ANA will cancel 113 domestic flights for mandatory checks to help assess possible glitches in the Rolls-Royce engines powering its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The flights will be cancelled July 6-12, the airline said Wednesday. ANA is assessing whether more flights need to be scrapped beyond that period for checks on the Trent 1000 engines, said a spokeswoman at the airline. Carriers around the world have been forced to lease replacement planes or cancel services as idled jets undergo inspections and repairs involving the power plants. EASA said last week it planned to issue a directive on the Trent 1000 engine that will require replacement of high-pressure turbine disc front cover plates, and that a parts failure could lead to reduced control of an aircraft. ANA has 64 Dreamliners. <br/>
star
Norwegian has this spring been courted by two leading aviation players. In May it was revealed that Norwegian had rejected 2 offers from IAG. In June in it emerged that Norwegian were in talks with Lufthansa about acquiring the airline. It is the long-haul routes which are of interest to IAG and Lufthansa. A suitor for Norwegian would have to take on its high levels of debit, which many industry observers consider un-sustainable. According to financial analysts, Norwegian’s debit levels are so high that it needs to find a buyer soon or face bankruptcy. So far Lufthansa have struggled to find the correct formula in the growing Low-Cost segment, including long-haul, where Norwegian have been successful. Should Lufthansa acquire Norwegian it will propel its ranking from the world`s fifth to second largest airline globally. <br/>
The head of one of Asiana Airlines' inflight meal suppliers has killed himself in the wake of delivery problems. Over the past 2 days, some passengers on the airline's overseas flights have not had meals or faced delayed departures because of the late arrival of meals. Asiana said Tuesday, saying the "no-meal" situation happened because of a supplier change. The supplier is believed to have killed himself for fear of damages he would have to pay for failing to provide meals on time. The supplier was responsible for putting meals into containers and was 1 of about 4 working for Asiana's temporary supplier Sharp DO&CO Korea. Asiana switched supplier from LGS Sky Chef to Gate Gourmet of Korea earlier this year but a fire at a Gate Gourmet facility forced a delay to the contract's start. Sharp was then called in. <br/>
Beginning in 2017, United Continental executed an abrupt strategy shift. After years of slow growth, the airline began expanding aggressively, with a particular focus on adding more routes to small and midsize cities. However, United Airlines now plans to cut several small-city routes from its Chicago hub after Labor Day. It is also possible that United is being forced to rethink its entire expansion strategy. In early September, United Airlines will stop flying from Chicago to 3 small markets: Champaign/Urbana, Illinois; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Mobile, Alabama. United will exit the Champaign/Urbana market entirely. This is particularly notable because Champaign/Urbana was one of 4 destinations that United added to its route map last summer in the first phase of its small-city expansion plan. <br/>