Ethiopia will not release a preliminary report into the causes of last month’s Ethiopian Airlines crash on Monday, as previously expected, but may publish it this week, a source familiar with the transport ministry told Reuters. “Not today, maybe this week,” the source said, when asked about the report. The stakes are high, with Boeing trying to hold on to nearly 5,000 MAX 737 orders; air safety regulators facing questions over their scrutiny of the aircraft; and airlines and victims’ families looking for answers - and potentially compensation. Separately, Norwegian Air said its CE Bjoern Kjos would travel to meet Boeing in Seattle on Monday. Norwegian, which has 18 737 MAX 8 in its fleet and is scheduled to take delivery of dozens more in the coming months and years, said last month it would seek compensation from Boeing over the grounding. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry spokesman had earlier said the preliminary crash report would be released by the ministry of transport on Monday. It was not immediately clear why the plans had changed.<br/>
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Asiana Airlines has flagged that it may sell assets, cut routes and some aircraft from its fleet as it looks to overcome financial difficulties. Newly promoted co-CE Han Chang-soo says in a letter to the airline’s employees that a task force has been established to oversee the company’s restructuring efforts. Asset sales will help to boost its short-term liquidity, and help support its credit rating. Han stressed that the rating has not been lowered, but placed on watch by key lenders. He also noted that its network will be restructured to focus on profitable routes, which would lead to a reduction in fleet numbers. No details of routes that may be cut, nor which aircraft it will cull, were contained in a letter. Cirium's Fleets Analyzer shows that Asiana has 82 aircraft in its fleet, including 25 Airbus A320 family aircraft, 15 A330-300s, eight Boeing 767s and nine 777-200ERs. It is partway through a fleet replacement that will see its narrowbody aircraft rolled over to A321neos, and it has six A350s in its fleet, along with orders for 24 more. The airline adds that efforts will also be made to increase its operational efficiency and ability to respond to changes in market conditions.<br/>
The airline industry must speed up its pace of innovation, not by 10%, “but by ‘times x,’” Lufthansa Group chief digital officer Christian Langer said Monday. Langer noted the automotive industry can create a new cabin for a vehicle in months, whereas the same process for an aircraft takes years. “We have to speed up the innovative cycles. Airlines are in the observer’s seat for innovation. We’re watching what’s happening.” Airlines need to speed up their processes so they can partner with small, nimble startup enterprises that generate innovative ideas. Currently, an airline that takes weeks—or even months—for its internal decision-making processes means a startup has already moved on by the time the carrier is ready to act, he said. “Speed is something we have to learn as a traditional industry.” However, while keeping pace with new technologies and innovations is important, even more critical is getting the basics right when it comes to keeping passengers happy, Langer said. “Being on time—that’s simple but it contributes tremendously to the passenger experience. How is the cleanliness of your cabin? How does the customer feel when he/she goes into the washroom? What is the eco-footprint of your airline? People want not only to have a good experience, but [to know] that that experience doesn’t harm the environment.”<br/>