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Porter Airlines is the latest Canadian carrier to tweak its schedule based on weakening demand for US travel, though it pledged to maintain a substantial operation to the USA during the summer air travel season. A revised summer schedule released on 31 March shows Porter stepping up domestic flying to 80% of its total network capacity, versus its previous plan of 75%. “This is balanced by targeted frequency reductions in select US markets,” Porter says. “Despite the changes, Porter’s presence in the Canada-US market will be 25% larger than last summer.” Most of the changes include stepping up frequencies on existing routes, including transcontinental flights between Eastern Canada and Vancouver and Victoria. Toronto-based Porter has in recent years pursued an aggressive expansion plan across North America with a now 44-strong fleet of Embraer E195-E2s. It flies to several US cities, including Chicago, Boston, New York, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco. <br/>

British airline easyJet on Tuesday said it was launching five additional routes from Rome's main airport of Fiumicino, as part of a broader strategy to expand its presence in Italy, which has become the carrier's second largest market. The low-cost company said new flights to Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Zurich and Brussels will help increase its capacity at the airport by 35% compared to last year, creating 150 new jobs and operating a total of 16 routes. "The opening of the new base at Fiumicino is a milestone in strengthening our presence in Italy," easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said in a statement. The Italian capital is currently hosting the Jubilee, a Holy Year for Roman Catholics, which is expected to bring up to 32m tourists in 2025, according to the Vatican. Last year, the British carrier also announced plans to grow at Milan's Linate airport, following the European Commission's approval of Lufthansa's acquisition of a minority stake in Italy's state-owned ITA Airways.<br/>

An easyJet plane is having to undergo repairs after a large lorry smashed into the fuselage while the aircraft was parked at Paris Orly. Images have been circulating on social media of the bright yellow Scania lorry wedged underneath the belly of the Airbus A320. The driver's cab on the lorry had bent in the middle, causing giant cracks on the windscreen. Pictures also show damage to the fuselage of the easyJet plane, with the exhaust pipe of the lorry appearing to have left a dent across the bottom of the aircraft. The damage was caused after the heavy-duty airport vehicle careered into the rear of the plane at Paris Orly airport early Monday morning, 31 March, The Sun reports. The incident occurred during a night stop in the early hours of the morning so no passengers were onboard and there were no injuries reported. It is unclear what service the airport lorry was carrying out that morning on the airport’s apron. “It happened first thing and everyone is in shock. It’s baffling how this happened,” a source told The Sun. “There was no way the plane could take off. It was due to complete six flights today but will now be grounded for rigorous safety checks. Bosses were forced to rip up flight plans. It’s a major incident and will leave a bill in excess of GBP100,000.”<br/>

Aer Lingus has proposed to Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien a legislative approach to addressing the passenger cap at Dublin Airport. The airline’s CE Lynne Embleton referenced the proposal in a letter to O’Brien seeking a meeting to discuss the cap and separate night-time restrictions on flights. The issues are expected to be discussed when representatives of Aer Lingus meet O’Brien Wednesday. The Irish Times reported earlier this week that the Government is to consider interventions to lift the passenger cap at Dublin Airport, including potentially passing laws allowing the limit to be increased. The limit of 32m passengers passing through the airport annually is at the centre of a protracted planning saga. It was imposed in 2007 as a planning condition that allowed the airport to open a second terminal. The Government holds the view that the restriction hinders economic growth. O’Brien has received updated advice from Attorney General Rossa Fanning on the matter. The advice references the potential to pass legislation effectively carving the decision out from planning laws.<br/>

Namibia has announced plans to revive the national carrier, Air Namibia, through a public-private partnership model, with operations expected to resume by late 2026. The Namibian Presidency confirmed on Tuesday its position in a statement on its social media page, reaffirming President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah's commitment to relaunching the airline under a sustainable business framework. Air Namibia ceased operations in 2021 after years of financial struggles, requiring repeated government bailouts. "President Nandi-Ndaitwah has committed to reviving the national airline through well-intentioned strategic measures aimed at avoiding past mistakes. The government intends to pursue this initiative using a sustainable business model with a Public-Private Partnership approach to provide a sound business case," the presidency said. According to the presidency, a market study will be completed by June 2025, an expression of interest for private partners will be finalized by August this year, and negotiations are expected to conclude by December 2025. "The launch and official operations of the new airline are anticipated between June and December 2026," the presidency added.<br/>

Hong Kong Airlines Ltd wants to get hold of as many second-hand aircraft as it can for a renewed push into intercontinental travel. A challenger to behemoth Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, Hong Kong Airlines is seeing buoyant demand for long-haul flights, vice-president Gary Zhan said in an interview. Hong Kong-Vancouver services, which started in January, are running 90% full, he said. Direct flights to Sydney are due to commence in June. Hong Kong Airlines, which is backed by HNA Group Co, has a fleet of 29 planes, down from a peak of almost 50 before the pandemic. The company is attempting to rebuild as it considers flying to Melbourne in Australia, as well as the United States and Europe, said Zhan, who is in charge of the carrier’s operations. “We need more aircraft,” he said. “We will introduce as many as possible.” Aviation’s fractured supply chain and the limited availability of aircraft make it difficult to set specific expansion targets, but Hong Kong Airlines’ fleet could grow by at least a third in the short term, Zhan said. After emerging from a HK$49bil (US$6.3bil) debt restructuring in 2022, Hong Kong Airlines’ rebuild depends almost entirely on used jets.The airline doesn’t have any new aircraft on order and would have to wait years for deliveries. The order backlog for new Airbus SE and Boeing Co jets stretches to the end of the decade. The airline is currently in talks to lease five to 10 aircraft, Zhan said. The company is eyeing Airbus A330s, A320 family single-aisle jets and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner for long-haul operations, he said.<br/>