The Australian government is expected to relax restrictions on visas for foreign pilots as a national shortage sees planes grounded and flights cancelled, aviation officials said Friday. Australia earlier this year removed pilots from a list of eligible professions allowed to work in the country as so-called skilled migrants amid a crackdown to promote "Australia-first". With a global shortage of pilots, Australia's international carriers have lost staff to competitors, forcing them to recruit from domestic carriers, who are in turn employing trained pilots from smaller regional airlines. Unable to source enough pilots, Australia's regional carriers have been forced to cancel flights, but Mike Higgins, CEO of the industry body, the Regional Aviation Association of Australia, said the country's government has told him it will ease restrictions in January. "The government has said it will add pilots to the skilled migrant visa list in January and they will be able to work in Australia for two years," said Higgins. A relaxation of visa restrictions would be provide some relief to Australia's rural travelers, which have been beset by frequent flight cancellations. According to Australian government data, 3% of domestic flights were canceled in November, the highest monthly level in nearly six years. <br/>
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Airbus completed the year doing what it does best: selling its bread-and-butter narrow-body aircraft. The manufacturer Thursday firmed up its biggest-ever order from Indigo Partners for 430 A320 aircraft -- a contract that was previously announced -- while also unveiling a new deal for 50 re-engined versions of the same jet. All told, the flurry of activity during the past two weeks has totaled 705 single-aisle plane orders with a sticker price of $81.5b, pushing its full-year tally ahead of the figure at rival Boeing Co. The A320’s success, coming in the final days of retiring sales chief John Leahy’s two-decade tenure, provides some respite for Airbus following a tumultuous few weeks after the planemaker unveiled a top management shakeup. The orders for smaller jets also expose the flank that’s opened up at the other end of the manufacturer’s product line-up: wide-body and ultra large jumbos that are becoming increasingly hard to sell. The final burst of deals pushed Airbus’s net new orders for the year to just beyond 1,000 planes, including 48 wide-bodies. The company was expecting the total to lag behind the 700 or so aircraft it planned to deliver in 2017. At Boeing, net orders for single- and twin-aisle models amounted to 844 planes as of Dec. 19, and the US company hasn’t announced any sales contracts since then. Airbus also confirmed late Thursday that an event scheduled for this week to mark the delivery to Qatar Airways of its first A350-1000 twin-aisle plane will be delayed until early in the new year as the aircraft undergoes final preparations. <br/>
Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is on track to deliver its repeatedly delayed commercial jet by mid-2020, the head of its aircraft unit said, despite a risk of an order cancellation. The Mitsubishi Regional Jet aircraft has been delayed five times from an original delivery target of 2013, leading to spiraling costs. News this month that an order for the aircraft from Eastern Air Lines was “likely to be lost” has spurred more questions about the outlook of the project. “We are proceeding pretty much in line with plans,” said Hisakazu Mizutani, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp, referring to the mid-2020 deadline. “We can just about make it.” He was speaking to reporters in Nagoya on Dec. 8, on the condition that his comments not be published until Jan 1. Mizutani said the planemaker was at risk of losing Eastern Air Lines’ order for 20 MRJ aircraft with an option for 20 more, but that it was “continuing conversations” with the airline. Mitsubishi Aircraft said the order has not yet been cancelled. Overall, the Mitsubishi unit has orders for 233 of the 90-seat aircraft, the company has said previously, and aims to sell more than 1,000 of the planes over two decades.<br/>
Chiang Mai International Airport will cancel 35 flights and reschedule 31 more on New Year's Eve to avoid possible hazards posed by floating sky lanterns during the countdown to 2018, Group Captain Manathanik said. The airport had added more security guards and is working closely with the police and military to ramp up security patrols as passenger safety is of<br/>paramount importance, he said. CCTV surveillance is also being heightened with staff instructed to report and act on any suspicious behaviour, the airport manager said. Inspections of so-called foreign object debris within the airport's flying zone are also being stepped up from four rounds per day to 10 rounds. The airport cancelled at least 78 flights on Nov 3-4 when sky lanterns were expected during the traditional Yi Peng festival.<br/>