When the text of the U.S. Government’s “stage-three” coronavirus stimulus effort was publicly released late last week, industry watchers were left scratching their heads over a vague provision requiring air carriers receiving aid to continue serving “all points” in their networks through Sept. 30.
The UK government has vowed to “work non-stop around the world” to keep air routes and critical transit hubs open so that British residents are able to return to the UK, foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said.
The pot of $29 billion in loan guarantees available for U.S. airlines comes with more restrictions than comparable amounts of available payroll grants, including minimum staffing requirements, though the preliminary U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) procedures leave several major questions unanswered.
Under a proposed new regulation, air carriers would be required to enter and share pilot records in an FAA-managed Pilot Records Database (PRD) before making hiring decisions.
Embraer is resuming essential operations in Brazil, such as customer support, aircraft maintenance and manufacturing, following a temporary shutdown because of the spread of the coronavirus causing COVID-19, the company said.
Responding to a congressional directive to exercise leadership in enabling the return of supersonic air travel, the FAA has proposed noise certification regulations for new supersonic aircraft.
Avia Solutions Group—which is active in wet leasing, maintenance and training—has completed its acquisition of Iceland-headquartered cargo airline Bluebird Nordic for an undisclosed sum.
IATA is pushing for broad adoption of travel vouchers in place of requiring airlines to refund passengers when flights are canceled during the COVID-19 crisis.
Aerospace and defense manufacturers and suppliers looking to tap the U.S. government’s new coronavirus-related treasure trove of loans and guarantees will first have to show they could not find financing elsewhere, and they must not lay off more than 10% of their workforce through September.
British Airways (BA) has boosted its financial reserves by extending its U.S. dollar-secured revolving credit facility for one year from June 23, 2020 to June 23, 2021.
The FAA has fast-tracked a mandatory software upgrade developed by Pratt & Whitney to address PW1500G in-flight shutdowns linked to variable inlet guide vanes, including one in February on an Air Baltic Airbus A220-300.
United Technologies and Raytheon said March 30 they received the necessary antitrust and other regulatory approvals to complete their merger, and that their newly combined company should be born April 3.
A 40% drop in global revenue passenger miles followed by a rapid snap-back and leveling out of 5% year-over-year growth starting in 2023 would cut near-term new-aircraft demand about 25% from pre-coronavirus pandemic estimates, Vertical Research Partners analysts conclude.
UK LCC easyJet has grounded its entire fleet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while Irish LCC Ryanair continues to operate just 10% of its aircraft.
Aeroflot LCC subsidiary Pobeda Airlines is suspending all flights from Apr. 1 until May 31, following the Russian government’s recommendation for the country’s resorts to halt operations to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Vietnam Airlines is cutting its domestic network to a handful of flights on trunk routes in response to tighter government restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qantas pilots have voted to accept new contract conditions that would allow ultra-long-haul flying, although plans to order aircraft for such flights are on hold.
OneWeb, a connectivity provider that was targeting commercial aviation, has filed for Chapter 11 and is seeking a buyer after investment negotiations fell through because of the COVID-19 crisis.
