Royal Jordanian Airlines believes the Jordanian government will continue to support the flag-carrier as it strives to restore profitability. The airline turned in a JD29.7m ($41.9m) pre-tax loss for Q1 to 31 March, compared with a JD36.4m loss for the same period in 2021. Revenues of JD98.7m included JD72.4m from passenger transport and JD8.6m from cargo. Royal Jordanian’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by JD150m at the end of the quarter, and its accumulated losses of nearly JD351m exceeded the company’s capital. But the airline has been receiving assistance from the government through capital increases – two tranches, each of JD25m, were received in 2020 and 2021 – and procedures for the latest hike of JD50m were completed in December. Royal Jordanian says it has received assurances from the government, through the finance ministry, that it is “in favour” of continuing to support the airline’s future operations, as it restructures its business.<br/>
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Synthetic fuel could start replacing traditional petroleum and plant-based biofuels by as early as the mid-2030s, helping to decarbonise long-distance air travel, Australian airline Qantas has said. The Sydney-based group said so-called power-to-liquid technology — which manufactures synthetic hydrocarbon fuel by extracting carbon from the air and hydrogen from water via renewable energy before mixing them together — could prove the “nirvana” of sustainable aviation fuel. This is because it would not compete with food production as crop-based biofuel does by taking up valuable arable land. Chief sustainability officer Andrew Parker said hydrogen- and battery- powered planes may be suitable for very short flights but would not have the range to replace traditional aircraft on longer routes, posing a challenge for airlines travelling to and from countries such as Australia. “We don’t see that, based on existing technology, you will be on a Sydney to London Qantas plane with a hydrogen fuel cell or battery cell,” he said. “Hydrogen-powered aircraft will not have range capability. These will be short-haul aircraft.” Qantas last week announced an order of 12 long-haul Airbus A350-1000 aircraft that will carry passengers nonstop from London to Sydney, one of the longest direct routes in the world. The announcement caused consternation among climate groups over how the order would be consistent with the airline’s plan to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Parker said sustainable aviation fuel was the most realistic path to net zero because it could be used to power conventional jet aircraft, including the new A350-1000s. This fuel would initially come from biofuels made from waste cooking oils, waste plant or crop material or even tallow from abattoirs. But he added that power-to-liquid fuel could begin replacing fossil fuel-based aviation fuel and biofuel by the mid-2030s.<br/>
Qantas and Boeing are revising aircraft maintenance procedures after one of the carrier’s 787-9s flew from Melbourne to Los Angeles without having the covers of its engine static ports removed. All four ports – two on each of the General Electric GEnx engines’ fan cowls – had been taped over, along with others on the fuselage, by an engineer as part of the parking process during the jet’s scheduled 39h layover at Melbourne. But a second engineer, tasked with restoring the aircraft to flight on 21 September last year, was “unaware” that the fan cowl ports had been covered and did not check, says the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. The aircraft subsequently took off for Los Angeles on 22 September with the ports still covered, although the inquiry states that the 787’s flight proceeded normally and the jet’s operation was unaffected. Fan cowl static ports provide air pressure data to the engine electronic control if the normal air-data reference system becomes unreliable. They are among 14 static ports located on the 787’s fuselage, engines and fin. Boeing’s cover procedure for the cowl ports includes fitting a 1m long streamer, which needs to be taped down to avoid being torn off by strong winds. This, however, reduces its visibility because it does not flap in the breeze. Story has more.<br/>