NewsCommercial
Airbus expects more A350 training demand at Singapore facility
Airbus is expecting more demand for A350 training at its facility in Singapore, as Asia Pacific gears up to take more deliveries of the type in the coming years. The Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC), has also seen its airline customers grow from 17 when it first opened last April, to 28 today, its general manager Yann Lardet tells reporters at a briefing.
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Boeing's commercial unit cut jobs by 7.38% in 2016
Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) led all divisions in job reductions within the company during 2016, according to a final year-end tally. The total number of positions at BCA dropped by 6,091 from 28 January to 22 December last year, a reduction of 7.38%, Boeing says. That fell just shy of the company’s goal of eliminating 8% of the BCA workforce last year.
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MRJ90 design changes will necessitate additional flight test aircraft
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. will need to produce additional MRJ90 flight test aircraft to gain certification, a consequence of systems revisions that have caused a two-year program delay. Mitsubishi Aircraft announced Jan. 23 that it will push back first delivery of the MRJ90 to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) from mid-2018 to mid-2020, the latest in a series of delays that have beset the Mitsubishi Regional Jet program. In a conference call with reporters, Mitsubishi Aircraft VP and GM-sales and marketing Yugo Fukuhara said “the major issues” necessitating the new delay are the rerouting of wire harnesses and the relocation of some components in the avionics bay.
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Avolon fleet grows 72% in 2016
Irish lessor Avolon expanded its owned and managed fleet by 72% to 262 aircraft in 2016. Avolon described 2016 as a “transformational year,” during which it was acquired by Bohai Capital, integrated Hong Kong Aviation Capital (HKAC) into its business, acquired a $2 billion portfolio of 45 aircraft from GECAS and struck an agreement to acquire CIT Group’s leasing business.
LinkAirlines
Bishkek 747 crash probe obtains cockpit-voice information
Russian investigators have extracted conversation data from the cockpit-voice recorder recovered from a crashed Boeing 747-400F in Bishkek. The Interstate Aviation Committee, which had to repair interfaces in order to download the information, says it has obtained data up to the point of impact with the ground.
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Aeroflot Group passenger traffic up 10.3% in 2016
Russia’s Aeroflot Group carried 43.4 million passengers in 2016, up 10.3% compared to 39.4 million passengers in 2015. Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport-based Aeroflot Airlines carried 29 million passengers, up 11% compared to 26.1 million in 2015. In addition to Aeroflot Airlines, Aeroflot Group includes Saint Petersburg-based Rossiya Airlines, Moscow-based low-cost carrier Pobeda Airlines and Russian Far East subsidiary Aurora Airlines, based in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
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AirAsia, AirAsia X seek distance from R-R bribery allegations
AirAsia and AirAsia X have sought to distance themselves from allegations that their directors sought to gain advantage from an engine maintenance deal with Rolls-Royce. The engine manufacturer recently agreed to a £671 million settlement with the UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to avoid prosecution over allegations of corruption involving engine and power deals in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Air Canada positioned to lead in strong airline sector
With the addition of 15 international routes and new Boeing Dreamliner jets, Air Canada is poised for another strong year of growth. Investors have taken notice, with Air Canada's stock surging by 33% in 2016.
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EasyJet highlights effect of weak UK currency
Budget carrier EasyJet expects the weakness in UK currency to have a £105 million ($131 million) impact on pre-tax profit for the current financial year. The airline says this weakness, plus the consideration of fuel costs, have resulted in a financial effect over the quarter which was £35 million worse than predicted.
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Airlines Say Emirates' Athens-Newark Flight Violates Agreement
Emirates on Monday announced a Dubai to Newark Liberty route via Athens, prompting a furious reaction from US airlines. Fifth freedom rights on the route allow the Dubai-based airline to pick up passengers in Athens and fly them to Newark and vice versa. Emirates says there is no other current year-round service between the two cities.
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Ethiopian Airlines to add seven routes in five months
Ethiopian Airlines is adding seven new destinations within five months this year, one of its greatest network expansions, according to the Addis Ababa-based carrier. From February to June, Ethiopian will launch new service to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Conakry (Guinea), Oslo (Norway), Chengdu (China), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Singapore.
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Hawaiian posts $244 million 2016 net profit, A321 delivery delay to 4Q
Hawaiian Airlines reported a full-year 2016 net profit of $244.1 million, up 33.7% from net income of $182.6 million in 2015. The airline reported adjusted net income of $280 million for the year, or %5.19 per share, up 48% over adjusted net income of $189.3 million in 2015. Hawaiian’s 2016 revenue grew 5.7% year-over-year to $2.5 billion. Full-year expenses increased 7.9% to $2 billion, producing an operating profit of $409.5 million, down 3.9% from operating income of $426.1 million in 2015.
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Hogan to leave Etihad in second half 2017
Etihad Aviation Group president and chief executive James Hogan will step down from the company in the second half of the year, as the airline continues a major strategic review. In a statement, Etihad says that Hogan’s “transition process” started last year with the formation of the Group. He will join an unnamed investment company, together with the group's chief financial officer James Rigney, who will also leave the firm later this year.
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Juneyao Airlines places 787-9 order
China’s Juneyao Airlines has announced an order for 10 Boeing 787-9s, comprising five firm orders and five options. The aircraft will facilitate the Shanghai-based carrier’s rapid international expansion. According to the airline’s filing released by the Shanghai Stock Exchange Jan. 24, Juneyao is scheduled to take delivery of three 787s in 2018 and two in 2019, which will increase capacity by 9.2% in 2018 and 4.4% in 2019.
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Loong Air to lease 20 aircraft from AerCap
Chinese carrier Loong Air has agreed to acquire 20 aircraft from Irish lessor AerCap. The aircraft type was not specified, but Loong Air is currently an all-narrowbody operation, with 17 Airbus A320s and three Boeing 737-300 freighters. It also has A320ceos and A320neos on order. Loong Air chairman Liu Qihong said that since Loong Air was established in December 2013, it has grown rapidly and is now considering long-haul operations.
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Malaysian Minister Meets MH370 Relatives
Malaysia's Minister of Transport, Liow Tiong Lai, on Monday met families of some of the passengers on Malaysia Airlines MH370 which disappeared in 2014. Liow was in Perth, Western Australia, to welcome the return of the Fugro Equator which took part in the 120,000 sq km underwater search for MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean.
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SAS sells CRJ900 operator Cimber to CityJet
Irish regional operator CityJet is acquiring SAS Group’s Danish subsidiary Cimber, consolidating its position with SAS following its previous takeover of the Blue1 operation. SAS Group took over Cimber two years ago, to provide a platform for flexible development of regional operations.
LinkAirports
Washington Dulles names Brian Leuck as its new interim VP and airport manager
Brian Leuck has been named as interim vice president and airport manager for Washington Dulles International Airport, succeeding the retiring Chris Browne. Browne’s retirement becomes effective February 3, and a nationwide search for his permanent successor is underway. Leuck, a registered professional engineer, most recently managed the Dulles Engineering and Maintenance function, responsible for maintaining all infrastructure and overseeing construction on the airport’s 12,000 acres.
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Hong Kong International Airport's Gift Donation Campaign ends in time for Chinese New Year
Hong Kong International Airport's Gift Donation Campaign 2017 came to a successful finale today, gathering over 62,000 gifts for underprivileged children and families. This is the fourth year that the airport has held the campaign, which Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) again teamed up with Link Asset Management Limited (Link) and The Salvation Army in organizing the event.
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Whisky Emporium wowing passengers at Frankfurt Airport
Bacardi Global Travel Retail has partnered with Gebr Heinemann to deliver a unique whisky experience at Frankfurt Airport. It has chosen the German gateway for its most radical interpretation yet of its John Dewar & Sons Fine Whisky Emporium, which is designed to attract millennial consumers with a highly disruptive and engaging campaign that it claims "brings to life the duality at the heart of Dewar's blended scotch whisky".
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Military
Lockheed, JPO close to signing next F-35 production deal
Lockheed Martin expects to seal the deal for 90 F-35 Lightning IIs in low-rate initial production lot 10, chief executive Marillyn Hewson told investors during a 24 January fourth quarter 2016 earnings call. Following a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump on 23 January, Hewson said Lockheed is very close to a deal that would allow the company to close LRIP 10 in the near term.
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US State Department approves $1.8 billion in arms deals
The US State Department has inked $1.8 billion in arms deals for the UK, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Kenya this week, including air-to-air missiles and threat detection systems. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the approved the deals 23 January. The foreign military sales are pending Congressional approval.
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Super Hornet could compete with Lockheed F-35
Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet could steal orders away from the Lockheed Martin F-35 if the Trump Administration adjusts defense priorities, military acquisition analyst Andrew Hunter told an audience 23 January at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. An "advanced Super Hornet" still can’t compete with the stealthy F-35 in airspace monitored by radar surveillance, but a semi-low-observable F/A-18E/F with more carriage capacity could emerge as an attractive option against less sophisticated threats, according to Hunter.
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Aviation Quote
You'll be bothered from time to time by storms, fog, snow. When you are, think of those who went through it before you, and say to yourself, 'What they could do, I can do.'
- Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Wind, Sand, and Stars,'1939.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. Pilots know the general meaning of scud running, but what is the meteorological definition of scud?
2. What made the three Eagle Squadrons of WW2 unique?
3. To dress a propeller is:
a. file the leading edges
b. repaint the backs of the blades
c. balance it
d. prepare it for shipping
4. Estimate within 10,000 the number of military aircraft manufactured by the United States for use during WW2.
5. True or false, prior to being certified, a new light plane design must be flown faster than Vne.
6. Trying to stay in business during the post-WW2 slump, what aircraft manufacturer resorted to making coffins?
7.Why is a max-performance climbing turn combined with a change in direction called a chandelle?
