The US Department of Transportation has penalized JetBlue Airways $2m over delayed flights, the first time the department has penalized an airline for delays. According to the DOT, $1m of the fine will go to JetBlue customers affected by delays or disruptions within the next year. The other half will go directly to the U.S. Treasury, with $500,000 due within 60 days and the other half due within one year after the first payment. The department also said it has investigations into other airlines for “unrealistic flight schedules,” which do not reflect actual flight departure and arrival times. “The department will enforce the law against airlines with chronic delays or other unrealistic scheduling practices in order to protect healthy competition in commercial aviation and ensure passengers are treated fairly,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. Under DOT rules, a flight is chronically delayed if it has been flown at least 10 times a month and arrives more than 30 minutes late more than 50% of the time. Cancellations are also included as delays in the DOT’s calculation. The DOT found JetBlue to have operated four chronically delayed flights at least 145 times between June 2022 through Nov. 2023, with each flight delayed for five months in a row or more. The department warned JetBlue specifically about chronic delays on its flight between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Raleigh-Durham, and the airline continued to operate three more chronically delayed flights between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla. and JFK, and between Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and Windsor Locks, Conn.<br/>
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Argentina's state airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, is slimming down for a potential sale, shedding 13% of its staff, cutting money-losing domestic routes and even removing snacks formerly available to passengers, according to sources and documents seen by Reuters. The cutbacks, many of whose details were previously unreported, are part of a backdoor attempt to trim the airline's burden on the state and lure private investment. The drive is progressing, even though libertarian President Javier Milei's plans to privatize the firm have generated pushback. The carrier, with Argentina's blue and white colors, is a major test case of Milei's pro-market reforms, which are yanking South America's second-largest economy in a sharply different direction after years of big government. They have improved the state's finances, but stunted economic growth and pushed up poverty. Reuters spoke to 10 company executives, officials, pilots, airline workers and union members, and saw a memo on the plans to streamline the airline for sale. The drive brought in blockbuster operating results for Aerolineas in 2024, a senior company source said ahead of the airline's release of full-year results next week. Part of that reflects the double-digit reduction in staff targeted in the earlier document seen by Reuters. "Our job is to get (Aerolineas) in order," the senior source said, adding that the carrier aimed to operate more like its private counterparts. "That way, when the time comes and the government enables its sale, the company is more attractive."<br/>
Cypriot carrier Tus Airways’ major shareholder has notified the other investor parties that it is exercising an option to take the entire share capital of the airline. The major shareholder is a company owned by Ami Cohen and Arnon Englander, who are linked to the Israeli firm Holiday Lines Group. This company had entered the shareholding structure of Tus Airways early last year, with the result that it held a stake equal in size to those of Global Knafaim Leasing and US businessman Kenneth Woolley. But it subsequently increase its interest, raising its share to 75% in November 2024, through a transaction which also gave it the option of taking over the entire share capital. Global Knafaim states that Cohen and Englander’s company has “notified” the other shareholders that it will exercise this option to acquire the remaining 12.5% shareholdings held by each. The total consideration to be paid to Global Knafaim and Woolley is estimated at $1.3m. “In accordance with the agreement between the parties…the investor will hold all of the Tus shares,” says Global Knafaim. Tus Airways will be required to return to Global Knafaim and Woolley the balance of loans provided by each of them – around $1.1m apiece.<br/>
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is to place Airbus A350s to the Gulf states of Bahrain and Kuwait, meaning it will serve one of the airline’s shortest routes. It will operate both services from Dubai beginning on 8 January. The Dubai-Bahrain sector is just 260nm and has a flight time of 1h 20min, while the distance from Dubai to Kuwait is about 460nm with a flight time of 1h 50min. Emirates says it will use the A350-900 on two of its daily Bahrain flights, as well as a daily Kuwait service. The carrier currently deploys Boeing 777-300ERs on both routes. It offers 22 weekly flights to Bahrain and 29 to Kuwait. Emirates says it is “bringing forward” the use of the A350 on the sectors, which mean Bahrain and Kuwait become its second and third destinations for the type. The airline took delivery of its first A350 in November 2024. It will configure the twinjets on the Gulf routes with 312 seats in three classes, including 32 in the business cabin and 21 in the premium-economy cabin.<br/>
Several of Brazilian air force investigators are working with colleagues from three other nations to analyze data from the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed in Kazakhstan on Dec. 25, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan claims the jet was unintentionally shot down by Russia. The Embraer 190 aircraft, made in Brazil, was en route from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, to Grozny in the North Caucasus when it was diverted. It crashed while trying to land near the city of Aktau after flying hundreds of kilometers (miles) east across the Caspian Sea. Brazil’s air force said in a statement late Thursday that nine foreign investigators have gathered with its own experts at its center for investigation and prevention of air accidents in capital Brasilia to work on data extracted from the airplane’s black box and other tools. Kazakhstan has three investigators in that group, while six others come from Azerbaijan and Russia. Investigators in Brasilia are working on recordings, cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the aircraft, the Brazilian air force added. There’s no deadline for investigators to publicize their conclusions, which will ultimately come from Kazakh authorities.<br/>
A series of pictures provided by Azerbaijani media outlet AnewZ display evidence that an external attack had been carried out on the Azerbaijan Airlines aircraft which crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan last month. The images of the airplane's exterior, as well as interior shots of the fuselage, show apparent shrapnel marks. An investigation into the exact causes of the crash, which killed 38 people on 25 December, is currently underway. The Embraer 190 aircraft, which was made in Brazil, was en route from the Baku to Grozny in Russia when it was diverted and crashed in Kazakhstan. Brazilian investigators are currently working with colleagues from three other countries to analyse the airplane's black box data. Brazil's air force said in a statement that nine foreign investigators have gathered with its own experts at its centre for investigation and prevention of air accidents in the capital Brasilia to work on the data extracted from the flight recorder. Investigators in Brasilia are working on recordings, cockpit voice and flight data recorders of the aircraft, the Brazilian air force added.<br/>
When Jeju Air’s status as South Korea’s biggest low-cost carrier seemed under threat from the merger of the country’s two biggest airlines last year, the company’s CE assured employees that it would “actively respond,” possibly by acquiring smaller rivals. Now, a week after a crash that killed 179 people on Dec. 29, Jeju Air’s future is clouded by even deeper questions. South Korean officials on Thursday raided the company’s offices and imposed a travel ban on Kim E-bae, the CE, as part of the investigation into the country’s worst air disaster in almost three decades. Passengers are canceling bookings, adding further strain to a balance sheet heavy with debt. And Jeju Air’s stock price, already trading near record lows, has fallen 10% since the disaster. Earlier in the week, Kim said that Jeju Air would cut 15% of its flights until March to “enhance operational stability.” As investigators look into what caused Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 to crash, the airline has come under intense government and public scrutiny for how it operates. Some of its operational practices are being challenged, including how it flew its planes more frequently than competitors and how it outsourced its maintenance overseas. At a news conference at Muan International Airport on the day of the crash, Kim said that maintenance checks had found no problems with the plane, which he said had no history of accidents. In a public statement, Jeju Air said it was “committed” to helping anyone affected by the crash and was “fully cooperating” with investigations into its cause. It did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment. Jeju Air’s business outlook was already uncertain. Over the last two years, like other airlines, the company has grappled with increased costs because of inflation and higher interest rates. The capacity of Jeju Air’s flights had not fully returned to 2019 levels, according to OAG, a global air travel data provider. The carrier operated 4% fewer flights in 2024 than before the Covid pandemic in 2019.<br/>
GE Aerospace, whose joint venture made the engines of the Boeing airplane that crashed in the deadliest aviation disaster on South Korean soil, joined the investigation as Seoul extended by a week special inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 jets. The transport ministry extended to Jan.10 its inspections following the crash of a Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air that killed 179 people, Joo Jong-wan, the deputy transport minister for civil aviation, told a press briefing. "Investigators are in the process of probing the cause of the accident by piecing together a puzzle," Joo added. The inspections had initially been set to wrap up on Friday, but another ministry official said further checks would look into matters such as whether airlines spent sufficient time on maintenance and secured parts for repairs. Video images on social media appear to show smoke emerging from the plane's right engine in the lead-up to the crash.<br/>
Authorities on Sunday concluded the search operations at the Jeju Air plane crash site, a week after the fatal accident that claimed 179 lives, as the recovery process was nearing its end, officials said. A firefighting agency, police and the national forensic team completed the final search on and around the tail section of the Jeju Air plane -- the only part that remained intact from the crash and explosion -- late Saturday night, officials said. Authorities said any additional discovery of bodies or personal items was unlikely. The Jeju Air plane, carrying 181 people returning from Bangkok, crashed while landing at Muan International Airport in the southwestern county of Muan on Dec. 29, killing all but two aboard. Search operations took place over the past week to retrieve the victims, while a joint investigation team carried out an on-site probe into the cause of the crash. All 179 bodies have been recovered, and 151 of them have been returned to their families, along with their personal belongings that have been identified.<br/>
Jeju Air, the embattled low-cost carrier (LCC) facing intense scrutiny over a recent aircraft crash that claimed 179 lives, recorded the largest number of flight delays among domestic airlines due to maintenance during the first half of 2024, government data showed Monday. bAccording to the data from the transport ministry submitted to Rep. Lee Yeon-hee of the main opposition Democratic Party, 536 flights out of the total 52,883 during the first six months of last year were delayed due to maintenance reasons. The tally was the highest among domestic airlines, even surpassing industry-leading full-service carrier Korean Air Co., which had more total flights but fewer maintenance-related delays at 422. Jeju Air also significantly outpaced other LCCs, such as T'way Air, Jin Air and Air Busan, which recorded 315, 243 and 227 delays, respectively. The rate of delays due to maintenance for Jeju Air stood at 1.01%, exceeding the overall industry average of 0.64% during the period. For 2023, Jeju Air had 943 delays due to maintenance issues. The rate of maintenance-related delays for the year was at 0.97%, also higher than the industry average of 0.59% for the year.<br/>
A flight from Hong Kong with 112 passengers on board was forced to abort its first landing attempt in Busan, South Korea, after a scare over a suspected malfunction in its landing gear. bThe Air Busan Airbus A321 aircraft was eventually cleared to land after air traffic controllers at Busan airport visually confirmed that the landing gear was operating properly, South Korean media reports said on Friday. The scare came days after the deadliest plane crash on South Korean soil. A Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crash-landed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla province, killing 179 people on board. Only two crew members on the Boeing 737-800 survived Sunday’s crash. On Friday, Air Busan flight BX392 departed from Hong Kong at 1.50am, carrying 112 passengers. It reportedly encountered an issue with its landing gear status during its approach to Gimhae International Airport in Busan. The pilot was unable to confirm if the landing gear was functioning, prompting a decision to circle around for additional checks. Following the go-around, air traffic controllers visually inspected the landing gear and confirmed it had been deployed correctly. The aircraft subsequently landed without incident.<br/>
Authorities in Fiji have charged a man with the alleged rape and sexual assault of a 21-year-old member of a Virgin Australia flight crew on New Year's Day, a police official in the Pacific island nation said on Saturday. The suspect "will be produced in court on Monday", after having been taken into custody on Wednesday, acting police commissioner Juki Fong Chew said in an email that confirmed a report by Australian Broadcasting Corp, but did not elaborate. Virgin Australia declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Fiji previously said police were investigating separate incidents involving Virgin crew in the city of Nadi, a tourist destination, in the early hours of Jan. 1. Investigations focused on incidents involving two crew of the airline, allegedly victims of rape and theft on a layover before they were supposed to leave the following day, it added. Crew were not being detained by police, officials said on Friday, though the airline had advised them to stay in their hotel.<br/>