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Passengers onboard an Air Canada flight bound for St. John’s earlier this week spent close to seven hours in the air and were brought back to Toronto after “several” attempts to land. The airline confirmed to CTV News Toronto on Thursday that flight AC698 was on its way to Atlantic Canada on Feb. 5 when the pilot encountered “crosswinds” near the airport and eventually made the decision to turn around. “This was based on several factors. First, safety is and will always be our prime consideration, this is something customers also fully agree with,” a spokesperson said in an email, adding that severe winter weather in Atlantic Canada made it difficult to land anywhere else in the region. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware.com, AC698 left Toronto at 9:43 p.m. for a trip that typically lasts a little over three hours. However, the flight log shows the plane was actually in the air for six hours and 37 minutes and returned to Toronto after making a number of circles around St. John's International Airport in an attempt to land. Air Canada said the pilot made the “correct decision” in returning to Toronto and that the airline anticipates weather changes on flights like this one and prepares accordingly with extra fuel. Moreover, Air Canada said that for customers on board, many of whom were from Toronto, returning to Pearson airport was the best option due to the difficulty of finding accommodation late at night.<br/>

Copa Airlines is seeking “full and fair” compensation from Boeing for the three-week grounding of the 737 Max 9 in January, executives say. The Panama City-based carrier cancelled 1,788 flights, or about 20% of its daily schedule, from 6-29 January following the US Federal Aviation Administration’s grounding of Max 9 aircraft with mid-cabin door plugs. Copa grounded 21 of its 29 Max 9s, all of which are flying again. “Boeing has been and continues to be an important partner for Copa and we remain committed to our relationship in the long term,” says Copa chief executive Pedro Heilbron during the airline’s fourth-quarter earnings call on 8 February. “Nonetheless, we hold them accountable for the grounding and its impact on our passengers and our financials for which we expect to be fairly compensated.” Copa operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet that also includes 737-700s and -800s. Max 9-related flight cancellations forced Copa to cut its capacity plans in January, one of the busiest months on its calendar. That hit the airline’s total revenue and revenue per available seat mile (RASM) during the peak period. Speaking during the call, Copa CFO Jose Montero does not specify the financial impact of the grounding. However, he attributes much of a forecast 6.9% year-over-year drop in first-quarter RASM to the situation. Fallout from the Max 9 grounding will also hit Copa’s new deliveries from Boeing this year. The carrier anticipates taking 12 new 737 Max — eight Max 8s and three Max 9s — which is down from its previous forecast of 15 aircraft. Copa expects to grow it available seat miles by roughly 10% this year, down from its initial guide of up 12-14%, says Montero. That reduction is the result of January flight cancellations and delayed aircraft deliveries.<br/>

Copa Airlines expects the robust travel demand and profits it saw last year to continue through 2024, even as its growth takes a hit from the Boeing 737 Max 9 grounding. “[We] continue to see a healthy demand environment in the region and expect to once again deliver strong operating margins in 2024,” Copa Holdings CE Pedro Heilbron said during the airline company’s fourth-quarter earnings call on 8 February. The group forecasts a 21-23% operating margin this year. Copa earned a $219m operating profit in Q4, with a 24% operating margin. Its Q4 operating revenue increased 3% year on year to $917m, while its operating expenses jumped 4% year on year to $698m in the period. Copa’s Q4 cost growth was partially offset by lower fuel and distribution expenses, the latter thanks to an increase in direct-to-consumer sales. The carrier turned a Q4 net profit of $192m. Copa’s full-year 2023 operating revenue increased 17% year on year, to $3.5b, while its costs increased 5.4% year on year to $2.6b. “2023 was a very strong year for Copa,” says Heilbron. While its 2024 financial outlook remains positive, Copa has parred back its expected capacity growth following the 737 Max 9 grounding in January. It anticipates its available seat miles (ASMs) will increase only about 10% this year, down from a previously predicted 12-14% increase.<br/>

Scandinavian operator SAS is seeking to re-introduce an Airbus A350-900, the lease of which it had previously rejected as part of its fleet restructuring plan. SAS is progressing with a re-organisation initiative, known as ‘SAS Forward’, under US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Fleet restructuring is a central part of the initiative and SAS has been re-assessing its need for aircraft and renegotiating leases accordingly. In September 2022 the US bankruptcy court overseeing the process authorised the carrier to reject a number of aircraft leases – including the A350 in question, MSN391. But in a 7 February filing SAS’s representatives state that the carrier has “since experienced a business need for additional widebody aircraft”, and negotiated “improved economic terms” for their lease. According to the filing, the carrier has a “commercial need” to accept delivery of the aircraft on 15 February and place it into service “as soon as practicable”. It identifies the lessor as Cayman Islands entity AAA A350. The A350 was originally delivered to SAS in March 2020, as SE-RSC, but has been stored under a Cayman Islands registration, VP-COC. SAS has chosen to enter the agreement after considering alternatives and determining that the lessor provides the “best terms” for the aircraft, the filing adds.<br/>

Thai Airways has placed a firm order for 45 Boeing 787 jets, with options potentially boosting the size of the deal to around 80 aircraft as it serves rising international travel demand, industry sources said. The deal, to be formally unveiled later this month, is already reflected in Boeing's published order backlog as a contract for 45 planes with an undisclosed customer, they said. Boeing declined comment and referred questions to the airline, which did not immediately reply to a request for comment.<br/>

A Canadian man was arrested on Wednesday night after attempting to open an emergency exit shortly before the takeoff of a Thai Airways flight at Chiang Mai Airport, police and witnesses said on Thursday. The 40-year-old passenger, identified as Wong Sai Heung, apparently suffered from a panic attack. He reportedly ran to an emergency exit at the front section of the aircraft, attempting to unlock the door while shouting that someone was going to assault him. The man was restrained and handed over to police for questioning. He was initially charged with acting in a way that would imperil an aircraft. Police said they would discuss with airport officials to determine further charges as per the Air Navigation Act.The incident led to an aborted takeoff. The flight was scheduled to leave Chiang Mai at 9.05pm. Thai Airways said on its website that the incident occurred on flight TG121 from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, while the aircraft was lining up before reaching the runway. It said the flight took off at 12.34am on Thursday after a safety check. “<br/>