United believes you may someday take a small electric aircraft to get to the airport. The airline is joining other investors backing Archer, a start-up developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. If Archer can get its eVTOL certified by the FAA, it expects to deliver the first aircraft in 2024. “It’s pretty incredible to think how big this market can be,” Archer co-founder and co-CEO Adam Goldstein said. “The partnership with United really gives us a chance to get to market first and really helps us accelerate our timeline.” Palo Alto, California-based Archer, which was founded three years ago, will unveil its first full-scale eVTOL aircraft later this year. The company also plans to develop and manufacture the battery pack that will power the aircraft. Archer said its piloted eVTOL is designed to carry as many as four passengers up to 60 miles at speeds that could reach 150 mph. To go from concept to certified aircraft, Archer is raising $1.1b through a SPAC merger with Atlas Crest Investment Corp. The merger is valued at $3.8b. Among those backing the deal, two firms stand out: Stellantis and United. Stellantis, the new name for the recently merged companies of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler, is working with Archer to manufacture the carbon-fiber fuselage of the eVTOL aircraft. United has placed a $1b order for 200 Archer eVTOL aircraft, with an option to purchase 100 more for $500m. “By working with Archer, United is showing the aviation industry that now is the time to embrace cleaner, more efficient modes of transportation,” United CEO Scott Kirby said.<br/>
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Boeing’s 737 Max is poised to return to service at United, the second US carrier to restart flights after a record-long grounding prompted by two deadly crashes. United is planning a total of two dozen flights on the Max from its hubs in Denver and Houston on Thursday, less than two months since American Airlines Group began operating the plane again on a single route between Miami and New York. Next month, Southwest is expected to resume Max operations and Alaska Air Group will start its first service with the model. The flights further the gradual and so far uneventful return of Boeing’s best-selling plane after a 20-month flying ban, the longest jetliner grounding in US history. The Max accounts for about 80% of Boeing’s backlog of orders and represents the company’s only offering in the crucial single-aisle market, in which the US planemaker trails Airbus. United is scheduled to operate 566 Max flights this month and the tally will increase to nearly 2,000 in March, according to data compiled by Cirium. Worldwide, seven airlines have scheduled 3,996 Max flights this month, up from four carriers that made about 2,450 flights in January. Almost 8,700 Max trips are scheduled next month. United, which has 21 Max jets in its fleet and plans to take another two dozen this year, hasn’t seen a notable trend of customers booking away from the aircraft, a spokesman said. <br/>
Panama’s Copa Airlines on Wednesday reported a net loss of $169m for Q4, but said a mark-to-market loss on its convertible debt had added $80m in losses to its bottom line. Copa significantly reduced its cash burn during the quarter to $6m a month during the quarter, a key metric for airlines operating amid the pandemic. Cash consumption in Q3 was $36m a month. <br/>
The first Singapore Airlines flight staffed by pilots and cabin crew vaccinated against the coronavirus left Changi Airport on Thursday, marking a significant milestone for the carrier. Flight SQ956 took off for Jakarta at 9.30am carrying a crew of 12, and is the first of three departing SIA Group flights with crew who have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Scoot flight TR606 to Bangkok also left Changi at 9.30am with a set of 11 vaccinated crew members, while SilkAir's first vaccinated flight MI608 will leave for Phnom Penh at 4.30pm with a crew of eight. The crew members are among more than 52,000 personnel in the transport sector who have received their first dose of the vaccine as at Feb 10. The Ministry of Transport said more than 39,000 workers in the aviation and maritime sectors have gotten their first jab - over 90% of the 43,000 front-liners in both sectors. SIA Group said it is among the first airlines in the world to operate flights with fully vaccinated crews. SIA CE Goh Choon Phong said: "Vaccinations will be key to the reopening of borders and to enhancing travel confidence, in tandem with robust testing regimes and the wide-ranging safe management measures that are in place on the ground and in the air." He added: "They offer greater protection for our people and provide an added layer of assurance to our customers."<br/>
Ethiopian Airlines Group plans to resume flights on Boeing 737 Max jets in July after analyzing changes to the model that crashed in the country almost two years ago, killing all 157 people on board. Africa’s largest airline will retain orders for new Max planes and expects to reach an “amicable settlement” with Boeing this month regarding the accident, CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said at a CAPA conference on Wednesday. It would have been economically unfeasible to switch aircraft types given it already operates an older 737 variant, the CEO said. “We have made a thorough analysis -- technically, operationally, commercially -- and we decided to continue with the airplane,” Tewolde said. “We have been following up with our experts, technicians and pilots, and they seem to be satisfied that the modifications will fully address the flight-control system that was creating problems.” Ethiopian Airlines is cash positive even after the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed air travel, Tewolde said. The carrier was quick to respond to a jump in cargo demand, taking out seats in commercial aircraft to haul freight, he said.<br/>
Ethiopian Airlines is making slow progress with talks regarding cooperation with South African Airways, according to the former’s CE Tewolde Gebremariam. The Addis Ababa-based carrier said in October last year that it was willing to provide “planes, pilots and maintenance services” to ailing SAA as part of a “joint venture” with the country’s government, but noted that it did not wish to take on legacy issues such as debts. Gebremariam says that talks with South Africa’s government “have been a challenge so far”. “We are still discussing, but I would say it has not made the expected progress,” he states. Explaining Ethiopian’s strategic thinking regarding a potential SAA tie-up, Gebremariam notes that South Africa’s origin and destination-focused traffic means its is a very different proposition to the hub-based model at Addis Ababa. That dominance means South Africa is “very, very competitive… because every mega-carrier in the world is there”, Gebremariam observes.<br/>
Korean Air’s plan to take over Asiana Airline has been approved by antitrust authorities in Turkey, the airline said Wednesday. The Turkish Competition Authority, a government organization dedicated to ensuring market competitiveness, gave the Korean airline the green light last Thursday, becoming the first foreign country to clear one of the hurdles facing the high-profile acquisition. Last month, the carrier filed for a merger and acquisition review to the antitrust bodies of nine countries -- including the Fair Trade Commission here -- as part of many steps to finalize the deal that will give birth one of the largest airlines in the world. The FTC is set to announce its decision as early as in July, after completing its ongoing market analysis on the merger.<br/>
Air NZ has confirmed customers credits will be extended by another year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The extension will come as good news to customers booked to travel on its international services and for those who currently have fares in credit. Customers who hold an existing credit with the airline will now have until June 30, 2022 to make a new booking using their credit, and until June 30, 2023 to take the travel. This applies to both domestic and international credits. Customers who book or currently hold tickets for international flights scheduled to depart up until 11.59pm on June 30, 2021 will now be able to either hold the value of their fare in credit for rebooking until June 30, 2022, or amend the date of their flight with change fees waived, however any airfare difference will need to be paid. Air NZ's chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty says the extension of the policy means customers can rest assured their credit will remain valid for longer as circumstances continue to change.<br/>