NewsCommercial
Boeing opens $1 billion 777X composite wing center
Boeing has opened its $1 billion 777X composite wing manufacturing center in Everett, Washington. The manufacturer announced the facility in February 2014 after securing a new labor contract with 30,000 Boeing factory workers in the Seattle area represented by the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM). It broke ground on the facility later that year.
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Bombardier takes Republic off CSeries production plan
A six-year-old Republic Airways Holdings order for 40 Bombardier CS300 jets remains in the backlog but has been removed from the manufacturer’s long-term production schedule, says Bombardier chief executive Alain Bellemare. Republic’s order has been scrutinised for several years, as the CS300s were originally assigned to former subsidiary Frontier Airlines. Republic spun off Frontier three years ago, but kept the CS300 orders. The regional carrier’s ongoing financial restructuring under bankruptcy protection has added further doubts about the CSeries order, as Republic’s legal filings have outlined a plan to organise operations around a fleet of Embraer jets.
LinkAirlines
Aer Lingus CEO: “we welcome new entrants” in transatlantic market
Ireland’s pro-aviation policy, embracing deregulation and liberalizing market access, is visionary and helps enable growth among airlines, lessors, MROs and aviation and travel companies, the CEO of Aer Lingus told a Washington DC audience this week. Speaking May 18 at the International Aviation Club of Washington, Aer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanagh spoke about the importance of liberalization, competition and the advantages that Ireland’s geographic location offers airlines.
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AirBridgeCargo increases US network
Russia’s AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has been designated by local authorities to perform flights from Khabarovsk, in Russia´s Far East, to several points in the US. According to the document, published by Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia, the Moscow-based cargo carrier is allowed to perform 3X-weekly services from Khabarovsk to Anchorage, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Atlanta.
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Air Canada rouge adds Pearson-LGW service
Air Canada rouge began Toronto Pearson-London Gatwick seasonal service. The Montreal-based leisure arm of Air Canada will fly the route daily with 282-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. The service will continue through the summer season until October 16.
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Egyptian military reports MS804 debris finding
EgyptAir said debris from flight MS804, an Airbus A320 that disappeared from radar on May 19, have been found by the Egyptian military 295 km (183 miles) from the Egyptian coastline.
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Icelandair Launches Montreal Service
Icelandair, launched new seasonal service today from Montreal, Canada. The flights from Pierre Trudeau International Airport mark the arrival of the airline's first gateway in the province of Quebec, and 16th in North America.
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Mobile battery behind A380 cabin smoke event
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating a recent cabin smoke event on a Qantas-operated Airbus A380, which was traced to a mobile phone battery. The A380, registration VH-OQD, was operating a flight from Sydney to Dallas-Fort Worth on 16 May when the incident occurred.
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SpiceJet Sees Quarterly Profit Improvement
SpiceJet hopes to place an order for more than 100 single-aisle planes in the next two to three months, its chairman said, as the airline reported a surge in quarterly profit. SpiceJet disclosed plans in November to buy more than 150 planes and that it was in talks with both Boeing and Airbus. Its current fleet is mostly Boeing planes. SpiceJet's net profit more than tripled to INR730 million rupees (USD$10.8 million) for the three months to March 31, from INR225 million a year earlier.
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Security Fears Hit Thomas Cook Bookings
Thomas Cook's summer bookings fell as security concerns meant more people opted for breaks in Spain over Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, outstripping its efforts to adjust flights. Despite shifting 1.2 million airline seats from the eastern to the western Mediterranean, the British travel operator said bookings were down by 5 percent and full-year profit would now be at the bottom end of market forecasts.
LinkAirports
Chicago Airport Security Staffing To Increase
The US government is accelerating plans to add security staff and bomb-sniffing dogs at Chicago's two major airports after a "breakdown" earlier this week caused frustration and some passengers to miss flights. "Earlier this week we had a breakdown here in Chicago," Peter Neffenger, US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator, told a news conference. "We are working hard to make sure that does not happen again."
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Southwest adds San Jose services
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines adds two new cities from Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California. Beginning November 6, Southwest adds daily service to Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) and 2X-daily to Salt Lake City International Airport.
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Military
FAA Deems B-29 Doc Airworthy, First Flight Imminent
The Federal Aviation Administration today deemed the B-29 known as Doc airworthy by officially presenting the restoration crew with an FAA airworthiness certificate. The airworthiness certificate is the most notable milestone yet for the team working to restore the historic B-29. It also comes three days before the 16th anniversary of Doc arriving in Wichita on May 23, 2000 to begin its restoration journey.
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RAF Voyager begins F-35B refuelling certification
The Royal Air Force’s Airbus A330 Voyager will become the fourth non-US aerial refuelling tanker to be certified to fill up the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II following recent tests with an F-35B at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. The Voyager, a modified A330-200 airliner designated KC-30, has already performed five of 20 planned test flights with the final one expected by mid-June to achieve F-35 tanking certification.
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Aviation Quote
Someday I would like to stand on the Moon, look down through a quarter of a million miles of space and say, "There certainly is a beautiful earth out tonight."
— Lieutenant Colonel William H. Rankin, The Man Who Rode the Thunder.
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Trivia
Space Shuttle
1.
What United States president signed an order that officially began the space shuttle project?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Richard M. Nixon
C. Jimmy Carter
2. What year was the first space shuttle mission launched?
A. 1977
B. 1979
C. 1981
3.
What shuttle was used to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993?
A. Challenger
B. Discovery
C. Endeavour
4.
How many successful U.S. shuttle missions had taken place before Challenger disintegrated into a ball of fire in 1986?
A. 9
B. 24
C. 99
5.
What was the first shuttle to be launched following the Challenger disaster?
A. Atlantis
B. Discovery
C. Endeavor
6.
What was the first shuttle to dock with Russia's Mir space station?
A. Atlantis
B. Columbia
C. Enterprise
7. Which Space Shuttle was the only abort to orbit?
A. Challenger
B. Discovery
C. Columbia
