Industry news
Russia destroys Dnipro airport in Ukraine
Ukraine Crisis
The Russian military has completely destroyed an airport in Ukraine and injured five people during bombing in the Luhansk and Dnipro regions, Reuters reported.
Governor Valentyn Reznichenko of the Central Dnipropetrovsk region stated that rockets fired by the Russian military completely destroyed the airport in Dnipro, as well as nearby infrastructure.
Reznichenko added that emergency workers are investigating the infrastructure facility that was hit by Russian rockets in the Zvonetsky region.
Additionally, Dnipro Region Council head Mykola Lukashuk said that five staff members belonging to the state emergency service had been wounded by the strike at the airport.
In a separate development, carrier Air India suspended their flight between New Delhi and Moscow, The Indian Express reported, citing two people familiar with the development.
The move was made by the airline after insurance underwriters told Air India that its flights operating in Russia would not be valid for insurance due to the threat situation raised on account of the Ukraine conflict.
Cargo
DHL cargo aircraft crash lands at Costa Rica airport
A cargo aircraft operated by logistics company DHL has made an emergency landing at the Juan Santamaria International Airport in Costa Rica.
The Boeing 757-200 cargo plane skidded off the runway, broke its tail and landed in an adjacent grassy field following the crash landing, Reuters reported.
Following the accident, DHL said that the aircraft crew were physically unharmed. However, one of them is undergoing medical checks as a precautionary measure.
Images from a local newspaper, La Nacion, showed the aircraft covered with firefighting foam, Reuters added.
Costa Rica civil aviation authority deputy director Luis Miranda Munoz said that the aircraft was travelling to Guatemala. However, it requested an emergency landing and returned to the airport following an apparent failure in the hydraulic system.
DHL said that it is working with the airport authorities to remove the damaged aircraft. It added that an investigation will also be launched to determine the cause of the failure.
The accident closed the international airport for several hours. Airport operator Aeris said that a total of 57 commercial and cargo flights were affected.
Ukraine Crisis
US denies export privileges to three Russian airlines
The US has taken enforcement actions against Aeroflot, Azur Air, and UTair in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) issued orders to stop offering export concessions for the three Russian airlines as a result of ongoing violations related to export controls on Russia imposed by the department.
The DOC’s three Temporary Denial Orders (TDOs) will block the transactions of these airlines in relation to exports and re-exports from the US.
The TDOs are said to be the first enforcement actions implemented by the US Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in response to Russia’s unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The severe restriction in export privileges of these companies is a reminder to parties in Russia, as well as throughout the rest of the world, that US legal authorities are substantial, far-reaching and can have a meaningful impact on access to global commerce by parties found to be in violation of US law.
The BIS extended its support to the DOC in its efforts to take multiple regulatory actions against Russia in the wake of the conflict.
Routes
Air Canada to halt Vancouver-Delhi flights over Ukraine conflict
Air Canada is set to halt flights between Vancouver, Canada, and Delhi, India, between 2 June and early September in light of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Flights on the route during this time would also be adversely impacted by summer wind and weather conditions in South Asia.
Passengers will be re-scheduled on alternate flights without extra charges if they opt to travel on an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Delhi between 2 June and 6 September.
The Canadian airline will continue to run up to 11 weekly flights between the countries from its gateways in Toronto and Montreal during this period.
The Toronto and Montreal routes operate on different flight paths. Air Canada will restart non-stop flights between Vancouver and Delhi from 6 September in Vancouver and 8 September in Delhi.
fuels
ZeroAvia and ZEV Station partner on hydrogen refuelling stations
Hydrogen-electric aircraft developer ZeroAvia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with hydrogen fuelling firm ZEV Station to create refuelling infrastructure across airports in California, US.
The two companies will focus on developing an initial regional airport project to showcase how hydrogen-electric propulsion systems could deliver zero-emission commercial flights.
Under the MoU, ZeroAvia will provide its research and development expertise in hydrogen production and refuelling for aviation. On the other hand, a team from ZEV Station will offer experience in the provision of gaseous hydrogen for road vehicles to help develop the hydrogen airport refuelling system.
ZeroAvia intends to conduct flight demonstrations of hydrogen-electric aircraft from pilot airports and will be backed by the co-developed refuelling ecosystem and dedicated support from ZEV Station.
Acquisitions
Menzies accepts $749m Agility takeover bid
UK airport services firm John Menzies (Menzies) has accepted the takeover offer of $749m (£571m) from Kuwait-based logistics conglomerate Agility Public Warehousing.
Last month, Menzies received an improved all-cash takeover bid of $761.75m (£559m) from Agility subsidiary NAS, which offered to pay 608p per share.
The 608p per share price followed previous bids of 460p, 510p, and 605p.
At the time of submitting its takeover proposal, NAS told the board that its latest proposal would be final and the purchase price would not be increased further.
Currently, Menzies has more than 25,000 employees across 37 countries providing passenger, baggage, airport fuel, and aircraft handling services.
Routes
Cathay Pacific to launch world’s longest flight
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is planning to re-route its flights operating between New York and Hong Kong, thereby making it the world’s longest passenger flight, The Guardian reported, citing Cathay’s statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Flying over the Atlantic rather than the Pacific region, the Cathay Pacific flight would cover more than 16,600km.
It plans to use a fleet of Airbus A350-1000s to complete the longer New York-Hong Kong route without any refuelling.
This new flight would cover the distance in 17 hours and 50 minutes, which is less than the time taken by Singapore Airlines.
The Singapore Airlines flight is said to take 18 hours to complete the journey, despite covering a shorter distance of 15,343km.
However, the flagship carrier did not disclose any reason for its re-route plan. The move by Cathay Pacific would see flights travelling around Russian air space rather than passing through it.
Business & Operations
Avolon raises concerns on future business with Russia
Aircraft-leasing company Avolon has expressed concerns over its future business with Russian airline companies after the Russian Government seized several leased planes, CNBC reported.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a new law that allowed the nation’s airline companies to register aircraft leased from foreign firms and continue operating them domestically.
The bill was a retaliatory move against sanctions imposed on Russia by the West for its invasion of Ukraine.
President Putin’s decision further increased uncertainties for foreign lessors, who have $10bn worth of jets leased with Russia.
Avolon CEO Domhnal Slattery said that the move has dented the company’s relationship with the country. Avolon is said to have leased 14 of its planes to Russian companies, and so far, was able to recover only four of them.
In brief
ACI World and EASA to improve airport safety in Latin America
Airports Council International (ACI) World, a representative of the world’s airports, has entered an agreement with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to boost airport safety and certification, mainly in Latin America.
RAC introduces digital platform to manage operations at KKIA
Riyadh Airports Company (RAC) has introduced a new advanced digital platform, called OFOQ, to increase operational efficiency at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) in Saudi Arabia. The new platform was developed in collaboration with ADB Safegate.
Thales deploys solar-powered air traffic control radar station in Chile
Thales has bolstered air traffic surveillance with a radar station that is completely powered by solar energy in Chile. Situated at Calama in the Atacama Desert, this is the first radar system of its kind to feature solar panels.
Collins Aerospace and Intel collaborate on flight computing
Raytheon Technologies business Collins Aerospace has joined forces with Intel to equip its Perigon computers with the latter’s Atom x6400E processor. The Perigon flight management computer is set to become the first certified aviation solution equipped with the Intel processor.
Russia passes order enabling aircraft lease payments in rubles
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree authorising the country’s airline companies to pay for aircraft and engines rented from foreign-registered firms in rubles.
Routes
Cathay Pacific to launch world’s longest flight
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific is planning to re-route its flights operating between New York and Hong Kong, thereby making it the world’s longest passenger flight, The Guardian reported, citing Cathay’s statement to Agence France-Presse.
Flying over the Atlantic rather than the Pacific region, the Cathay Pacific flight would cover more than 16,600km.
It plans to use a fleet of Airbus A350-1000s to complete the longer New York-Hong Kong route without any refuelling.
This new flight would cover the distance in 17 hours and 50 minutes, which is less than the time taken by Singapore Airlines.
The Singapore Airlines flight is said to take 18 hours to complete the journey, despite covering a shorter distance of 15,343km.
However, the flagship carrier did not disclose any reason for its re-route plan. The move by Cathay Pacific would see flights travelling around Russian air space rather than passing through it.
Business & Operations
Avolon raises concerns on future business with Russia
Aircraft-leasing company Avolon has expressed concerns over its future business with Russian airline companies after the Russian Government seized several leased planes, CNBC reported.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a new law that allowed the nation’s airline companies to register aircraft leased from foreign firms and continue operating them domestically.
The bill was a retaliatory move against sanctions imposed on Russia by the West for its invasion of Ukraine.
President Putin’s decision further increased uncertainties for foreign lessors, who have $10bn worth of jets leased with Russia.
Avolon CEO Domhnal Slattery said that the move has dented the company’s relationship with the country. Avolon is said to have leased 14 of its planes to Russian companies and so far was able to recover only four of them.
