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Boeing Monday signed a previously announced deal with Singapore Airlines to sell it 39 aircraft worth $13.8b at list prices during a White House event with Singapore’s prime minister. The airline said last week it would finalize the order during the visit as part of its bid to modernize its fleet over the next decade. Airlines typically receive discounts on jet orders, and the deal is estimated to be closer to $6.5b in value.<br/>

Poland‘s flagship carrier celebrated the one-year anniversary of its Incheon-Warsaw direct route Thursday, with hopes to further increase the frequency of the flight and promote Central European destinations in the Korean market. “It is a very important route, not only from the tourist perspective but also because it provides business connectivity,” said LOT’s CE Rafal Milczarski. The Incheon-Warsaw flights serviced by LOT began on Oct. 18 last year, and is currently flying five times a week filling about 82% of the seats on each flight. So far, over 60,000 people have flown on the route. “In Seoul we have grown up to five frequencies which is the limit in our bilateral arrangements. We want to grow more to improve quality for the Korean, Polish and international passengers. But in order to achieve this, we will be trying to persuade the authorities at the Transport Ministry to grant us additional rights to be able to do that,” Milczarski said, noting that a daily product was ideal for attracting passengers. For LOT, it is important to increase its market share in the Korean-central European aviation market because of the future potential for rapid growth in business ties between the two countries.<br/>

United Airlines does not plan to re-evaluate the Bombardier CSeries for its fleet, following the announcement of plans by Airbus to buy a majority stake in the aircraft programme. "There's nothing about this new deal that would change our view of the aircraft," said Gerry Laderman, treasurer of the carrier, at the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference in New York on 19 October. "We're just not right now looking at the small narrowbody market." Airbus and Bombardier announced that the European airframer would take a 50.01% stake in the CSeries programme, as well as open a new assembly line at its Mobile, Alabama, plant to circumvent possible import tariffs on the aircraft, on 16 October. United considered the CSeries as part of a small narrowbody aircraft campaign in late 2015. However, it opted for 65 Boeing 737-700s over the Canadian aircraft in early 2016. "The reason we didn't pick the CSeries when we were looking at small narrowbodies was the economics on the aircraft we picked were better economics," says Laderman on the aircraft campaign. The 737-700, while slightly larger than the CS100, offered United commonality with its fleet of 310 73<br/>

Ethiopian Airlines wants to offer free internet connection at its main hub in the capital Addis Ababa. The move by Ethiopian Airlines is part of an effort to improve customer service, upgrade overall passenger experience, and make Bole International Airport the best in Africa. The airline is currently implementing Vision 2025, which will see it improve its passenger and cargo transport, increase airport services, and expand its aviation academy. “Availability of seamless customer-focused service, both onboard and at the airports, defines the rule of the game in today’s hyper-competitive airline industry,” said CEO Tewolde GebreMariam. Over the last few years, Ethiopian Airlines has doubled down on its ambition to take over the African skies. This comes as the government-owned airline, which flies to more than 100 destinations worldwide, continued to register an average growth of 25% a year in the past decade. <br/>

Air India has sought business proposals for sale of scrapped aircraft engine parts, a move that could provide additional revenues for the airline. The carrier plans to salvage select engine parts under a profit sharing arrangement, failing which they would be sold as scrap, as per a tender document. The proposal comes at a time when the government is working on the modalities for disinvestment as part of efforts to revive the debt-laden flagship carrier. According to the document, the airline is seeking business models on a profit-sharing arrangement for possible salvaging of selected engine parts and generate revenue through sale and marketing of such salvaged parts. "In the event there is no possibility of salvage, bidder will have to make arrangements to destroy/dispose of the same as metal scrap and offer maximum revenue value for such disposal sale at agreed rates and no cost to Air India Ltd," it said. Further, successful bidders would have to collect the material from respective sites as well as arrange for cross country transportation, export clearance and repair, among other requirements. Last month, Air India CMD Rajiv Bansal said the airline plans to vacate unused hangar space at some airports and sell the scrap lying there to cut costs.<br/>

Several years ago, executives at ANA realized they had a problem. They wanted to attract more US customers, but a Google search for ANA was nearly as likely to lead potential travelers to the American Nurses Association as to the airline. Enter Star Wars, the iconic American movie franchise. The two brands announced a five-year deal in 2015, and ANA quickly repainted a Boeing 787-9 in what it called a “R2-D2 livery.” ANA now has four special planes, having christened C-3PO earlier this year. On board, ANA uses special themed headrest covers, and gives passengers Star Wars-branded cups and napkins. It hasn’t been easy for ANA, but the airline, which started in 1953 yet didn’t fly international routes until 1986, is raising its profile in the US, through the Star Wars promotion, and others, including its partnership with the celebrity DJ and musician Steve Aoki. He leads a marketing campaign called Welcome to Experience Class. ANA now serves nine destinations in the United States, including Los Angeles, San Jose, San Francisco, New York, Houston, and Honolulu, and two more — Mexico City and Vancouver, in the broader Americas. On US flights, ANA has anti-trust immunity with United, allowing the airlines to coordinate pricing and schedules, while sharing revenues. With its US footprint, ANA is now about as big in the Americas as Japan Airlines, a carrier with better name recognition abroad. Story features interview with ANA CEO Yuji Hirako, who took over in April. <br/>