The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has suspended type certificates it issued for the Sukhoi Superjet and Tupolev Tu 204 as part of actions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, EASA disclosed detail about its decision to suspend all certificates it had issued for aircraft, equipment and organisations based in Russia, and to place responsibility for their regulatory oversight with local authorities. In addition to the Superjet and Tu 204-120CE, EASA lists among the type certificates it suspended for Russian-built equipment Beriev BE-103 and BE-200ES-E amphibious aircraft, Kamov Ka-32A11BC helicopters, and AL-30 tethered gas balloons. EASA issued its type certificate for the Superjet in 2012, a year after the aircraft had gained its Russian original certification from the Interstate Aviation Committee. In 2015, state of design responsibility for the Superjet was transferred from the Interstate Aviation Committee to Russia’s federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia. Fleets data shows that 145 Superjets are in service, with another 63 listed as being in storage. Operators of in-service aircraft include Aeroflot and subsidiary Rossiya Airlines, Azimuth Airlines, Gazpromavia, IrAero, Red Wings Airlines, Severstal Aircompany, Yakutia Airlines, Yamal Airlines, Thailand’s air force and Kazakhstan’s border guards. CityJet was the only western European operator to introduce Superjets to its fleet from 2016. The Irish carrier temporarily operated the type on Brussels Airlines’ behalf, but has since returned its Superjets. Defunct Mexican carrier Interjet was the only carrier in the Americas region to operate Superjets in the past. As part of its sanctions, the EU has banned Russian operators and aircraft – “regardless of their state of registry” – from flying through EU airspace.

Delta Air Lines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo, the first of 26 expected to arrive in 2022. The Atlanta-based member of the SkyTeam alliance expects to enter the aircraft into revenue service in May. The order placed on 24 August, 2021, for 30 A321neos followed a firm deal for 25 jets in April 2021, bringing Delta’s total purchase commitments of that type to 155 aircraft. “The delivery of our first A321neo helps to usher in the next era of premium domestic service at Delta,” Mahendra Nair, Delta’s senior vice-president of fleet and tech ops supply chain, states. “Not only do these aircraft offer the best customer experience in the industry, but these fuel-efficient airplanes further demonstrate our commitment to a more sustainable future.” The carrier had said on 24 August that its A321neos, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G turbofan engines, will be deployed across its domestic network, complementing Delta's existing A321ceo fleet of 121 aircraft. The A321 type will grow more dominant in Delta's domestic operation throughout 2022 as more of them enter the fleet and as the carrier retires its ageing Boeing aircraft. Delta has said that it will retire a certain number of its Boeing 717s and 767s if demand flags. The carrier has 91 717s and 66 767s in its fleet, Cirium fleets data shows. The carrier stated on 23 March that it will have 282 A321-family aircraft in its fleet once all of its A321neo orders are fulfilled. Delta’s A321neos will be manufactured at facilities in Mobile, Alabama, and Hamburg, Germany.

Comair has arranged for South African Airways Technical to take over the line-maintenance of its aircraft from Lufthansa Technik. The airline says the move follows a recent review of Lufthansa Technik by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA). Although Lufthansa Technik passed the routine SACAA audit in February, the unscheduled review “made a number of findings which need to be addressed within 24 hours or the approved maintenance organisation licence is suspended”, Comair says. The airline currently uses both SAA Technical and Lufthansa Technik to maintain its aircraft. Comair’s chief executive Glenn Orsmond states: “Our priority at the moment is to restore a full, reliable flight schedule for our customers to ensure they can book and fly with confidence, which is why, in these extraordinary circumstances, we acted as soon as we were informed that the suspension was a possibility.”