WestJet has launched an on-board Wi-Fi service powered by Starlink, the satellite internet technology made by Elon Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, sparking a limited backlash from Canadians. In an email, the airline confirmed it activated the service earlier this month and now offers free Wi-Fi on 16 of its nearly 140 planes after receiving federal certification. Spokesman Josh Yeats said WestJet plans to complete hardware installations on its narrow-body fleet by the end of this year and on its wide-body aircraft before 2027. The higher-speed connectivity comes alongside growing controversy around Musk, thanks to his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump as well as recent expressions of support for far-right groups. Amid a surge in Canadian patriotism following threats to the country’s economy and sovereignty from the White House, some have called out WestJet and demanded it roll back its Wi-Fi plans. “Sorry, @WestJet, I don’t want to fly in a plane that’s wrapped in the loving arms of Starlink,” said novelist Jeffrey Luscombe in a post Monday on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter -- currently owned by Musk. However, others said they were “thrilled” about the faster internet speeds or pointed to the apparent contradiction of using a Musk-owned service to criticize WestJet for using another Musk-owned service.<br/>
unaligned
Sanctions-hit Belarusian flag carrier Belavia is on the cusp of adding three Airbus planes to its depleted fleet after repurposing aircraft that had previously belonged to Gambian airline Magic Air , three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Western sanctions imposed on Belarus and its larger neighbour Russia after Minsk forced a Ryanair plane to land in the Belarusian capital and following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine mean the two staunch allies face a shortage of planes, particularly large passenger aircraft. Belarus and Russia share a borderless union state. The three wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft, which can typically carry around 250 passengers each, were all registered to Magic Air when they landed in Minsk on August 17, 2024, records by Flightradar24 and two other flight tracking services providers reviewed by Reuters show. State-owned Belavia is in the process of signing a contract to buy the planes, which arrived in very poor technical conditions, and plans to start flying them this spring-summer season, one of the sources said. Should Belavia succeed, it could give Russia a blueprint for circumventing sanctions through the use of non-Western nations' planes, according to industry experts. The United States reached separate deals on Tuesday with Ukraine and Russia to pause their attacks at sea and against energy targets, with Washington agreeing to push to lift some sanctions against Moscow. While Western sanctions on Belarus and Russia have sought to cut access to aircraft parts, many countries, including Gambia, have not signed up to those restrictions and have no obligation to enforce them.<br/>
Malaysia’s AirAsia has become the latest airline to tighten rules on bringing power banks onto planes, days after Hong Kong’s aviation regulator announced restrictions on the devices for passengers flying with local carriers. AirAsia announced on Wednesday that passengers needed to store their power banks in their seat pocket or underneath their chair from next month. Passengers would also be banned from charging other portable electronic devices using power banks during flights, the budget airline said. “These measures align with global aviation safety standards to reduce the risk of battery-related incidents during flights,” it said on its official website. AirAsia also advised guests to ensure their power banks complied with the airline’s policy before arriving at the airport. Passengers cannot bring on board power banks that exceed 100 watt-hours (Wh) or 20,000 milliampere-hours (mAh). Any such devices with a power level of between 100Wh and 160Wh must be approved by airline staff at the airport check-in counter. Two days earlier, Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department announced similar rules for four local carriers – Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget arm HK Express, alongside Greater Bay Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines. On Monday, the department expressed serious concerns over recent safety incidents involving passengers who had used lithium power banks while flying. The new rules will take effect on April 7 and prohibit passengers from storing power banks in overhead compartments and using the devices during flights. Last week, an inbound Hong Kong Airlines flight from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province was forced to divert to Fuzhou after a fire broke out on board.<br/>
An AirAsia flight bound for China returned to Kuala Lumpur due to an engine issue shortly after takeoff and landed safely with no injuries reported, Malaysian authorities and the airline said on Thursday. Flight AK128, an Airbus A320, was on its way to Shenzhen but turned back to Kuala Lumpur International Airport due to "an abnormal indication in one of the engines", budget airline AirAsia said in a statement. Malaysia's Selangor state fire department said earlier that a "pneumatic ducting burst" started a fire in the right engine shortly after the flight's 9:59 p.m. (1359 GMT) departure on Wednesday. Capital A owned AirAsia said its inspection showed there was no engine fire but that a damaged duct had caused hot air to be released into the engine. Firefighters ensured all passengers and crew exited the aircraft after the plane landed safely slightly past midnight, the fire department said, adding that no-one was hurt. AirAsia said all 171 passengers were transferred to another aircraft, which landed at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport on Thursday morning. The initial aircraft is expected to return to service on March 31, the airline added. Malaysia's aviation authority will investigate the incident, local media reported, citing the transport minister.<br/>
Government-owned Lao Airlines is set to start operating COMAC's C909 regional jet, a spokesperson for the country's flag carrier said, joining several other Southeast Asian nations preparing to add Chinese-made commercial aircraft to their fleets. A group of Lao Airlines staff was at COMAC's Customer Training Centre in Shanghai this week for training on COMAC planes, photos shared on social media by several employees showed. A spokesperson for Vientiane-based Lao Airlines confirmed the training and said the airline was expecting to get one C909 around the end of March. Other social media postings indicate staff from Laos' civil aviation regulator also attended training there this month. Laos' Department of Civil Aviation (DCAL) did not respond to a request for comment on the training or certification of the C909 in Laos. COMAC did not respond to a request for comment. The state-owned Chinese planemaker has since the start of last year stepped up marketing to regulators and airlines as it seeks to compete internationally with rivals Airbus, Boeing and Embraer and ramps up production of the C909 and its larger C919 narrowbody jet. COMAC's C909, previously branded as the ARJ21, is a regional jet that seats up to 90 people and is China's first jet-powered plane to reach commercial production. It entered service in 2016. The C909 is not as high-profile as COMAC's more advanced C919, but its introduction in Laos would allow the planemaker to gain a foothold in another country and boost its visibility outside China. Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet has agreed to lease two C909s from China's Chengdu Airlines and is waiting for Vietnam's regulator to authorise the use of Chinese-manufactured planes in the country. Laos already operates small Chinese-made Xian MA60 turboprop planes. A 2010 memorandum of understanding between the Chinese and Lao aviation regulators shows that Laos recognises China's aircraft design certifications - avoiding the step Vietnam's regulator needs to take.<br/>
Virgin Australia has opted for a two-class configuration for its fleet of Embraer E190-E2s, the first of which will be entering into service in October this year. Revealing its cabin interiors for the first time, the Australian carrier adds that it expects to take delivery of four – out of an order for eight – E2s over a 12-month period. Embraer will begin assembly of Virgin Australia’s first E2, christened ‘Coral Bay’, in March, the airline confirms. The E2s, which will operate with regional unit Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (VARA), replace the carrier’s fleet of Fokker 100s. The E2s will also be based in Perth, where it will serve the Western Australia charter market. VARA will be Australia’s first E2 operator, and the latest E2 operator in the Asia-Pacific region, after Singapore’s Scoot. Virgin Australia does not disclose the seat count of the E2s, but a rendering of the interiors shows there to be at least eight business-class seats, in a three-abreast configuration. <br/>