China’s Shanghai Aircraft Performs Its First ARJ21 4C Heavy Check
China’s Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing (SAMC) has reportedly performed its first 4C heavy maintenance check of a Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) ARJ 21-700, now that it is six years since the ARJ21 program first achieved entry into service. Chinese…
Malaysia’s Firefly Has No Plans To Add More Turboprops, Focusing On 737s
Malaysia Airlines Group’s (MAS) subsidiary Firefly has no immediate plans to add new ATRs, even though the group has some on order, and instead it is focusing its efforts on expanding its Boeing 737-800 low-cost carrier operation. Firefly CEO, Phillip…
Malaysia Airlines To Receive Its First Boeing 737 Max 8s Next Year
Malaysia Airlines Group (MAS) will receive its first batch of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft next year and plans to use its Max 8 aircraft to replace its Boeing 737-800s. Capt. Izham Ismail, CEO of MAS, told Smart Aviation Asia…
Air Tahiti Wet-Leases Additional ATR As Stopgap To Meet Tourism Recovery
Air Tahiti has wet leased an additional ATR 72-600, to meet growing tourism traffic this year, and disclosed it plans to buy an ATR 72-600. French Polynesian news website Tahiti-infos, which attended an Air Tahiti event where the aircraft was…
Australia’s Rex Increases Capacity On Regional Routes
Regional Express (Rex) is increasing flight services on some existing regional routes and resuming its Melbourne-Devonport service, after a long hiatus, using aircraft capacity freed up by its recent network consolidation. Rex says in a statement 11 cities will see an…
China Poised To Certify COMAC C919
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has disclosed that the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) C919 is about to receive type certification and be delivered to launch customer China Eastern Airlines. Xu Xiaolan, MIIT vice minister, says at a press conference…
AirAsia Malaysia To Restore Most Of Its International Network By Year-End
Low-cost carrier AirAsia Malaysia aims to have restored services to nearly all of its international network by year-end, but highlights that returning stored aircraft to flight operations is a challenge. AirAsia Malaysia CEO, Riad Asmat, tells Smart Aviation Asia Pacific at the Aviation…
Korea’s Ulleung Island Airport On Track For Opening In 2025
The new island airport that is being developed on the South Korean island of Ulleungdo is 20% complete and is on schedule to open in 2025, allowing easier access to Ulleung Island, east of the Korean Peninsula. Ulleung Airport was…
Bangkok Airways Launching New Routes
Bangkok Airways is launching two new domestic routes and resuming several domestic and international services from July onwards because it anticipates a fast tourism recovery. Bangkok Airways says in a statement it is launching a twice daily Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Hat Yai…
Indonesia’s Natuna Regency Lobbies Citilink For Air Service
The government of Indonesia’s Natuna islands is lobbying Garuda Indonesia’s low-cost carrier Citilink to launch air services there to increase competition. Local media have published pictures and reports saying Natuna’s regent, Wan Siswandi, met with officials from Indonesia’s ministry of…
Marianas Southern Airways Preparing To Start Operations
Marianas Southern Airways, a start-up carrier in the Marianas Islands, plans to launch operations next month using the air operator certificate (AOC) of US carrier Southern Airways Express. The new airliner is a joint-venture between Southern Airways Express and Marianas…
Indonesia’s West Sulawesi Government Successfully Lobbies Sriwijaya Air For Jakarta Service
Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air has reached an agreement with the West Sulawesi provincial government to open a flight route connecting the province’s capital to the nation’s capital Jakarta. Sriwijaya Air has agreed to provide an air service linking Mamuju city’s Tampa…
