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Two weeks into its operations, Mexico state airline Mexicana de Aviacion’s slow ramp-up has allowed some passengers the experience of private travel. A report from YouTube user Jorge de Leon showed him ecstatic to fly in a completely empty plane from Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, to Mexico City’s Felipe Angeles airport, on a flight in the airline’s first week of operation. Three people had flown that route the previous day according to the crew, he noted. Load factor data for airlines’ first months of operations are typically not public, according to Bloomberg Intelligence aviation analyst Francois Duflot. Still, the low number of passengers may be due to initial issues including difficulties to purchase tickets online, he added. “I’m not really surprised by the low load factors: there were a lot of uncertainties in the months coming up to the official start of operations,” Duflot said. “There is already a decent air travel offer, so I would think people are not necessarily in a hurry to try a new airline with no track record.” The state airline, inaugurated on Dec. 26 and run by the military, has had 220 flights so far since operations began and is looking to finish the month with 448 flights, Mexicana deputy head Leobardo Avila Bojorquez said at a press conference Tuesday. “User response has been satisfactory, as reflected by the 14,162 reservations that have been made in the website through June,” said Avila. “We’ll continue working to become the preferred option.” Mexicana de Aviacion stopped flights in 2010 amid a bankruptcy filing. The government bought rights to the name last year and marketed it as a budget airline that currently flies to 15 destinations across the country.<br/>

A low-cost airline says it will offer new flights from Charlottetown to Toronto and Calgary starting in May. Lynx Air touts itself as an "ultra-low-cost airline," as well as one of the most sustainable in the country due to its new fleet of Boeing 737s. The airline said Tuesday in a news release it will operate two flights out of the Charlottetown Airport each week starting May 30, which will increase to three departures per week beginning June 10. Flights will depart from Charlottetown with a short stop at Toronto Pearson International, then on to Calgary International Airport as "through flights" with a single boarding pass and no need to deplane in between. The airline is offering flights to Toronto starting at $59, taxes included, while the full trip to Calgary will cost around $199. "Lynx provides another attractive option for those wishing to experience our world class tourism product and Islanders looking for a low fare option to two of our most popular destinations," said Charlottetown Airport Authority CEO Doug Newson in the release.<br/>

Discount carrier Wizz Air Holdings Plc said the aviation industry must improve its processes to give airlines more certainty over their operations, amid continued supply-chain constraints and the fallout from the fuselage blowout on an Alaska Airlines Boeing Co. jet late last week. “Airbus, Boeing and engine manufacturers need to do better on internal quality control,” Jozsef Varadi, the CEO of discount carrier Wizz Air Holdings Plc, said in an interview in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. “I think they should enhance their processes, their organization. They should designate more resources, more capacity for that.” Varadi said problems in the sector don’t stop at the manufacturers, and that regulatory scrutiny also needs to be enhanced. For too long, watchdogs and manufacturers have co-existed in what he called a “fairly cozy” relationship. “It almost feels like the manufacturers got married to the regulators,” Varady said. “The regulator needs to play a proper role for oversight, they cannot get married to these people.” Wizz operates an all-Airbus SE fleet and is unaffected by the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max 9 jet. That directive came into effect after an Alaska Air plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Portland, Oregon, after a large panel broke loose during flight, leaving a gaping hole in the left part of the fuselage at 16,000 feet (4,900 meters). Still, Hungary-based Wizz is among airlines hardest hit by an engine defect on its Airbus A321neo jets. That has forced it to ground 40 to 50 aircraft through the fiscal year ending in March for out-of-cycle maintenance, Varadi said. <br/>

Ryanair expects to be five to ten aircraft short for its peak 2024 summer season due to Boeing delivery delays, likely forcing it to revise down its traffic growth, CE Michael O'Leary told the Financial Times on Tuesday. Ryanair was due to have 57 Boeing MAX 8200 planes delivered by the end of April, and O'Leary said the delays mean it will likely carry 200m passengers for the financial year beginning in April versus the 205m previously forecast. The low cost carrier made cuts to its winter schedule due to the ongoing delays that forced it to lower its traffic forecast for the year to March 2024 to 183.5m passengers from 185m, representing year-on-year growth of 9%. "We were supposed to have 27 aircraft delivered prior to Christmas, we finished up getting 11. We're supposed to have 57 aircraft delivered to us by the end of April, and we think we'd be lucky to get 50 by the end of June," O'Leary said in an interview with the Financial Times. "So we're going to be left five, seven, maybe 10 aircraft short for the peak summer season this year." "It costs us, if you're talking being down 5m on 205m passengers . . . probably two, two and a half per cent of profits," he added. The FAA grounded 171 MAX 9 planes on Saturday after a panel called a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines flight not long after taking off from a Portland, Oregon, airport on Friday.<br/>

Aer Lingus is seeking up to 30 qualified engineers to work on maintaining its aircraft, the airline said on Tuesday. Candidates should have current unrestricted European Aviation Safety Authority aircraft maintenance B1 and/or B2 licences, ideallys Airbus A320/A330 type rated. Aer Lingus expects to receive new aircraft over the next year, including two Airbus A320s neos and become the first carrier in the world to take delivery of the Airbus A321 extra long-range. The airline plans its largest summer schedule to date, flying to new destinations in Europe, Sicily, Crete and Turkey, as well as to Denver and Minneapolis St Paul, birthplace of Irish-American writer, F Scott Fitzgerald, in the US.<br/>

Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna is attempting again to sell a shareholding in regional operator Qazaq Air, after a previous competition was declared invalid. Samruk-Kazyna had unveiled a privatisation scheme last August to sell between 49% and 100% of the airline through a two-stage competition. But in mid-November, it states, this programme was ruled invalid. “In accordance with the regulatory acts of Samruk-Kazyna a new competition is being held,” it adds. The first stage involves submission and consideration of participants’ tender applications, including preliminary proposals and confirmation of compliance, and a fee of 173.4m tenge ($381,000). Samruk-Kazyna says the deadline for first-stage participants to apply is 29 January. Successful applicants will be invited to submit formal proposals for evaluation, on the basis of which a selection will be made. Qazaq Air was established by the Kazakh government in 2015 and it operates a fleet of De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops.<br/>

China Eastern Airlines has deployed its Comac C919 narrowbody on its second scheduled domestic route, about half a year after the type began commercial operations. On 9 January, the airline launched C919 flights between Shanghai Hongqiao to Beijing Daxing, linking its two domestic hubs. The aircraft already operates daily flights from Shanghai to Chengdu’s Tianfu airport. China Eastern, which is the launch customer and sole operator of the C919, now has four examples in its fleet. The carrier in September 2023 expanded its commitments for the type, signing for an additional 100 jets. “As China Eastern’s C919 fleet continues to grow, China Eastern will continue to act as a ‘pioneer’ and work with all parties to explore commercial…opportunities…optimise and improve operations, and [launch] new C919 routes,” the airline says. Beijing has pinned high hopes on the C919 programme, which it hopes will be able to break the duopoly of Airbus and Boeing narrowbodies. In its annual work conference for 2024, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) disclosed its plans to promote Comac’s aircraft programmes to the international market. This includes possibly getting the C919 certificated by European regulators, according to CAAC’s social media accounts. It did not elaborate further, but reiterates that the ultimate goal is to “promote homegrown aircraft programmes abroad”. The C919 programme hit several milestones in recent months. In December, it flew for the first time outside of Mainland China, performing a demonstration flight over downtown Hong Kong. <br/>

South Korea’s budget airline JejuAir, which had received policy funds for financial stability during the pandemic, has commenced repayment procedures since the end of last year. The move is seen as a forward-looking approach in stabilizing its financial structure as the travel industry started regaining its footing. According to sources on Monday, JejuAir repaid about 65b won ($49.5m) of the funds secured from KDB and the Basic Industry Stability Fund in December last year. On December 28, the company fully repaid 40b won worth of convertible bonds held by the bank and around 25b won to the fund. Between 2020 and 2021, the airline had received support in the form of CBs and loans from KDB and the fund, amounting to 40b won and 182b won, respectively, aimed at restructuring its financial framework. About 150b won remaining from the fund is expected to be repaid gradually this year. The Basic Industry Stability Fund is a policy fund created by the government worth 40t won to support fundamental industries experiencing financial difficulti<br/>

Cebu Pacific Air has told the Philippines Stock Exchange that it remains in talks with Airbus and Boeing about a significant aircraft order. The January 8 filing was in response to local media reports about the imminent move. "Cebu Air, Inc. would like to confirm and verify the news reporting regarding discussions and considerations for an aircraft order," the filing said. Last week, Cebu Air CCO Alexander Lao told The Philippine Star that the LCC was still finalising the order but expected to place it in the first half of 2024. He added that it would be the biggest aircraft order from the Philippines to date. In October, ch-aviation reported on the impending directive for between 100 and 150 aircraft, with CEO Mike Szucs then saying the carrier would issue a request for proposal (RFP) and that it would place a single order with one manufacturer. "Issuing the RFP is the first step in a meticulously planned process, which will involve a thorough technical and economic evaluation of Boeing’s and Airbus’s narrowbody aircraft," a PSE filing at the time read. "We would like to emphasise that a firm commitment to purchase aircraft from either manufacturer will only be made at the successful conclusion of such a process." Reportedly, Cebu Pacific intends to make the initial down payments using its cash reserves before tapping local and foreign financial institutions to cover the balance.<br/>

Singapore-based Jetstar Asia has appointed John Simeone as its new CEO, replacing outgoing chief Barathan Pasupathi, who steps down after 12 years at the helm. Simeone, who assumes his new role at the low-cost carrier on 1 March, is currently senior vice president for Asia with parent carrier Qantas and is based in Singapore. Simeone is a Qantas veteran, having joined the Australian carrier in 1997, according to his Linkedin profile. His career spans departments such as network planning, sales, as well as revenue management. Jetstar Asia chairman Dennis Choo says Simeone joins with “deep knowledge of the Singapore and Asian aviation markets”. Choo adds: “John’s appointment provides continuity to the business and strong leadership to Jetstar Asia as we continue an exciting chapter of growth at the airline.” Outgoing CEO Pasupathi will be leaving the airline to pursue “other opportunities”, says Jetstar Asia. The carrier recently ramped up its network after three years of the pandemic, resuming flights to Mainland China and Okinawa in Japan. According to Cirium fleets data, Jetstar Asia has an in-service fleet of eight Airbus A320s. <br/>