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Airbus Gets First LEAP Engine For A320neo
CFM International has delivered the first LEAP-1A engine to be used in the Airbus A320neo, Safran said on Friday. The delivery is a key milestone for 42-year-old CFM, a joint venture between France's Safran and General Electric of the United States, which now faces its steepest ever challenge in raising production.
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How 747 gamble paid off for Boeing
Boeing celebrates its centenary in 2016, and the 747 has been a big part of its life for half of the company’s existence. The risks that Boeing took with the original decision to build the 747, and the investment it committed to the production programme, set the benchmark by which all future commercial aircraft programmes have been judged. It is remarkable how the 747’s success beat all projections in an era when the industry appeared hell-bent on speed rather than size. The spectre of sleek supersonic transports (SSTs) quickly rendering the 747 obsolete was in fact the secret of the jumbo’s eventual success. And as Airbus discovered with its self-styled 747 successor, the A380, assumptions around market trends can be fraught with danger.
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Canada Gov't, Bombardier Still Far Apart In Aid Talks
The Canadian government and Bombardier are still not close to reaching a deal on aid for the struggling manufacturer, making an agreement before its annual meeting this month unlikely. Bombardier wants Ottawa to invest $1 billion in its CSeries aircraft, which is years behind schedule, billions of dollars over budget and has won relatively few orders compared to its rivals.
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Embraer delivered 21 commercial aircraft in 1Q
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer delivered 21 commercial aviation aircraft in the first-quarter of 2016, a 5% increase over the year-ago quarter. Nineteen of the delivered aircraft were E175 models, including six to American Airlines, four each to US regional carriers Republic Airlines and Mesa Airlines, three to US regional carrier SkyWest Airlines, one to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines’ regional subsidiary KLM Cityhopper and one to Suzuyo & Co., the parent of Japanese domestic carrier Fuji Dream Airlines. Additionally, China’s Hainan Airlines took delivery of two E195s.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada, Cargojet to begin freighter service to Latin America, Europe
Canada-based Cargojet is close to finalizing a deal with Air Canada Cargo, which would, in essence, construct a cargo bridge between South America and Europe via Canada. The deal, still subject to route approval, would represent Canada’s first dedicated freighter flights to Latin America. Once the deal is set, Cargojet would ACMI-lease and operate 767-300Fs aircraft on Air Canada Cargo’s behalf and serve routes between Toronto and destinations in Latin America and Europ
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Air France-KLM to increase Latin American presence
Air France will add two weekly Paris Charles de Gaulle-San José (Costa Rica) services from Nov. 2, which will run throughout the 2016-17 winter season. The flight will use a 468-seat Boeing 777-300, which will be configured in three classes—14 business class, 32 premium economy and 422 economy seats. SkyTeam member Air France-KLM serves 27 destinations in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Together, both carriers offer more than 200 weekly frequencies from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol to the region.
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Senegal Seeks Partner For New National Airline
Senegal has created Air Senegal, a new national airline intended to replace the West African nation's now defunct, heavily indebted carrier Senegal Airlines. Maimouna Ndoye Seck, the minister of tourism and air transport, said the new company was formed with capital of 40 billion CFA francs (USD$69 million) aimed at making the new airline operational as quickly as possible as it seeks "a strong strategic partner".
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Alaska Airlines debuts new plane tail numbers
Alaska Airlines plans to honor its home state with new plane tail numbers. "Considering our airline growth, and understanding we were running out of AS registrations, we searched for a new, meaningful set of trailing letters and settled on AK -- the two-letter code for the State of Alaska," said Russell Summers, manager of aircraft acquisitions, in a blog.
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Alitalia resumes China flights with new Beijing schedule
Italian flag carrier Alitalia will resume direct flights to China with a new 4X-weekly service to Beijing, starting July 2016. The carrier described the move as “one more step forward as [Alitalia] proceeds with its long-haul network development plan.” The Beijing schedule will use 250-seat Airbus A330 aircraft in a three-class cabin, and will feature a newly renovated cabin layout as well as inflight Wi-Fi.
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JetBlue Considers A321LR’s Transatlantic Flight Potential
JetBlue Airways won’t be tying the knot with Virgin America anytime soon, but the carrier may eventually expand its brand in another way: across the pond.
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Jin Air signs interline deal with Jetstar Group
Korean low-cost carrier (LCC) Jin Air has signed a codeshare agreement with the Australian-based Jetstar Group to offer combined route bookings across both carrier’s networks. The two LCCs will offer what they call “seamless travel packages” across both networks that include Jin Air’s existing Korea-based network and the services of Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan and Jetstar Pacific.
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US tentatively approves Norwegian Air permit
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has given tentative permission for Norwegian Air International (NAI) to serve the US, more than two years after NAI applied for a foreign air carrier permit. The announcement April 15 by DOT that NAI “appears to meet DOT’s normal standards for award of a permit and … there is no legal basis to deny NAI’s application” is a huge coup for the Dublin-based NAI, an Irish-flag subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle.
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Pan Am's rise and fall after launching 747
When Pan Am played its pivotal role in the creation of the 747, it was arguably the world's most powerful airline, headed by one of the most dynamic and influential leaders of the airline industry's first century, Juan Trippe. In October 1955, a decade before he brought the world the 747, Trippe had fired America into the jet age when Pan Am placed launch orders for 45 Boeing 707s and Douglas DC-8s. And the New York-headquartered airline was still at the top of the tree in January 1970, when it inaugurated jumbo jet services on the route between New York and London.
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Ryanair launches more customer experience improvements
Irish low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair has unveiled its 2016 customer experience initiatives, which is in its third year of an “Always Getting Better” program, as it continues to improve service, digital and inflight developments. “While years one and two were about fixing the areas customers didn’t like and improving the existing offering, year three will be about digital acceleration and innovation, particularly through our Ryanair Labs digital developments,” chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said in a statement.
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SAS Scandinavian Airlines introduces premium cabin bid system
SAS Scandinavian Airlines is seeking to improve yields by allowing economy-class passengers to bid for available premium seats. The new system, SAS Upgrade, will be introduced from April 25. Similar arrangements exist on other airlines. Rather than having premium cabin seats go empty, carriers allow travelers to enter a bid for an upgrade. Even if the carrier does not receive a full business or premium economy fare, it at least receives more money than if the passenger had traveled in the main cabin.
LinkAirports
Belgian transport minister resigns amid post-attack criticism
Belgian transport minister Jacqueline Galant has resigned amid a public outcry in Belgium over 2015 European Commission (EC) reports warning of security weaknesses at Brussels Airport and other airports in Belgium. Brussels Airport was the site of a deadly terrorist attack on March 22. Galant claimed this week that she had been unaware of the EC reports, which were not intended for public consumption but were leaked to media outlets this week.
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Southwest to boost nonstop service from BWI
Southwest Airlines plans to expand service from Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Starting in August, the carrier will offer additional nonstop service to Seattle and Boston, among other cities.
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Military
Israel steps back from fresh UAV deals with Russia
Washington has vetoed any further sales of Israeli-made unmanned air vehicles to Russia. For several months Russian companies have contacted Israeli manufacturers in an attempt to reach joint venture agreements. However after checking with the Israeli defence ministry about the potential of formalising any such pact, it became obvious the US administration would be very strongly opposed, and would veto any export license. Further discussions have been halted as a result.
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Israel holds firm on increasing F-35 purchase
Israel's desire to acquire additional examples of the Lockheed Martin F-35 is likely to be advanced even if Washington does not agree to increase the level of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) made available to the nation. The Israeli government has asked its US counterpart for a 10-year FMF package that will include an annual grant of $4.1 billion. Negotiations are continuing in an effort to reach agreement while US President Barack Obama is still in office. However, speaking on 13 April, Israeli sources said the purchase of additional F-35s is "already in the pipeline", regardless of whether the requested funding increase is approved.
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Aviation Quote
The only time an aircraft has too much fuel on board is when it is on fire.
— Anon.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is the Cessna 305?
2. While flying in a single-engine Cessna, Martin Wikelski observed that dragonflies fly only during warm daylight hours. How did he determine this?
3. The tails of the Piper PA–28 series of aircraft feature corrugations to strengthen the metal surfaces. Why are these corrugations concave (rounded inward) instead of convex (bulge outward)?
4. What major aviation motion picture was used by the U.S. Air Force as an official training film?
5. Construction of what will become the world’s highest airport used by airlines will begin next year and be completed in 2014. In which country will this airport be located?
6. The Invasion of Normandy (a.k.a. Operation Overlord) began on June 6, 1944, which is also known as D-Day. It involved what probably was the largest armada of military aircraft ever assembled for a single purpose. What does the “D” in D-Day represent?
7. A pilot is flying over Kansas at noon under clear skies. Unbeknownst to him, the sun is suddenly extinguished. How much time would elapse before the pilot finds himself flying in total darkness?
