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Unions that represent workers at JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines are divided on the proposed merger of the two companies, with one union throwing its support behind the deal and another asking federal officials to block it. In a letter on Thursday, the Transport Workers Union, which represents 6,800 JetBlue flight attendants, asked Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to prevent the merger. The union said it feared that JetBlue, which would acquire Spirit, had no intention of honoring worker contracts afterward, adding it was concerned that the deal would violate antitrust laws and undermine competition. Two days earlier, the Association of Flight Attendants-C.W.A., which represents 5,600 flight attendants at Spirit, gave the deal its blessing. The union’s leaders approved a tentative agreement with Spirit that includes higher wages and quality-of-life improvements, while also backing the merger. The union’s rank-and-file members have yet to vote on that agreement. The Justice Department is expected to decide soon whether to sue to prevent the merger. Spirit shareholders approved the deal in October, and the two airlines have complied with the department’s requests for additional information, most recently in December. As a result, Spirit’s chief executive, Ted Christie, told investor analysts and reporters in early February that he expected a decision on the suit “in the next 30 days or so.”<br/>

Discount start-up Avelo Airlines is planning a springtime expansion of its national network with three new destinations in Colorado, Texas and Virginia, bringing the total number of cities it serves to 35. In May, the ultra-low cost carrier plans to launch non-stop service between its base in Burbank, California and Brownsville South Padre Island International airport in Texas with twice-weekly flights, and thrice-weekly non-stop flights between Burbank and Colorado Springs airport, Avelo said on 23 February. In the same month, Avelo will also roll out twice-weekly flights between Orlando International airport and Charlottesville Albermarle airport and Orlando and Brownsville South Padre Island. “Avelo is growing again,” says chief executive Andrew Levy. “The addition of these three new destinations and four new exclusive non-stop routes exemplifies our commitment to bringing affordable, convenient and reliable air service to unserved and underserved communities across the country. As a Houston-based company, we are especially excited to welcome our first Texas market to Avelo’s network.” The flights will be operated with Avelo’s fleet of Boeing 737NGs. <br/>

Colombian low-cost carrier Viva Air said on Thursday it has appointed Francisco Lalinde as interim president and chief executive as the company faces financial challenges and a local debt restructuring process. Lalinde will replace Felix Antelo, who resigned citing health problems, the company said. The replacement in leadership comes as the company struggles with a debt restructuring process brought on by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in fuel prices during 2022, as well as the sharp devaluation of the Colombian peso. On Tuesday the carrier announced it was taking five of its Airbus A320 planes out of service, citing the financial costs of keeping them in the air, while it awaits a decision on a potential alliance with Avianca. "In my new role, I will continue to do what Felix has done on our behalf for the last five years: maintain open communication with our team and make sure we give it our all for Viva," Lalinde said in a statement. Lalinde had been serving as the company's operations vice-president. Viva and Colombia's flagship airline, Avianca, have restarted a merger process after repeated delays, including regulator objections and what the aviation governing body said were procedural irregularities. Ultra-low-cost airline JetSMART and LATAM have also expressed interest in taking over Viva. Viva, which emerged as a low-cost airline with operations in Colombia and Peru, continues to operate a fleet of 16 planes.<br/>

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that it will suspend flights between London Heathrow (LHR) and both Lahore (LHE) and Islamabad (ISB) in Pakistan. The airline's last flight between London Heathrow and Lahore is now scheduled to take off on 30 April with the last flight in the opposite direction set for 1 May. Virgin's final flight between Heathrow and Islamabad is slated to depart on 8 July, with the return leg scheduled for 9 July 2023. “As we continue to ramp up our flying programme in 2023, we’ve taken the opportunity to review our entire network and decided to make a few changes," said a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson. “Following this review, it is with regret that we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our services between London Heathrow and Pakistan. Since commencing operations in December 2020, we have been proud to offer choice for customers travelling between London and Manchester [also now suspended] in the UK, and Islamabad and Lahore in Pakistan. During that time, we have also provided important cargo capacity, as well as delivering vital medical supplies." The airline has indicated that it will communicate to any customers who will be affected by the cancellations as to provide them options, which include rebooking, where applicable, or a full refund.<br/>

Indian low-cost airline IndiGo is negotiating the purchase of "several hundred aircrafts" from Airbus, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said in comments published by Les Echos on Thursday. The contract could be signed at the French airshow in Le Bourget in June, the paper said, adding that Le Maire made the comments during his trip to India for a G20 Summit. An Airbus spokesperson said the company was constantly in discussions with airlines but said he could not comment on any talks that may, or may not, be going on. IndiGo did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Last week Indigo's domestic rival Air India unveiled deals in a record order for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. The provisional deals include 220 planes from Boeing and 250 from Airbus and eclipse previous records for a single airline as Air India vies with domestic giant IndiGo to serve what will soon be the world's largest population.<br/>

Bangkok Airways narrowed its operating loss for 2022, as revenues doubled on the back of significant growth in passenger numbers. For the year ended 31 December 2022, the airline posted an operating loss of Bt889m ($25.6m), improving on the Bt2.5b loss in 2021 when much of Thailand remained shut. Operating revenue more than doubled year on year to Bt12.7b, with passenger travel revenue seeing a six-fold jump. The airline carried 2.6m passengers in 2022, about five times higher than 2021. However, the airline notes its system-wide capacity remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Despite restarting a number of international routes – even increasing frequencies on some of them – the airline says it was operating at around 40% pre-pandemic capacity as at end-2022. Full-year costs rose 69% to Bt13.8b, led mainly by an increase in fuel costs, with other operating-related expenses increasing year on year as more flights resumed. Bangkok Airways posted a net loss of Bt2.1b, narrowing from the Bt8.5b net loss posted in the year-ago period. The airline ended the year with 35 aircraft, two aircraft fewer than in 2021.<br/>