star

United Airlines said the FAA has cleared it to start adding new aircraft and routes months after the regulator stepped up its scrutiny of the carrier following several safety incidents. "Today, we got some good news: after a careful review and discussion about the proactive safety steps United has taken to date, our FAA Certificate Management Office has allowed us to begin the process of restarting our certification activities, including new aircraft and routes, and we will continue to coordinate closely with the FAA," United said in a note to employees Wednesday. United said in March that the FAA had stepped up scrutiny of the airline after a spate of incidents earlier this year. That prevented it from launching new routes, including flights to Faro, Portugal, ahead of the busy summer travel season. United said that it has more work to do, however. "We will continue to see an FAA presence in our operation as they review our work processes, manuals and facilities," it said in its employee memo. United would send requests to the FAA to add aircrafts or new routes, though a spokesperson said it has yet to do so. The FAA said later Thursday that it has not yet "approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets." The FAA said its review is "ongoing and safety will determine the timeline for completing it." A clearance from the FAA would be welcome news as United and other carriers expect a record peak season this year. Among the safety incidents in recent months, a Japan-bound United Boeing 777 lost a tire shortly after takeoff from San Francisco in February, and a missing panel was discovered on a Boeing 737 after it landed in Oregon in March.<br/>

The FAA said Thursday it has not approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets and is requiring the presence of FAA personnel when United conducts final inspections of new aircraft replacing older models. Earlier on Thursday, United Airlines told employees it had gotten some "good news" saying the FAA has allowed the airline "to begin the process of restarting our certification activities, including new aircraft and routes." Some airline certification activities were halted after the FAA said in March it was increasing its oversight of United following recent safety incidents. The aviation regulator said then it was initiating a formal evaluation to ensure the Chicago-based carrier was complying with safety regulations. "The FAA has not approved any expansion of United Airlines' routes or fleets," the FAA said Thursday, adding the review, known as the Certificate Holder Evaluation Program, "is ongoing and safety will determine the timeline for completing it." The FAA said the evaluation is to ensure the Chicago-based airline "is complying with safety regulations; identifying hazards and mitigating risk; and effectively managing safety." United in an email to its employees on Thursday said the FAA was allowing the company to begin the certification process restart "after a careful review and discussion about the proactive safety steps United has taken to date."<br/>

Lufthansa's bid to buy a stake in Italian peer ITA is set to be blocked by EU antitrust regulators unless there is a substantial improvement to remedies to address competition concerns, people with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. Remedies offered last week are insufficient to allay the European Commission's concerns that the deal may reduce competition in short-haul and long-haul routes connecting Italy to other countries and also reinforce ITA's market power at Milan Linate airport, the people said. There is still time for Lufthansa to offer more remedies, they said, ahead of the commission's July 4 decision. The EU competition watchdog and Lufthansa declined to comment. The deal, and British Airways-owner IAG's proposed buyout of Air Europa, underscore the current consolidation in the European airline industry. Rome is sticking to its plan to sell a 41% stake in state-owned ITA, Alitalia's successor, to Lufthansa and is not considering other options as the EU investigation into the deal is still ongoing, a senior Italian government official told Reuters earlier this week. Lufthansa last week offered to keep some competing ITA short-haul routes in an effort to secure EU antitrust approval for the deal, other people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The offer on short-haul routes concerns Germany, Belgium, Switzerland and Austria, the sources said.<br/>

Asiana Airlines, Korea's second-largest carrier, has widened its net loss in the first quarter due to increased operating costs and the weakening of the local currency, the company said Thursday. Asiana Airlines recorded a net loss of 174.4b won ($129.6m) in the January-March period, compared with a loss of 62b won from the same period last year, the company said. Its sales increased 12.1% on-year to 1.63t won, the highest for a first quarter, but the company shifted to an operating loss of 31.2b won from a profit of 92.5b won a year ago. The company said its sales were up thanks to an expansion of its air routes, but its net loss deepened due to higher operating costs from an increase in transportation volume and a weak won. "We have been replacing our planes under a long-term aircraft operation plan," an official from Asiana said, noting the company is pushing to strengthen its hardware competitiveness. Asiana said its profitability is expected to improve in the second half of this year, noting it is working to expand its service in long distance routes to the Americas and Europe and routes to China.<br/>

Korean airlines said Friday they will lower fuel surcharges on international routes next month to reflect a recent decline in jet fuel prices. Starting June 1, the surcharge for one-way tickets on Korean Air 's international routes will be lowered to the range of 18,200 won-144,100 won ($13-$106), depending on routes, a company spokesperson said. The national flag carrier receives surcharges ranging from 21,000 won-161,000 won this month. Asiana Airlines, the country's second-biggest full-service carrier, said it will cut the surcharge on its international routes to 20,600 won-114,100 won from the current 23,000 won-125,800 won range. Local carriers' surcharges vary depending on the level of jet fuel prices traded on the Singaporean market. If the average jet fuel price on the Singapore spot market rises over $1.50 per gallon during the past month, Korean airlines are allowed to impose fuel surcharges starting one month later. Jet fuel prices averaged at $2.32 per gallon on the Singapore market for the one month from April 16 to May 15. The average price is the basis for setting jet fuel surcharges for June.<br/>

Singapore Airlines expects its first Boeing 777-9 “to still be delivered” in late-2025, even as other operators flag slipping delivery timelines. Airline chief Goh Choon Phong says the airline also “has some flexibility” in its existing fleet – in the form of 777-300ERs – to buffer against any further delivery delays. Goh, speaking at a results briefing on 16 May, says: “Based on our understanding, we are expecting the 777-9s to still be delivered next year (2025).” While Goh declines to comment further, he notes that SIA, which has orders for 31 777-9s, has a “very constructive relationship” with airframers like Boeing. “We work with them as a partner to look at how we can make products better, and how we can ensure that have a productive relationship. [That] is why you find that…when there are disruptions because of [issues like] supply chain, we are actually less affected,” he adds. Goh’s comments come amid warnings that 777-9s deliveries could face further delays. As recently as late-April, German operator Lufthansa said they now forecast their first 777-9 to be delivered in 2026, a year later than previously expected. This follows similar sentiments from major 777X customer Emirates. In March president Tim Clark expressed doubt about Boeing’s ability to meet its delivery commitments on time. The Middle Eastern giant, which has over 200 examples on order, forecasts its first 777-9 to be delivered in “early 2026”, instead of late-2025. <br/>

Air travel demand from China is not back to pre-pandemic levels for Singapore Airlines, but a visa-free scheme for Chinese citizens to the Asian hub has helped fill seats and the airline will add more China capacity this year, its CEO said on Thursday. Global aviation capacity returned to pre-pandemic levels this year, but recovery has been slower in Asia's aviation industry due to still-sluggish international demand in China, the world's second-largest economy. "Travel into China has been strong, travel out of China has not yet recovered fully," Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong told media. He said the visa-free scheme between China and Singapore which began in February has provided "some lift to load factors" for Chinese flights. The airlines group was progressively restoring China capacity and would increase seats to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou this year, Goh added. The flag carrier suspended April flights to China's Chengdu, Chongqing, and Xiamen, citing a lack of regulatory approvals. These are now in place and flights will operate until July, when permissions must be re-sought, Goh said.<br/>