No one thinks the aviation industry’s target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century will be easy. In fact, some argue that it’s not fast enough in the face of the global climate crisis, but a flurry of investment in new technologies and the new U.S. incentives are creating tangible progress toward achieving that net-zero target. “It’s going to take a lot of work but it’s absolutely achievable,” said Peter Hearding, the US FAA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs & Environment, during the JetBlue Ventures Sustainability in Travel Tech Summit in San Francisco Wednesday. He pointed to the agency’s aviation climate action plan published last year as how net-zero emissions will be achieved.<br/>Hearding’s optimism was in good company. Executives from Blade, JetBlue Airways, and aviation industry tech firms including battery developer Electric Power Systems and Universal Hydrogen, made similar comments. But there were concerns that current US policy, despite the FAA’s action plan, falls short of the challenge. The Inflation Reduction Act that President Biden signed into law in August provides the first US incentives for sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. It includes both blender and producer tax credits that expire in 2027, or in just five years. The law also includes incentives for the development of hydrogen and other renewable energy sources. “It’s great but it’s not enough,” Air Company Chief Technology Officer Stafford Sheehan said at the summit. <br/>
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In a securities filing on Thursday, Southwest Airlines said Bob Jordan would succeed to the position of President of the company on January 1, 2023, while also retaining the role of CEO he has had since earlier this year. Jordan, a 34-year-old veteran of the company, will step into a role being vacated by Michael G. Van de Ven, president and COO, who submitted his resignation. Andrew M. Watterson will rise to the position of COO as of October 1. <br/>
Canada's WestJet Group said on Thursday it has placed an order with Boeing for 42 MAX 10 jets in a deal valued at $5.67b at list prices, adding to a number of narrowbody orders secured by the U.S. planemaker this year. Boeing has a year-end deadline to win regulatory approval for the jet model. Otherwise, it must meet new cockpit alerting requirements under a 2020 law, unless US Congress waives it. Boeing CE Dave Calhoun said earlier this month there was still a chance US regulators could approve the single aisle jet before the deadline, but some customers and analysts do not think there is enough time remaining for the FAA to complete certification tasks. Calhoun told Aviation Week in July that Boeing could be forced to cancel the MAX 10 over potential regulatory issues. "WestJet has full confidence in the aircraft and has protection plans in place in the unlikely event of a delay," the airline said, when asked about the MAX 10's certification prospects this year. The Calgary-based carrier now has more than 60 firm orders for the 737 MAX jets, Boeing's best-selling single-aisle airplane family. Boeing has booked large orders for the 737 MAX this year, including an order for 100 MAX 10 jets from Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), speeding up the planemaker's recovery from successive crises caused by the pandemic and two plane crashes.<br/>
South African regional carrier Airlink is to acquire a 40% shareholding in the Namibian-based carrier FlyNamibia, which is operated by Westair Aviation. The agreement also involves a codeshare through which FlyNamibia will use Airlink’s designator. Airlink has not disclosed the terms of the strategic equity holding, but says it will “accelerate” the African state’s recovery from the pandemic and support expansion of scheduled airline services. It adds that it will provide technical and commercial skills training, and development support, for the Nambian operation. “We will be well-placed to achieve the economies of scale to make it economically feasible to connect and serve Namibia’s smaller towns and cities with Windhoek and other regional destinations,” says Airlink chief Rodger Foster. “This will also support our, and Namibia’s, shared longer-term ambition to establish [Windhoek’s] Hosea Kutako international airport as the central connecting hub and base.”<br/>FlyNamibia is a privately-owned carrier which emerged from Westair Aviation, originally as FlyWestair, in mid-2019 before adopting its current name last year. The carrier operates domestic and regional routes from Windhoek, including services to Cape Town, and conducts safari flights. <br/>
Starlux Airlines has listed on the Taiwanese stock exchange, as the airline eyes expansion opportunities with a travel recovery in full swing. The airline is currently listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s Emerging Stock Board, a preliminary trading board before an IPO. The listing comes more than two years since Starlux – founded by former EVA Air chairman Chang Kuo-wei – began operations. According to stock exchange information, the airline remains loss-making: it posted an operating loss of NT$2.4b ($75.6m) for the three months to 30 June, and was NT$3.2b in the red for 2021. Still, the airline is optimistic about its near-term opportunities, especially with Taiwan announcing plans to ease travel curbs from mid-October. In a statement announcing its listing, Starlux says: “With the gradual relaxation of border measures in various countries and the recovery of the tourism market…revenue from January to August this year increased by 131% compared with the same period last year.” With Taiwan’s travel restrictions set to lift from 13 October, Chang, who is airline chairman, says the seond-half of 2022 “is the peak period for Starlux”, with the number of flights in the fourth quarter of the year set to see a two-fold quarter-on-quarter rise. <br/>