New Airline, Alliances in the Spotlight: The Week in Aerospace

In a breather for Aeroméxico, the Boeing 737 Max is set to start flying globally again, following a 20-month ban due to two catastrophic crashes. Meanwhile, Mexico’s government aims to create a new airline, which will fly from Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) but will neither use Mexicana’s brand and goods nor resolve lawsuits filed against the defunct company.

Airbus launched a solution to predict weather and help agriculture, while paradigms will be broken as alliances between legacy airlines and low-cost carriers could become common following the American Airlines-JetSmart partnership.

Fasten your seatbelt! This is the Week in Aerospace!

Boeing 737 Max is Ready to Come Back, Stay

The 737 Max is set to return to the skies, allowing Aeroméxico to breathe easier since it invested about US$6 billion in 60 aircraft. The Mexican airline aims to begin using these planes on its Mexico City-Cancun. “The most eco-friendly aircraft. The 737 Max uses less fuel than any other aircraft. This means less CO2 emissions on each flight,” can be read in Aeroméxico’s webpage.

New Airline Will Not Use Mexicana’s Brand, Goods

The new Mexican airline, scheduled to begin operations in March 2022 from the Felipe Angeles International Airport (AIFA) and to employ former Mexicana de Aviación employees, will neither use the defunct airline’s brand and goods nor resolve lawsuits filed against the defunct company. Mexicana de Aviación owes former and retired employees over MX$9 billion (US$450 million), which does not take into account its lawsuits, unredeemed contracts and rents. The official name for the new airline remains unknown.

Airbus Launches Solution to Predict Weather, Help Agriculture

Airbus launched the first-ever satellite to use the Doppler effect to determine wind speed. This technology is now used in daily weather forecasting and global wind profiling. 

The Aeolus initiative, named after the Greek god of winds, was born from an attempt to develop a highly complex Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) instrument for a European Space Agency (ESA) mission.

Mexican Airlines Relish Passenger Increase in 2021

According to official data from the Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) and the Federal Agency of Civil Aviation (AFAC), “Mexican airlines flying locally saw a 57 percent increase in passengers from January-July 2021 compared to last year’s second semester.” The recent demand for flights has taken an immediate effect as vaccination campaigns advance, allowing more flights and entrance to different countries.

Alliances Between Legacy, Low-Cost Carriers to Become More Common

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many paradigms in the aviation industry. Now, alliances between legacy and low-cost carriers could become common following the American Airlines-JetSmart partnership.

Some industry insiders forecast that in the following years this kind of alliances will become common but they will “require adjustments in the point of view from both airlines involved,” said William Franke, aerospace industry investor and Director General of Indigo Partners, one of the investment companies behind Volaris.