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Commercial

A350 training wins industry approval
Toulouse, France-based Airbus Training will see its revolutionary “learning by discovery” pilot and engineer type-rating training system put to the test for the first time next month as Airbus A350 launch customer Qatar Airways prepares to put its aircraft into service. Director of A350 flight operations and training support for Airbus, Christian Norden, says customer feedback from all the early A350 buyers has so far been unanimously enthusiastic, as has the reaction of the national aviation authorities. Meanwhile the EASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration have accepted the A350 as a variant of the A330 series, thus according it a common type rating.
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In-service report: How good is the 787?
That would have been about 18 months into the type's service life – a period that has tradionally been regarded as long enough for a new aircraft to be over normal teething problems, and thus a good time to report in detail on what operators are thinking about the type.
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Airlines

Alaska Airlines to add 3 Seattle routes next year
Alaska Airlines will add service to Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Portland, Ore., departing from the its Seattle hub beginning July 1. The announcement marks an expansion of its partnership with SkyWest Airlines.
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Bangkok Airways takes delivery of first ATR 72-600
Bangkok Airways received the first of nine new ATR 72-600s in Toulouse on 26 November. The Thai boutique carrier plans to sell the five ATR 72-500s it owns when it completes its turboprop renewal programme with the new ATR 72-600 model. The incoming 72-seat turboprops will progressively replace the Thai regional carrier's existing fleet of eight ATR 72-500s, of which three are leased.
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Airfare in the U.S. is "a bargain," Delta CEO says
Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, said airfare remains "a tremendous bargain" in the U.S. market. Anderson appeared on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday to discuss the airline industry.
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Lion Air to order 40 additional ATR 72-600s
Indonesia’s Lion Air will place an order for 40 additional ATR 72-600 turboprops. A source close to the airline confirmed to Flightglobal that the deal, valued at around $1 billion will be signed today. It was earlier reported that the agreement is expected to be signed at the Italian prime minister's official residence. No further details about the deal were disclosed.
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Southwest questions NextGen procedures at BWI
Southwest Airlines said that so far, the limited NextGen procedures implemented by the FAA at BWI airport are not fully living up to the expected benefits. "Early indicators at BWI, one of the busiest airports, suggest that the new procedures are not delivering those results and are adding complexities within our operation," said Rick Dalton, director of airspace and flow management at Southwest.
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Thomas Cook Hit By CEO Departure
British leisure travel company Thomas Cook's chief executive Harriet Green has been replaced by its chief operating officer Peter Fankhauser. Shares in the world's oldest travel company fell on news that Green was leaving plus a warning from the company that growth would slow to "a more moderate pace" in 2015, to reflect a tougher trading environment. Green, who joined Thomas Cook in 2012, will be replaced by Fankhauser with immediate effect.
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Airports

D.C. area airports offer world-class travel experience
Flight Global's Edward Russell says a recent opinion piece in the Washington Post misses the mark about the high quality of air service offered at D.C. area airports. Russell writes that compared to the 10 largest metro regions across the country, D.C. area airports "punch well above their weight" by ranking seventh in population, but sixth in the number of non-stop destinations offered to customers. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority agrees with Russell's assessment noting that, "In 2014, both Reagan National and Dulles International airports had an increase in the number of destinations served and that trend is expected to continue. The robust route network offered through our two-airport system delivers a world-class travel experience for our customers."
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Rotary Wing

First flight of new Airbus Helicopters EC645 T2
Airbus Helicopters has performed the maiden flight of the EC645 T2 military utility rotorcraft at its facility in Donauwörth, Germany, in front of representatives of the nation’s armed forces. Berlin has an existing order for 15 of the 3.7t helicopters to be used by its air force for commando operations. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2015. “This first flight is a milestone in the EC645 T2 programme and we’re thrilled to be able to celebrate this event with our customer,” the airframer says.
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Military

UK RAF welcomes first A400M to Brize Norton
The UK Royal Air Force has welcomed its first Airbus A400M Atlas tactical transport for training use, as the service makes preparations to stand up its first operational squadron with the type early next year. Lead aircraft ZM400 was formally revealed at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on 27 November, some 10 days after it arrived on its delivery flight from Airbus Defence & Space's final assembly site in Seville, Spain.
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Corporate

Dassault to build new Falcon MRO facility in Bordeaux
Dassault is to build a heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at its Bordeaux-Mérignac facility in southwest France, dedicated to supporting its Falcon 5X, 7X and 8X business jet fleet. The 7,200m2 (77,500ft2) plant will be erected on a parcel of land adjacent to Dassault’s Falcon final assembly base. Scheduled for completion in mid-2016, the facility will accommodate up to six of the large cabin and long-range twin and tri-engined jets. “The new Mérignac service centre reflects Dassault Falcon Service’s commitment to keep up with the steady expansion of the Falcon fleet, which now numbers more than 2,000 aircraft worldwide, and make sure customers continue benefiting from the top-notch service they’ve come to enjoy,” says Dassault Falcon Service general manager Jean Kayanakis.
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Aviation Quote

Lady, you want me to answer you if this old airplane is safe to fly? Just how in the world do you think it got to be this old?

— Anon

On This Date

---In 1912…The Italian Air Battalion is made a fully operational command, the Flotta Aerea d’Italia.

---In 1929... American Commander Richard Byrd and crew make the 1st flight over the South Pole, in a Ford 4-AT Trimotor monoplane, November 28-29.

---In 1938…A Lufthansa Fw 200 takes off on the airline’s first flight to Japan, flying from Berlin to Tokyo via Basra, Karachi, and Hanoi. The 14,228 km (8,841 mile) flight breaks the distance record and takes 46 hours 18 minutes.

---In 1942…Australian pilot F/Sgt Ron Middleton earns a posthumous VC for valor in bringing his crew and crippled bomber home after a raid on Turin, Italy.

---In 1956…Ryan X-13 Vertijet makes its first transition from vertical to horizontal flight

---In 1964…NASA launches the first Mars fly-by spacecraft, Mariner 4.

---In 1975…Evergreen International Airlines commences flight operations.

---In 1978…United Airlines Flight 173 crashes in Portland, Oregon. Aircraft ran out of fuel while crew trouble shooted landing gear indicator problems.

---In 1979…Air New Zealand Flight 901, a DC-10 operated sightseeing flight over Antarctica, crashes into Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board. Coincidentally it was the 50th anniversary of the first flight over the South Pole.

---In 1983…Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off on its sixth mission and the ninth shuttle mission overall, STS-9.

---In 1987…South African Airways Flight 295, a Boeing 747-200 Combi, crashes into the Indian Ocean as the result of a fire, killing all 159 on board.

---In 1995…First flight of the Gulfstream V.

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Queso wrote:10. NKX, Miramar NAS