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Boeing Co CEO Dave Calhoun said on Wednesday he was convinced that the door plug issue that has sparked a safety and quality crisis at the planemaker was "completely under control." In an interview to CNBC, Calhoun also apologized to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby after the carrier's top boss earlier this month called the 737 MAX 9's partial grounding "the straw that broke the camel's back." "I am going to work my tail off and our team will to satisfy Kirby," Calhoun added.<br/>

Star Alliance carrier TAP Air Portugal is asking US civil aviation regulators to fast-track approval of its proposed codeshare agreement with New York’s JetBlue Airways. According to a 31 January filing with the US Department of Transportation, the Portuguese carrier intends to display JetBlue’s designator code on TAP-operated flights starting in mid-February, and requests expedited approval of its application “to facilitate advance marketing and sales of the new codeshare services”. TAP initially intends to display JetBlue’s code on its flights between Lisbon and Boston, Miami, Newark, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC, apparently intending to leverage JetBlue’s strong presence on the East Coast of the USA. The co-operation will allow JetBlue to “expand its online network, thereby fostering competition and enhancing service options for passengers in the codeshare markets”, TAP argues in its filing. “The codeshare operations will also promote more efficient use of TAP’s capacity.” The Lisbon-based carrier operates an all-Airbus fleet with about 80 aircraft in service, including 22 A330s that it uses for long-haul flying, according to Cirium fleets data. <br/>

Korean Air said Wednesday that its planned merger with smaller domestic rival Asiana Airlines has gained approval from Japan’s antitrust regulator, with only two crucial decisions left to come from the European Union and the US. According to the airline, the Japan Fair Trade Commission approved the deal worth 1.8t won ($1.34b), the process of which has been being delayed for over three years amid monopoly concerns by foreign authorities. The high-profile merger has received an OK from 12 authorities out of the required 14. According to industry sources, the final decision from the European Commission also could come in the coming weeks. In January 2021, Korean Air initially provided explanatory data to Japanese authorities and submitted a draft report in August of the same year. Subsequently, discussions on some corrective actions have taken place over the following years. According to Korean Air, the JFTC had requested the airline to provide solutions for specific popular routes between the two countries where the combined market share of Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and their budget airlines might restrict competition. In order to obtain the approval, Korean Air reportedly gave up some routes, allocating them to smaller low-cost carriers. The Japanese authority also raised antitrust concerns over the extended cargo business, but the issue was solved after Asiana Airlines decided to sell off its own cargo business. Korean Air emphasized the significance of Japan’s approval for the potential merger, especially considering the country’s geographical proximity and intense competition for earning the status of a "Northeast Asia hub airport."<br/>

ANA Holdings significantly improved its nine-month profits despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, as international travel demand continued to grow sharply. For the nine months to 31 December, the parent of ANA more than doubled its operating profit to Y210b ($1.4bi) – the group’s highest nine-month profit on record. Group revenue for the period rose 22.6% year on year to Y1.54t, with the sharpest increase seen in its airline business, which reported a 24% jump in revenue to Y1.4t. ANA Holdings attributes the rise to strong demand from inbound and leisure travellers, adding: “[Variable] costs [also] increased due to factors such as an expansion in the scale of the operations, however profit and loss improved greatly compared to the same period last year due to cost management initiatives.” ANA carried 5.3m international passengers during the nine-month period, an 88% increase year on year, with capacity up about 59%. The mainline carrier also saw a 25% jump in domestic passenger volume to over 31m, as a result of an uptick in leisure travel demand. Capacity was up 11%, outpaced by a 25% increase in traffic. Low-cost unit Peach Aviation carried 7m passengers during the period, a 25.5% year-on-year increase. ANA Holdings posted a net profit of nearly Y149b, more than double the year-ago period. <br/>

China’s three major airlines are on track to extend a lossmaking streak to a fourth year, as analysts warn that the country’s uncertain economic growth and fewer direct US flights are weighing on demand for international travel. The three carriers’ total combined estimated net losses of up to Rmb14.3b ($2b) are significantly less than the combined loss of Rmb108.7b in 2022, according to their preliminary results. But the Chinese airlines are struggling in comparison with US and European carriers, which have been reporting booming profits on a rise in airfares. One year after China lifted its Covid-19 control restrictions, China Eastern Airlines on Tuesday evening said it expected to report a net loss of up to Rmb8.3b for the year ending in December. Last week, Air China forecast a net loss of up to Rmb1.3b for 2023, while China Southern Airlines said it expected to lose as much as Rmb4.7bn in the same period. Weak demand among business travellers and China’s restrictive visa policies have frustrated the post-pandemic rebound, China Eastern said in an exchange filing late on Tuesday. “The overall international routes recovered slower than expected,” the airline said. The carriers are struggling to resume direct flights to the US at a time of increased tension between Beijing and Washington. While the number of international flights recovered to about 70% of 2019 levels as of this month, flights to the US remained at just 18%, said HSBC analysts.<br/>