India’s Jet Airways is in talks to sub-lease nearly half its ATR turboprop aircraft to regional carrier TruJet, in a move that will reduce its presence in the competitive domestic market as the beleaguered airline struggles to raise money. Jet Airways deferred reporting earnings earlier this month, sending its shares to a three-year low. Just days earlier it had told staff it was running out of cash, sources said. TruJet’s commercial head, Senthil Raja, said the company was in talks with Jet Airways to take seven aircraft, manufactured by France’s ATR, on a five-year “wet lease”. He said that he expects to receive the aircraft by the end of October. “Both the companies are deliberating on the agreement and should sign it very soon,” Raja said, adding that he was not aware of how much TruJet would pay for the lease. Jet Airways, which is part owned by Etihad Airways, told Indian stock exchanges it continues to “evaluate all possible alternatives to ensure optimum utilization of its fleet”. <br/>
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South Korea’s Jin Air escaped the worst of regulatory wrath Friday when it was allowed to keep its business license in the wake of public outrage over the behaviour of members of its founding family. The country’s No.2 budget carrier’s license was put under review after it was found that family member Emily Cho held US citizenship while serving as board director in violation of South Korean law. Although Jin Air kept its license, it will be restricted from registering new aircraft and routes for a “certain period of time”, the transport ministry said in a decision that pared initial sky-high gains for its stock. Cho, a member of the family which controls Jin Air and parent Korean Air Lines, provoked a storm of anger after she allegedly threw water at an advertising agency manager. The incident came four years after an infamous “nut rage’ scandal in which her sister Heather delayed a flight because she objected to the way nuts were served. The ministry said it will keep its restrictions in place, until Jin Air implements measures to prevent violations of aviation laws and to improve its corporate culture. The carrier has proposed “cracking down on its top-down, authoritarian culture”, increasing the number of its outside board directors, and creating a system that will protect whistleblowers, the ministry said. Jin Air said in a statement that it welcomed the ministry’s decision.<br/>
Utah-based SkyWest Airlines will operate the 20 Bombardier CRJ900s that Delta ordered in June. The aircraft, which will be configured with 70 seats, will replace 20 Bombardier CRJ700s that the regional carrier operates for Delta, SkyWest says in a Q2 financial filing. The CRJ900s are due from later this year through 2020, and SkyWest will operate them under a nine-year contract. SkyWest already operated 27 CRJ700s and 36 CRJ900s for the Atlanta-based mainline carrier at the end of June, the filing shows. Delta ordered the additional CRJ900s to replace either CRJ700s or Embraer 170s. The aircraft will feature Bombardier's new Atmosphere cabin. In addition to the Delta deal, SkyWest during the second quarter extended contracts with American Airlines to operate 20 CRJ700s and with United to operate 19 CRJ700s. The regional airline operated 54 CRJ700s for American and 20 of the type for United at the end of June, the filing shows. SkyWest took delivery of 18 Embraer 175s during Q2. <br/>
A jury has convicted a Michigan man of sexually abusing a sleeping woman on a Detroit-bound airplane in January. Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 35, of Rochester Hills faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced in December. If he is ever released, he would be deported to India, federal officials said. A jury deliberated for 3½ hours Thursday following a five-day trial before finding Ramamoorthy guilty of touching a woman while she was sleeping Jan. 3 on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. The 22-year-old woman woke up "to a hand in her pants and noticed that her pants and shirt were unbuttoned," according to the federal complaint. She reported that the man, who was sitting next to her, was shoving his "fingers in her (genitals) and vigorously moving them. When she fully woke up, the man stopped," the complaint said. The woman reported what happened to flight attendants. "Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes," US Attorney Matthew Schneider said. "We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position, and we are glad the jury agreed. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out." <br/>
Authorities say a man dressed as Tinkerbell has been removed from a plane at London's Stansted Airport for disruptive behaviour. Passengers described how police arrived and escorted two men, including one wearing a green dress and fairy wings, off the Ryanair flight to Krakow, Poland before takeoff. Essex Police said officers were summoned Friday morning because "two men had become disruptive on a plane." The force said "they were co-operative on being asked to leave the aircraft" and weren't arrested. Ryanair said the incident illustrated why it was calling for curbs on alcohol sales at airports, including a two-drink limit per passenger. The airline says airports have a duty "to curb excessive drinking and the problems it creates, rather than allowing passengers to drink to excess before their flights."<br/>