Electric air taxi startup Joby Aviation, JetBlue Airways Corp and Signature Flight Support are teaming up to develop aviation carbon credits for using electric and hydrogen propulsion technologies, the companies said Tuesday. The move, which aligns with the US aviation industry’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, includes the companies deciding on how the credits will be created, validated and used in the aviation carbon market. US lawmakers in May planned to introduce a bill that would create a tax credit for lower-carbon sustainable aviation fuel, which they hope will slash emissions of greenhouse gases from the aviation industry. “This partnership allows JetBlue... evolve the type of offsets we purchase and help support the development of electric and hydrogen aviation — critical levers for meeting the US aviation industry’s net-zero goals,” Sara Bogdan, head of sustainability and environmental social governance at JetBlue, said.<br/>
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Frontier Airlines has established new routes from Rhode Island to Atlanta and Philadelphia, airport officials said. The flights from Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick to Atlanta started Monday and the flights to Philadelphia are starting Tuesday, according to a statement from the Rhode Island Airport Corp. The Atlanta flights will depart on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the Philadelphia flights will depart on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. “Frontier now offers six nonstop Providence routes this summer as we have expanded our PVD route network to meet the pent-up desire for summer travel while maintaining affordable fares and a friendly flying experience,” Frontier spokesperson Jennifer de la Cruz said. The other destination are Orlando, Tampa and Miami in Florida, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.<br/>
United Arab Emirates airline flydubai said on Tuesday it had agreed with Boeing to cut the number of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft it will take delivery of by 65. The airline has already taken delivery of 16 MAX jets out of its total order of 251, according to Boeing's web site. "flydubai has reached an agreement with Boeing and the airline has adjusted its aircraft orders which had been placed in 2013 and 2017," the statement said. flydubai said the change to the order followed "a review of ... fleet plans in line with the airline’s strategy of rebuilding the travel sector following the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing dynamics of the airline's route structure." The airline currently flies 13 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 3 of the larger Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft, the flydubai statement said.<br/>
Gulf Air has announced that it will resume direct operations to Tbilisi International Airport in Georgia starting with three weekly flights, from July 15, 2021. The carrier currently flies to and from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, Muscat, Cairo, Amman, Casablanca, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Athens, Istanbul, Larnaca, Bangkok, Manila, Singapore, Dhaka, Colombo, the Maldives and several destinations in India and Pakistan. It has also launched all of its seasonal destinations for this summer with direct flights to Mykonos and Santorini in Greece, Malaga in Spain and Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.<br/>
Russian budget carrier Smartavia has signalled that it is embarking on a fleet expansion and modernisation involving over 40 aircraft. The airline has newly introduced three Airbus A320neos and states that it is to take another at the end of January 2022. But Smartavia also says its strategic development plan involves renewing the fleet with up to 43 aircraft by 2025. It says this expansion will enable it to increase annual passenger numbers from 3 million to 16 million, and the Arkhangelsk-based carrier aims to become “one of the five leaders” in the Russian air transport industry. “Effective development of the airline is impossible without modern, economical aircraft,” says Smartavia CE Sergei Savostin. “This year we’ve [started operations with] three A320neos and will continue to expand the fleet with these aircraft.”<br/>
South Korean airlines will resume flights to Saipan later this month as scheduled despite a recent surge in COVID-19 cases. The Seoul government recently signed a quarantine-free travel bubble agreement with Saipan to allow group tours of fully vaccinated Koreans to such holiday destinations. The government is in talks with Guam and Singapore to sign travel bubble deals in preparation for an increase in outbound travel demand as early as late this year. Among local carriers, Jeju Air resumed flights to Saipan on June 8 in a preemptive measure to absorb post-coronavirus travel demand. Asiana Airlines and T'way Air plan to take off for Saipan from July 24 and July 29, respectively, according to the companies. Korean Air Lines Co. did not operate the route to Saipan. Korean Air and Asiana ― the country's two full-service carriers ― said they are considering reopening routes to Guam, Singapore, Hawaii and Taiwan later this year, while low-cost carriers, like Air Seoul and Air Busan, also said they plan to resume flights to spots such as Guam and Saipan within this year.<br/>