United Airlines has announced an investment of $177m in its Houston hub, to build a new ground service equipment (GSE) maintenance facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, TX. The new GSE maintenance facility, set to open in 2027, will support United’s fleet of more than 1,800 ground service vehicles and provide the airline’s maintenance team with modernised workspaces and improved infrastructure. This facility is expected to be twice the size of the current facility. It will feature increased repair, shop, and storage space and shared spaces, supporting the local community and workforce with job creation. The airline also announced the opening of a $16m technical operations training centre (TTC), which will support United’s plan to integrate hundreds of new planes into its fleet by 2032. United airport operations vice president Phil Griffith said: “At United, we believe that investing in our people and our facilities is the key to maintaining our leadership in the aviation industry. With these new facilities, Ground Service Equipment Maintenance Facility and the Technical Operations Training Center, we are enhancing our ability to maintain a world-class fleet while empowering our employees with cutting-edge tools and training.”<br/>
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Polish flag carrier LOT has signed a deal for two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, Minister Dariusz Klimczak said on social media platform X on Thursday, which will be obtained through a lease deal according to LOT's CE. "In the face of global challenges related to the availability of wide-body aircraft, this success opens up new opportunities for LOT Polish Airlines expansion in line with its adopted development strategy," he wrote. The Dreamliners will be delivered to LOT in 2026,the airliner's CE Michal Fijol was cited by state news agency PAP. "Currently, these planes operate for another airline. I cannot say yet which entity it is," Fijol added, according to PAP. He was also cited as saying that the outcome of a tender for 84 aircraft to operate on regional routes should be made public within the next few weeks.<br/>
Portuguese carrier TAP’s revenues rose 1% last year, sufficient for it to claim an all-time high figure of E4.2b, although its net profit fell by 70% – a decline it attributes partly to revenue adjustments and labour provisions. The airline’s full-year performance includes the effect of its full consolidation of regional carrier Portugalia since November. It kept the rise in operating costs to 1.5% and achieved an operating profit of E314m, down by 9%. CE Luis Rodrigues says that, despite the profitability dip, the figures demonstrate the “recovery trajectory” of the carrier, as it enters the final year of its restructuring plan. Rodrigues says 2025 will be “challenging” but that the company will “remain focused” on transforming into a “sustainably profitable airline”. TAP’s passenger revenues declined slightly during the year, due to a negative adjustment for non-flown revenues in the fourth quarter. The airline says a number of elements contributed to this adjustment, including a “refocus” of its loyalty programme, re-establishment of ticket terms adjusted during the pandemic, and lower expired ticket revenue. But a strong performance from the maintenance division – particularly for engine-shop activity – offset this decline.<br/>
Star Alliance carrier Ethiopian Airlines has signed an agreement with Archer Aviation to become the electric air taxi company’s second airline launch customer. Archer also has an existing launch agreement with Chicago-based United Airlines. The US air taxi developer disclosed on 27 March the deal that will see it partner with Africa’s largest carrier to develop a regional air taxi network that would feed domestic traffic into Ethiopian’s network of more than 140 international destinations. Archer plans to deploy an initial fleet of its Midnight aircraft to Ethiopian, along with “a team of Archer pilots, technicians and engineers”. Air taxi operations will be supported by Archer’s back-end software infrastructure and customer-facing booking applications. In addition to operations supporting Ethiopian’s airline operations, the agreement could also include collaborations on eco-tourism flights, Archer says. Mesfin Tasew, Ethiopian’s CE, says the carrier is ”committed to pioneering advanced air mobility solutions that enhance connectivity and drive sustainable aviation in Africa”. The companies say they will work with the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority “to efficiently and safely” operate its Midnight air taxis. Archer and other US air taxi developers have yet to achieve certification of their new class of “powered lift” aircraft with the FAA. <br/>