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The US government and United Airlines Holdings Inc. will use a commercial aircraft to monitor greenhouse gases throughout the atmosphere, a first-of-its-kind collaboration that promises to vastly expand what scientists know about how planet-warming pollution behaves in the sky. Under a deal reached between the airline and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a Boeing 737 will be equipped with instruments to measure carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases as it ferries passengers around the country. The partnership is one of several initiatives being highlighted by the White House Tuesday as it holds a summit on “super pollutants,” greenhouse gases that cause far more warming per pound than carbon dioxide. The United agreement could eventually lead to widespread greenhouse gas monitoring by commercial aircraft. And the flights will give scientists an up-close look at how these compounds behave in different levels of the atmosphere, said NOAA chief scientist Sarah Kapnick. Flights are on track to begin next spring, with the plane expected to take continuous measurements as it flies between cities, at varying altitudes and on different routes. “This will give us a clearer picture of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the sources and sinks of them, a better understanding of the chemistry of them, about how they may vary in time,” she said in an interview. “Having more information about what’s happening in the life cycle of that molecule when it’s in the atmosphere is really important for us understanding the impact it has on pollution, on weather forecasting and climate.” Scientists have for decades collected carbon dioxide readings close to the ground, and satellites now gather information from orbit. But there’s relatively little measurement conducted in between, at different levels of the atmosphere. Research flights with private pilots provide some data, Kapnick said, but the single commercial plane flown by United could yield four times as much each year.<br/>

Turkish Airlines’ plan to order more than 200 Boeing Co. jets is being held up by differences with engine supplier General Electric Co. over maintenance costs. The carrier is pressing GE to lower its demands on maintenance, Chairman Ahmet Bolat said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Farnborough International Airshow outside of London. “Once they move, we will sign the deal,” Bolat said. A deal with Boeing would follow a commitment for 230 Airbus planes made in December, as Turkish aims to cement its position as a global aviation powerhouse. The carrier has said publicly for months that it wants to place a major Boeing order as it aims to almost double its fleet in the next decade. Turkey’s flag-carrier is looking to buy as many as 175 Boeing 737 Max jets, with the rest of the order made up of the larger 787 Dreamliner model. The chairman said on a panel Monday that he spoke with GE counterparts at Farnborough and the two sides are close, but an order won’t be announced at the event.<br/>

Turkish Airlines aims to begin rolling out its new in-house business-class suites next year, with chair Ahmet Bolat hailing “a new chapter for our long-haul luxury travel”. Produced by subsidiary TCI Aircraft Interiors – which is also responsible for the some of the economy-class seats in Turkish Airlines aircraft – the Crystal Business Class suites feature 23in seats, privacy doors, direct aisle access and wireless charging, and will be arranged in a 1-2-1 formation. The carrier is displaying a cluster of four of the suites in its chalet at Farnborough air show this week. “Our new Crystal Business Class suite… will carry the airline into the future with a new level of comfort and privacy across our extensive global network,” says Bolat. The new suites will be line-fitted to the Airbus A350s that Turkish is due to receive in late 2026, he states, while they will also be retrofitted to its Boeing 777s. The latter work is likely to begin in 2025, once the suites have cleared the remaining certification hurdles. He also suggests they will be fitted to future Boeing 787 deliveries, although no timeline was mentioned. Turkish still has nine or so 787-9s due for delivery from an existing order, while it is also working on a fresh order including 75 of type. Bolat said in Farnborough that the cost of the CFM International Leap-1B engines that power the 737 Max proportion of that potential deal is holding up confirmation of the commitments.<br/>

ATR has signed a letter of intent with Ethiopian Airlines’ MRO unit to build up the latter’s ATR maintenance and training capabilities. The cooperation agreement – signed on the second day of the Farnborough air show – covers the development of ATR MRO capabilities, as well as the establishment of a local spares stock, which ATR says will cut down response time for operators in the region. The two parties will also explore ways to train new ATR pilots with Ethiopian’s pilot academy. “This strategic agreement marks a significant milestone in expanding ATR’s presence in Africa and the Middle East, enabling enhanced support to local operators and fostering market growth,” states the Toulouse-based airframer. The signing comes after ATR set up a regional field services representative based in Ethiopia in 2023. There are 36 carriers operating 131 ATR turboprops in Africa and the Middle East, with operators including Air Algerie, Royal Air Maroc Express and Air Mauritius. Ethiopian, however, is not an existing ATR operator, and operates De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops instead. Ethiopian CE Mesfin Tasew says: “This collaboration reinforces Ethiopia’s positioning as a key hub, and the fact that an established OEM such as ATR approaches us to leverage our capabilities for their fleet and operators is a testament to the recognition we have earned.”<br/>

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson described the integration of four airlines into two as “probably unprecedented” in the aviation industry, with plans to finalize both transactions by year’s end. India’s Tata Group intends to combine Air India and Vistara as part of efforts to streamline operations. Tata purchased Air India in early 2022 and jointly owns Vistara along with Singapore Airlines. Additionally, the group is merging LCC subsidiaries Air India Express and the former AirAsia India business. “The challenge of merging four airlines into two, concurrently, is probably unprecedented in aviation,” Wilson told a media roundtable at the Farnborough Airshow. “There are the competition and legal clearances, then we have to merge all the operating practices, procedures and manuals, and train all the staff. It's a very long and convoluted process, but we’re hoping that by the end of this calendar year we’ll be able to complete both mergers.” Wilson noted that significant challenges include IT integration and aligning a diverse workforce of 30,000 staff. “There are many organizational structures to harmonize, but we are making substantial progress, and employees are looking forward to the new era,” he added. Speaking to ATW, Wilson described the “enormous” opportunity for aviation growth in India, noting that at the time of Air India’s privatization in 2022, the country had just 43 widebodies for its 1.4b population. In contrast, Singapore had 150 widebodies serving its 5m residents, he said. “The opportunity for growth out of India, even if you just focus on point-to-point, is enormous. When you consider the geography, which is exactly the same from a connectivity perspective as the Gulf, it compounds even further. So, our limiting factor is access to aircraft.”<br/>

Air India CE Campbell Wilson insists that the privatisation of the flag carrier means the country’s airlines are better positioned to take advantage of the huge growth potential in India, with the market now being commercially minded. “In terms of competition, Air India was the spoiler in the game when it was government-owned,” Wilson said during a roundtable discussion in the Tata Group chalet at the Farnborough air show on 23 July. “No other business could really operate professionally or with a profit motive because you had this monster in the middle destroying value,” he states. With Air India under Tata ownership and bringing AirAsia India and Vistara into its fold, India’s aviation market has matured, he suggests, meaning the country’s airlines – also including IndiGo and Akasa Air – can now concentrate on taking advantage of the huge market potential. “There’s a lot of private capital that has come in, which is allowing investment in fleet, investment in product,” he says. “There are more than 1,000 aircraft now in India’s aircraft order backlog and you are starting to see consolidation within the industry, which bodes well for stability, for profitability and ultimately investment and expansion.” Air India is taking delivery of a new aircraft on average every six days, Wilson notes, as it seeks to tap the growth opportunity. The widebody market is particularly ripe for growth, he says, highlighting the fact that India’s carriers emerged from the pandemic with fewer than 50 widebody aircraft in service.<br/>