JetBlue Airways reports that it takes roughly one year on average for its Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines to return to service once taken off-wing for inspections and repairs. Long beset by double-digit numbers of grounded A321neos powered by PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) engines, New York-based JetBlue shared insight into how long individual engines are held out of service in a 14 February filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. “The company currently expects each removed engine to take approximately 360 days to complete a shop visit and return to a serviceable condition,” JetBlue says. While other operators of affected Airbus narrowbodies have noted that P&W’s inspection process requires engines to be off-wing for months-long periods, JetBlue’s filing reveals the magnitude of the lost flying opportunities. Company executives warned during JetBlue’s most-recent earnings call that the worst of its GTF-related groundings are yet to come. Ursula Hurley, JetBlue’s CFO, said the company anticipates “hitting peak AOG” [aircraft on ground] within the next “one to two years”. JetBlue says it averaged 11 narrowbody Airbus jets – including A321neos and A220-300s – grounded for engine inspections and repairs throughout 2024. The company expects its average number of grounded jets to rise into the “mid-to-high teens” this year, Hurley says, while the outlook for 2026 is unclear. <br/>
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India’s biggest airline is leaving behind its budget image as it expands overseas and adds business-class seating, building on its dominant position at home in the world’s fastest-growing commercial aviation market. IndiGo will bolster the number of international destinations it serves to about 40 by the end of March, up from 26 two years ago, after adding direct connections to cities such as Jakarta and Nairobi, while recently offering premium “stretch” cabins on popular shuttle routes between major Indian cities, including Mumbai and Delhi. The move blends its cost-conscious, India-centric focus with newer, fuller-service offerings, according to CE Pieter Elbers — setting itself up for fierce competition with global long-haul carriers and departing from its budget roots. “We have left that station long ago,” Elbers told the Financial Times in an interview. “I think some of us are calling us a hybrid, I’m fine with whatever name you put on it.” Operating for almost 20 years, IndiGo has reached commanding heights as more Indians take to the skies. It has seized more than 60% of the domestic market — up from 37% a decade ago. A focus on costs and efficiency has helped its rise in a turbulent environment where many local competitors have fallen — including the billionaire backed Go First, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.<br/>
Japan’s low-cost carrier Peach Aviation received a warning from the Civil Aviation Bureau after the captain of a Jan 7 flight from Singapore to Kansai drank two cans of beer despite a pre-shift alcohol ban, and skipped an alcohol test before operating the plane. The inappropriate behaviour of the pilot was revealed in a media statement by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Feb 14. The flight captain was found to have drunk two cans of beer – about one litre in total – between 1.30pm and 2pm on Jan 6. This was within the 12 hour-window before the start of his shift, during which the airline’s flight regulations prohibit crew members from consuming alcohol. Peach, an Osaka-headquartered airline under All Nippon Airways, flies an Airbus A321 daily from Changi Airport to Kansai International Airport at the scheduled time of 2.15am. While he was not under the influence of alcohol on Jan 7 – the day flight MM774 departed for Kansai – the captain and his co-pilot failed to take a pre-flight alcohol test. The person in charge also failed to check on the implementation of the tests, according to the ministry. The pilot was also found to have given false information when questioned by Peach. “We were concentrating on operating the aircraft at an unfamiliar airport and forgot to take the test,” he reportedly told his employer, adding that he thought he would not get caught.<br/>
Virgin Australia is in a state of regulatory and leadership limbo, with key decisions looming that will shape the next phase of the airline's development. One of the changes in the works for Virgin Australia is its proposed partnership with Qatar Airways, which represents a major piece in the airline's ongoing efforts to reshape its post-restructuring business. The market, fleet and network implications of this enhanced partnership were discussed in this CAPA - Centre for Aviation analysis in Oct-2024, after the deal was announced. Since then, the ball has largely been in the regulators' court. Multiple Australian authorities and government branches are weighing in on the complex proposed arrangement between Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia. While there is still some way to go on this front, positive signs for the airlines have emerged recently. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia has been considering options for replacing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka when she steps down. However, this process has been complicated by political and union involvement.<br/>