Spirit Airlines has a plan that could get it access to Washington’s Reagan National Airport along with other budget carriers that have little or no presence at the sought-after D.C. gateway. In a letter sent June 9 to Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the Florida-based discounter proposed a solution for the slot-constrained airport that would allow new flights beyond its 1,250-mile perimeter, open the facility to new discount competition, and keep in place the current cap on total flights. Airlines with existing slots at National could convert an unlimited number to fly beyond the perimeter but they would have to give up an equal number of slots to budget airlines or new entrants for inside the perimeter flights. Put another way, for every new round-trip flight longer than 1,250 miles, say to San Diego, on American Airlines or United Airlines, a discounter like Spirit or Frontier Airlines would also be able to add a new round-trip flight inside the perimeter, for example to Florida. “A reassessment of the slot and perimeter rules at DCA is long overdue and should not become an occasion to further entrench high fare legacy airlines,” Spirit CEO Ted Christie said in the letter. “Rather the public’s demand for more competition and lower fares should guide any new legislation.” Spirit’s letter to the senators has not previously been reported and the airline’s proposal was confirmed to Skift by a person familiar with the plan. Christie wrote the senators following the introduction in the House of Representatives of a Delta Air Lines-backed measure that would create 28 slot pairs at National for new longer-distance flights. One slot pair is needed for a round-trip flight. While the Senate has yet to mark up its own version of the legislation, The Washington Post has reported that it plans to include four new beyond-perimeter slot pairs in its upcoming Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill. Both proposals are seen as starting points in a debate over longer-distance flights at National airport that will likely continue until a final FAA reauthorization bill is voted on.<br/>
unaligned
WestJet's decision to bring Sunwing Airlines under its main banner could mean less service and higher fares – particularly in Western Canada and smaller cities across the country, experts say. Sunwing told employees it was being absorbed by its new owner on Wednesday, less than a week after WestJet announced plans to shutter discount subsidiary Swoop. Given the narrower flight options and pricier tickets likely to result from the merger of former competitors, the latest move is "not good news" for consumers looking to head to warmer getaways, said John Gradek, who teaches at McGill University's aviation management program. "There will be a reduction in air services and there will be a corresponding increase in prices," Gradek said. WestJet and Sunwing comprise 37% of seat capacity on direct flights to sun destinations, and 72% from Western Canada, according to an October report from the Competition Bureau. WestJet completed its acquisition of Sunwing's main airline and vacation divisions last month in a major consolidation of the Canadian aviation market. As a condition of Ottawa's sign-off on the deal, the parties pledged to maintain capacity on the most affected routes and keep both the Sunwing Vacations head office in Toronto and a regional one in Montreal for at least five years. WestJet confirmed in an email that Sunwing Vacations will continue as a separate entity, setting the stage for the Calgary-based carrier to fly Sunwing tour package customers to their resort spots. Sunwing Vacations has been a price leader in the Canadian market, said Gradek. "The question is, how much does WestJet charge Sunwing Vacations for the use of those airplanes?" But aviation consultant Rick Erickson said he thinks that rival carriers will ensure a healthy mix of competition for sun destinations, with some fares barely affected. "I don't think there's going to be a great deal of change, largely because consumers are fairly savvy, the Competition Bureau's out there watching and there are other players in the market," he said.<br/>
Saudi low-cost operator Flynas has firmed up an order for 30 Airbus A320neos, which will allow it to grow its international network. The latest order adds to an existing order book of 90 A320neos. Flynas also has 10 A321XLRs on order, which were firmed up at the 2019 Dubai air show. “The addition of these new aircraft will support the airline’s growth plans as it continues to expand its international routes and destinations network,” says Airbus in a 19 June statement. The carrier currently has a fleet of 32 A320neos, and is Saudi Arabia’s first operator of the type. The all-Airbus operator also operates 13 A320ceos and four A330-300s. The latest commitment is the European airframer’s second order announcement on the first day of the Paris air show. It comes an hour after Air Mauritius confirmed an order for three more Airbus A350s. <br/>
Riyadh Air CE Tony Douglas expects the ambitious start-up to be connecting the Saudi Arabian city to every major capital city in Europe as part of its aim to serve over 100 destinations by 2030. The Saudi carrier will launch operations in 2025 and Douglas says it expects to start detailing network plans next year. “We will probably get to first quarter of next year, as we start getting closer to ticket window for the widebody, to explain what the network profile looks like. Without specifying destinations, Douglas adds: “The Riyadh Air brand will be a high-end, full-service carrier brand and therefore synonymous with that. ”It’s not going to be terribly difficult to work it out. In simple terms, it will probably be every major capital city in Europe, plus the obvious USA touchpoints – particularly on the eastern coast. We’ll be talking about all the major capital cities in the far east, and then coming progressively back to the Middle East.” Douglas was speaking at a briefing in Paris, where the carrier has a Boeing 787-9 showing its livery for the first time on the static aircraft display. Riyadh Air already has an order for 39 Dreamliners and options on another 33. It is also negotiating a large narrowbody aircraft order, though that will not be announced at Le Bourget. ”The reason why we went widebodies first is in terms of connecting the Kingdom to the world, the biggest gaps are on those kinds of segments,” says Douglas. ”The 787-9 deliveries start in 2025. We’ve got a delivery schedule with Boeing and the trick with this over the next two years is literally every week, every month… is making sure they continue to deliver on all of those, because as we get them, they will be going straight into service.”<br/>
Europe’s Airbus announced the biggest plane deal in history on the opening day of the Paris Airshow on Monday, with an order for 500 narrowbody jets from Indian budget carrier IndiGo. The multibillion-dollar deal is the largest ever by number of aircraft, eclipsing Air India’s provisional purchase of 470 jets earlier this year as India’s two largest carriers plan for a sharp expansion in regional travel demand. The deal follows months of negotiations first reported by Reuters. “This is just the beginning, there’s more going forward. With the growth of India (and) the growth of the Indian aviation market ... this is the right time for us to place this order,” IndiGo CE Pieter Elbers told a news conference. The aircraft will be delivered between 2030 and 2035. Efforts by Indian carriers to keep pace with the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, serving the largest population, have sent industry records tumbling even though manufacturers are struggling to meet output goals. Indian carriers now have the second-largest order book, with an over 6% share of the industry backlog, behind only the United States, according to a June 1 report by Barclays. But some analysts have expressed concern that airlines could be over-ordering jets in pursuit of the same passengers. After signing the IndiGo deal, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said it was premature to start thinking about narrowbody jet production rates higher than the planned 75 per month. IndiGo, which accounts for nearly 60% of the Indian domestic market, was widely expected to keep Airbus as its supplier of single-aisle jets to squeeze out further economies of scale. It continues to hold separate talks with Airbus and rival Boeing for 25 widebody planes, which could either be Airbus A330neos or Boeing 787 jets, sources have said.<br/>
India’s Akasa Air is in talks with Boeing Co. to place a small follow-on order for 737 Max single-aisle jets if it can lock down financing, according to people familiar with the matter. The US planemaker is working to finalize negotiations as soon as this week at the Paris Air Show, the people said, asking not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. Funding is one obstacle, after the death of Akasa’s billionaire founder and the failure of India’s Go Airlines, they said, adding there’s no certainty an accord will fall into place. If an agreement comes together, Akasa may order 10 or fewer aircraft, one of the people said. A Boeing representative declined to comment. Akasa wasn’t immediately available for commet. Akasa, India’s newest airline, began flying just last year. The carrier has received 20 of the 72 Max jets it’s already ordered. In March, CEO Vinay Dube said the low-cost carrier would place a three-digit order for more aircraft by year-end. Since then, Go Airlines’ insolvency has made aircraft lessors wary of further exposure to the market. India’s famously cutthroat aviation industry is seeing blockbuster orders from newly-privatized Air India Ltd., and market leader IndiGo is expected to double its jet backlog with a 500-plane order at the show. Akasa’s Founder, billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, died in August, raising questions about the airline’s future funding.<br/>
State-owned carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines has decided to purchase 10 planes from Airbus, in a shift from its Boeing-dominated (BA.N) fleet, the South Asian country's junior minister for civil aviation told Reuters on Monday. "As per our requirement, the decision has been taken to purchase 10 aircraft in phases. The technical committee is assessing now," Mahbub Ali said. Ali's comments came after sources said the airline was close to a deal to buy 10 Airbus A350 widebody planes, marking its first order with the French planemaker. It was not clear whether the deal would be finalised in time for the Paris Airshow, which opens on Monday. Airbus declined to comment. Biman did not respond to a request for comment. "Every country has both Airbus and Boeing in their fleet. We didn't have an Airbus in our fleet," Ali said, as the airline looks to break its reliance on the US planemaker that typically dominates widebody orders. The 51-year-old airline has a fleet of more than 20 mostly Boeing planes, over half of which are widebodies, and some Dash-8 turboprops.<br/>
A passenger attempted to open the plane door during flight early Monday, the second such incident in less than a month after the shocking mid-air door opening accident on an Asiana Airlines flight. The door did not open in Monday's incident, and no one was hurt. The unidentified passenger tried to force the door open on a Jeju Air flight that was on its way to Incheon from Cebu in the Philippines, according to the airline and online postings by passengers. The Boeing 737 plane, carrying about 180 passengers aboard, had departed from Cebu at 1:49 a.m. About an hour into the flight, the passenger began to act strange, complaining he felt pressure on his chest, according to Jeju Air. The flight crew offered to move him to a seat near the jump seats, but he continued his abnormal behavior and ran toward the exit to force the door open. The flight attendants and some other passengers subdued the passenger, three hours before landing, and the person was immediately handed over to the Incheon airport police afterward, Jeju Air said. An online account posted by an apparent eyewitness claimed a male passenger had threatened he "will open the door and get everybody killed." A Jeju Air official said there was no damage or casualties thanks to the prompt action by the crew. Monday's incident follows a similar commotion in late May, in which a passenger on an Asiana Airlines plane from Jeju Island opened an emergency door right before landing at an airport in Korea's southern city of Daegu.<br/>
A Scoot plane’s left nose wheel was missing when it landed in Taipei for a scheduled stop on Monday morning while flying from South Korea to Singapore. No one was injured. Scoot, is a Singaporean low-cost airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. It began its operations on 4 June 2012 on medium and long-haul routes from Singapore, predominantly to various airports throughout the Asia-Pacific region According to local media, the wheel fell off when Scoot Flight TR897 landed at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport at 12.06am on Monday. Photos online show the left nose wheel missing from the aircraft parked at the airport. The affected plane was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, whose landing gear near the front of the aircraft – or nose – has two wheels. The nose wheel helps an aircraft to manoeuvre on the ground as well as to maintain directional control during take-off and landing. In response to queries, a Scoot spokesman said a technical fault was detected upon landing in Taipei on Monday. The flight, which was to depart Taipei for Singapore at 1.30am on Monday, was subsequently cancelled, he added.<br/>
Vietjet will furnish its future fleet of 200 Boeing 737 Max 8-200s with Safran’s Z200 seat, with deliveries to start in 2024. The economy-class seats are designed for use aboard aircraft serving short- and medium-haul routes, and are 1kg (2.2lb) lighter than previous-generation seats, which Safran says will help reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions. The seats include a holder for personal electronic devices and USB ports for charging. The commitment involves the delivery of about 24,000 economy-class seas. “The selection of the latest generation seat Z200 affirms Vietjet’s commitment to modernising our fleet by investing in the core details of the aircraft’s cabin interior to ensure passengers’ utmost comfort and convenience,” says airline CE Dinh Viet Phuong. The 737 Max 8-200 is a high-density version of the Max 8. The carrier ordered 100 in 2016 and 100 in 2019. It reaffirmed its commitment to the orders at the 2022 Farnborough air show, with deliveries to run from 2024 to 2028.<br/>