Forecasters at Northern Sky Research (NSR) said they expect to see a near-doubling of inflight-connectivity (IFC) revenue and 50% more aircraft with IFC capabilities this year.
Fast-growing LCC Wizz Air said its fleet had reached 100 aircraft, a milestone it celebrated by unveiling a special livery on one of its Airbus A321s in Budapest, where it is headquartered.
Air New Zealand expects that additional leased aircraft will enable it to fulfil its network plans despite having to ground some of its Boeing 787s due to engine problems.
China’s state propulsion company plans to develop an engine for the Craic CR929 Sino-Russian widebody airliner in part by scaling up the core of its CJ-1000 narrowbody engine.
Chinese private carrier Loong Air said it plans to buy a French widebody operator, which an industry source in China identifies as TUI Group’s Corsair.
The move pitches Boeing into head-to-head competition with the industry’s top two APU providers and takes the company’s aggressive cost-control strategy to a new level.
IATA downgraded its 2018 profit forecast for the global airline industry, projecting airlines will collectively earn $33.8 billion this year, down 12% from the $38.4 billion profit predicted in Dec. 2017.
Embraer believes the first two E190-E2s flying with Norwegian regional airline Wideroe will bring strong sales momentum to the upcoming Farnborough Airshow in July.
Hawaiian Airlines is pleased with the performance of its initial Airbus A321neos and expects to have 11 of the aircraft by the end of this year, said CEO Peter Ingram.
Iran Air expects to take delivery of 11 new aircraft in 2018, but is up against a tight time window because of renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran that are expected to come into force in early August.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce outlined additional route possibilities for ultra-long-haul flights following the successful launch of the Australian airline’s new Perth-London Heathrow nonstop service.
Japan Airlines (JAL) intends to experiment with different business models with the new hybrid subsidiary carrier it is planning to launch, said JAL director Masaru Onishi.
The Star Alliance continues to focus on developing a digital services platform (DSP) to give passengers integrated access to member airlines’ various digital applications, but it is unclear when this process will be completed.
French hotel chain AccorHotels confirmed an interest in buying a minority stake in Air France-KLM in what could evolve into a major transformation of the struggling European legacy airline group.
Although rapidly rising oil prices are causing short-term pain for many airlines, yields will inevitably improve to compensate, said the head of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.
The redeveloping market for ultra-long-haul flights is “a good opportunity for our customers,” Boeing Commercial Aircraft VP-marketing Randy Tinseth said.
Airbus expects to have produced around 100 A320neo family aircraft by the end of June that will not be able to be delivered because they are awaiting engines.
