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Pratt & Whitney Engine Fix By February
United Technologies expects to solve by February an ongoing issue with its Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines that can cause excessive friction under some circumstances, chief executive Gregory Hayes said. The problem occurs when the engine is shut down for 1.5 to 2 hours because "the top of the engine actually cools more slowly" than the rest of the engine, Hayes said in his first public explanation of the problem.
LinkAirlines
Air Atlanta takes on Air France 747s
Icelandic ACMI specialist Air Atlanta has acquired two Boeing 747-400s from Air France, which is in the final stages of retiring the type after four decades of service. Air Atlanta sales director Magnus Asgeirsson confirmed the two aircraft arrived in Iceland and has already been placed with customers; Saudia is operating one aircraft.
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American boosts load factor, traffic in Nov.
American Airlines Group posted a 4.3% rise in passenger traffic for November, as compared to the same month last year. The carrier also boosted its load factor by 3.5% for the month to 81.2%.
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American Airlines takes children of fallen soldiers on the Snowball Express
American Airlines plans to hold its 10th-annual Snowball Express for children of fallen soldiers. The carrier will provide complimentary charter flights for families from across the country to Dallas-Fort Worth for a five-day event that starts on Saturday. "Snowball Express remembers those fallen heroes who will never return, and honors the supreme sacrifice their families have made," said Howard Griffiths, a regional ambassador for the Snowball Express.
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Hawaiian Airlines sees traffic up 4.8% year-to-date
Hawaiian Airlines transported 3.4% more passengers in November, compared to the same month last year. For the first 11 months of the year, Hawaiian flew 4.8% more passengers as compared to the same period in 2014.
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JetBlue posts higher passenger traffic in Nov.
JetBlue Airways posted a 14.2% increase in passenger traffic for November on a year-over-year basis. The carrier's load factor also rose 2.5% to 83.9% for the month.
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Norwegian parks final Boeing 737-300
Low-cost carrier Norwegian has retired its final Boeing 737-300. Its single-aisle fleet is now comprised entirely of the newer -800 model. Norwegian flew its final -300 from UK maintenance site at Lasham, near London, to Bodø in northern Norway, the site of the National Aviation Museum of Norway to which the aircraft has been donated. It had been parked at Lasham for several months.
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Ryanair aims for major expansion in Romania
Ireland-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair plans to substantially increase its presence in Romania, with the creation of up to five bases in the Eastern European nation over the next few years, according to CEO Michael O’Leary. The move is a clear challenge to Hungary-based Wizz Air, which is the major LCC in Central and Eastern Europe. Currently, Ryanair flies only to a single Romanian destination, Bucharest, transporting some 200,000 passengers to and from the Romanian capital in 2014.
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Fire and fumes incidents prompt IATA scrutiny of hoverboard carriage
A number of fumes and small fire incidents involving lithium-battery-powered hoverboards loaded on to airliners has prompted IATA to develop industry guidelines for handling the new-fad gliding vehicles. Several airlines are banning the carriage of hoverboards over concerns they pose a fire hazard
LinkAirports
Heathrow Indecision Highlights Europe's Airport Dilemma
Moves by Britain to delay, once again, a decision on where to build an additional runway to serve the London area highlights Europe's difficulties in keeping up with emerging countries when it comes to creating vital airport capacity. By 2035, airports across Europe will be unable to accommodate the 2 million flights due to capacity shortages according to Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.
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UK government criticized for delay tactics over runway capacity
The UK government has come under a barrage of criticism from the business community over its announcement late Wednesday to further delay a decision on desperately needed additional runway capacity in the South East. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) described the move as “gutless,” while the Institute of Directors (IOD) said business leaders would be “tearing their hair out at the news that, yet again, a decision on expanding the UK’s airport capacity has been delayed.”
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Russia’s Kaluga airport to handle flights from Germany
Russia’s Kaluga International Airport will now be able to handle scheduled flights from Germany after authorities agreed to replace Perm with Kaluga as a Russian destination. In addition, the Russian Federation has designated Memmingen Airport as a German destination.
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Military
Beating heat leads sixth-generation fighter challenges
Thermal management will be a critical factor in a brewing competition to replace hundreds of Lockheed Martin F-22s and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, says a top Northrop Grumman executive. Releasing a new artistic concept of a so-called sixth-generation fighter on 11 December, Northrop Aerospace Systems president Tom Vice singled-out the critical but often overlooked quality of managing all the heat generated by ever-more powerful weapons and sensors anticipated on future combat aircraft.
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Aviation Quote
The life of the modern jet pilots tends to be most unexpectedly lonely. . . . foreign countries are places to reach accurately and to leave on time. Distance is a raw material to work with.
— John Pearson, Sunday Times, 4 Feb 1962.
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Editor’s Choice
Trivia
Airlines And Airways
1. What was Fiji Airways known as before May 2012?
Air Pacific
Pacific Airlines
Air Fiji
Fiji Airlines
2. Air New Zealand makes which major New Zealand city its "home base"?
Auckland
Wellington
Christchurch
Sydney
3. Magda Szubanski starred in which Australian low budget airline's commercials from 2004-2008?
Jetstar
Qantas
Tiger Airways
Air Australia
4. What is the name of the corporation that owns American Airlines?
AMR Corporation
Applied Industrial Technologies
American Transportation Corporation
Bucyrus International
5. Which airline was created with the backing of the Dubai royal family?
Gulf Air
Air Arabia
Emirates
Middle Eastern Airways
6. Singapore Airlines uses their iconic flight attendants as a successful marketing tool. What are the flight attendants known as?
Geisha Girls
Singapore Beauties
Asian Beauties
Singapore Girls
7. What airline is colloquially known as "The flying kangaroo"?
Emirates
QANTAS
Virgin
Air Canada
8. In 2011, Richard Branson's Australian airline became known as what?
Virgin Australia
Virgin Down Under
Virgin Oceania
Virgin Blue
9. If I was to fly to a regional center in Australia, what airline would I chose?
Regional Express
Emirates
Jetstar
Virgin Australia
10. Air Canada's predecessor was Trans-Canada Airlines, which was created in 1936. Which year was their first passenger flight?
1937
1932
1948
1955
