Korean Air Lines will be the first Bombardier customer to fly C Series jets outfitted with Pratt & Whitney engines revamped to address a durability issue, according to the Canadian manufacturer. South Korea’s biggest carrier is set to become the third operator of the C Series when it takes delivery of its first CS300 jets in the “fall time period,” Fred Cromer, president of Bombardier’s commercial aircraft unit, said Monday. The planemaker still expects to ship 30 to 35 of its all-new C Series aircraft this year under a “back-end loaded” delivery schedule, he said. Pratt is rolling out fixes to the geared turbofan engine after a series of glitches since its commercial debut last year, including a problem with the combustor liner and a faulty oil seal. The unit of United Technologies Corp. said last week it has added 300 professionals in the past year to hold suppliers accountable for producing parts on time to help with deliveries. “Pratt have really added resources and have their supply chain in order, so we’ve got confidence the engines will be coming our way,” Cromer said. “We are orchestrating the timing of the Korean deliveries so that they would get the longer-life combustor.” Korean agreed in 2011 to buy 10 Bombardier CS300 aircraft, with 10 options and 10 purchase rights for additional CS300 airliners. The Korean carrier likely will convert some of its options into additional orders after testing the C Series, said Walter Cho, the airline’s president.<br/>
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Air France-KLM is assessing its relationships with global distribution systems after rivals introduced surcharges for bookings via third parties, CEO Jean-Marc Janaillac said Monday. Lufthansa introduced a surcharge for such bookings in 2015, and BA and Iberia followed last month, knocking down shares of global distribution systems such as Amadeus IT Group SA, Travelport Worldwide Ltd and Sabre Corp. "We are studying the situation and preparing to be able to take all possible directions," Janaillac said. KLM CEO Pieter Elbers said new technology that allows airlines greater control of how fares and products are displayed was changing the landscape. "This enables us to take different steps and have a different relationship" with global distribution systems, he said. Janaillac also reiterated previous comments that the market outlook was positive in terms of long-haul bookings and unit revenues but cautioned that demand was fragile.<br/>