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Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Tuesday he was confident US planemaker Boeing would resolve issues relating to its 737 MAX jet following two deadly crashes involving that type of aircraft. Delta does not own the MAX, which was flown in the US by its rivals Southwest, American Airlines and United until a global grounding last month following an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10. Speaking at an aviation conference in Atlanta, Bastian said Delta was “very interested” in Boeing’s proposed new midsized airplane, though he said the world’s largest planemaker was focusing first on dealing with the crisis surrounding the MAX. Bastian has said that Delta was looking to replace some 200 Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft over the next decade as it seeks to grow internationally. He declined to comment on Tuesday on whether Delta would invest in Italy’s flag carrier Alitalia. <br/>

Delta ranks first in a long-running study that ranks US airlines by how often flights arrive on time and other statistical measures. Researchers who crunch the numbers also say that as a whole, US airlines are getting better at handling baggage and overcrowded flights and are getting fewer complaints. Academics at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University have conducted their annual study for 29 years, using data collected by the U.S. Transportation Department. They released the results Monday. They looked at 2018 rates of on-time arrivals, mishandled baggage, bumping passengers and consumer complaints. Delta is up from second place last year. JetBlue Airways is second, followed by Southwest and last year's winner, Alaska Airlines. Discount carrier Frontier ranks last, just behind American Airlines.<br/>

Kenya Airways said it will be profitable within four years if the government approves its proposal to replace the airports authority as operator of the East African nation’s aviation hub. Sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest carrier by passenger traffic will see net income as revenue surges to $2b in 2022, according to an emailed statement by the carrier. That compares with revenue of 110.8b shillings ($1.1b) and a record loss of 26.2b shillings in the 12 months through March 2016. Company officials were in Kenya’s parliament Tuesday to discuss their proposal to create a unit to operate Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi under a three-decade concession. Kenya Airports Authority, the current operator, will receive annual fees under the deal. The airports agency will separately appear before lawmakers Wednesday to explain how the proposed joint venture would affect it.<br/>

Greek airline Sky Express said Tuesday it had signed an agreement with Air France KLM to cooperate on flights connecting Paris and Amsterdam with the Greek islands. Tourism accounts for about a quarter of economic output in Greece, which saw a record number of about 33m visitors last year. The privately owned carrier, which competes with Aegean Airlines’ subsidiary Olympic Airways on domestic routes, flies to 24 Greek destinations on ATR42 and ATR72 twin engine turboprop aircraft. Sky Express said the deal would allow passengers to travel across its network with the convenience of a single ticket reservation. “(This) simplifies travel arrangements for Air France- KLM and Sky Express, since all baggage transfer services are being provided at the connecting airport,” Sky Express said.<br/>