Hong Kong International airport handled 94,000 passengers in March, a figure up 61% year on year, although passenger traffic continued to remain significantly lower than the pre-pandemic level in 2019. The growth in passenger throughput was mainly attributed to the growth in Hong Kong residents’ travel. During the month, departure passengers to Southeast Asia and mainland China experienced the most significant increases, Airport Authority Hong Kong says in a 14 April press release. HKIA handled 9,870 flight movements during the month, representing a year-on-year decrease of 7%. Cargo throughput fell by 11% to 352,000t due to flight reductions amid the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Overall cargo to and from North America and Europe experienced the most significant decreases during the month, it adds. On a 12-month rolling basis, passenger volume grew by 70% to 1.4 million, while flight movements rose by 13% to 144,505. Cargo throughput rose by 7% to 4.9 million tonnes. The Hong Kong government lifted restrictions on arrival flights from nine countries on 1 April, it says.

Flair Airlines is at risk of having its operating license suspended or cancelled as the Canadian Transportation Agency reviews US investments in the low-cost carrier to determine whether it meets Canada’s limits on foreign ownership. The Edmonton-based airline disputes the CTA’s preliminary ruling filed in March that states “Flair may not be controlled in fact by Canadians and may, therefore, not be ‘Canadian’”. Canada has a 49% foreign ownership limit and a 25% limit for an individual foreign entity. The CTA states that in addition to these equity limits, Canadian ownership “in fact” can be determined by whether an owner or financial group has the direct or indirect power “whether exercised or not” to control or influence strategic decisions. Flair says that it is “a Canadian airline and is controlled by Canadians both in law and in fact”. “Flair Airlines, at all times, operates its business in compliance with the laws and regulations governing air transportation in Canada,” the airline says. Concerns about whether Flair is majority-controlled by Canadians both in law and “in fact” revolve around investment by Miami-based 777 Partners. The US investment firm owns a 25% stake in the carrier and leases aircraft to it. The low-cost carrier has 10 Max jets in service and three 737NGs, fleets data shows. Five of those Max jets are owned by 777 Partners, along with three firm orders for additional Max aircraft. 777 Partners also has firm orders for 58 additional Max aircraft with options to purchase 60 more. The investment firm could expand its leasing partnership with Flair to help the airline with its ambition of operating a fleet of 30 Max aircraft by mid-2023 and 50 Max jets by 2025.

Massachusetts-based Cape Air on 15 April announced it has signed a letter of intent to purchase 75 all-electric Alice commuter aircraft from Eviation. Through this deal with the start-up based in Israel, Cape Air states that deploying Alice aircraft on its routes in the USA and the Caribbean would “significantly reduce carbon emissions, as well as maintenance and operational costs for the airline, and provide a smoother and quieter flight experience for passengers”. The start-up is conducting ground tests of the Alice aircraft and plans to begin test flights of a prototype model in summer 2022, Eviation’s interim chief executive Gregory Davis tells Cirium. Designs of a production-scale model of Alice are in development. A search for a full-time chief executive of Eviation is ongoing following the departure of co-founder Omer Bar-Yohay in February. Alice aircraft are intended to carry nine passengers. They have two propellers powered by a 920kWh lithium-ion battery pack, and promise a 440nm (815km) range and 220kt (407km/h) cruise speed.