What topics made the cut for The Weekly Wrap this week? Maryann Simson and I recap the incredible Flight Plan event organized earlier in the week by Inmarsat and APEX, health testing at the airport and more!
Airplanes and Airports
Airbus aims to ease "COVID Combi" temporary freighter conversions
How quickly can an airline convert a passenger plane to freighter service? Airbus hope to ease the process for the A330 and A350 with a new Service Bulletin modification.
American, Delta confirm accelerated fleet retirements
Looking to fly on an American Airlines 767 or E190? It is too late. Both aircraft types, already slated for retirement, had that process accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 induced demand drop. They will not return to passenger service from their current groundings. And those aren’t the only cuts.
Allegiant scores leniency from DOT in CARES Act obligations
Allegiant is a different sort of airline. It certainly is not a network carrier and only partially fits in the definitions typically ascribed to the ultra low cost carrier model. This presents a special set of challenges when it comes to meeting the minimum service obligations of the CARES Act. Fortunately the US Department of Transportation has seen fit to grant leniency to the carrier, though its obligations still remain significant.
JetBlue aims to drop 16 "major hub" destinations from its network
JetBlue wants to scale back its operations drastically. Faced with reduced demand the carrier is now looking to take advantage of Department of Transportation guidelines that could see the company remove 16 large airports from its network.
Delta Flight Products, TechOps develop isolation pod for COVID-19 military transport
Aircraft interior renovations may be on hold for most passenger airlines but the Delta Flight Products (DFP) team is keeping busy with several innovative projects. The organization is leading efforts to build military transport facilities that can accommodate sick soldiers. The work also includes employees from the Delta TechOps team.
Spirit Airlines asks DOT again to drop destinations
Spirit Airlines was one of the first carriers to request a limited schedule from the Department of Transportation as the CARES Act service obligation requirements took effect. It was mostly denied, but Spirit still wants its exemptions. The company appealed to the Department late today, asking again for certain destinations to be removed from its obligations.
Argentina plans to restart flights in September 2020
Like many countries around the world Argentina grounded its air traffic network in March 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The country now has a tentative reopening date for the industry: 1 September 2020.
Frontier Airlines pushes new route plan for CARES Act compliance
With nearly all of its requested exemptions rejected, Frontier Airlines faces a harsh new reality. It needs the CARES Act funding to avoid massive furloughs but many destinations in its route network no longer have much demand, if any. Like others, the carrier will adjust, combining multiple destinations on to a single flight from its hubs. These
Airbus, Rolls-Royce halt development on E-Fan X electric aircraft
The initial goal was a hybrid-electric aircraft demonstrator embarking on its first flight in 2021. The new reality is that the E-Fan X project has been scrapped. Rolls-Royce and Airbus pulled the plug on the joint development effort late last week.