Turboprop manufacturer ATR has completed the design phase and is preparing to begin production of the short take-off and landing (STOL) version of the ATR 42-600 under a revised schedule. The Toulouse-based airframer – jointly owned by Airbus and Italian aerospace group Leonardo – says that it has adjusted the ATR 42-600S's development schedule because of the pandemic. The first flight is currently planned for 2023, having previously planned a first delivery during the second half 2022. ATR says that the programme's "maturity gate 7" – the point at which all critical design reviews have been completed, the aircraft's overall architecture is frozen and its performance is confirmed – was reached under the new schedule in March. "Programme partners and suppliers can start manufacturing the first parts," the airframer adds. STOL programme manager Michelangelo Esposito states: "The STOL teams have been doing a tremendous job to make this possible. They have adapted their ways of working to the Covid-19 challenging context, working collaboratively without being able to see each other or traveling to meet our suppliers." ATR formally launched the ATR 42-600S development in 2019 after securing commitments from turboprop specialist Elix Aviation and Air Tahiti for 10 and two aircraft, respectively. The STOL concept had previously been studied and discussed with customers for some time. Data shows that ATR has since received three ATR 42-600S orders from PNG Air and commitments for another eight units from undisclosed customers. ATR says that the STOL version will be capable of operating, under certain conditions, from 800m paved runways as opposed to the 1,050m lower limit for the standard ATR 42-600. Principal modifications to the aircraft include a larger rudder, an option to deploy spoilers after touch-down, and an autobrake system to ensure full braking on the runway as soon as possible. The aircraft will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engine, like the standard ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600. But pilots will be able to select higher engine ratings for STOL operation. Take-off from short runways will be operated with a 25-degree flap setting, the airframer notes. ATR sees the STOL variant as an opportunity to expand its market and attract orders from operators wanting to replace legacy 30-seat turboprops, and to operate from smaller airports that could previously not be served by ATRs. The ATR 42-600 is the only Western-built 50-seat turboprop still in production today.

Virgin Australia Group is postponing most short-haul international flying, including flights to Fiji’s Nadi and Bali in Indonesia, until at least December amid shifting projections around international border restrictions. The Australian group cites the recent federal budget predictions for the aviation sector, including for international travel, where "visitation is expected to remain low until at least mid-2022". However, "continued efforts" by Australia's state and federal governments to refine trans-Tasman travel arrangements will allow the carrier to operate Boeing 737 services between Sydney-Queenstown and Brisbane-Queenstown, as planned from 18 September, and Melbourne-Queenstown services from 7 December, the airline notes. It adds that “while the international travel outlook remains uncertain, domestic travel continues to improve and the airline is continuing to review its domestic network to ensure it is responding to growth opportunities here in Australia". On the other hand, flights into Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are deferred from sale for the time being alongside services to Port Villa in Vanuatu, Apia in Samoa and Honiara in the Solomon Islands. “Although we’ve seen positive developments with the trans-Tasman travel bubble and governments working exceptionally well to manage outbreaks, current demand for travel to New Zealand remains subdued, except for Queenstown, where customers are looking to travel over the September school holidays and the upcoming summer," states Virgin Australia chief strategy and transformation officer Alistair Hartley. "All other New Zealand services will be deferred for the time being." He adds: “Doing the right thing for our customers remains at the heart of our decision making, and while the impact is relatively low due to ongoing border uncertainty, we are working to provide affected customers with alternative options as quickly as possible."

Boeing’s aircraft orders outnumbered cancellations again in April, marking the third consecutive month of order expansion for the US airframer.

During April, Boeing logged orders for 25 jets and took cancellations for 17, leaving it with eight net new orders for the month, the company reported on 11 May.

The 25 new orders include five 777 Freighters for Azerbaijani cargo carrier Silk Way West Airlines, 14 737 Max jets for lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, three Max jets for lessor Air Lease and three Max jets for an unidentified customer.

The 17 cancellations were all for the Max.

They include eight cancelled by SMBC Aviation Capital, three by Air Lease, three by lessor Timaero Ltd, one by GE Capital Aviation Services and two by South African airline Comair.

The Air Lease activity – three Max orders and three Max cancellations – reflects “re-contracts for earlier delivery positions”, Boeing says.

The 17 cancellations logged in April compare with 16 in March. The number of jets in Boeing’s ASC-606 accounting bucket – which includes orders that Boeing suspects might not actually close – remained unchanged in April. Though the aerospace market recovery remains “uneven”, Boeing is “seeing airlines purchase equipment for replacement and potential growth,” it says. “In some cases, leasing companies are seeing operators reactivating orders.” Boeing delivered 17 aircraft last month. Notably, those included nine 787s, including eight 787-9s – three to Air Lease, two to Japan Airlines, one to United Airlines, one to ANA and one to Atlantis Aviation – and one 787-8 delivered to American Airlines. Boeing had halted 787 deliveries in November 2020, until March, due to a production issue involving what the company calls fuselage “skin flatness”. Boeing aims, by year-end, to deliver the majority of roughly 100 completed but not delivered 787s in its inventory, executives said in late April. Boeing’s April deliveries also included one 767F for FedEx, one 767-based KC-46 military tanker, two 777Fs for DHL, one Max for Air Lease and three Max jets or Southwest Airlines. The number of Max deliveries declined in April due to an electrical-grounding issue that forced the company to pause Max deliveries and led airlines to ground about 100 Max jets. The fix will take several days per aircraft, Boeing says. Boeing says 170 of 195 global aviation regulators have opened their airspace to the Max. April’s changes brought the company’s backlog at the end of the month to 4,045 jets, including 3,239 737's. In the first four months of 2021, Boeing logged cancellations of 230 jets and orders for 307 aircraft, leaving it with 77 net orders.