This week’s top air transport stories include AOG Technics has been ordered by a London court to turn over records of its GE Aerospace-related transactions and Nigeria-based Air Peace placed a firm order for five Embraer E175 regional jets.
AOG Technics, the UK-based broker accused of selling thousands of engine parts with falsified paperwork, has been ordered to turn over records of its GE Aerospace-related transactions, a London court ordered. The London High Court ruling, issued during a Sept. 20 hearing gives the company 14 days to hand over details on any CFM56 and CF6 parts it acquired and sold, along with relevant supporting documentation. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed Sept. 7 by CFM and its co-owners, GE Aerospace and Safran against AOG Technics and founder Jose Zamora Yrala.
In other manufacturer news, Boeing has tweaked its commercial market outlook (CMO) for China up by 0.8% against its 2022 report citing the country's international reopening and recovering air transport market. The 2023 CMO expects China to need 8,560 aircraft over the next 20 years, a small increase on the 8,485 projected in 2022 when China had yet to announce its relaxation of border policies. However, this is still lower than the 2021 forecast for 8,700 aircraft.
Boom Supersonic has topped out its Overture Final Assembly Building that is sized to produce up to 33 Overture aircraft per year and expects to start rolling out its Mach 1.7 airline from 2026.
In airline news, Nigeria-based Air Peace placed a firm order for five Embraer E175 regional jets and has taken five purchase rights for larger E190/195 E2s. The contract is the latest in a series of deals between Air Peace and the Brazilian OEM, as the airline continues its fleet modernization policy, with its declared aim of becoming the operator of the largest and youngest fleet of aircraft in Africa. The new E175 contract paves the way for further regional expansion by Air Peace, Embraer said Sept. 14. Delivery of the 88-seat E175s is scheduled to begin in 2024. The order is valued at $288.3 million at list prices.
British Airways (BA) became the latest European airline to offer all-expenses paid pilot training, joining Air France and leisure group TUI’s similar initiatives; however, UK pilots’ union BALPA says claims of a worldwide pilot shortage are “unfounded.”
More than six months since China reopened its borders, its international flight capacity is still at 52% of 2019 levels. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) says flights to 90% of countries have been restored. Fourteen countries are exceeding pre-pandemic traffic levels, such as Italy, the Maldives and the UK.
Air Mauritius suspended its CEO and CFO and appointed an independent party to investigate unspecified matters involving the two executives.
Kuwait Airways CEO Maen Razouqi submitted his resignation, effective Sept. 17, without giving the reason for his departure.
Icelandic LCC Play Airlines says it is well prepared for the upcoming winter season as it works toward expanding its fleet, with plans to add two new Airbus A320neos in the spring of 2025.
In regulatory news, FAA says it is returning Mexico to the agency’s highest safety rating following “more than two years of close work between the civil aviation authorities in both countries,” ending a 28-month saga in which Mexican airlines were prevented from expanding service to the U.S.
UK prime minister Rishi Sunak promised there will be no new passenger taxation to deter flying, as part of a “pragmatic, proportionate and realistic” revision of environmental measures announced on Sept. 20.
Italy’s government amended the proposed decree imposing price caps on domestic air fares to give more power to competition authorities to monitor price rises and intervene if prices have risen disproportionately. The controversial decree—approved by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government on Aug. 7—had aimed to limit rises in peak-season fares on routes to Sicily and Sardinia in particular.
Transport Canada says that ensuring airlines around the world have enough well-trained pilots to meet growing demand will require collaboration among key industry stakeholders and “outside-the-box” thinking.
In sustainability news, a study by German aerospace center DLR concluded the climate impact of long-haul aircraft could be reduced by as much as 70%—at the price of increased operating cost—by using different fuels and redesigning aircraft to fly lower and slower.
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