Grupo Aeromexico, the parent company of Mexico’s legacy carrier Aeromexico says a total domestic recovery – coupled with a significant jump in international markets – has helped it almost double revenue during the first quarter. The Mexico City-based carrier’s revenue rose to Ps.12.9b ($630m) from Ps.6.6b during the same three months in 2021, the company says in its earnings report for the first three months of 2022 on 27 April. “During the quarter Aeromexico’s capacity as measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs) represented about 80% of the same period of pre-pandemic 2019, mainly driven by the full recovery of the domestic market, and the sequential recovery in international markets,” the company says. Domestic capacity rose to 99% of 2019 levels, with revenue up 71.5%. International capacity was at 72% of 2019 levels, and revenue for that segment rose almost 160%.<br/>
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Airbus and ITA Airways are to explore the potential for urban air mobility (UAM) services in Italy, which could eventually see the flag carrier operating the CityAirbus NextGen electric aircraft, which is currently in development. Covered by a memorandum of understanding, the agreement – its first such pact with an airline – will see the partners “explore the creation of tailored UAM services, by identifying strategic use cases for emission-free mobility solutions”, says Airbus. In addition, new local partners could be brought into the project, to allow the “safe and sustainable launch of operations with the CityAirbus NextGen” vehicle. The parties will also work on pilot use cases to boost public acceptance of UAM operations “by demonstrating the added value that it can bring to communities”. ITA Airways, which began operating in 2021 as a successor to bankrupt Alitalia, has previously signed a broad aircraft order agreement with Airbus to modernise its fleet.<br/>
China Eastern Airlines Wednesday asked the US DoT to let it extend the rerouting of New York-to-Shanghai flights over COVID-19 measures to a different Chinese airport through the end of May. The department in March granted China Eastern’s request to move existing twice weekly Shanghai westbound passenger flights from New York to China’s Fuzhou Change International Airport in Fuji province through the end of April. <br/>