Lufthansa Technik will put up a large amount of surplus aircraft parts for auction using a new e-auction platform hosted by IATA. The German MRO provider describes IATA's "MRO SmartHub" as a "neutral web-based platform" to buy and sell aircraft parts, and says that it will be the service's launch customer. In the global auction starting on 26 April – on the eve of the MRO Americas 2021 convention – LHT will offer a variety of aircraft parts that have been part of the company’s surplus inventory for less than three years and are made available in sub-packages to fit requirements of specific fleet operators or MRO providers. Commercial assets include material for Airbus A320, A330, A340, A380, Boeing 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787 and MD-11, Bombardier CRJ, Embraer ERJ and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft. LHT says that the material will come with dual or triple release certification with one-year warranty. Current LHT customers will be automatically accredited for the bidding process after registering on the platform, the MRO provider notes. Head of commercial for aircraft component services Georg Fanta states that the components available for auction come from an "extensive surplus portfolio that we are permanently adjusting to the changing demand of our valued customers from all over the world". In April 2020, LHT disclosed the sale of rotable component stock, including 9,000 line-replaceable items, to US spare-parts specialist AvAir.

Low-cost airline Mango may suspend operations temporarily next month. In an internal mail leaked to The Citizen, the airline’s management has advised its staff similarly. Mango’s last flights until reignition will occur on 30 April. The airline has been waiting for some time for an injection of funding that, according to spokesperson Benediction Zabane, has not materialised yet. In the South African Airways (SAA) business rescue plan, mention is made of a R 1 billion capital requirement by the national carrier’s subsidiary. SAA was not available for comment but Richard Mantu of the Department of Public Enterprises said that “the department is in discussions with the board of Mango and interim board at SAA about the repositioning of the subsidiaries in light of the delayed funding”. A recent International Air Transport Association (IATA) report noted that airlines worldwide continue to bleed cash and that the hoped recovery has been slower than expected.

JetBlue is experiencing a sharp snap-back in demand driven by pent-up desire for leisure travel, as the US low-cost carrier predicts a "pretty busy summer" on domestic routes. Speaking at the Aviation Festival online event on 22 April, JetBlue president and chief operating officer Joanna Geraghty said: "We are seeing demand return. As we look into the summer... we expect largely pre-pandemic levels for domestic leisure [traffic]". For business travel, Geraghty believes that "pretty severe restrictions remain" for corporate customers, which will hold back recovery in the segment until as late as 2022. Given that JetBlue's main focus is on leisure travel, which makes up around 80% of its customers, "our business model has played nicely into where we see points of recovery", she continues. Geraghty remained tight lipped on when JetBlue plans to launch its flights from New York and Boston to London, and to which airports. "In the coming weeks you will hear more," she says. But she outlines some of the product that the carrier plans to launch on its transatlantic routes, which feature 24 "Mint" business seats in the forward part of the cabin, including front-row "studio" seats with additional amenities. All premium seats will have aisle access, while JetBlue's core product will comprise 114 seats in the main cabin. She describes pre-pandemic fares between London and the US as "very high", and asserts: "We are going to disrupt it."