US regional carrier Mesa Airlines launched on 9 October a “pay-as-you-go” pilot-training programme built around the company’s recently acquired Pipistrel Alpha 2 light aircraft. The Phoenix-based carrier’s Independent Pilot Development programme is designed to accelerate cadets’ progress toward 1,500h of flight time, which is the Federal Aviation Administration-mandated minimum – with some exceptions – for commercial pilots. “This programme is not only a time-building programme but also a career development opportunity that prepares pilots for the challenges and rewards of flying for an airline,” says Mesa’s CE Jonathan Ornstein. Cadets are required to purchase at least 50-hour blocks at $60 hourly and fly a monthly minimum of 25h. In September 2022, Mesa announced plans to acquire 29 Pipistrel Alpha 2 aircraft, with options to buy up to 75 more. The light aircraft will serve as the backbone of its new pilot-training programme. “The Alpha 2 includes advanced features such as dual flight controls, state-of-the-art Garmin instrument panel, Rotax 912 80hp engine, quiet spacious cockpit, autopilot and a ballistic parachute rescue system,” Mesa says. North American airlines are increasingly seeking new strategies to develop and retain pilots amid the industry-wide shortage of qualified flight-deck crews, which affects regional carriers most severely. <br/>
unaligned
Israel's El Al will run more flights to take reservists back to Israel to help in the largest mobilisation in the country's history following an attack by Hamas militants over the weekend, a spokesperson for the airline said on Monday. Israel said on Monday it had called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists and warned residents of the Gaza Strip to evacuate in a sign it could be planning a ground assault in response. Fighters from the Islamist group killed 700 Israelis and abducted dozens in Saturday's attacks, the deadliest such incursion in decades, prompting Israel to retaliate by pounding the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The El Al spokesperson added that no flights had been cancelled and that many of the airline's planes to and from Israel were full. The company did not say how many extra flights it would run, or where from. El Al is increasing flights as most major carriers cancel or offer a reduced service to Israel after Hamas' surprise attack.<br/>
Russia's Ural Airlines, which was forced into an emergency landing of an Airbus jet in a wheat field last month, plans for it to take off from the same field in Siberia following repairs, as Russia grapples with an aircraft shortage. It is the second time the airline has been forced to make an emergency landing in a field after an Airbus A321 landed on agricultural land in 2019, but it will be the first time pilots try to fly the plane out again, amid Ukraine-related sanctions. The Airbus A320 which had been flying from Sochi to Omsk with 167 people on board, landed safely in the field in western Siberia's Novosibirsk region on Sept. 12. Ural Airlines said a hydraulics fault was to blame. "According to the preliminary technical assessment of specialists, the aircraft is in good condition," Ural Airlines said in a statement. "The plane is not seriously damaged and will probably be able carry out flights in the future. Several options are being considered for the plane taking off from the field," Ural said, such as the plane's seats being removed to make the aircraft lighter. The West banned supplies of aircraft and spare parts soon after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, making Western aircraft that were already in Russia a precious resource. Ural and other Russian airlines have kept their fleet of Western jets in the air, importing spare parts via third countries without the manufacturers' - mainly Airbus and Boeing - consent.<br/>
UK budget carrier EasyJet has signed up to Airbus’s new carbon-capture programme, the first operator to reach a formal agreement over the initiative. EasyJet had been revealed last year as one of seven operators which had tentatively agreed to explore the Airbus carbon-removal scheme. It is based on direct air carbon-capture and storage, using technology which filters carbon dioxide emissions from the air using powerful fans and stores them in geological reservoirs. This would enable emissions from aircraft to be offset by extracting the equivalent carbon quantity from the atmosphere. Airbus’s scheme would offer airlines carbon-removal credits as part of their broader decarbonisation strategies. “We believe carbon removal will play an important role in addressing our residual emissions in the future, complementing other components to help us achieve our pathway to net-zero,” says EasyJet group markets director Thomas Haagensen. EasyJet’s carbon-removal credits will run from 2026-29 and will be issued by carbon-removal specialist 1PointFive, which has several US-based facilities and sequestration projects underway. Airbus has a pact with 1PointFive which includes pre-purchase of 400,000t of carbon-removal credits over four years. EasyJet has become involved in several decarbonisation initiatives. “Our ultimate aim is to achieve zero-carbon emission flying,” says Haagensen. “As well as investing into important projects like direct air carbon capture technology, we are working with multiple partners – including Airbus – to accelerate the development of zero-carbon emission aircraft technology.” Six other operators – Air France-KLM, Air Canada, IAG, LATAM Airlines Group, Lufthansa Group and Virgin Atlantic – were identified last year as having signed letters of intent for the carbon-capture initiative alongside EasyJet.<br/>
Ryanair and Aer Lingus will participate in a High Court challenge to a notice directing the operator of Dublin Airport to restrict night-time flights to a maximum of 65 per night. Last August the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) secured a court order pausing the effect of Fingal County Council’s enforcement notice, which was issued on grounds that the number of flights scheduled by the airport exceeds the terms of a planning condition regarding runway operations between 11pm and 7am. In seeking the order the airport operator warned it could be forced to cancel thousands of flights. On Monday the court heard the council stands over the validity of its enforcement notice, which was issued in August following a four-month investigation. However, it has not sought to lift the High Court’s stay on its effects. The order remains in place while the dispute over its legitimacy is ongoing.<br/>
The CE of Greater Bay Airlines has said he will double the current four-strong fleet to eight by mid-2024 and aims to have 23 aircraft by 2028. Hui Han-chung also told Hong Kong-based media last week that the first of fifteen B737-9s on order at Boeing will start arriving in August 2024. After launching in the second half of 2022, Greater Bay Airlines presently operates four B737-800s from its Hong Kong base to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Ho Chi Minh City, Osaka Kansai, Seoul Incheon, Taipei Taoyuan, and Tokyo Narita. It was operating over the recent Northern Hemisphere summer season with passenger loads of 70-80% and most of its passengers are Hong Kong residents rather than foreigners, Hui said. However, the CEO added that workforce shortages in Hong Kong are a possible brake on growth. While the airline is currently adequately staffed, each additional aircraft requires another ten pilots and 20 flight attendants, yet many senior pilots left Hong Kong after being laid off during the pandemic, taking up jobs elsewhere, and local airlines face difficulties hiring senior experienced pilots. In addition to the Boeing narrowbodies, Greater Bay Airlines has also signed a tentative commitment to acquire five B787s. However, Hui said this would not happen until the carrier's narrowbody operations had achieved "scale and foundation." Greater Bay's growth will be incremental and only occur when conditions are right, he noted.<br/>