 12 extended the window for American Airlines and JetBlue Airways to dissolve their northeast alliance (NEA), as he considers input on the terms of a final judgment.
Government-owned Turkmenistan Airlines has been granted approval to buy four Boeing 737-8 narrowbodies and look for 777-367ER widebodies, likely taken from the aftermarket through lease.
Electra.aero has unveiled the technology demonstrator for its hybrid-electric ultra-short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft. The piloted two-seat demonstrator is set to fly this year to test the blown lift aerodynamics and short-field performance of its design.
A new contract approved by WestJet Group pilots folds ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) subsidiary Swoop into mainline operations. The contract takes effect July 1 and the company says it expects a full integration of Swoop into mainline operations by the end of October, with the ULCC continuing to operate its existing network through the end of its published schedule on October 28. Swoop employees will move to WestJet.
Maine-based regional jet operator Elite Airways, which ceased operations in July 2022, has announced its intent to resume service this year. In a filing with the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) dated June 9, the carrier seeks a 30-day waiver of revocation-for-dormancy provisions, “in order to recommence operations on or about Sept. 1, 2023.”
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