Swedish regional NextJet has filed for bankruptcy and canceled all flights from May 16. “We regret the situation. Pending the appointment of a bankruptcy trustee, the carrier is making decisions about the company’s future … our customer service is closed until further notice,” the airline said. NextJet’s financial problems are not new. In November 2017, Swedish regulators restored the full air operator’s certificate (AOC) for NextJet, replacing the temporary certificate that was issued because of financial concerns. Swedish CAA Transport Styrelsen downgraded NextJet to the temporary AOC in August 2017, with an expiration date of Nov. 17, giving the airline time to sort out its finances. The suspension of operations will leave several Swedish airports without scheduled passenger services.<br/>
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Air Seoul., the budget unit of Asiana Airlines, said Thursday that it will launch a new route to Danang, Vietnam, this week, a move that could heat up competition among South Korean carriers over a popular tourist destination. The debut service to Vietnam is set to begin at 10:20 p.m. on Friday, with the 195-seat A321-200 jet being deployed on the route. The service will be available every day, according to the carrier. Currently, six other South Korean carriers operate flights to Danang, a destination that draws about 500,000 South Koreans a year.<br/>
Flybe expects rising fuel prices, staffing crunches and Britain’s exit from the European Union to mean a challenging period ahead for carriers, the regional airline’s CE said. “We have fuel challenges arriving, foreign exchange, we need to be prepared for pilot shortages. It’s a tough environment,” Christine Ourmieres-Widener said. The price of crude oil has climbed to above $80 a barrel for the first time since November 2014, spurred by concerns that Iranian exports could fall due to renewed US sanctions and reduce supply in an already tightening market. Ourmieres-Widener said along with a general tightness in the market for pilots, Flybe was also concerned by a lack of engineering resources in Britain. On Brexit, Flybe would like to see more urgency from the British government in agreeing a deal as it is already selling tickets for the period beyond March 2019, the planned departure date of Britain from the EU, but has inserted a clause saying the flights are dependent on post Brexit flying rights. “We have a list of questions,” Ourmieres-Widener, said, citing aircraft leasing and maintenance certification as among issues. “Uncertainty is never good for business,” she added, saying she had held talks with MPs to impress that on them. Ourmieres-Widener said while partnerships could help the airline amidst a tough backdrop, it would only enter partnerships if they offered value to Flybe.<br/>
HNA Group sold all its shares in South African airline Comair, the latest disposal by the debt-laden Chinese conglomerate. Comair disclosed the sale in an exchange filing on Thursday, though the statement didn’t provide details about when the shares changed hands and at what price. HNA had held 29m shares, or 6.2% of Comair, before the disposal, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. That stake would be valued at about $14m based on current market prices. Comair first disclosed to investors about HNA’s ownership in 2015.<br/>
JetBlue Airways will move to the under-construction South Terminal at Orlando International in 2021, supporting its plans to grow at the airport. The New York-based carrier and the airport have reached an agreement for JetBlue to anchor the new terminal with preferential use of 14 gates when it opens, documents from a Greater Orlando Aviation Authority board meeting on 16 May show. "This move will give JetBlue the real estate needed to expand its network in Orlando in the years to come," the airline says. "We’re excited to secure our future in Central Florida as we look to grow to 100-plus daily departures at [Orlando]." JetBlue will operate up to 69 departures a day from Orlando in June. The airline operates from gates in Airside 1 connected to the airport's North Terminal, which opened in 1981.<br/>
Ukrainian investigators have determined that an Embraer ERJ-145 crew had been ill-prepared to land on a contaminated Zaporizhia runway in crosswinds before the jet veered off. The Windrose Airlines aircraft (UR-DPB) had been operating a wet-lease service for Ukraine International Airlines from Kiev on 3 March. It departed the left-hand side of runway 02, some 1,745m from the threshold, coming to rest 99m from the centreline. The aircraft spun to the left during the excursion, almost facing the opposite direction. Ukrainian investigation authority NBAAI says the crew's "untimely and insufficient actions" as the aircraft prepared to land led to the incident. It states that the crew, during the pre-flight briefing, did not assess the state of Zaporizhia airport in depth, and proceeded with the flight "without paying attention" to the snow warnings concerning the state of the runway. The inquiry also found inconsistencies between different aeronautical information sources over the degree of contamination.<br/>
Frontier Airlines announced a major expansion in San Antonio, where the ultra low-cost carrier will add nine new routes to its existing schedule. Once the flights begin, Frontier will fly non-stop from San Antonio to 23 destinations. That, Frontier says, will make it the top carrier in San Antonio as measured by the number of non-stop routes offered. Story lists route details.<br/>
AirAsia Group has confirmed it will invest US$150m in a maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) facility at the Eastern Economic Corridor's U-tapao airport. The facility, to be completed in one year, will serve as a maintenance centre for all 200 of AirAsia Group's aircraft in the region. CE Tony Fernandes said the company would make the investment after meeting with Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak Wednesday. "We can immediately begin the project once the Thai government approves it," he said. "But it will still take a month to reach a final agreement with partners and about 12 months to construct the facility." Thailand is a significant destination for AirAsia investment because of the high potential of its tourism industry. AirAsia operates 200 aircraft in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. That number is projected to grow to 300-350 in the next five years. The MRO facility will offer services to other airlines and is forecast to attract 10-20 supporting firms to invest in Thailand.<br/>