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Hundreds of passengers and crew on an Air India flight from New Delhi to San Francisco face a tense wait to complete their flight after an engine problem forced them to land in the far east of Russia. The emergency landing at Magadan, on the Sea of Okhotsk, raises questions about how Russian authorities will treat the Boeing 777 aircraft and its GE Aerospace engines, as well as any people among the 216 passengers and 16 crew carrying passports from countries seen as hostile to Russia. The US State Department said it could not confirm if any American citizens were on board the service, adding that it was “monitoring the situation closely”. However, given the flight’s destination, there are almost certain to be many. Air India said it would send an alternative aircraft to allow passengers to complete the journey from Magadan to San Francisco on Wednesday. “The authorities are extending all co-operation in our effort to ensure that passengers safely reach their destination at the earliest,” the airline said. The carrier had earlier said the flight, numbered AI173, had developed a “technical issue” with one of its engines. “The flight with 216 passengers and 16 crew was diverted and landed safely in Magadan airport in Russia,” Air India said. It is unclear whether engineers from either Boeing or GE — both US companies — would be allowed to travel to Russia to service the aircraft, given US sanctions against the country following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After the imposition of sanctions, Russia has seized scores of western-owned chartered aircraft that were under Russian operators’ control.<br/>

Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said a reserve Air India plane is scheduled to land early on Wednesday in Russia's Far East to pick up passengers whose flight on Tuesday was forced to land at an airport there. "The planned landing time is 6 a.m. Moscow time (0300 GMT) on June 7," Rosaviatsia said on the Telegram messaging app. The agency said it gave permission for the reserve plane to land in Russia's Magadan, a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk. An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco with 216 passengers and 16 crew onboard was forced to divert and land in Magadan after a technical issue with one of its engines, the airline said on Tuesday.<br/>

United Airlines has made what Panasonic Avionics says is “the largest IFE investment in history” after agreeing to become the North American launch customer for its Astrova in-flight entertainment solution. The deal follows an earlier commitment by United in 2021 to install Panasonic’s X Series and NEXT IFE systems on both widebody and narrowbody aircraft. United will install a total of about 300,000 Panasonic screens through the two agreements, as part of its plan to put seatback monitors in every seat. United’s aim is for its aircraft to become “one really big airborne movie theatre”, says the carrier’s managing director of identity, product and loyalty, Mark Muren. The US carrier will begin installing Astrova monitors on its international fleet of Airbus A321XLRs and Boeing 787s in 2025. Panasonic also announced at the show that it has expanded its Astrova portfolio – which the company launched at last year’s AIX – to include five new, different-sized 4K OLED monitors for first- and business- class cabins, in addition to the 13in and 16in screens with which it launched. The new screens range in size from 19in to 42in. The company says that every screen size introduced at this year’s show has already been selected by an airline. Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) announced at the show that it will retrofit up to 30 of its Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s with the Astrova solution. The airline’s vice-president of marketing and product management, Essam Akhonbay, tells FlightGlobal that it will install 22in and 27in monitors in its premium cabins and 13in screens in economy. He says the solution “brings the on-the-ground experience passengers are looking for on board”. <br/>

Ethiopian Airlines is in talks with Airbus and Boeing over potential plane orders and is expecting to make a decision by the end of the year, CE Mesfin Tasew said. The carrier is evaluating the Airbus A350-1000, Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 777X, Tasew told Reuters on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the IATA in Istanbul. The airline is also studying narrow-body jets and the smaller Airbus A220 and Embraer E195-E2, he added. <br/>

The head of Korean Air Lines said he is willing to make concessions to international regulators so the carrier’s merger with Asiana Airlines can go through. “We are in this 100%, we will make it happen regardless of what we have to give up,” CEO Walter Cho said Monday. “I feel strongly, I’m going to push it all the way.” The plan to combine with national rival Asiana in a 1.8t won ($1.4b) deal, announced in 2020, has faced resistance from regulators in the US, Europe and Japan, who say it would hinder competition on routes. China, Australia, the UK and others approved the move following proposals to reduce Korean Air-Asiana’s market share, such as transferring airport slots. “Basically they’re asking for more competition,” Cho said of the US, Europe and Japan. “We believe we have a good solution for it and I am positive I can convince them.” Cho was speaking at the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting, where the mood was buoyant in the wake of the pandemic, with many carriers now returning to profit and posting record revenues. Demand to the Americas and Europe is near pre-Covid levels and yields are even stronger, Cho said. “China is a little weaker, but is still opening up, so towards the end of the year we expect full regaining of demand,” he said. <br/>

The union of pilots affiliated with Asiana Airlines plans to begin delaying aircraft takeoffs starting Wednesday, with both domestic and international flights operated by the airline to experience mass departure delays. Aircraft departures could be delayed by more than one hour if the pilots go ahead with the work-to-rule delay plan, and if the pilots choose to taxi the aircraft at low speeds on the ground, the delay times are expected to increase further. According to the aviation industry, the pilots' union of Asiana Airlines conducted a vote from May 23 to 28 on whether to take action in response to a dispute over wages. Out of a total of 1,095 union members, 946 participated in the vote, with 874 in favor and 72 against. As the support rate exceeded 90%, the union made plans to establish a dispute response committee and engage in work-to-rule delays to aircraft operations starting Wednesday. Asiana Airlines' pilots and flight attendants usually gather for a briefing 80 minutes prior to takeoff. However, they had been gathering 30 to 40 minutes earlier than that for smooth boarding and takeoff procedures. Starting from Wednesday, the pilot union plans to stop holding the flight briefings so early, which is set to cause delays of at least 30 minutes for boarding. Even after passengers have completed boarding, flight times can be delayed further. The pilots plan to adhere to the legally prescribed ground operation speeds and fly only within the minimum required speeds and altitudes. For domestic air routes that operate multiple flights, these measures may lead to continuous delays, and for flights scheduled in the late afternoon, there is a high possibility of cancellations due to cumulative delays.<br/>

Japan’s two biggest airlines are in advanced talks to buy aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, with announcements possible as soon as the Paris Air Show this month, according to people familiar with the matter. All Nippon Airways is looking to place orders for as many as 50 Airbus A321neo jets, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential deliberations. Japan Airlines Co. is working to secure single-aisle aircraft, including the A321neo, along with Boeing 787 widebodies. ANA wants to introduce short-to-mid-haul aircraft as part of a plan to exceed its pre-pandemic fleet size by 2030, President Shinichi Inoue said at the IATA annual general meeting in Istanbul. He declined to comment on specific interest in future aircraft orders. The airline is looking to replace its fleet of older Boeing 767s, a midsize widebody no longer being made for passenger use, and its remaining 737s, the people said. Japan has traditionally been a stronghold for Boeing, which has used the country’s close political and trade ties with the US to build a dominant position among carriers in the market. Airbus has made some inroads in the country, and the A321neo has become one of its best-selling models because it offers range and improved fuel economies over older Boeing jets.<br/>

All Nippon Airways (ANA) does not expect major delays in the delivery of its new aircraft, including the Boeing 737 Max and 777-9 widebodies. In a press briefing held at the IATA AGM in Istanbul, airline president and CE Shinichi Inoue says ANA remains on track to receive its first 737 Max and 777-9 in fiscal 2025, which begins on 1 April 2025. According to Cirium fleets data, the airline has 20 737 Max 8s, as well as 18 777-9s, on order. Inoue’s comments comes amid wider supply chain woes to hit the aviation sector, which has led to delivery delays for many airlines. The 777-9 programme, in particular, has seen its commercial service entry delayed for a few years. “This is the current schedule we have and we cannot comment on future possibilities. We are committed to securing the necessary number of aircraft, by carefully managing the retirement plan of our current aircraft,” says Inoue, who spoke in Japanese. Inoue adds that the airline will make the 787 a mainstay of its long-term fleet strategy, in line with its medium-term outlook which also includes plans to expand their fleet beyond pre-pandemic numbers by 2030 The airline chief also confirms that its Airbus A380s – the largest aircraft in its fleet – are unlikely be redeployed to other cities in its network. ANA has a small fleet of three Airbus A380s, which it flies exclusively from Japan to Hawaii. The Star Alliance carrier has two of the three superjumbos in service, and Inoue says the third example is likely to return to service by March 2024, depending on demand. Separately, Inoue confirms that the launch of its medium-haul unit AirJapan remains “on schedule” for the spring of 2024. The unit, which will operate 787s, targets leisure travellers from Southeast Asia, though Inoue did not specify where its launch destinations were. AirJapan’s launch was delayed in 2022 amid a tepid international traffic recovery, and as Japan remained largely shut off to foreign arrivals.<br/>

Air New Zealand has won the Innovative Cabin Concepts category at the 2023 Crystal Cabin Awards for its upcoming Skynest offering, which allows economy passengers to hire a lie-flat bed on long-haul flights. The award, one of many handed out at a ceremony in Hamburg, Germany overnight, honours "an outstanding level of innovation that offers a new level of passenger experience". Air NZ also won the Onboard Hospitality Cabin Concept of the Year Award for its Future Aircraft Cabin Experience (FACE) programme. The Crystal Cabin Award wins come a week after Air NZ was named the world's best airline by AirlineRatings.com, as well as "most attractive" employer in Aotearoa by Randstad research. "It's an incredibly proud moment for us to receive this award," said Air NZ head of aircraft programmes Kerry Reeves, who was in Hamburg to accept the Crystal Cabin awards. "On the scale of airlines around the world we're a small player - so innovating, listening to our customers and producing products that push the boundaries is how we stand out and compete on a global scale. The development of the Skynest has been a labour of love. As it's a world-first there are plenty of hoops we need to jump through and problems we need to solve, but the popularity and excitement around it coming to market is what keeps us going."<br/>