Air Canada expects to receive first A321XLR in Q4 as fleet renewal progresses

Air Canada is expecting Airbus to deliver the first of 30 A321XLRs it has on order in the fourth quarter, adding to an ongoing renewal of the Montreal-based carrier’s narrowbody fleet. The Star Alliance airline disclosed on 28 March an update of its fleet renewal plan, which foresees A321XLR deliveries continuing through 2029. Half of the latest-generation narrowbody jets will be leased, while Air Canada plans to acquire the other 15 aircraft under a purchase agreement with Airbus. Air Canada holds options to receive another 10 A321XLRs between 2030 and 2032, for a potential total of 40 of the extra-long-range jets – all powered by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) PW1100G geared turbofans. Upon placing the aircraft order in March 2022, Air Canada had initially anticipated that its first A321XLRs would arrive in the first quarter of 2024, based on Airbus’ prior expectation of clearing certification of the type in 2023. The A321XLR is the longest-range variant in Airbus’ popular A321neo family. It has been marketed as a game-changer for transatlantic flights to smaller markets that do not support widebody operations.
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Canada’s Porter Airlines makes ‘targeted frequency reductions’ amid softening US demand

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.
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Looming trade tariffs have yet to hit demand for flights, Walsh says

The head of global airlines body IATA said threatened U.S. trade tariffs were unlikely to halt a post-COVID surge in travel demand, and that President Donald Trump's approach could ultimately be positive for the industry. "It's additional uncertainty which we never welcome but we've always been able to manage," IATA's Willie Walsh said in an interview, as the prospect of more U.S. tariffs looms. He said the Trump administration's approach to date was a "net positive" for the airlines sector and was likely to encourage consolidation. Describing Trump's approach as a "wake-up call", he urged European regulators to relax regulation. "I think it is important that Europe re-evaluates its role in the world, and I think the Trump administration has caused that to happen much more quickly than I had expected," he said. Walsh said transatlantic travel was up in January and February year-on-year and that travel demand across the industry was up 9% since before the pandemic in 2019. "We'll look at March and April as we get the figures there. But certainly in the figures that we have available to us, it's not obvious that there's been an impact," he said. Individual airlines have given a mixed picture.
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Vancouver airport adds more direct flights to Manila

People travelling between B.C. and the Philippines now have more flight options as Air Canada launches a direct route from Vancouver to Manila. The first flight is set to depart YVR Wednesday, according to a news release, which notes there are more than one million Filipinos living in Canada – with upwards of 170,000 based in British Columbia. There will be four departures out of YVR and four from Manila per week once the route is fully up and running in May. “We are proud to be the only Canadian carrier flying to the Philippines, building on the longstanding ties between our countries to make visiting family and friends, conducting business, or heading on vacation more convenient than ever,” Mark Galardo, an executive with Air Canada said in the news release.
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EasyJet expands presence at Rome's Fiumicino airport

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.
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‘Something was missed’ at Reagan National Airport. What experts have to say about one of the country’s busiest airports

When senators grilled the Federal Aviation Administration last week about how the agency could have let the high number of close calls between helicopters and commercial jetliners occur at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the acting head of the FAA replied, “Something was missed.” That thought came “too little, too late,” according to Dailey Crafton, who was in attendance. In January, his brother was among 67 people killed when an American Airlines regional jet landing at the airport collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River. The NTSB later uncovered 15,214 “near miss events” at the airport between 2021 and 2024, where aircraft were within one nautical mile of each other, with a vertical separation of less than 400 feet. There were also 85 cases where aircraft were much closer - less than 1,500 feet apart, with a vertical separation of less than 200 feet, according to the NTSB. “There were a number of reports that came in, and we investigate every single near midair collision,” said Chris Rocheleau, acting FAA administrator in the hearing on the collision. “We have teams that go out and assess the airspace itself.” The “overburdened” Reagan National Airport, which sits on a total of 860 acres, has long been one of the nation’s busiest airports, according to the Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports. It served 25.5m passengers in 2023, more than its much larger counterpart Dulles International Airport, which served 25.1m. Reagan National Airport’s main runway is the busiest runway in the country, with over 800 daily takeoffs and landings, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority. The airport has 58 total gates and three runways.
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Lufthansa says no decline in US bookings despite stricter border policy

German airline Lufthansa has not experienced a decline in bookings to and from the United States despite a stricter border policy under President Donald Trump, its finance chief said. "Our important transatlantic business continues to look very good," CFO Till Streichert told newspaper Boersen-Zeitung in an interview released late on Monday. Streichert described the market environment for 2025 as positive, especially in the North Atlantic, saying he expected a "significant improvement in earnings for the group". Last month, Germany updated its travel advisory for the U.S. to emphasise that a visa or entry waiver does not guarantee entry for its citizens. It came after three citizens were detained at the border. On Monday, British airline Virgin Atlantic said it was starting to see some signals that demand was slowing in the United States after a strong start to 2025. It echoed a warning from its part-owner Delta Air Lines over the impact of U.S. economic uncertainty amid tariffs and rising prices.
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Lorry smashes into rear of easyJet plane at Paris airport causing flight chaos

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.”
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European tourists start avoiding the U.S. as ‘unknown territory’

French hotel group Accor SA has warned that forward bookings from Europe to the U.S. are down 25% this summer as travelers that feel put off by U.S. President Donald Trump’s ’s crackdown on immigration divert to other locations. The company is seeing a “pretty strong deceleration” across the Atlantic, CEO Sébastien Bazin said on Tuesday in a Bloomberg TV interview. The drop is an acceleration from an 18-20% decline in the first 90 days of the year, he said. Travelers are deciding to visit places such as Canada, South America of Egypt instead of the US, Bazin said. “It’s probably anxiety to go in an unknown territory,” Bazin said. While cases of people being detained at the border are anecdotal for now, they have nevertheless created a “bad buzz” that’s starting to show up in booking trends, he said. “You don’t need any bad buzz today,” Bazin said. Transatlantic travel has long been a mainstay of airlines and tourism companies, counting as one of the most lucrative routes anywhere in the world. Now there’s a growing number of companies cautioning that the link has come under strain — with both US tourists tightening their belts and avoiding Europe, and Europeans circumventing the US for political reasons. While European airline executives said last week that there was no change in demand for now across the North Atlantic corridor, Virgin Atlantic Airways sounded the alarm this week about a recent weakening of travel to the UK. That caused shares of transatlantic carriers such as British Airways parent IAG to slide.
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Lufthansa shifts A350 hub capacity to counter aircraft delivery delays

Lufthansa is addressing delays in aircraft deliveries by shifting Airbus A350-900 capacity to its Frankfurt hub. The German carrier says four A350s have been transferred ahead of the summer season. Another pair will join them in May and July. The initial aircraft are serving long-haul routes to Seoul and Shanghai, while the others will operate to Denver and Seattle. CE Jens Ritter says the airline is “closing a gap” caused by late aircraft deliveries. Lufthansa has not specified the aircraft types held up. But the carrier is expecting to take 61 new aircraft by the end of 2027. It has 30 A350s operating at Munich and 14 more are due to arrive by 2029.
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Aer Lingus proposes ‘legislative approach’ to solve Dublin Airport passenger cap

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.
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Anger against Trump is forecast to cost the US international visitors

Anger over the Trump administration’s tariffs and rhetoric will likely cause international travel to the U.S. to fall even further than expected this year, an influential travel forecasting company said Tuesday. Tourism Economics said it expects the number of people arriving in the U.S. from abroad to decline by 9.4% this year. That’s almost twice the 5% drop the company forecast at the end of February. At the beginning of the year, Tourism Economics predicted a booming year for international travel to the U.S., with visits up 9% from 2024. But Tourism Economics President Adam Sacks said high-profile lockups of European tourists at the U.S. border in recent weeks have chilled international travelers. Potential visitors have also been angered by tariffs, Trump's stance toward Canada and Greenland, and his heated White House exchange with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “With each policy development, each rhetorical missive, we’re just seeing unforced error after unforced error in the administration,” Sacks said. “It has a direct impact on international travel to the U.S.” The decline will have consequences for airlines, hotels, national parks and other sites frequented by tourists.
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China’s ‘Big Three’ expect strong growth in C919 deliveries

China’s three largest carriers expect a marked increase in deliveries of Comac’s C919 narrowbody jet this year, according to their latest fleet plans. The disclosures, made alongside their annual financial results, align with Comac’s previously disclosed plans to raise the production rate of its narrowbody programme this year. The ‘Big Three’ – Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – each expect to take delivery of between 10 and 12 C919s this year, doubling or tripling their existing fleets of the narrowbody. Launch customer China Eastern, which has 10 C919s in service, aims to receive another 10 examples in 2025, doubling its operating fleet by the end of the year. Similarly, Air China says it aims to receive 10 new C919s in 2025, bringing the total fleet to 13 examples by year-end. China Southern, meanwhile, targets deliveries of 12 C919s, taking its operating fleet to 15 aircraft. Air China and China Southern only received their first C919s in August 2024, while China Eastern took delivery its first example in 2023. In 2026 and 2027, the three operators expect to receive 10 C919s per year, an indication that production rates may have stabilised by then. Comac executives were cited in local media reports in January that the Shanghai-based airframer was looking to deliver at least 30 C919s this year, as it raises production capacity to 50 aircraft annually.
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Namibia to revive national airline through public-private partnership

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.
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Heathrow boss to be questioned by MPs over airport’s closure

Heathrow’s boss will be questioned by MPs on Wednesday about the airport’s closure for most of a day last month. CE Thomas Woldbye will give evidence to the Transport Select Committee as part of its investigation into the shutdown on March 21, which disrupted more than 270,000 air passenger journeys. The west London airport was closed to all flights on that day until about 6pm, after a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby electricity substation which started late the previous night. The committee will examine whether the situation could have been handled differently and what lessons can be learned. Woldbye will be asked why the airport was closed for so long, and why it appears to have a single point of failure. He will be asked whether alternative power sources could have been used earlier, after National Grid said two other substations could have powered the airport. He could also be asked about reports that he went back to bed after the power outage began. The committee will also question whether this type of incident was deemed so unlikely to happen that investing in additional resilience was thought unnecessary.
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New law subjects 17 Singapore transport firms to greater government scrutiny

Singapore has designated 17 transport companies as critical firms subject to greater regulatory scrutiny under a new law effective on Tuesday, which authorities have said aims to guard against extreme scenarios involving "malicious actors".
The Transport Sector (Critical Firms) Act would give the government tighter control over major Singaporean companies in the air, land and sea transport sectors, with approval required for key leadership changes and when an entity gains control of more than 5% of a firm. The companies include Singapore-listed Singapore Airlines, ground services handling firm SATS, aircraft maintenance firm SIA Engineering Company, and bus and rail operator SBS Transit. The companies must also inform authorities of events like lawsuits and insolvency that impair their ability to provide essential services, according to the law published in the government gazette. Unlisted companies also designated as critical include Changi Airport Group, public transport operator SMRT Corporation, Jurong Port and PSA Marine. A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the company notes its inclusion and "will be in compliance with the act".
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Hong Kong Airlines scours second-hand market for more aircraft

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.
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Britain imposes new travel permit requirement on Europeans

European visitors to Britain will have to purchase an electronic permit in advance for trips from Wednesday, as the UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme requires all visitors who do not need a visa to enter Britain to purchase pre-travel authorisation online at a cost of 10 pounds (12 euros), rising to 16 pounds from April 9. Irish citizens are excluded. The regime was initially rolled out to non-European nationals last year, including visitors from the United States, Canada and Australia. "Expanding ETA worldwide cements our commitment to enhance security through technology and innovation," migration minister Seema Malhotra said last month. Britain's Home Office, or interior ministry, said applying for an ETA should be simple through the UK ETA app, with the vast majority of applicants receiving a decision automatically in minutes. Applicants provide a photo and biographic details and answer questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport. An ETA allows multiple visits to the UK of up to six months over a two-year period.
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Zurich airport operator plans noise fee hike to encourage fleet renewal

Zurich airport’s operator is to introduce a new noise classification by 2027, and implement adjustments to landing fees for the noisiest aircraft. The Swiss federal civil aviation office has approve an application from operator Flughafen Zurich which was submitted at the end of last year. “Flying at night will become increasingly expensive,” the office states. By January 2027 the airport operator will reclassify noise categories, adjusting surcharges for daytime operations while raising those for off-peak operations by noisy aircraft. Surcharges for operations after 23:00 will be higher, and a further hike will take effect after 23:15 – reaching up to SwFr5,000 ($5,660) for the noisiest long-haul aircraft. “The airport aims to reduce the number of late take-offs and create an incentive to upgrade fleets to quieter aircraft,” says the office. “This increase in fees contributes to the necessary reduction of noise pollution generated by night operations at the airport.”
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FAA must address concerns before extending Boeing regulatory program, senator says

Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell on Tuesday urged the Federal Aviation Administration to address critical concerns before deciding whether to extend a program that allows Boeing to perform FAA-delegated tasks like inspections and approving repairs. The FAA in May 2022 opted to renew Boeing's Organization Designation Authorization program -- known as ODA -- for three years, rather than the standard five years, to ensure the planemaker implemented "required improvements." Boeing's quality and safety efforts have faced harsh criticism since a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 missing four key bolts. Cantwell told Reuters that the deadline for renewal was important for the FAA. "They have a great opportunity to basically build a kind of collaboration and focus on safety," Cantwell said. The FAA said it would respond directly to Cantwell. Boeing did not immediately comment. CEO Kelly Ortberg is set to testify on Wednesday before Congress. Then FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker in February 2024 ordered Boeing to implement a safety and quality improvement plan and acknowledged prior oversight "was too hands off." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month Boeing needs strict oversight. After the incident, the FAA took the unprecedented step of imposing a production cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX. The FAA said in 2022 one requirement before a new extension was that ODA employees can "act without interference by company officials." Congress passed sweeping reforms in December 2020 on how the FAA certifies new airplanes after two fatal 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people and led to the plane's 20-month grounding.
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Boeing made 'serious missteps' but is changing culture, CEO will testify

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg will tell lawmakers on Wednesday the U.S. planemaker made "serious missteps" in recent years but has since made "sweeping changes" after a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new 737 MAX. "Boeing has made serious missteps in recent years – and it is unacceptable. In response, we have made sweeping changes to the people, processes, and overall structure of our company," Ortberg will tell the Senate Commerce Committee, according to written testimony seen by Reuters. "No one is more committed to turning our company around than our team." Ortberg took over in August after the planemaker's prior CEO Dave Calhoun announced his resignation in the aftermath of last year's mid-air panel blowout on a new Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 airplane that was missing four key bolts. After the incident, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration imposed a production cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX. Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Boeing had lost the trust of the American people and needed strict oversight after the Alaska incident and two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. "Culture is perhaps the most predominant change we are making as a company," Ortberg's testimony said, adding company leaders are "spending more time listening and learning from our employees, working to restore trust, and holding leadership accountable."
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Airbus delivered about 70 jets in March, industry sources say

Airbus delivered about 70 planes in March, industry sources said on Tuesday, up about 11% from March last year but leaving the European group a steep path towards its 2025 target. The world's largest planemaker declined to comment ahead of a monthly progress report to be published next week. If confirmed, the estimated March level would bring Airbus deliveries for the first quarter to around 135 aircraft, lagging the 142 seen in the same period last year. Airbus has warned that first-quarter deliveries would be constrained due mainly to a shortage of engines from its biggest supplier CFM which brought forward some supplies to the previous quarter to help Airbus meet its 2024 targets. Airbus is targeting 820 deliveries for the whole year. "They are going to have to up the pace significantly in the rest of year to correct the trajectory towards 820," said Rob Morris, global head of consultancy at UK-based Cirium Ascend, who also estimates the planemaker delivered 70 jets in March. A Reuters reporter witnessed a handful of undelivered jets awaiting their engines during a visit to the planemaker's Toulouse headquarters for an industry event last week. Analysts say the rhythm of deliveries, which account for most revenues, will be under scrutiny in coming months as aerospace and other industries gear up for possible new trade tariffs that could affect parts and raw materials.
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