This week’s top air transport stories include aviation’s response to the surprise attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas. In the US, the trial challenging JetBlue Airways’ proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines has been delayed by one week.
Several international governments have begun providing evacuation flights out of Israel over concerns about their citizens’ safety after the militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Oct. 7. Several major airlines suspended flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport after the attack. Among the European airlines to have suspended their flights to Tel Aviv, Israel's international gateway, were Air France, British Airways, easyJet, Finnair and Lufthansa.
The trial challenging JetBlue Airways’ proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines is delayed by one week. Originally scheduled to begin Oct. 16, it will now kick off on Oct. 23. The jury-waived trial, being held in Boston before U.S. District Judge William G. Young, was rescheduled “due to criminal trials to be held prior to the commencement of this matter,” a filing stated.
In regulatory news, the FAA plans to mandate a recently introduced fix for CFM International Leap 1A non-synchronous vibration (NSV) problems that has led to several in-service incidents.
In airline news, LOT Polish Airlines plans to modernize and expand its fleet from 75 to 110 aircraft while expanding its network and passenger numbers, among other ambitions. LOT, which welcomed its new CEO Michal Fijol in June, said it would target 16.9 million passengers in 2028, up nearly 70% from 10.3 million today.
Malaysia-based LCC MYAirline suspended operations while it seeks a financial restructuring, less than a year after it launched flights.
Luxembourg flag carrier Luxair has placed a firm order for an initial four Embraer E195-E2 regional jets with two more on option and purchase rights for a further three. The new aircraft are intended to replace part of the full-service European carrier’s existing fleet but also to expand its options, according to Luxair CEO Gilles Feith.
In manufacturer news, Boeing entered October with 50 787 deliveries for the year, leaving it with 20 to go to hit the bottom end of its projected full-year total of 70-80 deliveries. Boeing received an order from TAAG Angola Airlines for four 787s to refresh its widebody fleet.
Airbus named Florent Massou as head of operations and Benoit de Saint-Exupery as head of sales for the new Airbus Commercial Aircraft division that is to become operational by the beginning of 2024. The appointments are among several substantial changes to the Airbus leadership team that have been made following the decision to carve out its commercial aircraft business as a separate unit under the newly appointed Airbus Commercial Aircraft CEO Christian Scherer.
In sustainability news, Boeing, United Airlines and NASA launched a ground- and flight-test program aimed at evaluating the non-carbon emissions of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), as well as the impact of the new fuel on the formation of condensation trails—usually called contrails.
GranBio Technologies has selected Honeywell’s ethanol-to-jet process to produce carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from agricultural and forestry residues. The process to be used is a demonstration plant GranBio plans to build with an $80 million cost-sharing grant from the U.S. Energy Department.
UK ULCC easyJet has become the first airline to buy carbon credits from Airbus’ Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) scheme that plans to become operational in 2025. The airline purchased an undisclosed a number of credits hoping that they will be acknowledged in the EU emissions trading scheme (EU-ETS) and the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
A group of European aviation and mobility organizations have joined forces to jointly pave the way for the introduction of electric regional aviation. The Power Up memorandum of understanding (MOU) has been signed by the operators of Eindhoven, Groningen, Lelystad, Maastricht Aachen, Rotterdam The Hague and Schipol airports. Also signing were operators ASL Group, Evia Aero, KLM and Lucy and aircraft developers Maeve, Vaeridion and VoltAero. Dutch Railways, consultants Deloitte and NACO, and Dutch aerospace center Royal NLR also signed.
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