A United Airlines Holdings Inc. plane returned to a Connecticut airport after losing part of a liner from inside the engine’s cover, another incident for a carrier already under scrutiny over a series of flight mishaps this year. The Airbus A320 aircraft departed Bradley International Airport in Hartford Thursday morning enroute to Denver International when the crew heard an “abnormal noise,” according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement. The agency said it will investigate the incident. United said in a separate statement that a piece of a “sound-dampening outer liner” underneath the cowling was found on the runway after landing. There were no injuries. The aircraft is 22 years old. While the cause of the incident wasn’t immediately known, issues with older planes are often isolated and not a sign of systemic problems or manufacturing defects. The airline’s safety procedures have been under review by the FAA since a series of incidents including a piece of fuselage coming loose in flight and a wheel falling off a plane after takeoff. The US aviation industry more broadly has been under heightened scrutiny since January, when a panel broke off of an Alaska Airlines flight. The FAA’s review has limited certification activities for United, effectively restricting the carrier’s growth. While the examination is ongoing, United said last month that it could begin the process of adding new planes and routes again.<br/>
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Lufthansa Group-backed solar fuels start-up Synhelion inaugurated its first industrial-scale plant to produce synthetic fuels using solar heat. The plant in Julich Germany, called Dawn, is the world’s first of its kind and “will produce several thousand litres of fuel per year”, the company said on 20 June. It is expected to begin the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in 2024. Dawn features a 20m (65.6ft) high solar tower and a mirror field. The solar tower contains a solar receiver, a thermochemical reactor, and a thermal energy storage that enables cost-efficient solar fuel production around the clock, Synhelion says. The plant will produce synthetic crude oil, known as “syncrude” that will be processed into certified fuels at a conventional oil refinery, the company adds. The resulting products will include kerosene for aviation and gasoline and diesel for road transportation and shipping applications. “Dawn demonstrates the entire technology chain from concentrated sunlight to synthetic liquid fuel on an industrial scale for the first time,” Synhelion says. Both Lufthansa and its Zurich-based subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines have invested in Synhelion, as has Swiss business and military trainer aircraft maker Pilatus Aircraft. “The large-scale use of sustainable aviation fuels is one of the most important measures to achieve the CO2 targets in aviation,” says Swiss’ CCO Heike Birlenbach. “The inauguration of Dawn marks a milestone in this process.” <br/>
Lufthansa and Air India are exploring opportunities to deepen their collaboration beyond the existing Star Alliance framework, Carsten Spohr, CE of the German airline major, told ET. Lufthansa’s partnership with Air India within Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network, “has been very fruitful”, he said. “However, we believe there are further opportunities to enhance our cooperation, which will benefit our customers and strengthen our market presence,” he said. Star Alliance membership has allowed the two airlines to offer their passengers a seamless travel experience with benefits such as coordinated schedules, shared lounges, and reciprocal frequent flyer programmes, Spohr said, adding that they are now looking to build on this foundation to achieve even greater synergy. Spohr said he held elaborate discussions with Campbell Wilson, CE of Air India, on the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in Dubai earlier this month. If successful, this move could set a new precedent for airline partnerships, demonstrating how carriers can go beyond traditional alliances to create more value for their customers and stakeholders. Potential areas for deeper collaboration include joint ventures on India-Europe routes and coordinated marketing strategies,people aware of the negitiations said.<br/>