GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) could be in the market for around 40 Airbus A320neos, along with up to 10 of each of the Boeing 777X and re-engined A330, should the latter program go ahead with GE engines.
Frustrated by the persistent lack of concrete progress on the implementation of Functional Airspace Blocks (FABs), European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas has raised the specter of imposing a single FAB on the whole of Europe.
Frantz Yvelin, founder of all-business carrier L’Avion, and former Jet Airways COO Peter Luethi have created a French company called Dreamjet as the basis for a new startup airline slated for launch this year.
The much-delayed Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which announced in August 2013 that Germania would be the first airline to operate from the airport, has postponed its plan to start a test run for operating up to six daily flights this summer.
Virgin America confirmed it has gained four new slot pairs at Washington National Airport (DCA) as part of the American Airlines/US Airways divestiture required by the carriers’ settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
UK regional carrier Flybe is planning to phase out its entire fleet of 14 Embraer E-195s from its UK scheduled operations and is seeking 16 additional aircraft, as it shifts to a turboprop-focused fleet after a £150 million ($250 million) capital increase.
Airbus and the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) have signed a memorandum of understanding in an effort to enable a sustainable growth in air transport.
Premium air travel in international markets grew 4.2% in 2013, a 0.6 point slide from 2012’s 4.8% growth, “[but] while this is a slowdown … growth has picked up over recent months, reflecting improvements in the business environment,” according to IATA’s December Premium Traffic Monitor.
