Mesa Air Group recently received notice it is at risk of being de-listed from the US stock exchange due to continued delays in reporting its fiscal fourth-quarter results. The Phoenix-based parent of Mesa Airlines said on 9 January that the Listing Qualifications Department of the Nasdaq Stock Market issued a 4 January notice saying the company failed to comply with listing rules because it has yet to file a report for the period ending 30 September. Mesa had originally scheduled its fourth-quarter earnings call for 14 December. On that date, it submitted a notification of late filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which automatically granted the company a 15-day extension. At the time, the company said it expected to file its results “no later” than the 29 December deadline, and that it would soon announce a new date for its conference call. But that date passed without a fiscal fourth quarter report from Mesa. “The filing delay is not the result of a forthcoming restatement of the company’s financial statements or any disagreement with the company’s auditors,” Mesa said on 9 January, adding that the notification of potential de-listing from the Nasdaq has “no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the company’s common stock”. The company now has until 4 March to complete the required documentation and regain compliance with the stock exhange’s listing rules. Mesa says it plans to file the form “well in advance of the 60-day notice period and is expected this week to regain compliance with the listing rule”.<br/>
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Three aircraft lessors have sued a U.S.-based minority investor in Flair Airlines claiming US$30m after the Canadian budget carrier allegedly missed lease payments for four jets, their filing in a London court showed. Ireland-based Corvus Lights Aviation, MAM Aircraft Leasing 4 and Columba Lights Aviation filed the suit against 777 Partners and its sister company 600 Partners on Dec. 12, which was made public later. 777 Partners provided guarantees for each of the four leases involving a Boeing 737-800 and three 737 MAX 8 jets, while 600 partners had given it for three leases, the lawsuit said. The US$30m claim is the latest round in a dispute over the four jets that were leased to privately owned Flair, but were repossessed in March last year by Airborne Capital, which managed the jets on behalf of the three lessors. "Despite being repeatedly notified of their financial obligations, 777 Partners continued to ignore calls to settle outstanding payments of almost US$30m," the three lessors said in a statement. In response, 777 Partners said, "the English proceedings are likely to be the subject of a stay application given that the position of 777 Partners remains that it is at best premature, and at worst possibly abusing the English Court System." The investor said it was backing Flair in a separate legal battle with Airborne in a Canadian court. The airline was not named as a defendant in the case filed in London by the three lessors. "Flair has continued to deliver on its promise to provide Canadians with affordable air fare and has had the best operational performance of any Canadian airline," the airline said.<br/>
The parent company of Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA and Colombia’s Avianca is meeting creditors to kickstart negotiations in a bid to fix its balance sheet. Abra Group Ltd will host talks with representatives of its $1.5b bondholders in New York on Wednesday, the first step toward striking a comprehensive restructuring deal for the troubled low-cost airline group, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. Abra’s bondholders are working with financial adviser Houlihan Lokey Inc. and law firm Dechert LLP, while Abra hired Rothschild & Co., they said. The funds in attendance will be barred from trading as they discuss a debt overhaul and a plan to raise fresh cash for Gol, some of the people said. An official for Houlihan Lokey declined to comment on the negotiations. Representatives for Abra, Gol, Dechert and Rothschild didn’t respond to a request for comment. Gol and Avianca’s top shareholders agreed to form Abra about two years ago after the Colombian carrier exited bankruptcy. The airlines continue to operate independently. Gol has already gone through several rounds of restructuring and capital raising since the onset of the pandemic. The company must also strike a deal with its own creditors while seeking to renegotiate agreements with lessors. On top of high costs and a heavy debt burden, it has grappled to cash in on the rebound of Brazil flights due to a delay in Boeing Co. deliveries of 737 Max aircraft last year. <br/>
Transavia France has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo twinjet, marking the beginning of its transition away from operating Boeing 737s. The low-cost carrier’s Dutch stablemate had received its first A320neo-family aircraft – an A321neo – as 2023 came to an end. Transavia France’s first A320neo is powered by CFM International Leap-1A engines and arrives through lessor Avolon, Airbus said on 10 January. It features 186 seats in a single-class layout, the airframer indicates. The Air France-KLM unit’s fleet also features around 70 737-800 aircraft, with Transavia’s Dutch unit operating a further 40 or so 737-800s and a handful of 737-700s. The two Transavia units and KLM are beginning their transition to Airbus narrowbodies following an Air France-KLM order placed in 2021 and smaller deals with lessors. KLM has indicated that it also expects to receive its first A320neo-family jet this year. The three carriers will take a mixture of A320neos and A321neos.<br/>
Dutch start-up Elysian Aircraft claims newly published research supports its ambitious plan to develop an all-electric 90-seater for service entry in 2033, arguing that the potential for battery-powered aircraft has previously been significantly underestimated. Established last year, Elysian says the work carried out by its team – co-chief executive and chief technology officer Rob Wolleswinkel and director of design and engineering Reynard de Vries – alongside staff from the Delft University of Technology, signals a “paradigm shift in the potential for electric flight”. Contained in two research papers – A new perspective on battery-electric aviation, part I and II – the findings show that “large battery-electric aircraft can carry much more energy and are aerodynamically more efficient than originally assumed,” says Wolleswinkel. Previous analysis has been based on “several misconceptions”, it argues, leading to the conclusion that battery-powered aircraft would only be suitable for short-range aircraft in the sub-19-seat commuter class. But Elysian’s reappraisal of the data suggests a full-electric aircraft can deliver meaningful performance levels, carrying 90 passengers on routes of up to 430nm (800km), based on cells with energy density of 360Wh/kg at pack level. “These results indicate that, to successfully reduce the climate impact of the aviation sector, battery-electric aircraft should not be designed as a niche product operating from small airfields but as commercial transport aircraft competing with fuel-based regional and narrowbody aircraft,” the second paper asserts.<br/>
Budget airline Ryanair is expanding its flight schedule from Berlin in the summer, according to the local government. Flights to Italy, for example, will be increased by up to 47%, said Berlin mayor Kai Wegner on Wednesday after a meeting with Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson. "This will further improve the connectivity of our Berlin airport BER," Wegner said. Ryanair is the second-largest airline at the airport. Other topics of discussion included the framework conditions for air traffic in Germany and, in particular, the further increase in ticket taxes, high security costs and the second most expensive aviation security fees in Europe. Ryanair managers such as Wilson and the head of the Ryanair Group, Michael O'Leary, have repeatedly criticised the costs of aviation in Germany as being too high. Europe's largest low-cost airline argues that politicians must take countermeasures, as this slows down growth for airlines.<br/>
The Taliban government in Afghanistan on Wednesday confirmed the resumption of Air Arabia flights to Kabul’s international airport, two years after service stopped following the collapse of the Western-backed government. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation said the first Air Arabia flight landed Wednesday. In a post on X, the ministry said there will be one daily flight between Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and Kabul. All international airlines halted flights to Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces departed after two decades of war. In May, the Taliban signed a deal allowing an Emirati company to manage three airports in Afghanistan. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi-based GAAC Solutions would manage the airports in Herat, Kabul and Kandahar. In November, flydubai resumed flights to Kabul. Two Afghan airlines, Kam Air and Ariana Afghan Airlines, operate from Kabul to destinations such as Dubai, Moscow, Islamabad and Istanbul.<br/>
A T'way flight was hit by a bird during landing late Wednesday, but the pilots managed to land the aircraft safely in Incheon, the airline said. The TW216 flight, bound for Incheon from Narita International Airport in Tokyo, had been touching down on a runway at the Incheon International Airport around 9:28 p.m., when a bird was sucked into one of its engines. The pilots aborted the landing temporarily, but were able to land the plane safely some 13 minutes later, T'way Air said. Small sparks were observed when the engine was struck, and firefighters were dispatched to the runway when airport authorities received reports of a fire. Officials found that no fire actually broke out, and none of the 122 passengers onboard sustained any injuries. A T'Way official said that the airline will conduct a thorough inspection of the aircraft.<br/>
Capital A is considering making Manila Ninoy Aquino International a "hub to the United States" by launching flights to destinations such as Los Angeles International in 2025, Tony Fernandes, Group CEO, said during a virtual press conference on January 9. He said that the company was looking to use the Philippine capital as well as Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur International and Thailand's Bangkok Suvarnabhumi as hubs for US flights. However, reports contradicted Fernandes' words on the matter. Malaya Business Insight quoted him as saying: “…Manila to Malaysia and fly to the US […] and from Thailand. We had this approach of a multi-hub strategy to fly around the world, that’s the advantage we have.” However, the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted him as saying: “Manila will be a very good hub into America. [...] With Thailand, Jakarta, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur, we can cover the world.” AirAsia Group carriers include Malaysia's AirAsia and AirAsia X as well as Philippines AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, and Indonesia AirAsia X. <br/>