Azerbaijan's Silk Way Airlines has ordered 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8s in a deal worth USD$1.1b at current list prices. Delivery of Silk Way’s first passenger aircraft is expected in late 2018. “Silk Way’s success and profitability is a direct result of investing in its fleet and services and growing its regional and international footprint,” group president Zaur Akhundov said. “I am confident we will maintain our rate of growth,” he added. Silk Way currently operates a mixed fleet of cargo aircraft, consisting mainly of Boeing 747 and 767 freighters.<br/>
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Horizon Air and the union representing the airline’s 620 pilots have reached a tentative agreement on their new contract. Horizon said that the agreement will amend their existing eight-year contract and, if ratified by the pilots, will enhance their salary and bonus provisions. Horizon and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union ratified the existing contract in January 2016, and the new agreement will run with the current contract until December 2024. Horizon, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, operates a fleet of over 50 Bombardier Q400s and has 30 Embraer E175s on order with first entry into service due in May.<br/>
Spirit Airlines has become the latest to throw in the towel on regular passenger service to country. It's now the third US carrier to do so after similar announcements earlier this year from Frontier and Silver Airways. Spirit’s Havana-Fort Lauderdale flights will end May 31. Other airlines, including American and JetBlue, also have reduced capacity to Cuba, though they have not dropped any routes there. Spirit’s decision to exit Cuba comes only about eight months after regular passenger flights resumed for the first time in nearly 50 years. When Cuba opened up to US airlines last year, routes and capacity to the island were capped and carriers had to apply for the rights to serve the Cuba’s international airports. Nearly all of the big US airlines rushed in with requests to fly to the island – especially on routes to Havana. Against that enthusiasm, however, some industry executives openly wondered whether demand would live up to the hype. Despite the loss of Spirit's service, South Florida travellers will continue to have numerous options for non-stop flights to Havana. American and Delta each fly to Havana from Miami while JetBlue and Southwest fly there from Fort Lauderdale.<br/>
European turboprop manufacturer ATR sealed a long-awaited deal with Iran Air worth $536m at list prices, making it the latest aerospace company to benefit after a nuclear accord eased international restrictions on trade with the Middle Eastern state. Iran Air will take 20 ATR 72-600 aircraft and has options for 20 more, ATR spokesman David Vargas said by telephone Thursday. The first plane from the joint venture of Airbus SE and Leonardo SpA is due for delivery “within weeks,” with all scheduled to have been handed over by the end of 2018, he said. Iran is splurging on new aircraft after economic sanctions stopped the nation of 80m people from renewing its fleet for several years, making the average age of its planes one of the highest in the world and pushing up accident rates. Turboprop models generally serve smaller airports often inaccessible to bigger jet aircraft -- a requirement that’s particularly acute in a country with such mountainous terrain. Beyond the current deal, Iran should also “provide a lot of opportunities for replacement and growth,” Vargas said.<br/>
Two Londoners on board an easyJet plane at Luton airport were ordered to leave the flight after the airline sold more tickets than there were seats available. Britain's biggest budget carrier then broke the rules on overbooking by failing to tell the couple about their rights to compensation and alternative flights. Manoj, aged 38, and Viddha, 35, who have asked for their last names to be withheld, had paid GBP628 for tickets to Catania in Sicily. They planned a six-day Easter break and had booked E1,500 worth of non-refundable accommodation and transfers on the Italian island.But after they boarded flight EZY2383 on 10 April, it became clear there were insufficient seats. The couple were ordered to go back to the terminal and collect their baggage. “This was an incredibly humiliating situation,” said Manoj, an IT consultant. “The airline had overbooked and we were involuntarily off-boarded from the aircraft by two airport staff in front of a packed plane. The only difference between us and the chap involved with United Airlines is that we weren't physically dragged off.” The couple say easyJet broke all the rules in place for overbooked flights. They say they witnessed no attempt to find volunteers either at the gate or on board the plane. After they were led back to the terminal, the couple asked about their rights. One easyJet representative at the airport and five customer-service staff at the airline's call centre in South Africa failed to tell them that they were each due E400 in compensation. The couple found out about their entitlement only when they contacted The Independent.<br/>