United said Thursday it has begun repairing 17 Boeing 737 MAX planes after the largest US planemaker sent carriers bulletins on how to address an electrical grounding issue that halted flights on 109 planes since early April. A United spokeswoman said the airline expects its “Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to return to service in the coming days as we complete our inspection process and ensure those aircraft meet our rigorous safety standards.” <br/>
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Lufthansa on Thursday said it was suspending all flights to Tel Aviv through Friday, May 14, due to an escalating conflict in Israel. “Lufthansa is closely monitoring the current situation in Israel and continues to maintain a close exchange with the authorities, security service providers and our own staff on the ground,” the company said. Lufthansa said it expected flights to Israel to resume on Saturday, May 15.<br/>
The country's two leading carriers signed a $260m maintenance deal Wednesday in which Korean Air will fix 22 Pratt & Whitney PW4090 engines for Asiana Airlines. The signing ceremony was held at Asiana Airlines' headquarters in Seoul. The contract is the largest aviation maintenance deal signed between two local airlines. The 22 PW4090 engines will go through maintenance at Korean Air's Bucheon engine maintenance facility in Gyeonggi Province for the next five years. The contract includes regular maintenance and repairs. For the last two decades, Asiana Airlines had an engine-maintenance contract with Pratt & Whitney. But the contract ended and Asiana chose Korean Air to continue the task. Through the partnership, the two airlines are set to share their know-how in engine maintenance and repair, aiming to enhance Korea's competitiveness in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO). For the last 20 years, Asiana's PW4090 engine MRO was solely handled by companies based outside of Korea. In addition to engines, the two airlines plan to continue their cooperation in other technological fields within the airline industry.<br/>