Scandinavian operator SAS is to co-operate with Airbus and local partners to explore the feasibility of hydrogen infrastructure at Nordic airports. The companies aim to gain improved understanding of hydrogen aircraft operations, supply and refuelling requirements to develop the hydrogen ecosystem in Sweden and Norway. It will also look at selection procedures for determining which candidate airports could be chosen for initial hydrogen-aircraft operations. The study, in which Swedish and Norwegian airport operators Swedavia and Avinor will participate, will consider over 50 sites. SAS is particularly focused on sustainability, and has already signed up as a future operator of Heart Aerospace’s proposed hybrid-electric ES-30 aircraft. “By partnering with some of the strongest and most innovative players in the industry, we are assuming our responsibility to drive the transition towards achieving net-zero emissions,” says CE Anko van der Werff. Airbus is developing its own future-propulsion concept models, under its ZEROe programme, which would use hydrogen as fuel. “Norway and Sweden are among the most demanding regions for aviation and have great potential for hydrogen production from renewable energy sources,” says Airbus chief Guillaume Faury. “[The study] fits perfectly with our strategy of deploying hydrogen aviation ecosystems in the most suitable parts of the world.”<br/>
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EgyptAir has sold its entire Airbus A220-300 fleet to lessor Azorra, which will market them to other carriers. Cirium fleets data suggests the majority of EgyptAir’s 12 A220-300s had been parked for some time, with only two listed as in-service at the end of January. While it does not explain why it is disposing of the aircraft, EgyptAir had previously cited issues with type’s Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines as being behind the groundings – a problem experienced by other operators of the type, particularly relating to the availability of spare engines. Azorra, however, describes the young aircraft – which are all below five years of age and were owned outright by the airline – as having “freshly overhauled, updated engines from Pratt & Whitney”. Azorra CE John Evans says the US lessor’s “strong partnerships with Airbus and Pratt & Whitney” were key to facilitating “this creative transaction”, which will support EgyptAir’s “ongoing fleet transformation”. Furthermore, EgyptAir CE Yehia Zakria says the disposal “clears the path for new Airbus widebody aircraft”. EgyptAir announced an “ambitious expansion plan” at last year’s Dubai air show, during which it agreed commitments for 18 Boeing 737 Max jets and 10 Airbus A350-900 widebodies. The latter are due for delivery from 2025, but it is not clear how that deal links to the disposal of the A220s. EgyptAir also began taking its first A321neos last year.<br/>
Korean Air appears to be on course to complete its acquisition of Asiana Airlines following the latest approval by Japan’s antitrust authority, which will positively influence the remaining screening procedures by the European Union and the United States, according to industry officials, Thursday. The decision by the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), Wednesday, is widely expected to speed up the potential approvals from the two other overseas authorities, as Japan gave the green light on the deal despite its geographical proximity to Korea, even at a time when both countries are stepping up their rivalry in the regional aviation industry. “Japan is geographically one of the closest nations to Korea, and both nations are competing to secure their status as an aviation hub connecting Northeast Asia,” an official from Korean Air said. “But the Japanese authority approved the deal, so we expect its counterparts in the U.S. and EU to make similarly positive decisions.” Korean Air announced the plan to acquire cash-strapped Asiana Airlines in 2020, but the deal then hit a snag for more than three years amid opposition from overseas competition authorities. The airline has so far received approvals from 12 out of 14 overseas regulators. The two remaining agencies are also forecast to make their final decisions in the next few months. The EU’s antitrust regulator plans to finish its screening before Feb. 14, and the U.S. Department of Justice will also likely end its internal discussion in the foreseeable future. Multiple media reports said that the European authority will give conditional approval for the deal, after Korean Air offered to give up some European routes to T’way Air and sell Asiana’s lucrative cargo unit.<br/>
The wing tips of two passenger jets “scratched” each other at a Japanese airport, an airport operator said, the latest in a string of aviation mishaps in the country. Reports said no one was injured in the incident yesterday involving the two All Nippon Airways aircraft at Osaka’s Itami airport for domestic flights. “We’ve been told wing tips of two ANA planes scratched each other” shortly after 10am, a spokesman for Kansai Airports, which operates Itami, said. No passengers or crew were injured, local media said. This came just weeks after a spate of plane-related woes made headlines in Japan and abroad. The most serious was a near-catastrophic collision at Haneda airport between a Japan Airlines aircraft and a smaller coast guard plane on Jan 2.<br/>
Thai Airways International is to debut new business-class product on its fleet of Airbus A320s, as it completes the acquisition of its regional unit Thai Smile Airways. In response to FlightGlobal’s queries, the Bangkok-based carrier confirms the retrofitted A320s are scheduled to enter service in Q4 of this year. The 20 narrowbody jets inherited from the regional unit currently feature an all-economy layout of 168 seats. Thai did not disclose how many new business-class seats it will install. The retrofit will also see the A320 fleet fitted with a wireless in-flight entertainment system, a departure from Thai’s widebody fleet which features seat-back entertainment systems. Star Alliance carrier Thai deploys the A320s on domestic routes, as well as short-haul flights to countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore and India. Thai began taking ex-Thai Smile A320s in June 2023, a month after it announced plans to merge the carrier into mainline operations. In an interview with FlightGlobal, airline chief Chai Eamsiri says the A320s allow the carrier to “right-size” its international operations, while improving fleet utilisation rates.<br/>