India’s biggest airline grounded at least seven Airbus SE jetliners as it awaits fixes for balky Pratt & Whitney engines, joining several carriers around the world that have pulled the planes from service. IndiGo stopped using one A320neo aircraft this month after grounding four in June and two in May, according to data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24. Including IndiGo’s planes, there are 12 A320neos now out of service across five airlines worldwide, said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the information isn’t public. “We are aware that a limited number of Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered A320 aircraft are temporarily out of service for engine upgrades,” the engine maker said. “We are working with Airbus and our airline customers to ensure that any disruption involved will be minimized.” Pratt has been working to fix durability issues and production snags that have hampered the roll-out of the engine, which was selected to power new jets from Airbus, Bombardier Inc. and Embraer SA. Airbus deliveries have been affected amid problems with engine parts, including the carbon seal and combustor liner. For IndiGo, a lack of spare parts for Pratt’s new geared turbofan has been compounded by a new Indian tax on goods and services, which has made importing products more difficult, said a separate person familiar with the matter. The airline, which is the world’s biggest customer for the A320neo with 430 on order, said in a statement that it “faced some issues with the neo engine, causing operational disruptions.”<br/>
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Low-cost carrier Norwegian posted an H1 net loss of NOK411.9m ($49.8m), widened from a net loss of NOK54.7m for the same period last year. The fast-expanding carrier made a net profit of almost NOK1.1 billion for Q2, compared to a profit of NOK745.4m last time, but this year’s Q2 profit was cancelled out by the hefty NOK1.5b deficit recorded in Q1. Revenue for H1 was up 12%, at just over NOK13b, compared to NOK11.6b last time. Over the first half of the year, Norwegian carried almost 15.3m passengers, up 13% on the 13.6m carried over the same period in 2016. Average sector length grew 6% to 1,519km, as more long-haul routes began to take off. The carrier plans to use its incoming fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8s, with their longer range compared to its existing fleet of 737-800s, to inaugurate a series of transatlantic services between secondary airports. It also has a growing fleet of Boeing 787s for long-haul services. Capacity for the first half jumped by 22%, to almost 32b ASKs. RPKs just failed to keep pace, rising 21% to 27.6b km. As a result, load factor for the half-year was marginally down at 86.2%, compared to 86.6% last time. Fuel consumption for the half-year also grew considerably compared to the same period last year, up 20% to 651,000 tonnes.<br/>
A New Zealand woman has died on the Caribbean territory of Sint Maarten after the blast from a powerful jet engine knocked her to the ground. The incident happened at the famous Princess Juliana International Airport, which is just metres from the beach. Beachgoers can walk up to the airport fence as planes take off. Police said the 57-year-old woman had been holding on to the fence before the force of the jet engines threw her backwards, causing serious injury. She was taken to hospital for treatment, but died later. The particular stretch of beach on the Dutch territory is popular with tourists, partly because the planes fly extremely low over the sand before landing. The beginning of the runway is just 50m from the fence on Maho beach, and about the same distance to the waterline. There are prominent warning signs in the area instructing beachgoers not to stand near the fence because of the dangerous air blasts.<br/>
The owner of British budget travel airline Jet2.com is seeking to change its company rules to control its shareholder structure and thereby protect its flying rights after Brexit, as airlines grapple with the legal ramifications of Britain leaving the EU. Currently to operate as an EU airline carriers have to be majority owned by EU investors, but it is not clear what EU flying rights will be retained by British airlines after Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019. Many European airlines such as Ryanair, IAG and Wizz already have clauses in their articles of association that mean they can force non-EU shareholders to sell their shares in order to ensure that EU investors retain a majority. Dart Group, the parent company of Jet2.com, said on Thursday it planned to change its articles of association to bring it into line with other airlines and thereby help to protect its status and flying rights as a British carrier. Dart said it would set the permitted maximum of non-British shareholdings at 35%, adding it believes that currently, shareholdings by non-British nationals were below that level. "It is not currently known what impact the UK Government's triggering of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and the prospect of the UK leaving the European Union will have on Jet2.com's operating rights, if any," Dart Group said. "It may therefore be necessary to review such provisions when the regulatory landscape following Brexit becomes clearer." EU rules over ownership are fast emerging as a major point of contention as the aviation industry awaits further clarity on what rules for flying will look like after Brexit.<br/>
Eurowings said starting flights from Frankfurt, Germany's biggest airport and the Lufthansa brand's main hub, was not currently on its agenda. Frankfurt airport operator Fraport signed a deal with Irish low cost carrier Ryanair for incentives, and Eurowings has been weighing its options. "It's not a topic for us at the moment," Eurowings managing director Oliver Wagner said. "We are focussed on other airports." It is set to be a busy summer of travel for European carriers, with major airlines reporting good booking demand. Wagner said bookings at Eurowings, which flies both short and long-haul routes, had been above last year and the price environment was also stable. Eurowings last week announced it would be starting long-haul flights from Munich and basing three A330 wide body jets there next summer. Eurowings currently bases long-haul jets in Cologne only. "There's the next step with Munich and then we'll see whether there's more growth potential. We believe in the segment," he said when asked about whether Eurowings could have more long-haul planes beyond the planned seven A330s.<br/>
Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has told passengers they can once again bring personal electronic devices larger than mobile phones into the cabin on US-bound flights. In a statement issued July 12, RAM said the ban—imposed by US authorities on flights from Morocco to the US on March 25—was to be lifted effected July 13. “Our top priority is on the safety of our passengers, as well as their comfort, on board our aircraft. We hope that this news is welcomed by our passengers flying to the US,” RAM president Abdelhamid Addou said. During the period of the ban, RAM passengers had to check all electronic devices into the hold, apart from mobile phones and medical devices.<br/>