Ultra low-cost carrier Allegiant Air has amended its agreement with Boeing to add options for up to 30 more 737 Max, and changed the mix of 737 variants it plans to acquire. The Las Vegas-based company said on 3 October that last week it amended a January 2022 deal with Boeing that had included orders 50 737 Max jets and options for 50 more. “Under the amended agreements, the mix of 737 Max 8-200 and 737 Max 7 aircraft has been altered so that there will be more 737 Max 8-200 aircraft and fewer 737 Max 7 aircraft,” the company says in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. “The amended agreements reflect a revised delivery schedule with the first delivery due under the amendment in late 2023 and the delivery schedule for the initial 50 aircraft to now extend through late 2025.” “In addition, the amended agreement now provides for revised terms to acquire as many as 80 (in total) additional 737 Max aircraft, subject to the terms of the agreement,” Allegiant adds. The airline currently operates an all-Airbus narrowbody fleet but decided to add Boeing jets for the first time with that January 2022 order. The Max 8-200 is a high-density variant of the baseline Max 8 currently being operated by Ryanair and Akasa Air. It can carry up to 210 passengers and has an extra pair of exit doors. Allegiant says it has shifted six 737 Max 7 jets to the 8-200 model. Between December 2023 and October 2025 the airline says it now expects “approximately two aircraft per month” to be delivered.<br/>
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After four major US airlines found unapproved aircraft parts from a UK-based vendor in their planes, WestJet says one of their aircraft was also affected. In a statement to Global News on Tuesday, the airline said the plane had to be grounded in August, as soon as the airline became aware of the situation. The airline said “the affected engine” was replaced. “I can confirm that WestJet received notice by a service provider on Aug. 4, 2023, that one of our aircraft was affected, containing certain parts that did not meet documentation requirement,” a WestJet spokesperson said. Global News had asked whether WestJet had looked for or detected any unapproved components from AOG Technics or other unauthorized providers in any aircraft. The airline said it immediately informed Transport Canada and grounded the flight out of an abundance of caution. The WestJet statement added: “Additionally, a thorough review was performed across WestJet’s entire fleet, which confirmed that no other aircraft were affected. Air Canada told Global News that they were not affected.<br/>
Travellers flying between Toronto and Montreal now have one less option for the winter after WestJet temporarily removed service between the two cities. WestJet spokesperson Madison Kruger said, however, that the route will return in April. "The WestJet Group remains extremely committed to Eastern Canada," said Kruger in an email. She added that WestJet is increasing its presence in eastern Canada with more non-stop flights to western Canada, "as well as providing more affordable leisure and sun travel opportunities across Canada." WestJet announced at the end of September that it would be folding its budget Sunwing Airlines(opens in a new tab) into the main WestJet brand. WestJet bought the Toronto-based Sunwing in May. <br/>
Ryanair flew 9% more passengers in September than in the same month last year, Europe's largest airline by passenger numbers said on Tuesday. The Irish airline said it flew 17.4m passengers last month, up from 15.9m a year earlier and 14.1m in September 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Flights were on average 94% full in September, unchanged on a year earlier. Ryanair expects traffic in its fiscal year to March 2024 to grow by 9% to a record 183.5m passengers. It set a string of all-time monthly traffic records over the busy summer months and CE Michael O'Leary said last week that current booking levels were around 4%-5% higher than last year. However, it lowered that forecast in July from 185m due to delays in Boeing plane deliveries and air traffic control strikes.<br/>
The head of European budget carrier Wizz Air voiced confidence that a troubled jet engine developed by Pratt & Whitney would overcome teething problems in the long term, while noting the glitches were yielding significant penalty payments. Hungary-based Wizz Air is the second-largest operator for the Geared Turbofan engine, which is in the midst of a second recall over production defects on top of a pattern of heavier than expected maintenance that has left some jets grounded. “Long term, I am totally confident in the GTF. Short term? We don’t know what we don’t know, so we try to understand the issues,” CEO and co-founder Jozsef Varadi said. Pratt & Whitney parent RTX said last month it would have to pull 600 to 700 GTF engines from Airbus A320neo jets for quality inspections over the next three years following the discovery of a rare powder-metal defect that can cause cracks. Wizz Air told analysts last week it expected a Pratt service bulletin within 1-1.5 months detailing the serial numbers of affected engines. But doubts remain over repair capacity and the availability of spare engines to keep planes flying. “I think we are in the final stage of the mapping process to see what issues we have and how to best address those issues ... through engine shop visits,” Varadi told Reuters. Currently the airline has three airplanes grounded as a result of the need for engine maintenance visits, which are on average taking 270 days, he said, rather than the usual 60. Wizz also told analysts last week the latest combustor included in a configuration called Block D was “not meeting full expectations, especially in severe environment(s)”.<br/>
The owner of the airline easyJet has launched a legal action to force a Leicester band to change their name, accusing the members of Easy Life of being “brand thieves”. EasyGroup, which has a long history of suing people and companies that it believes are cashing in on versions of its family of brand names, accused the band of infringing the rights of the online retailer Easylife. Easylife is an independent website that licenses its name from easyGroup for an annual fee. The easyJet owner has no financial interest in the business. The alternative indie pop band Easy Life was formed by the frontman, Murray Matravers, in 2017 and consists of five members. “With reference to the brand thief Mr Matravers and his fellow band members who have decided to use our brand, easyLife, without permission,” a spokesperson for easyGroup said, “we have a long established record of legally stopping thieves from using our brands and I am confident we will stop Mr Matravers.” The band turned to the social media site X, formerly Twitter, to defend themselves, saying they had “worked hard to establish our brand” and “in no way have we ever affected their business”. The band said: “They’re forcing us to change our name or take up a costly legal battle which we could never afford. Although we find the whole situation hilarious, we are virtually powerless against such a massive corporation.” EasyGroup, which was set up in 1998 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the owner of the easy family of brands, has a section of its website called “brand thieves” dedicated to its international legal battles to protect the company’s intellectual property.<br/>
South Africa’s public enterprises ministry is seeking to appeal a court decision last month requiring it to decide within 30 days on a proposed sale of low-cost carrier Mango Airlines. The grounded South African Airways low-cost arm has been in a formal business rescue process since the end of July 2021. Mango’s administrator, business rescue practitioner Sipho Sono, last year identified a potential investor to acquire SAA’s share in the airline. Sopho though has been at loggerheads with the ministry, which has been seeking more information from the investor amid previously raised – though subsequently dropped – concerns flagged by SAA. Frustrated by continued delays, Sopho, together with Mango and the NUMSA union, in February launched a legal bid to require the government to make a decision on the sale of the shares. A court on 6 September gave the ministry a 30-day deadline for the approval decision – including ”furnishing such reasons” for its conclusion. Failure to do so would mean approval for the share sale could be assumed. Public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan subsequently said he would not be “cowed” into a decision and was awaiting legal advice on the next step. The ministry has now applied for leave to appeal the court ruling.<br/>
China-backed Bruneian start-up Gallop Air is hoping to launch services in Q3 2024, as it looks to find backers and “local partners” - in addition to securing its air operator’s certificate (AOC). In separate Linkedin posts over the past week, Gallop, which is backed by China’s Shaanxi Tianju Investment Group, shed more light on its operating model, including a prospective network and launch timeline. The airline signed a letter of intent in September for up to 30 Comac aircraft, in a deal worth over $2b. The LOI includes commitments for 15 C919 narrowbodies, making it the first foreign customer for the type. Gallop, in its latest update, reveals that it has not secured its AOC - a key approval for it to commence operations - and that it was only greenlit to apply for an AOC. “[Brunei’s] Department of Civil Aviation will also conduct thorough audits and assessments of our aircraft before granting type certification approval,” Gallop adds. The airline was incorporated in Brunei on 11 January this year, and is owned by a Singapore-based entity of the same name, which itself was incorporated in 2021. The latter is a wholly-owned unit of Shaanxi Tianju Investment Group in China. “We remain open to engaging with potential local partners and investors who share our vision for enhancing regional connectivity and contributing to the growth of the aviation sector in Brunei,” the airline adds. Gallop adds that it is “on a mission” to make Brunei a “pivotal aviation hub”. The airline, if it gets approval for operations, will be the country’s second carrier, after national operator Royal Brunei Airlines. Parent company Tianju had previously stated the airline could operate a “complementary business model” with compatriot Royal Brunei.<br/>