LOT Polish Airlines denied victim status in MAX case

Turkish Airlines moves Poland flights due to regulations

EU pushes back Korean Air-Asiana merger ruling to mid-3Q23

The European Union (EU) has extended the deadline to make a provisional decision regarding the merger of Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) and Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon). On March 7, the deadline was pushed back 20 working days from July 5, 2023, to August 3. No reason was provided for the delay.

Korean Air wants to buy a 63.88% stake in Asiana and merge the two airlines in a KRW800 billion won (USD607.5 million dollars) deal that would see it become one of the biggest airlines in the world. However, the merger depends on approval from competition authorities in multiple jurisdictions. Many, including recently the United Kingdom, have okayed the merger (albeit often with conditions), but three key markets, Japan, the US, and the EU, are yet to give approval.

In February, the EU said it would open an "indepth investigation" into the merger after identifying competition concerns in both the cargo and passenger markets on routes between South Korea and EU member countries. In a statement, the EU pointed to...

Australia's Bonza eyes imminent Melbourne base opening

Bonza (AB, Sunshine Coast) has taken delivery of its fourth aircraft, B737-8 which was handed over in the United States this week and began its ferry flight to Australia, operating Seattle Boeing Field - Honolulu - Nadi on February 14 and 15, 2023.

VH-UKH (msn 61864) will be based at Melbourne Tullamarine and become the first of Bonza's now four-strong fleet to be based outside Maroochydore/Sunshine Coast Airport in southeast Queensland. Bonza CEO Tim Jordan told ch-aviation that a fifth aircraft will arrive in 2Q 2023, also to be based at Melbourne, and revenue passenger operations from that airport are expected to commence in late March or early April.

The 3.34-year-old jet was originally going to LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin) but was not taken up. Subsequently, it was among a number of B737 MAX acquired by Bonza's financial backers, 777 Partners. However, ahead of its arrival at Bonza, the 186-seat plane has not operated any passenger flights.

Meanwhile, Bonza operated its second scheduled passenger...

LOT, Smartwings lose bid for compensation from Boeing

LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin) and Smartwings (Czechia) (QS, Prague Václav Havel) have lost their respective lawsuits against Boeing for compensation for losses sustained during the worldwide grounding of the B737 MAX in 2019 followed two fatal crashes that killed 346 people.

Reuters and Bloomberg report that Judge Reed O'Connor of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas on February 9 turned down the airlines' separate applications to be ruled victims in the B737 MAX criminal case, which would have made them eligible for compensation. In separate applications, both airlines argued they should have gotten compensation as part of Boeing's plea deal, as other airlines did.

Judge O'Connor also turned down a bid by the relatives and beneficiaries of the victims of the two crashes to reopen or reject Boeing's January 2021 plea deal. The judge ruled he did not have the legal authority to grant their request despite what he called "Boeing's egregious criminal conduct".

The Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) granted Boeing immunity from prosecution in...