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Cover Photo: B-16715, a Boeing 777-35E/ER with EVA Air is seen getting underway from Los Angeles on another Trans-Pacific mission in February 2018. EVA has a fleet of 33 777-300/ERs, with this particular frame painted in the Star Alliance livery.

Royal Air Maroc (RMRF) has received final approval from the Department of Transportation (DOT) and will begin 3x weekly

service from Casablanca (CMN) to Boston (BOS) on June 22. This route will be flown by Boeing 787-8 equipment. 1

Spirit Airlines (GTIA) will open a new station in Charlotte (CLT) on June 20, with domestic routes operating to four cities. 2

XL Airways France (X72F) will begin 7x weekly service from Paris De Gaulle (CDG) to Newark, New Jersey (EWR) on June 3,

2019. This route replaces Paris De Gaulle to New York Kennedy (JFK) service that had previously been operated, and will be served by Airbus A330 equipment. 3

Norwegian Air Shuttle (6NWF) will add 4x weekly service from Barcelona (BCN) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) will begin on June

7. Additionally, 4x weekly service from Athens (ATH) to New York Kennedy commences on July 1. Both routes will be operated by Boeing 787-9 equipment. 4

United Airlines (CALA) has added another seven domestic routes from Denver (DEN) this summer. All flights will be operated by

United Express regional airline partners; click here to review.

United Airlines will offer daily seasonal service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Vancouver (YVR) from June 6 through August 19. This route, replacing one of two daily United Express regional flights, will be operated by Boeing 737-800 equipment. 5

El Al (EILF) will operate eight weekly Tuesday flights from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Orlando (MCO) from July 2 through August 20. This

route will be operated by Boeing 777-200/ER equipment. 6

Allegiant Air (WX0A) has added 19 new seasonal domestic routes for this coming summer. Click here to review. 7

Viva Aerobus (V80F) has begun offering weekly charter flights from Cancun (CUN) to Charlotte and Nashville (BNA) as of

February 16. The flights will operate until June 30 and be flown by Airbus A320 equipment. 8

Norwegian Air International (6NRF) will end seasonal service from Fort-de-France (FDF) to New York Kennedy, as well as flights from Pointe-a-Pitre (PTP) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and New York Kennedy at the end of March. These routes had been flown by Boeing 737-800 equipment. Additionally, overflight routes to Montreal Trudeau (YUL) from Fort-de-France and Pointe-a-Pitre will conclude at the end of March as well. 9

Norwegian Air Shuttle has ended its 3x weekly service from Paris Orly (ORY) to Newark, New Jersey as of mid-January. 10

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TSA found 4,239 guns in carry-on bags in 2018, a new annual record. The amount of guns found in carry-on bags has increased 358 percent in the past ten years.

Here are the Top 10 airports for guns last year, with four right here in Texas:

1. Atlanta 298 2. Dallas/Fort Worth 219 3. Phoenix 129 4. Denver 126 5. Orlando 123 6. Houston Intercontinental 117 7. Fort Lauderdale 96 8 Austin 93 9. Dallas Love 89 10. Nashville 86

Starting 2019 off with the same trend, TSA screeners found 327 guns in carry-on bags in January. 11

The Boeing 747 celebrated its 50th birthday on February 9. The 747 came about after legendary Pan

Am President Juan Trippe asked Boeing for a plane that could carry twice the amount of passengers as a 707; the deal was sealed with a handshake.

Long planned Canadian ultra-low-cost (ULCC) start-up Jetlines seems finally set to begin operations later this summer.

Jetlines will base their operations in Vancouver, with two Airbus A320s set to begin domestic flights and a handful of operations to the Dominican Republic. 12

Qantas (QLMF) has finally canceled its outstanding orders for eight further Airbus A380s. This news came as no surprise as Qantas has

stated for some time they didn’t intend to take these frames; the carrier currently operates a dozen A380s. 13

Following the Qantas cancellation and a reduction in outstanding orders from Emirates (ZCQF) from 53 to 14 frames, Airbus announced it will officially end production of the double-decker A380 in 2021. The A380 has been in revenue service for 12 years, but the market envisioned by Airbus for the massive aircraft never materialized. 14 Emirates has 109 active A380s - 47 percent of the worldwide fleet of 232 in revenue service as of the close of 2018. No U.S. carriers purchased the A380.

An Emirates A380 (A6-EDI) seen arriving at London Heathrow, December 2017.

Spirit Airlines reported it made an average of $55 per passenger in ancillary revenue in 2018, 15 helping the carrier to earn $155.7 million in net income in 2018. Spirit is planning an order this year of up to 125 aircraft. 16

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Mexico’s Volaris (Z5XF) flew 1.656 million passengers in January, a 13.6 percent year-on-year (yoy) increase. System-wide load factor

was 81.5 percent. 17

Troubled Indian carrier Jet Airways has grounded four aircraft after defaulting on lease payments. Which aircraft were

grounded or what company they are currently leased from was not announced. 18

General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee (MKE) has officially changed its named to Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The airport felt that the lack of the city name in the airport title was confusing to some. 19

All Nippon Airways (ANPF) will pay $58 million as part of a settlement into a price-fixing lawsuit dating back to 2007. The

suit alleged All Nippon, and other carriers, fixed prices and stifled competition on Trans-Pacific routes as far back as 2000. 20

UPDATE: The first of four British Airways (BRAF) aircraft to receive retro liveries celebrating the carrier’s hundred-year heritage

was unveiled on February 18: G-BYGC, a Boeing 747-436 became the first British Airways aircraft to wear the old BOAC livery in 40 years.

Photo: Paul Quinn, Airliners.net

British Midland Regional, which operated as Flybmi, abruptly filed for bankruptcy on February 16, leaving thousands

of passengers stranded. The carrier cited high fuel

costs and ongoing uncertainty with Britain’s pending departure from the European Union. 21

G-RJXE, a British Midland Regional Embraer E145, seen at London Heathrow, February 2009.

Austin (AUS) 15.8 million 22

Charleston, SC (CHS) 4.47 million 23

Detroit (DTW) 35,236,676 24

Flint (FNT) 360,609 25

Houston Hobby (HOU) 14,476,469 26

Houston Intercontinental (IAH) 43,807,539 Seattle (SEA) 49.8 million 27

Chicago O’Hare was the busiest U.S. airport in terms of aircraft movements in 2018, with over 903,000 flights. Atlanta (ATL) was second with 895,000. This is the first time since 2014 that O’Hare has had more movements than Atlanta. 28

The Pakistani government has approved $40 million in loan guarantees to struggling flag-carrier Pakistan International

Airlines. The money will be used for urgent maintenance issues. 29

The U.S. and Japanese government have agreed on 12 additional daytime slots to be awarded to U.S. carriers at Tokyo Haneda (HND) with the start of the 2020 summer season on March 29, 2020. The DOT will accept bids from carriers and award the slots in the near future. 30

Speaking of Haneda, officials at the airport are testing a driverless 28-passenger bus, which will transport passengers from one terminal to another. 31

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Two Kenya Airways Embraer E190 aircraft were extensively damaged at Kenyatta (NBO) during an engine run-up mishap earlier this month.

5Y-KYR was doing the run-up when it jumped the chocks; the crew steered the plane into 5Y-FFF which was nearby rather allowing it to hit a building.

Photos: David Maina Ndung’u

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HB-IPY, an Airbus A319-112 with Swiss International (UCSF), was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on February 7 to DGX for

part-out and scrap.

F-GPMF, an Airbus A319-113 with Air France (CNFF), was wfu and ferried on February 6 to DGX for part-out and scrap.

ZK-OJA, an Airbus A320-232 with Air New Zealand (ANZF), was wfu and ferried on February 1 to Christchurch (CHC), where it was

prepared to be returned to its lessor.

LN-RRX, a Boeing 737-683 with Scandinavian (SCSA), was wfu and ferried on February 4 to DGX for part-out and scrap.

DQ-FJH, a Boeing 737-8X2 with Fiji Airways (APFF), was wfu and ferried on February 7 to San Bernardino, California (SBD) for

part-out and scrap.

4X-EAJ, a Boeing 767-330 with El Al, was wfu on February 3and prepared in Tel Aviv (TLV) for its return to the lessor. This was the last active Boeing 767 in service with El Al; the type served the carrier for 36 years. 32

9V-SVJ, a Boeing 777-212 with Singapore Airlines (SBOF), was wfu and ferried on February 4 to Victorville, California (VCV) for

storage.

N942DN, a McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 with Delta Air Lines (DALA), was wfu and ferried on February

3 to Blytheville, Arkansas (BYH) for part-out and scrap.

N945DN, a McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 with Delta, was wfu and ferried on February 14 to Blytheville, Arkansas for part-out and scrap.

N954DL, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 with Delta, was wfu and ferried on February 19 to San Bernardino for part-out and scrap.

N951DL, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 with Delta, was wfu and ferried on February 18 to San Bernardino for part-out and scrap.

HC-COH, an Airbus A330-243 with TAME Ecuador (4EPF), was wfu and ferried on February 17 to DGX for part-out and scrap.

F-OLOV, an Airus A340-313 with Air Tahiti Nui (N3UF), was wfu and ferried on February 17 to LETL where it was returned to

its lessor.

F-OLOV arriving at Los Angeles, March 2011.

N505UA, a Boeing 757-222 with United Airlines, was wfu and ferried on February 14 to Goodyear, Arizona (GYR) for storage.

N505UA departing Los Angeles, February 2007.

VH-OJS, a Boeing 747-438 with Qantas, was wfu and ferried on February 18 to Mojave, California (MHV) for part-out and scrap.

AVIATION UPDATE | NO. 159 FEBRUARY 19, 2019

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The Aviation Update is compiled by Greg Gayden from open source material gathered across the internet, and features news regarding international operations

to/from the United States and the commercial aviation industry in general. To subscribe, simply send a request. The Update is published multiple times each month as news warrants. Back issues are available here. Unless otherwise noted, IATA codes used for airports & FAA designator codes for airlines.

The Third Edition of Commercial Aviation 101, a 245-page book which explores current security programs and the basics of the aviation industry, is now available on Apple iBooks, Amazon and available in PDF format. Paperback copies can be ordered here.

1 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282817/royal-air-maroc-schedules-boston-launch-in-june-2019/ 2 https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2019/02/12/spirit-airlines-charlotte-flights-begin-june/2845754002/ 3 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282995/xl-airways-france-adds-newark-service-from-june-2019/ 4 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282991/norwegian-further-expands-trans-atlantic-boeing-787-network-in-s19/ 5 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282899/united-adds-mainline-los-angeles-vancouver-service-in-s19/ 6 https://onemileatatime.com/el-al-orlando-flight/ 7 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282936/allegiant-air-schedules-new-seasonal-routes-in-s19/ 8 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282886/vivaaerobus-adds-new-us-charter-routes-from-feb-2019/ 9 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282922/norwegian-ends-caribbean-service-from-late-october-2019/ 10 https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/282921/norwegian-scales-back-paris-new-york-flights-from-1q19/ 11 https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/january2019firearmdata.pdf 12 https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/75280-canadas-jetlines-selects-vancouver-as-primary-base 13 https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/75277-qantas-scrubs-remaining-a380-orders 14 http://fortune.com/2019/02/14/airbus-ends-production-a380/ 15 https://skift.com/2019/02/06/spirit-airlines-gets-boost-from-dynamic-pricing-on-carry-ons-to-bottled-water/ 16 https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2019-02-06/spirit-airlines-planning-midyear-order-decision 17 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volaris-reports-january-2019-traffic-results-passenger-growth-of-14-load-factor-of-82-300789428.html 18 http://atwonline.com/leasing/jet-airways-confirms-grounding-four-aircraft-lease-defaults 19 http://www.frequentbusinesstraveler.com/2019/02/milwaukee-general-mitchell-international-airport-renamed/ 20 https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/75609-japans-ana-settles-for-58mn-in-price-fixing-lawsuit 21 https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2019/02/17/hundreds-stranded-british-airline-flybmi-collapses/2899087002/ 22 https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-airport-sets-new-passenger-traffic-record-in-2018 23 https://www.postandcourier.com/business/charleston-airport-saw-nearly-additional-passengers-in/article_41077776-2587-11e9-96a7-a3bc1c305600.html 24 https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/wayne-county/2019/02/05/detroit-metro-airport-sees-most-passengers-decade/2780738002/ 25 https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2019/01/flint-bishop-airports-2018-passenger-traffic-dropped-to-lowest-level-since-2002.html 26 https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/houston-airports-set-records-for-passenger-numbers-in-2018 27 https://www.seattletimes.com/business/sea-tac-passenger-traffic-climbs-6-2-percent-in-2018/ 28 https://www.postandcourier.com/business/charleston-airport-saw-nearly-additional-passengers-in/article_41077776-2587-11e9-96a7-a3bc1c305600.html 29 https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/75601-govt-approves-40mn-guarantees-to-pia 30 https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/us-carriers-to-gain-12-more-daytime-slots-at-tokyo-h-455619/ 31 https://www.staradvertiser.com/2019/02/07/news/driverless-terminal-bus-goes-on-test-run-at-tokyos-haneda-airport/ 32 http://atwonline.com/airframes/el-al-israel-airlines-retires-final-boeing-767