The Boeing 737-8 Max will not be used for commercial operations in Singapore until the authorities are satisfied that all safety concerns about the aircraft have been addressed. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) on Thursday said it has given SilkAir - the regional arm of Singapore Airlines Group - a permit to fly the plane back to Singapore for retrofitting and upgrading. But this does not constitute approval for a return to service, it added. It issued the statement a day after the first of six SilkAir Boeing 737-8 Max planes returned from the Alice Springs plane storage facility in Australia. The planes had been grounded since March last year, following two fatal accidents involving the aircraft in less than five months. They were subsequently flown to the Alice Springs facility. CAAS deputy director general Tay Tiang Guan said the authority is currently reviewing the aircraft's airworthiness. "As part of this review, CAAS will consider the United States Federal Aviation Administration's requirements and will determine if there is a need to impose additional requirements before we lift the suspension on Boeing 737 Max operations."<br/>
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Estonian carrier Nordica has reached agreement with LOT Polish Airlines to acquire its 49% share in Xfly, making it the sole owner of the regional capacity provider. The Polish carrier took the 49% stake in the Estonian capacity provider, then called Regional Jet, four years ago. The carriers worked together on operating flights, initially linking Tallinn with Warsaw, and outsourcing capacity from Xfly. Nordica board chairman Erki Urva says: ”Although the negotiations went on for a very long time, I’m really happy with the agreement we’ve reached. It’s also important that in ‘breaking up’, as it were, we’ve managed to stay friends, which ensures that our commercial cooperation will continue. All this means that Estonia’s national airline is now the 100% owner of Xfly, which operates as a capacity provider, giving us the freedom to make quick decisions ourselves if we need to – which is vital considering how much the coronavirus crisis has shaken up the aviation market.” LOT CE Rafał Milczarski says: ”In recent years, LOT has strengthened the offer of European connections from Tallinn and built high brand recognition of the Polish airline in the Baltic countries. As a result of the pandemic and significantly reduced demand for air connections, today we are completing this special journey. Bearing in mind the good relations between our companies, we will continue to cooperate on a commercial basis.”<br/>
Asiana Airlines named Jung Sung-kwon as the new CEO in a major executive reshuffle on Thursday. Jung, who previously served as the head of the airline’s China operations, will replace current CEO Han Chang-soo to lead the country‘s second-largest carrier. Born in 1963, Jung joined Asiana in 1988 and had taken on multiple roles including finance and human resources. In the shakeup, Ahn Byung-suk, Asiana Airline‘s management director, has been tapped to head Air Busan, its sister budget airline. Cho Jin-man, who served as executive manager at Air Seoul, another sister airline, has been promoted to the CEO at the low cost carrier. Asiana Airline said the reshuffle, which saw 15 executive officers retire and seven positions downsized, is to “revitalize” the atmosphere at the company and ensure the acquisition process with Korean Air goes smoothly.<br/>