Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Volaris has ambitious growth plans, including the launch of a long-planned subsidiary in El Salvador by year-end to consolidate its presence in Central America, says Executive Vice President (Commercial and Operations) Holger Blankenstein. “We are on track to launch Volaris El Salvador (VOS, San Salvador Int'l) by the late third quarter to complement our presence in Costa Rica and enable us to take advantage of route rights from El Salvador, the biggest Central American VFR markets to the US. Growth in Central America is increasingly important to diversify the Mexican revenue base, generate more US dollar-denominated revenue, maintaining our low operating costs; and very importantly, take advantage of market opportunities left by weaker competitors in the region,” he explained, referring to the market gap left by the likes of Interjet and Aeroméxico, the latter being restructured. The El Salvadoran start-up already secured its AOC in June 2019, but plans for a September launch that year never materialised.<br/>
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EasyJet will build a hangar at Berlin airport for light base maintenance checks as part of a wider effort to insource more MRO activities. Berlin’s airport operator FBB says it has signed a lease agreement with EasyJet for the new facility and that documents for planning permission have been submitted ahead of a projected construction start later this year. Operations at the new German facility, which will accommodate four Airbus A321s, are scheduled to begin in early 2023. The site will be used for light base maintenance checks on EasyJet’s Austrian-registered European A320-family fleet, and will enable the UK low-cost carrier to conduct “more comprehensive” technical checks and ensure a “smooth” maintenance process, FBB says. EasyJet country manager Germany Stephan Erler describes the hangar as “the logical next step” after the airline insourced line maintenance at Berlin from Lufthansa Technik in 2020. “The investment in our first continental European hangar underlines the strategic importance of our base for the EasyJet network and the close co-operation with Berlin Brandenburg airport’s operating company,” Erler states.<br/>
Russian private carrier Azimuth Airlines has ordered six Airbus A220-300 jets to use on domestic and international flights, Airbus said Wednesday. Deliveries will start next year, Airbus said, and the Azimuth will become the first Russian buyer of the narrow-body A220 aircraft. Azimuth currently uses only Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet planes.<br/>
Super Air Jet, the new Indonesian carrier with links to Lion Group founder Rusdi Kirana, has hinted about launching flights “soon”, as it announced several domestic destinations it intends to serve. The carrier, which claims to target the millennial traveller market, lists six cities it will fly to, including to Palembang, Batam, Medan as well as Jakarta. It adds that it will operate once daily to these cities. Super Air Jet was coy about a launch date, except to say that it is “preparing…for our inaugural flight…which will be scheduled soon”. “Various steps have been taken so that the upcoming inaugural flight will run according to schedule and meet aspects of operational standards of safety, security and comfort of air travel,” the carrier states. It will operate a low-cost model, beginning first with domestic, point-to-point flights, before expanding to international destinations. It adds that its domestic network will largely comprise cities “in demand with tourists and young business people”. Super Air Jet received its AOC in late-June, and has been cleared to start operations with three Airbus A320 aircraft. <br/>
A proposed Joint Operating Agreement between Papa New Guinea’s Link PNG and fellow domestic carrier PNG Air is likely to be turned down for competitive reasons, while a proposed code-share between the two airlines may only be authorised with amendments to limit anti-competitive effects. This is according to a draft determination by the country’s Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC), which has invited submissions from stakeholders and the public before making a final decision on the matter. This followed an application by Link PNG lodged on April 9, 2021, for authorisation to enter into a JOA which would include a code-share agreement with PNG Air for a period of five years. According to an ICCC statement, the JOA would include coordination of flight schedules, fleet allocation, operational and maintenance of services, and charter airline operations between the two airlines in the domestic market, covering scheduled and charter flights, as well as domestic air freight services. Link PNG’s proposed code-share agreement would be on a free-sale basis. ICCC Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Paulus Ain, said the regulator had provisionally determined that the code-share should only be conditionally authorised with amendments that would minimise likely anticompetitive effects and to ensure that the two airlines continued to compete in the long term.<br/>