Dozens of family members whose loved ones were killed in a Lion Air plane crash rallied in the Indonesian capital on Thursday, demanding the search for the jet continue. The Boeing 737 MAX vanished from radar about 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, crashing into waters off Indonesia’s northern coast and killing all 189 people on board. Authorities called off the grim task of identifying victims of the crash last month, with 125 people officially recognised after testing on human remains that filled some 200 body bags. Some of the victims’ families gathered in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, where they called on authorities to help retrieve the remaining 64 bodies and pay compensation. “Right now only around 30% of the plane’s body has been found,” the group said in a statement. “We hope the search for the victims will use vessels with sophisticated technology.” The protest comes just a day after Indonesian media reported that 25 victims’ families would file a new US$100m legal suit against Boeing owing to faults with the 737 MAX. Several relatives of the crash victims have already filed lawsuits against Boeing. Lion Air owner Rusdi Kirana said on Wednesday that the airline was contemplating cancelling a US$22b order with Boeing following the October crash.<br/>
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Troubled low-cost African carrier Fastjet said Thursday it had enough cash to operate until Dec. 21 and that it had met the conditions for an open offer and equity refinancing to raise funds. The company in September announced a fundraising and equity refinancing aimed at increasing its equity base by at least $40m, which will give the airline enough working capital until the end of 2019. The airline said it had cash balance of $7m as of Wednesday, of which $6.5m was restricted cash held inside Zimbabwe. Last week, Fastjet had said it had cash to operate only until Dec. 14 or it may have to go into administration, shut shop or sell itself. <br/>
Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air, which is in talks with US private equity fund Indigo Partners about a potential investment, said on Thursday it would reduce its fleet to 11 aircraft from twenty and cut 111 jobs. Indigo is managed by Bill Franke, the veteran US low-cost airline investor, and has also made investments in US-based Frontier Airlines, Mexico's Volaris, Chilean carrier JetSmart and Hungary's Wizz. "After a challenging year, WOW air is now restructuring and simplifying its operations to return to its roots as a profitable ultra-low cost airline while discussions with Indigo Partners progress," WOW Air said. It said it was in negotiations with its lessors to return some of its aircraft including all Airbus A330s. Four Airbus A321s are being sold in a transaction that will improve its liquidity by more than $10m, it said. WOW Air will have around 1,000 employees after the job cuts, it said. Indigo and WOW Air have not disclosed any details about their talks, but WOW Air has said that CEO and primary shareholder, Skuli Mogensen will remain a principal investor in WOW after the deal.<br/>
An Indian man living in the US on a work visa was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman during an overnight flight to Detroit. Prabhu Ramamoorthy was in a middle seat between the victim and his wife on a Spirit Airlines flight from Las Vegas last January. The 23-year-old victim said he unzipped her pants, unbuttoned her shirt and molested her with his hands. Prosecutors asked for a sentence of nearly 11 years, but U.S. District Judge Terrence Berg settled on a nine-year term. He said he hoped it would be "grave enough" to deter others from committing similar crimes. A jury convicted Ramamoorthy in August. He will be deported to India after serving his sentence.<br/>
Southwest Airlines is confident about prospects for its coming service to Hawaii, despite declining fares to the islands and a rival’s report of weak demand. “Hawaii forecasts very well for us. We have, obviously, no thought of deviating from our plan,” CEO Gary Kelly said Thursday. The company is “very close” to gaining approval for extended flights above the Pacific from California and expects to begin service during the peak winter season, he said. Kelly offered an optimistic view of the Hawaiian market even as heightened competition from the US mainland has pushed down fares. Ticket prices will remain under pressure in 2019, according to Cowen & Co analyst Helane Becker. Incumbent rival Hawaiian Holdings said last week that demand has fallen for travel among the islands -- a market Southwest also intends to serve. “We’re going to ramp up pretty aggressively, but with a gradual increase in flight activity,” Kelly said. The airline said in July 2017 that it would begin flights to Hawaii. Once the Federal Aviation Administration gives the go-ahead, marketing could begin almost immediately and flights soon thereafter, he said Thursday. “Weeks, not months,” Kelly said. “We’re ready to roll.”<br/>
The human heart left on board a recent Southwest flight from Seattle was not assigned to a patient, Sierra Donor Services said. Like a mishandled bag, the human organ was mistakenly kept on the connecting flight instead of being taken out of the cargo hold in Seattle, causing the Dallas-bound flight to turn around. The heart was en route to an area tissue processor to recover valves for "future surgical procedures." "There was no intended recipient," a spokesperson said Thursday. "While this gift was rerouted, it was received unharmed… to prepare the valves for future transplant." Southwest described the Sunday evening incident in a statement, referring to the transplant organ on Flight 3606 as "a life-critical cargo shipment" that was "intended to stay in Seattle for delivery to a local hospital." However, the human heart was intended for LifeNet Health, a tissue processor in Renton, Washintong., where a contracted courier ultimately transported the organ. Despite the delay, the heart was delivered 12 hours before it would have been unusable. "Out of respect for the family of this donor, we reached out to them to keep them apprised of this development," said Monica Johnson, Executive Director of Sierra Donor Services. "They are relieved their loved one’s heart valves were received and will be able to help others."<br/>
AirAsia has confirmed that it has been approached by 13 potential purchasers for some of its aircraft and its aircraft leasing business, including US fund Castlelake. The carrier issued a stock exchange statement on 13 December, noting that the expressions of interest were from buyers interested in its leasing unit, Asia Aviation Capital, “and/or a number of our remaining aircraft assets.” “However, the company has not entered into any legally binding contract with any of the parties involving the sale of the leasing unit or a significant number of aircraft with values over and above the prescribed thresholds [for regulatory disclosure],” it adds. None of the other parties were identified, but it is likely to include major Chinese leasing firms such as China Everbright, Minsheng Financial Leasing and Ping-An Leasing.<br/>