Air Canada says that one of its reactivated Boeing 737 Max jets experienced an engine issue during a repositioning flight, bringing renewed scrutiny to the beleaguered type just weeks after it was recertificated following a 20-month grounding.
The aircraft was on a non-revenue flight from a storage facility in Marana, Arizona to Air Canada’s home base in Montreal on 22 December, says the carrier. On board were three crew and no other passengers. “Shortly after take-off, the pilots received an engine indication and, as part of normal operating procedures in such situations, decided to shut down one engine,” the airline told FlightGlobal. “The aircraft then diverted to Tucson, where it landed normally and remains.” According to Cirium fleets data, the airline has 24 of the aircraft with another 16 on order with Boeing. In November, the Federal Aviation Administration recertificated the aircraft with a long-awaited airworthiness directive (AD) after Boeing made some design and software changes, allowing it to re-enter revenue service in the USA. Canadian civil aviation regulator Transport Canada said at the time that it would also approve the type “soon”. On 17 December the regulator “validated” the airframer’s updates, indicating that it would lift the jet’s grounding in that jurisdiction in early 2021. “In January 2021, the department expects to issue a Canadian airworthiness directive which will stipulate the Canadian design changes that must be incorporated in Canadian aircraft,” Transport Canada added. Airlines around the world were forced to remove the 737 Max from their schedules in March 2019, after two fatal accidents killed 346 people. Since the ungrounding, Latin American carriers Gol and Aeromexico have returned the type to revenue service. In the USA, American Airlines will resume Max flights on 29 December, with the carrier planning to operate the aircraft on a round trip between Miami and New York’s LaGuardia airport. Airlines will bring the type back into its schedule on 11 February, and all-Boeing carrier Southwest Airlines expects to have it flying in revenue service by March.

UK low-cost carrier EasyJet has outlined a contingency plan for meeting EU ownership requirements after the scheduled end of the post-Brexit transition period on 31 December. The board-approved plan is intended to ensure that EasyJet can continue flying under its EU operating licences. To comply with the rules governing these, the airline needs a minimum EU ownership of 50% plus one share, but as of 23 December the figure stands at 47.02% if UK nationals are excluded. The contingency plan involves suspension of some shareholders' voting rights. Only "a small number of shares of non-EU nationals" would be affected by the measure, says EasyJet. It has targeted a minimum EU ownership of 50.5%, and its contingency plan kicks in if the level falls below this. Affected shareholders would receive notices about the suspension of their voting rights. EasyJet says it does not have a date for when it could implement the contingency plan, noting that the timing would "ultimately depend on the outcome of negotiations on the future EU-UK aviation relationship".

The new Italian airline being established to replace Alitalia has outlined plans to commence operations in April 2021 with an operation about half the size of its predecessor’s, according to media reports in Italy. Citing an 18 December press conference held by the new public company, which set out a five-year plan for the carrier, Corriere della Sera reports that Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA) hopes to begin operations with 52 yet-to-be-determined aircraft, of which 43 would be for short- and medium-haul operations and the rest for long-haul routes. More than 60 destinations would be served from next year, covering domestic and international routes, according to the report. Alitalia had just over 100 aircraft going into the pandemic – a level the new business hopes to reach by 2025. Alitalia's fleet consists of 38 Airbus A320 aircraft; 22 A319s; five A321s; 12 A330s; and 12 777 aircraft, Cirium fleets data show. Between 5,200 and 5,500 people would be employed by ITA, around half the 11,000 who worked at Alitalia, although the report notes much depends on negotiations with unions. Services would end from Milan Malpensa, with the city’s Linate airport preferred, the report suggests. The main hub would continue to be at Rome Fiumicino. According to the report, ITA chief executive Fabio Lazzerini emphasised the importance of partnerships with other operators, if the new business is to succeed. Lazzerini – who was chief business operator at Alitalia from September 2017 until taking control of the new airline in November – is joined on the board of ITA by Francesco Caio, the former chairman of oil and gas company Saipem. The Italian government and the European Commission will now need to approve the plans for the new airline, reports suggest. Italy’s government signed an air transport decree to establish a new national airline to succeed flag-carrier Alitalia in December. The latter had been unprofitable for years and had entered extraordinary administration in 2017.