Indian carrier IndiGo said it will retrofit its entire Airbus A320neo fleet with a new software upgrade from engine-maker Pratt & Whitney after one of its planes was forced to make an emergency landing last week due to smoke in the cabin. The airline will retrofit the planes within three weeks, IndiGo, owned by InterGlobe Aviation, said Wednesday. Low-cost carriers IndiGo and GoAir, which fly the A320neos in India, have faced several issues due to problems with the Pratt & Whitney engines and were forced to ground the planes earlier this year. Airbus has had a backlog of up to 100 A320neo jets sat on the ground outside factories due to delays in engine deliveries, mainly from Pratt & Whitney, but it says it is catching up. The incident leading to the emergency landing, which took place on Dec. 11, is the latest snag for IndiGo, Airbus’ biggest customer for the A320neo, all of which so far have been fitted with Pratt & Whitney’s engines for the airline. The issue occurred in the engine’s No.3 bearing seal, IndiGo said, with smoke from an oil leak in the engine entering the air system. A spokeswoman added that there was no fire onboard and there was no earlier report of any malfunction with the airplane.<br/>
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Boeing is facing unusually public criticism from a major customer, Lion Air, as the two try to minimize fallout from a fatal crash. Accident investigators are months away from determining the precise cause of the Oct. 29 crash that killed 189 people when the new Boeing 737 MAX 8 plunged into the Java Sea. Lion Air on Monday said it had reached a deal with a Dutch marine company to resume searching for the plane’s cockpit voice recorder. Initial information pointing to potential maintenance, operation and design issues, however, has escalated a spat that exceeds typically private finger-pointing following a major airliner accident. “I’m very disappointed with the way Boeing has behaved,” Lion Air co-founder Rusdi Kirana said. He has openly pondered whether to cancel Lion Air’s orders for more than 200 planes, nearly all of them 737 MAXs, in a deal valued at more than $20b based on list prices. It is unclear how feasible that action would be but it is a stark turnaround from 2011 when he called the plane “the future of Lion Air,” at an event in Bali attended by then-President Obama. When investigators released an interim report about a month after the crash, Boeing drew attention to possible maintenance deficiencies at the Indonesian budget carrier, noting the report indicates maintenance performed in the days before the fatal flight failed to fix problems with the jet. Boeing also highlighted that the crew on the jet’s penultimate flight faced similar issues, but managed to successfully complete their flight. “The problem is not the maintenance,” Kirana said. “The problem is not in the operation. The problem is that Boeing didn’t make a proper manual.” Story has more details and background.<br/>
Virgin Atlantic is still reviewing its options with regard to Flybe a month after first disclosing its interest in the UK regional carrier. In a stock market notice issued Thursday, Virgin says discussions with Flybe’s management team are continuing and that these include "potentially making an offer" for the airline. The carrier disclosed its interest in Flybe on 23 November. Since Flybe disclosed it was putting itself up for sale in mid-November, Virgin is the only party to confirm it is in talks with the regional carrier. UK media reports have though linked Stobart and IAG as potential suitors. Stobart had an offer rejected for Flybe earlier this year, while IAG - whose British Airways unit remains a small shareholder in Flybe dating back to its sale of BA Connect - has been an active player in airline acquisitions, including the former BMI operation. Both companies have declined to comment on these reports. Virgin says that in accordance with UK takeover and merger rules, it will place a copy of the announcement on its corporate website no later than noon on 20 December.<br/>
Azul has firmed up an order for 21 Embraer E195-E2s, previously announced at the Farnborough air show in July. The deal is valued at $1.4b at list prices. Embraer says the order will be included in its Q4 backlog. Azul is the launch operator of the E195-E2 and will take delivery of its first in 2019. Including the 21 aircraft that were firmed up, the airline has orders for 51 E195-E2s with Embraer. The Brazilian carrier placed an order for 30 E195-E2s in 2015. In addition, Azul had committed to another six E195-E2s ordered by lessors, split evenly between AerCap and Aircastle, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows. Azul is in the process of renewing its fleet, by replacing Embraer E-Jet E1s with larger gauge Airbus A320neos ahead of the arrival of the E195-E2s. <br/>Azul operates nine E190s and 54 E195s, Fleets Analyzer shows.<br/>
Flyers travelling with Emirates can expect fewer delays associated with aircraft turnaround time at Dubai International. The UAE-based carrier announced Wednesday that it has developed an innovative application called the Hub Monitor that seeks to lessen the amount of time spent by planes on the ground between flights. With the application, the airline’s operational staff in Dubai can share and monitor what’s happening on the ground, or the various activities that are carried out to prepare a plane for departure, from the time it arrives until it takes off. The amount of time spent by passenger planes on the tarmac has been linked to travel delays. From the moment it arrives until it takes off, there are a lot of things that need to be carried out, from unloading passengers and their luggage, to refueling, cleaning and technical checks. The airline said that through the “monitoring and pro-active alerting system,” passengers travelling from or transiting through Dubai International Airport can expect fewer instances of delays associated with aircraft turnaround.<br/>