Avianca has appointed former Aeromexico executive Anko van der Werff as its new chief executive, effective 15 July. Van der Werff was most recently chief revenue officer at Aeromexico, which he left earlier this month. He previously worked at Qatar Airways and Air France-KLM, and has more than 19 years of experience in the airline industry. "Anko will join our team to help us lead these challenging times in the industry. His ample experience in world-class airlines will not only help us continue with our transformation, but will also help us strengthen the loyalty of our customers, rekindling the commitment of our employees and reinforce our company’s competitiveness and financial situation," says Avianca chairman Roberto Kriete.

Airline pilots have voiced fears over the safety of a fleet of Boeing aircraft after a crucial fire-fighting system has been found to have the potential to malfunction. Boeing has issued an alert to airlines using its flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliner, warning that the switch used to extinguish an engine fire has failed in a “small number” of instances. The switch also severs the fuel supply and the hydraulic fluid to prevent flames spreading.” UK airlines Tui, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operate more than 60 Dreamliners between them. The US regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has decided not to ground the fleet, despite admitting a “risk to the flying public”.

Source: The Gaurdian

US major United Airlines has placed a firm order for 20 more Embraer 175's and taken options on a further 19, continuing its regional fleet replacement. The deal has a list-price value of $1.9 billion. Deliveries are scheduled for the second half of 2020. The E175's will be configured with 70 seats and replace older aircraft in United's feeder fleet, likely Bombardier CRJ700's, says the carrier's chief financial officer Gerry Laderman. Replacing older aircraft is a necessity for United, which can only have up to 255 with 70-76 seats in its regional fleet under its contract with pilots. It operated CRJ700's, Embraer 170's and E175's that, together, totalled that number at the end of March, its latest fleet plan shows.

Source: FlightGlobal