IN BRIEF

Airbus order cancellations

Airbus recently suffered a heavy few weeks of order cancellations, with the company’s latest orders and deliveries data showing orders for more than 90 aircraft were removed from its backlog in February. Etihad Airways cancelled 40 A350-900s and two A350-1000s, while Airbus has withdrawn 22 A380s (20 ordered by the lessor Amedeo and two attributed to Air Accord), 25 A320neos and five A220-100s. Airbus only secured four orders in the first two months of the year. Mark Broadbent

Air France-KLM wants widebodies

The Air France-KLM Group is seeking new medium-haul widebody aircraft and will launch a tender this year, the group said in its full-year financial results for 2018. It confirmed plans to phase out Air France’s remaining Airbus A340s in 2020 and KLM’s last Boeing 747-400s in 2021, and that Air France’s A380 fleet will be reduced from ten jets to seven by 2021 as leases on three super jumbos expire. Meanwhile, the European Commission has approved Air France-KLM’s bid to buy 31% of Virgin Atlantic Airways. The Franco-Dutch group is the second-largest stakeholder in the UK carrier after Delta (49%) and the Virgin Group (20%). Mark Broadbent

JetBlue across the Atlantic?

JetBlue could be about to launch routes to the UK from its New York and Boston hubs. A move by the US airline into the transatlantic air travel arena has long been rumoured by airline industry-watchers, especially after the carrier ordered the long-range Airbus A321LR variant that can serve the market. The airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Robert Hayes, has previously said the carrier could take advantage of what he called “a good opportunity” for transatlantic air travel. Mark Broadbent

Flybe sale

The acquisition of the UK regional carrier Flybe by Connect Airways, a company owned jointly by Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Air and a US-based hedge fund called Cyrus Capital, was confirmed in March. Flybe is now no longer on the London Stock Exchange as a public listed company. The new owners said Flybe’s operations will continue and that the Exeter-based carrier would continue to operate as an independent company, although the carrier is expected to be rebranded at some point. Mark Broadbent

Flybmi collapse

Flybmi went into administration in February 2019. The UK regional airline, legally registered as British Midland Regional Limited and formerly branded bmi Regional, operated scheduled services from UK regional airports across Europe, with its head office at East Midlands Airport. Flybmi was a former subsidiary of BMI, which was acquired in 2012 by IAG from Lufthansa. While BMI was integrated into BA, the regional operation was sold to Sector Aviation Holdings and operated as an independent regional airline from October 2012. In August 2015 Flybmi became part of a new regional airline group, Airline Investments Limited, along with Loganair. Flybmi’s demise means the last trace of the British Midland/BMI name has now disappeared. Mark Broadbent