Aeromexico and LATAM Airlines Group have agreed to a code-sharing partnership under which Aeromexico’s flights to the USA will carry LATAM flight codes. The Mexican airline disclosed the partnership in a 26 January regulatory filing with the US Department of Transportation. In that document, Aeromexico requests that the US government approve the plan quickly, saying the airlines intend to implement it “in the near future”. Aeromexico intends only to carry LATAM codes on flights that original outside of Mexico, stop in Mexico City and continue to the USA. That means Aeromexico will not market LATAM-coded flights to passengers travelling solely between the USA and Mexico. Initially, the deal will apply to Aeromexico’s flights to Chicago, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco and Seattle, it says.

President Joe Biden will add South Africa to the list of countries from which non-US citizens are restricted from entering the USA. US officials are hoping to limit the spread of a highly infectious new Covid-19 variant that has taken root in South Africa. Biden also on 25 January is reversing former president Donald Trump's 18 January proclamation terminating coronavirus-related travel restrictions on non-US citizens entering the country from the 26 European countries of the Schengen area, the UK, Republic of Ireland and Brazil. Trump's proclamation was to be effective on 26 January. "With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel," Jen Psaki, Biden's White House press secretary, said during a press briefing on 25 January. "And in light of the contagious variant B.1.351, South Africa has been added to the restricted list." Additionally, beginning on 26 January international travellers to the USA must provide to airlines proof of a negative Covid-19 test within three days of departure. No direct flights from South Africa to the USA are scheduled in January or February. Delta Air Lines and South African Airways intend to operate in March nine and eight South Africa-US flights, respectively, as of 25 January.

All Nippon Airways will retire large aircraft operating domestic flights “ahead of schedule” — and cut their utilisation by half — as it discloses that domestic operations will “make up the core” of its earnings in the coming financial year, which begins on 1 April. Outlining interim flight schedules for the new year, the Star Alliance carrier says it will “temporarily utilise aircraft for international routes on domestic flights”, while its small to medium jets will supplement operations. ANA adds: “Compared to [financial year 2020], the usage rate of large aircraft will be reduced by 50%, while the usage rate of small aircraft will increase by 30%.” While it did not elaborate which aircraft it was referring to, ANA has a sizeable widebody domestic fleet, including Boeing 777-300s which are configured to seat more than 500 passengers. Other densely-configured aircraft include 777-200s which can seat more than 400 passengers, as well as its 787-9, which has 395 seats in a domestic configuration. Some of ANA’s 777 are already on the way out. In October 2020 the carrier said it would retire 22 older 777s following a broader business reorganisation amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move will impact both domestic and international networks, says ANA. For the coming financial year, ANA will double down on adjusting its domestic network, in the hopes of maximising revenue. “In planning operations, ANA will raise profitability by monitoring demand trends and the status of the market more frequently. We will also suspend or reduce flights in response to demand while increasing the frequency for certain routes when there is an increase in demand at peak seasons,” the carrier says of its domestic network. To this end, the carrier has ramped up capacity on flights to Hokkaido and Okinawa in the summer months, in anticipation of increased demand.
On its international operations, ANA says it is still affected by border closures and travel restrictions — aimed at curbing the pandemic’s spread — and will adjust operations accordingly. A series of international flight launches from Tokyo Haneda — such as Stockholm, San Jose and Sydney — have been postponed indefinitely. The airline adds that it will be utilising more 787s on international flights, after the move to retire some 777s. ANA’s latest disclosure follows compatriot Japan Airlines’ announcement of tweaks to its domestic schedules and fleet plans. JAL, which in October said it was speeding up the retirement of its older 777s, will “continue to add more Airbus A350-900 aircraft into its domestic fleet lineup” in the coming financial year. Its regional unit Hokkaido Air System will complete its fleet replacement efforts, which involve taking delivery of ATR 42-600s to replace older Saab 340 turboprops.