JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes told employees on Monday that the planned rollout of new 5G service by AT&T and Verizon on Wednesday is set to “further stress our already fragile air system.” Hayes said in a memo the airline is preparing for the “worst” when the new service and new flight restrictions take effect. “While we will do our best to avoid customer disruption, we won’t be able to avoid the impact of this, including significant flight delays, cancellations, and diversions in low visibility flying,” Hayes wrote.<br/>
unaligned
Last year, Emirates had the internet talking about its commercial featuring a cabin crew member standing atop the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Now the airline has done it again, this time adding a giant Airbus A380 flying behind the woman at what appears to be a frightfully short distance. In the latest commercial, the crew member - who is actually a stuntwoman - is again standing on the pinnacle of the Burj Khalifa. Holding a sign saying: "I'm still here," the woman invites viewers to visit Expo 2020 Dubai, which is taking place over the next few months, despite its name. She then looks off camera and changes to a sign saying "here come my friends". Her friends happen to be flying in a giant A380 which lines up and does a fly-by past the top of the Burj Khalifa. The whole project involved in-depth planning and meticulous execution, with a strong focus on safety as it flies a giant aircraft around a person strapped to the world's tallest building.<br/>
A new Hong Kong-based airline with ties to Beijing is considering ordering up to 30 narrow-body jets from either Boeing or Airbus as it tries to establish itself in a market dominated by Cathay Pacific. Greater Bay Airlines, which is awaiting final approval to operate commercial passenger flights out of Hong Kong, is assessing whether to opt for Boeing’s 737 Max 10 model jets or Airbus’s A321neos, a person with direct knowledge of the plan said. Such an order could amount to as much as $1.77b. The carrier, founded by property magnate Bill Wong, is in talks with both Boeing and Airbus, according the person, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. The timing and eventual size of the order depends on the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong, the person said. “We shall continue to revisit our aircraft needs to match with customer needs and our expansion strategy under the dynamic market conditions,” Jodie Lai, head of marketing at Greater Bay Airlines, said by email. Greater Bay Airlines has laid out an ambitious plan to fly to 104 destinations in mainland China and much of Asia, even as its Hong Kong base sticks to a rigid Covid-Zero strategy that threatens to wreck the city’s status as an international hub and has left Cathay reeling. <br/>
A new low-cost carrier appears poised to enter Malaysia’s Airline market, according to a report in the country’s The Edge newspaper. The name of the new carrier will be MYAirline, says The Edge. The former name of MYAirline is 79 Elite, which has a Conditional Approval for Air Service License (ASL) from the Malaysian Aviation Commission. The commission’s web site indicates that the ASL will expire on 31 December. In a recent post on LinkedIn, independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie stated that a new Malaysian carrier would launch in the first half of 2022 operating with leased Airbus A320s. A subsequent research note from Malaysian brokerage CGSCIMB notes that two A320s have already been leased. According to the The Edge, three MYAirline directors were previously senior figures in Malaysia’s aviation sector. MYAirline will apparently operate with an ‘Ultra-low-cost-carrier’ model.<br/>