JetBlue Airways is at a nearly quarter-century crossroads. The airline’s first flight took off from New York City for Fort Lauderdale in February 2000. Twenty-two years later, JetBlue executives again set their sights on South Florida with a surprise bid for Spirit Airlines. That first flight was a success, the bid was not. Spirit on Monday rejected JetBlue’s $3.6b all-cash offer and said it was sticking with a deal to merge with fellow ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines, an agreement struck in February valued at $2.9 billion. Spirit’s stock fell more than 9% on Monday after it announced it was turning down the JetBlue offer in favor of the Frontier deal, while JetBlue’s rose more than 2%. Miramar, Florida-based Spirit cited regulatory concerns in turning down the offer, saying it doubted a JetBlue acquisition would get approved, in part because of JetBlue’s Northeast partnership with American Airlines, which the Justice Department sued to block last year. The DOJ argued in its suit that it would drive up fares and hurt competition, specifically mentioning the importance of smaller carriers like JetBlue. JetBlue said it would divest Spirit assets in New York, Boston and some in Florida under a revised offer. The discount carrier still said no. Spirit CEO Ted Christie said during the airline’s Q1 call Thursday that he has “wondered whether blocking our deal with Frontier is, in fact, their goal.” Spirit’s rejection leaves JetBlue Airways at a turning point. Nearly 24 years after it was incorporated, JetBlue has grown from a quirky leisure airline based in New York City with one class of service into the sixth-largest airline in the US with more than 100 destinations from Los Angeles to Lima, Peru.<br/>
unaligned
A jetliner attempting to land in Mexico City aborted its approach at the last second to avoid hitting a plane taxiing on the runway, an airline official said Sunday. Video circulating on social media showed the near-miss involving two Airbus jets belonging to low-cost Mexican carrier Volaris Saturday night at Benito Juarez Airport, the busiest in Latin America. The airline did not disclose the flight numbers, exact model of aircraft or how many passengers were aboard. "Thanks to the training of our pilots ... no passenger or crew member was at risk during the incident reported the night of May 7," Volaris CEO Enrique Beltranea wrote on Twitter. Mexican news organizations said Victor Hernandez Sandoval, a senior communications ministry official who redesigned air traffic patterns over the sprawling city so it could operate two airports, had tendered his resignation. The video shows one plane about to land when it suddenly pulls up to avoid hitting the jetliner taxiing on the ground. Because of saturation at the current facility, the previous government began construction of a second airport in Texcoco, a suburb of the city. But President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador scrapped that plan after taking office in favor of turning an existing military base into an airport. It is now operating on a limited basis, with a few flights on mainly domestic routes. Aviation experts have questioned the idea of operating two airports in a city surrounded by mountains and located 2,200 meters above sea level.<br/>
Chile's LATAM Airlines received backing by a majority of its unsecured creditors in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy exit plan, the airline said Friday. LATAM, which filed for bankruptcy in the United States in 2020 after being hit by the coronavirus-related travel downturn, said around 65% of its low-ranking creditors had backed the plan, which it said was "fair and considered all stakeholders." A committee representing junior creditors filed an objection to the restructuring plan in court Monday, calling it "fundamentally flawed" and alleging it would improperly benefit shareholders such as Delta Airlines at their expense. LATAM Airlines, created in 2012 following the merger of Chile's LAN with Brazilian rival TAM and with operating units in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, still has to bring dissenting stakeholders on board. The plan, in which LATAM hopes to raise $5.4b, has also received objections from a Chilean bank representing local bondholders and the U.S. Department of Justice's bankruptcy watchdog. The airline's lawyers will ask a New York judge to approve its proposal in court May 17. "LATAM continues to aim to complete the process and exit from Chapter 11 in the second half of 2022," the airline said.<br/>
The Benetton family and US fund Blackstone are expected to launch their E58b bid for Italy's Atlantia at the end of the summer, three sources said, after they filed their offer prospectus with authorities this week. The bidders, who have joined forces through investment vehicle Schemaquarantatre, aim to take the Italian motorway and airport operator private in the coming months. After announcing their takeover plan, the Benettons and Blackstone need to get it cleared by several authorities including Italy's market watchdog Consob, the Bank of Italy and the Bank of Spain. "The takeover could be ready at the end of the summer," one of the sources said, pointing to the second half of August or September for the launch of the bid on the stock market. The sources said the regulatory process could take three months, even though no major hurdles are expected. The Bank of Italy oversees Atlantia's digital toll payment unit Telepass, while Consob has to approve the prospectus. The Italian government would also likely have a say under its special vetting powers over strategic assets, such as Rome's airports, which are operated by Atlantia's AdR unit. The bid can already count on the backing of the Benetton family's holding company Edizione, which owns 33% of Atlantia, and Italian banking foundation CRT, which holds 4.5% in the infrastructure group.<br/>
A French court will open hearings Monday in the case of the 2009 crash of a Yemenia Airways flight that killed 152 people but miraculously left a 12-year-old girl alive. The Yemeni national airline, whose representatives will not be in the dock due to the country's still-raging civil war, faces a maximum fine of 225,000 euros ($240,000) for involuntary homicide and injuries in a trial expected to last four weeks. On June 29, 2009, flight Yemenia 626 was on approach to Moroni, the capital of the Comoros islands between Mozambique and Madagascar. Part of the archipelago is controlled by France as the overseas department of Mayotte. Among the 142 passengers and 11 crew were 66 French citizens who had transferred at the airport in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Rather than landing safely, just before 11:00 pm the Airbus A310 plunged into the Indian Ocean with its engines running at full throttle, killing everyone on board except Bahia Bakari, then just 12 years old. Although the black boxes were found weeks after the crash, France accused the Comoros government of dragging its feet in the investigation, while victims' families accused Yemen of lobbying to hinder a trial of the national carrier. "Thirteen years is a very long time, it's psychologically and morally exhausting, even physically," said Said Assoumani, president of a victims' association. "But after 13 years of waiting and impatience, the criminal trial has finally come." Investigators and experts found there was nothing wrong with the aircraft, blaming instead "inappropriate actions by the crew during the approach to Moroni airport, leading to them losing control".<br/>
The Algerian cabinet has authorised the national airline, Air Algerie, to purchase 15 new aircraft to open new routes to African and Asian destinations, Algerian State TV said on Sunday citing a cabinet statement.<br/>
Jeju Air, Korea's biggest carrier, said Monday it will resume the Busan-Singapore route next month as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand. Jeju Air will offer two flights a week on the Singapore route from June 24 after it suspended the route 28 months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company said. Singapore currently allows fully vaccinated travelers to visit the country without a quarantine period. Jeju Air also plans to resume two flights a week on the Busan-Bangkok route in late June. It resumed flights from Incheon to Saipan in July and Guam in November. Flights from Incheon to Weihai and Harbin in China, Cebu and Clark of the Philippines, and Osaka are currently available. Jeju Air used to operate 39 B737-800 chartered planes on 87 routes, including six domestic routes, before the pandemic. <br/>