Aero Contractors, the troubled local Nigeria airline which was widely expected to return to the skies Thursday, has yet to do so. The airline is not selling tickets or flying anywhere. A source close to the airline said that the management was awaiting some papers and approvals from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) before flight operations can recommence. A NCAA spokesman said that before the airline can fly again, it must obtain the approval of the regulatory agency, and that the agency needed to recertify the airline before it can resume operations. The airline had suspended flight operations Aug 31 after a series of crises in the airline. The airline hinted that it decided to suspend flight operations because of a strategic business realignment to reposition it and make it profitable again. <br/>
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Chorus Aviation, the parent company of Canadian regional carrier Jazz Aviation, will establish an aircraft leasing subsidiary, Chorus Aviation Capital. Chorus has been seeking to diversify its business beyond Jazz’s capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada, which provides the bulk of the company’s revenue. It began engaging in leasing seriously last year, and took the leasing business a step further last month when it announced it was buying and leasing 4 Bombardier CRJ1000s to Spain’s Air Nostrum. The first of those CRJ1000s was delivered to Air Nostrum in November and the second is expected to be delivered this month. Fairfax Financial Holdings will invest US$149.7m in Chorus to buttress the new leasing subsidiary, which is expected to focus on leasing regional jets and turboprop aircraft to airlines around the world. <br/>
A federal court in Canada has ruled that passengers who lose luggage or encounter cancelled flights while flying with NewLeaf Travel need to take it up with the flight operator Flair Airlines, not the discount ticket reseller. In a decision Dec 15, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed a motion by passenger advocate Gabor Lukacs, who had argued that consumers’ rights were unprotected because NewLeaf is permitted to operate without an air licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency. But the 3-judge panel disagreed, ruling that travellers are still protected because the flights are run by Flair Airlines, which is licensed under the CTA. Lukacs says the decision clarifies Flair’s responsibilities when it comes to reimbursements for delays and damages. <br/>
South African regional airline Airlink is to add 11 Embraer ERJ 140s, taking it to a fleet of 30 Embraer aircraft that operate alongside other types. “The addition of a further 11 ERJ aircraft is a major vote of confidence in the platform’s capability, as well as in its suitability for the expanding African market,” Embraer Commercial Aviation VP-Africa, Latin America & Portugal Simon Newitt said. The carrier also extended its flight-hour pool program contract for another 8 years and expanded it to include the ERJ 140s. The support agreement is 24/7 and covers more than 350 different components. According to Airlink, it operates 12 Avro RJ85s, 20 ERJ 135LRs, 9 Jetstream 4100s and 4 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EXs, carrying around 1.3m passengers annually. <br/>
Eurowings outlined plans for new routes from Munich Wednesday, maintaining its rapid expansion but raising concerns that the airline is not paying enough attention to cutting costs. Lufthansa has made Eurowings its main focus in the battle with market leaders Ryanair and EasyJet for leisure passengers in Europe and a vehicle for consolidation. And it is set to become Europe's third largest low-cost carrier after deals to rent 33 crewed planes from Air Berlin and to take over Brussels Airlines lifts its fleet to 180 planes from 93 by 2018. Eurowings said it would fly to 32 destinations from Munich, traditionally a Lufthansa hub, from summer 2017, including tourist destinations in Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain, as well as London and Paris. <br/>