Ten officials have been indicted in Iran over the 2020 military shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed 176 people, but the move did nothing to quell Canadian demands for accountability Tuesday. More than 100 of the 176 victims - at least one of whom was pregnant - had ties to Canada, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents. The announcement comes after Iran faced withering international criticism last month for releasing a final report into the shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 that blamed human error, but named no one responsible for the incident. Tehran military prosecutor Gholamabbas Torki similarly avoided naming those responsible when he announced the indictments Tuesday while handing over his office to Nasser Seraj. The semiofficial ISNA news agency and the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency both reported his remarks. “The indictment of the case of the Ukrainian plane was also issued and a serious and accurate investigation was carried out and indictments were issued for 10 people who were at fault,” Mizan quoted Torki as saying, without elaborating.<br/>
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Ryanair can begin taking delivery of the Boeing 737 Max jet after European regulators signed off on a version of the single-aisle model that can squeeze in almost 200 passengers. The EASA issued a type certificate for the so-called Max 200 model, according to a notification Tuesday on its website. The action follows the US FAA’s decision to approve the type last week. Ryanair has said it expects to take delivery of its first Max 200 this month, becoming the first operator of the type. Europe’s biggest discount carrier has ordered 210 of the planes, which Ryanair plans to fit with 197 seats, just below a threshold that would require an extra flight attendant. Boeing has already built 38 of the Max jets for Ryanair and its Buzz and Malta Air subsidiaries, according to Chris Edwards, a 737 production blogger. It’s the first new 737 model to enter the commercial market since regulators cleared the Max to resume flying after two fatal accidents killed 346 people.<br/>
UAE airlines Emirates and Air Arabia will start flights to Israel soon, said Mohamed Al Khaja, Ambassador of the UAE to Israel. "We have much to look forward to in commercial, technological, educational and health exchanges," said Al Khaja. "But all of this is only possible if we can bring people together." The first commercial flight by Etihad Airways from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv landed on Tuesday, a day after Israel was added to Abu Dhabi’s ‘green list’, giving quarantine-free travel for visitors arriving in Abu Dhabi. "Today's Etihad flight between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv is part of our new UAE-Israel airbridge," said Al Khaja. "flydubai has already launched service... and Emirates and Air Arabia will start soon."<br/>
United Arab Emirates’ flydubai expects to have all of its 14 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft back in service by the first week of June, the airline’s head of maintenance said on Tuesday. Resuming 737 MAX flights this Thursday with a service to Sialkot in Pakistan, the airline has cleared five of those jets to return to service after a two-year grounding. “You can rest assured we have every confidence in this aircraft,” Head of Maintenance Andrew Glover said. Regulators worldwide grounded the 737 in March 2019 after two fatal crashed in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people onboard. The UAE aviation regulator lifted the ban in February after the US FAA set out the return to service requirements.<br/>
AirAsia Group plans to raise as much as $300m to expand its digital business arm AirAsia Digital, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Malaysian budget airline is in talks with prospective investors for what would be the first financing round for its digital arm and is working with at least one adviser on the potential deal, the people said. The fundraising would involve issuance of new shares in the digital unit, the people said. Deliberations are ongoing and there is no certainty that AirAsia will proceed with the plan, the people added, asking not to be named as the information is private. A representative for AirAsia said the company is unable to comment on the plan. With air travel taking a hit from the pandemic, AirAsia is expanding its digital operations. <br/>
All-Bombardier charter operator VistaJet has ordered an additional 10 Challenger 350s for delivery through 2022, and taken delivery of its first two ultra-long-range Global 7500s Bombardier had already announced the Challenger order, to an undisclosed customer, on 23 December, describing it as “one of the largest business jet orders of 2020”. The Malta-based company, which has a commitment for up to 12 Global 7500s, says the new aircraft will take its fleet to over 90. VistaJet, which operates under both European and US certification, says the Challenger 350s will meet a “growing and urgent demand” from corporate clients in the super-midsize segment, which typically serves the domestic US market and short-haul international routes. The company has said that despite – or often because of – Covid-19 travel restrictions, the appeal of private aviation has grown for executives that need to make essential trips, as they have been unable or unwilling to use commercial airlines.<br/>
Ryanair and Wizz Air carried fewer than 1 million passengers between them in March for the second month in a row, with heavy restrictions on international travel bringing the European aviation sector to a virtual standstill. Some 500,000 passengers were counted across the Ryanair group – a fall of 91% year on year – while Wizz welcomed 480,000, which equates to a fall of 73%, according to figures released by the low-cost carriers today. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, the most significant effects of the Covid-19 crisis are starting to be seen in the operators’ prior-year figures. So, while Ryanair carried 5.5m passengers in March 2020, that was down from 10.9m in March 2019. Compared with the latter figure, its March 2021 traffic was down 95%. Similarly, Wizz Air carried 1.75m passengers in March 2020, down from 2.72m in the same month of 2019. Compared with the latter figure, its March 2021 traffic was down 82%.<br/>
Allegiant Air will invest $75m to open a crew base in Austin, Texas as it explores ways to benefit from the rebound in leisure travel following the year-long coronavirus crisis. The Las Vegas-headquartered ultra-low-cost carrier says on 6 April that 89 “high-wage” jobs will be created at the Austin-Bergstrom International airport, which it has served since 2013. Three of its Airbus A320s will be based there. The base will be operational from 18 November. “Having locally-based operations will mean opportunities for expanded hours, as well as more – and more frequent – flight offerings for visitors and locals alike,” says Drew Wells, Allegiant’s senior vice-president of revenue. Allegiant flies between Austin and its home airport Las Vegas, and to 14 other destinations, including to Orlando, Cincinnati, Memphis, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh. “The base at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport will bring additional flexibility for flight times and future route opportunities, as locally-based crew members return home nightly to Austin,” Allegiant says.<br/>