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The first commercial batch of made-in-Canada low-carbon aviation fuel sourced from non-food grade canola and tallow has been produced and quickly purchased. Fuel retailer Parkland Corp. said Tuesday it has successfully produced about 100,000 litres of the fuel at its refinery in Burnaby, B.C. "using existing infrastructure." Parkland senior vice-president Ferio Pugliese said it means production can easily be scaled up, but only if Canada provides the necessary conditions to create an ecosystem around the nascent commodity and its adoption across the country. "We need to do more to make low-carbon air travel a reality," Pugliese said during the announcement in Vancouver on Tuesday. "We need a long-term Canadian solution for low-carbon, sustainable aviation fuel." While the potential for emission reduction is massive production in Canada is also significantly more expensive, Pugliese said. He notes that similar low-carbon fuels used in vehicles, buses and ferries have about one-eighth of the carbon content when compared to traditional fuels. Pugliese said other countries such as the United States incentivize production and use of low-carbon jet fuel, creating the necessary ecosystem to support a local industry. "Currently, the Canadian aviation industry purchases low-carbon aviation (fuel) from other countries and imports it from across the globe into Canada. That makes little sense."<br/>

Air India’s decision to order 100 additional Airbus planes is set to boost the competitiveness of its partnership with Singapore Airlines (SIA) in India, one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, analysts say. The deal, announced on Monday, follows the 470 Airbus and Boeing jets that Air India ordered last year under the stewardship of the Tata Group, which acquired the carrier from the Indian government in January 2022. The latest order – comprising 10 widebody A350 jets and 90 narrowbody A320-family aircraft – is in line with Air India’s plans to improve its market position after decades of state control, according to analysts. It came after last month’s merger between Air India and Vistara, the Tata-SIA joint venture, under which the Singapore carrier has a 25.1% stake in the merged entity. The merger followed the consolidation of other Tata Group airlines, including between low-cost carriers Air India Express and AIX Connect, formerly AirAsia India. Mayur Patel, Asia head at OAG Aviation, a global travel data provider, said the new order “allows them [Air India] to scale some of its domestic capacity at airports such as Noida and Navi Mumbai along with providing further growth for domestic and Southeast Asia and Middle East routes.” He was referring to the Noida airport near Delhi and the Navi Mumbai airport, both of which are under development.<br/>

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has joined the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Turbulence Aware platform, a global network for real-time turbulence data exchange, The Straits Times has reported. The move follows a severe turbulence incident in May 2024, when Singapore-bound flight SQ321 from London encountered extreme turbulence over Myanmar, resulting in one passenger’s death and dozens of injuries. SIA, along with its budget arm Scoot, Asiana Airlines, and British Airways, signed up for the platform on December 10. So far in 2024, six airlines have joined Turbulence Aware, including Cathay Pacific and Emirates earlier in the year. Launched in 2019 with two airlines, Turbulence Aware now has over 25 carriers sharing data from more than 2,600 aircraft. The platform aims to help pilots avoid turbulent areas by providing instant turbulence reports, complementing traditional tools like weather maps and pilot reports.<br/>

Korean Air plans to finalize its acquisition of a controlling stake in rival Asiana Airlines on Wednesday, completing the merger deal between Korea's leading carriers that has been sought over the past four years, according to company officials. Korean Air plans to invest 1.5t won ($1.07b) in a third-party share issuance by Asiana Airlines later in the day to acquire 131.57m new shares, or a 63.9% stake, in the rival carrier. The move is the final step in the merger deal first announced in November 2020. Once the payment is complete, Asiana Airlines will officially become a Korean Air subsidiary Thursday. Korean Air had received merger approvals from 13 of the 14 competition authorities globally, with only the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) pending. If the DOJ does not object before the final payment, the merger will be considered approved, as the DOJ only opposes mergers by filing lawsuits. To address international competition concerns, Korean Air worked with regulators, including those in Europe and the United States, to make adjustments. Korean Air plans to appoint a new CEO and key executives for Asiana Airlines next month. Over the next two years, it will operate Asiana Airlines as a subsidiary while working on brand and organizational integration.<br/>