In today’s issue: Airlines jockey for position in DC, Boeing and Airbus need to get tough with suppliers, United and Emirates make route network changes, and Copa overcomes adversity in Q1

^{NETWORK PLANNING UPDATE}

⚫️ Making their return: Emirates is resuming flights to Nigeria, two years after a cash dispute caused the airline to suspend flights to the Lagos. In late 2022, Emirates claimed it had tens of millions of dollars in revenue that it could not get out of the country. At its peak, Emirates says more than $85 million was trapped in the country. 

⚫️Jockeying for position: The FAA Reauthorization Act which was passed by both houses of Congress this week, created an additional 5 perimeter-exempt slots at DCA. Even though President Biden has yet to sign the bill, airlines are lining up to propose new routes. American wants to fly to San Antonio while Alaska wants to fly to San Diego. Slots like these rarely come open, so it's no surprise to see airlines already expressing interest. 

⚫️ Pulling the plug 🔌: United will stop operating seasonal flights from LAX to Brisbane and Auckland. While many airlines have tried to pull ahead of the pack in LAX, none have yet to succeed for the most part.

^{FLEET UPDATE} 

⚫️ Keeping faith 🤞: Singapore Airlines’ CEO said the airline still expects to take delivery of the 777-9 in late 2025 despite some in the industry anticipating further delays to the 777X program. The airline was originally supposed to take delivery of the aircraft in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

⚫️No more blame game ⛔: Qatar Airways’ CEO said Airbus and Boeing need to put more pressure on their suppliers in order to cut down on production delays both manufacturers are currently experiencing. This is not the first case of an airline CEO calling out these companies, and is unlikely to be the last.

^{LOOSE ENDS}

⚫️ Out of the doghouse 🐕: In March the FAA increased their oversight of United following several incidents and limited the airline from launching new routes and taking delivery of new aircraft. Most of those restrictions have now been lifted and the airline can now take delivery of new aircraft. It's not entirely clear what the nature of the FAA's oversight into United was, but evidently the airline managed to resolve the FAA's concerns in just a couple of short months.

⚫️Overcoming adversity: Copa reported Q1 2024 revenues of $893.5 million, a 3% increase YoY, driven by a rise in passenger traffic. The airline posted a net profit of $176 million, up $18 million from the previous year despite a $44 million negative impact from grounding 21 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in the wake of the Alaska Airlines' mid-air blowout.

🎧️ ^{WEEKEND LISTENING}  

⚫️ The guys over at The Air Show Podcast discuss what’s next for Embraer. Definitely one of the best airline podcasts out there.

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