Shares of United jumped Monday after the Chicago carrier said it expected core cash flow to be positive in March. In a SEC filing the carrier said customer demand for travel and new bookings had improved from estimates made in recent weeks. United also expects core cash burn for Q1 to be more favorable than it was in Q4. That's due to the speedup in forward bookings. If trends continue, United expects core cash flow to be positive moving forward. In January, United said average core cash burn in Q4 was $19m a day. United is the first US airline to forecast positive cash flow since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns took hold a year ago. <br/>
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As airlines increasingly shift towards efficiency and reductions in emissions, Air Canada is the latest to announce its own commitments. The company says it will invest $50m in sustainable aviation fuels over the next decade to help it reach its interim GHG net reduction goals; the airline plans to realize a goal of a 20% reduction in emissions (from a 2019 baseline) by 2030, and to reach net-zero emissions throughout its global operations by 2050, the company announced Monday. The airline will also evaluate the practical applications of renewable energy sources such as biogas and renewable electricity, the company says. Despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Air Canada remains committed to long-term sustainability, says president and CEO Michael Rousseau. Moving forward, he says, the airline will further embed climate considerations into its strategic decision-making.<br/>
Emirates is deepening its codeshare with TAP Air Portugal under a fresh agreement. The two carriers have had a codeshare in place since the spring of 2013 and have now a signed a memorandum of understanding covering deeper co-operation to take effect from the start of May. The expanded partnership would see TAP add its codes to Emirates flights to Asian destinations including Taipei, Tokyo, Osaka, Mumbai, Delhi, Dhaka, Male, Jakarta, Denpasar, Manila and Hanoi, as well Barcelona and Mexico City. For its part Emirates will codeshare on additional TAP domestic flights, as well as services to the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Morocco, Tunisia, Gambia and Cape Verde. The initial co-operation covered Emirates codesharing on some TAP domestic and Spanish flights, while TAP did likewise on Emirates services to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.<br/>
Singapore Airlines Group’s overall passenger carriage for February fell by 96.6% year-on-year, as demand for air travel continued to be “severely dampened” due to COVID-19. But the group sounded a note of optimism in light of the global vaccination drive, especially in its main markets. "The growing pace of vaccinations ... supports cautious optimism for a measured recovery in the demand for air travel in the second half of 2021,” the group said as it announced its February operating results on Monday. Passenger carriage, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres, for SIA was down by 96% year-on-year in February, while SilkAir's passenger carriage fell 97.3% year-on-year. Budget carrier Scoot saw its passenger carriage fall by 98.8% year-on-year. In February, SIA continued to operate a similar network as the previous month, connecting Singapore to 40 metro cities. All route regions served by the SIA Group continued to record year-on-year increases in cargo load factor in February. The SIA Group expects to see “a calibrated expansion of the passenger network” in the coming months, it said. <br/>
Thai Airways International and THAI Smile have signed agreements to participate in a trial of the IATA Travel Pass. According to THAI’s acting president Chansin Treenuchagron and THAI Smile’s CEO Charita Leelayudh the two airlines will pilot the introduction of the Travel Pass scheme in Thailand. IATA Travel Pass consists of a mobile application that helps travellers to store and manage their verified certifications for Covid-19 tests or COVID-19 vaccines. This will be an essential verification to confirm both testing and vaccination proof as a condition of international travel during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The IATA Travel Pass will be more secure and efficient than current paper processes used to manage health requirements. <br/>