This week’s top air transport stories include announcements by NATS of what caused the systems outage on Aug. 28, and Qantas Group that CEO Alan Joyce will step down from his role two months earlier than planned.
UK air traffic control (ATC) provider NATS revealed that a flight plan with two identically named but separate waypoint markers caused a systems outage that disrupted thousands of flights on Aug. 28. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will now investigate whether NATS breached the terms of its license. The regulator’s findings will be released by the end of September, with potential for further enforcement action.
In airline news, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce announced he will step down from his role two months earlier than planned, after the carrier came under mounting political and regulatory pressure in recent weeks. Joyce had previously intended to retire as chief executive after the Australian carrier’s annual general meeting in November. However, on Sept. 5 he announced he would bring forward his retirement to “help the company accelerate its renewal.” This means CEO-designate Vanessa Hudson will take over from Joyce as Group CEO and managing director effective Sept. 6.
A recent lawsuit from American Airlines challenges the controversial practice of hidden city ticketing, also known as skiplagging, which is not illegal, but largely banned by airlines.
Air France resumed overflights of Niger airspace, which reopened after a month-long closure following a military coup in the West African country, but the French airline’s flights to the capital Niamey remain suspended.
The revived Monarch Airlines project, based in Luton, England, suspended operations fewer than two weeks after launching because of a shortage of funds. The original Monarch Airlines collapsed in October 2017. A new team had attempted to resurrect the Monarch Airlines brand with the intention of once again operating in the leisure sector.
Avia Solutions Group subsidiary BBN Airlines Indonesia attained an Indonesian airline operator’s certificate (AOC) and aims to fulfill what it sees as a gap in the market where it can provide aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) services for both passenger and cargo segments in Indonesia. Ireland-based Avia Solutions Group specializes in ACMI and already holds 10 European AOCs.
Air France-KLM Group and Etihad Airways agreed to enhance their collaboration across passenger operations, loyalty programs, talent development and maintenance, expanding on an existing commercial partnership.
In lessor news, Dublin-headquartered lessor Avolon signed a memorandum of understanding for 20 Airbus A330neos and converted orders for 50 A320neos to A321neos. The binding agreement for the A330neos, which Avolon said will be delivered between 2025 and 2028, finalizes an order that was originally announced at the June 2023 Paris Air Show.
California-headquartered Aviation Capital Group (ACG) finalized an order for seven Boeing 737 MAX 8s and six -10s, increasing the lessor’s MAX order book to 47.
In aircraft news, Turkish Airlines will add 10 Airbus A350-900s to its order backlog. The aircraft will be delivered over 2025, 2026 and 2027 and will complement a stream of incoming A350s from a previous order.
The new owner of relaunched South Korean airline Eastar Jet has finalized a partnership deal with AIP Capital that will include leases for five Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
In manufacturer news, Air France and Airbus have entered into exclusive negotiations over a 50-50 Airbus A350 component maintenance services joint venture aimed at better meeting the growing long-term maintenance needs of the A350 as the worldwide fleet increases
In airport news, Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has set early November for the opening of its new 8-million-ft.2 passenger terminal. AUH says the new facility, to be called Terminal A, will have the capacity to handle 45 million annual passengers—more than twice the number of passengers AUH is expected to process this year.
Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) won approval from the Houston City Council for $250 million in expansion funding, enabling the airport to start construction on a project to add seven new gates. Construction is set to begin in 2024 and last two years. The expansion will include seven gates that can accommodate both domestic and international flights. It will also feature an expanded and upgraded baggage handling system and baggage claim area.
FedEx Corp. will build a new cargo processing center at Istanbul Airport (IST), doubling its space at the Turkish hub. Subsidiary FedEx Express Europe currently operates via a shared, third-party facility at IST. The new FedEx-dedicated facility, targeted for completion by November 2024, will span 27,230 ft.2 (25,300 m2) and have the capacity to handle 3,000 pieces per hour. The new facility will give the express-delivery operator more than twice the space now available to it at IST.
This week’s top air transport stories include announcements by NATS of what caused the systems outage on Aug. 28, and Qantas Group that CEO Alan Joyce will step down from his role two months earlier than planned.
UK air traffic control (ATC) provider NATS revealed that a flight plan with two identically named but separate waypoint markers caused a systems outage that disrupted thousands of flights on Aug. 28. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will now investigate whether NATS breached the terms of its license. The regulator’s findings will be released by the end of September, with potential for further enforcement action.
In airline news, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce announced he will step down from his role two months earlier than planned, after the carrier came under mounting political and regulatory pressure in recent weeks. Joyce had previously intended to retire as chief executive after the Australian carrier’s annual general meeting in November. However, on Sept. 5 he announced he would bring forward his retirement to “help the company accelerate its renewal.” This means CEO-designate Vanessa Hudson will take over from Joyce as Group CEO and managing director effective Sept. 6.
A recent lawsuit from American Airlines challenges the controversial practice of hidden city ticketing, also known as skiplagging, which is not illegal, but largely banned by airlines.
Air France resumed overflights of Niger airspace, which reopened after a month-long closure following a military coup in the West African country, but the French airline’s flights to the capital Niamey remain suspended.
The revived Monarch Airlines project, based in Luton, England, suspended operations fewer than two weeks after launching because of a shortage of funds. The original Monarch Airlines collapsed in October 2017. A new team had attempted to resurrect the Monarch Airlines brand with the intention of once again operating in the leisure sector.
Avia Solutions Group subsidiary BBN Airlines Indonesia attained an Indonesian airline operator’s certificate (AOC) and aims to fulfill what it sees as a gap in the market where it can provide aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) services for both passenger and cargo segments in Indonesia. Ireland-based Avia Solutions Group specializes in ACMI and already holds 10 European AOCs.
Air France-KLM Group and Etihad Airways agreed to enhance their collaboration across passenger operations, loyalty programs, talent development and maintenance, expanding on an existing commercial partnership.
In lessor news, Dublin-headquartered lessor Avolon signed a memorandum of understanding for 20 Airbus A330neos and converted orders for 50 A320neos to A321neos. The binding agreement for the A330neos, which Avolon said will be delivered between 2025 and 2028, finalizes an order that was originally announced at the June 2023 Paris Air Show.
California-headquartered Aviation Capital Group (ACG) finalized an order for seven Boeing 737 MAX 8s and six -10s, increasing the lessor’s MAX order book to 47.
In aircraft news, Turkish Airlines will add 10 Airbus A350-900s to its order backlog. The aircraft will be delivered over 2025, 2026 and 2027 and will complement a stream of incoming A350s from a previous order.
The new owner of relaunched South Korean airline Eastar Jet has finalized a partnership deal with AIP Capital that will include leases for five Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
In manufacturer news, Air France and Airbus have entered into exclusive negotiations over a 50-50 Airbus A350 component maintenance services joint venture aimed at better meeting the growing long-term maintenance needs of the A350 as the worldwide fleet increases
In airport news, Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) has set early November for the opening of its new 8-million-ft.2 passenger terminal. AUH says the new facility, to be called Terminal A, will have the capacity to handle 45 million annual passengers—more than twice the number of passengers AUH is expected to process this year.
Houston Hobby Airport (HOU) won approval from the Houston City Council for $250 million in expansion funding, enabling the airport to start construction on a project to add seven new gates. Construction is set to begin in 2024 and last two years. The expansion will include seven gates that can accommodate both domestic and international flights. It will also feature an expanded and upgraded baggage handling system and baggage claim area.
FedEx Corp. will build a new cargo processing center at Istanbul Airport (IST), doubling its space at the Turkish hub. Subsidiary FedEx Express Europe currently operates via a shared, third-party facility at IST. The new FedEx-dedicated facility, targeted for completion by November 2024, will span 27,230 ft.2 (25,300 m2) and have the capacity to handle 3,000 pieces per hour. The new facility will give the express-delivery operator more than twice the space now available to it at IST.
