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A320 family first flights
When an Airbus flight test crew took the A320 to the sky for the first time, they must have known they were flying a special aircraft. For sure, as this video shows, that 1987 sortie was a sight to behold. But what must have surprised even its flight crew and engineers is just how much the A320 “got it right”. Thirty years later, not only is Airbus still in the airliner business (and insiders felt vulnerable at the time), it is a market leader rivalled only by Boeing and its A320 is the world’s most popular narrowbody.
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Strong commercial deliveries enable Airbus to meet 2016 guidance
A strong fourth quarter in terms of commercial airliner deliveries enabled Airbus to deliver against its 2016 financial guidance, but company figures were dragged down by a €2.2 billion ($2.3 billion) write-off associated with a military transport aircraft. Net income for Airbus Group, which includes Commercial Aircraft, Helicopters and Defense & Space divisions, fell by 63% to €995 million compared to €2.7 billion in 2015. Group revenue rose 3% to €66.6 billion.
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ATR opens first Americas-based -600 series training center in Miami
Turboprop manufacturer ATR opened its first pilot training center in the Americas Feb. 21, with the debut of a new CAE-built full flight simulator (FFS) for ATR-600 series aircraft. ATR’s Miami facility, which is located at Airbus’ existing training center adjacent to Miami International Airport, is ATR’s fifth training center worldwide and the first aimed specifically at pilots in Latin America and North America.
LinkAirlines
Grupo Aeromexico posts $54 million net profit for 2016
Grupo Aeromexico reported a 2016 net profit of MXP1.1 billion ($53.8 million), down 3.9% from MXP1.2 billion net income in 2015. The company said the year’s financial results reflected the negative impact of Mexican peso depreciation against the US dollar, combined with increased fuel prices.
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Airline to invest $100M in Alaska, without proposed fuel tax hike
Alaska Airlines opposes a proposal to triple the state of Alaska's infrastructure-aimed aviation fuel tax, citing the airline's planned $100 million infrastructure investment which includes a new Anchorage hangar and 11 new rural airport terminals by 2020. The increase would also disproportionately affect Alaska Airlines, which would account for 45% of the total revenue alone.
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Eurowings phases out final CRJ900, becomes all-Airbus operator
Rapidly expanding Lufthansa Group low-cost (LCC) subsidiary Eurowings has phased out its last Bombardier CRJ900, becoming an all-Airbus operator and closing its history as a regional carrier. Eurowings operated its last 90-seat CRJ900 flight Feb. 15 from Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden to Hamburg, Germany. All 23 CRJ900s have all been replaced with Airbus A320s.
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Korean Air takes first 787 ahead of Toronto debut
Korean Air took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 today, with its international debut set for Toronto flights from June. Boeing handed the aircraft (MSN 34810) over to Korean Air chairman YH Cho and president and chief operating officer Walter Cho in a signing ceremony at its North Charleston plant today.
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Lufthansa set to take second A350 XWB
Lufthansa will take delivery of the second of 25 Airbus A350 XWBs in Munich Feb. 24, which will be used on Munich-Boston Logan scheduled services beginning March 14. The Star Alliance member took delivery of its first A350-900 on Dec. 21, 2016, and launched its first A350 scheduled services Feb. 10, from Munich to Delhi, India.
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United, American roll out basic economy fares
United Airlines and American Airlines have begun selling their basic economy fares for travelers seeking the most economical flying options. These choices enable passengers to fly for the lowest possible price in most cases.
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India’s Zoom Air launches CRJ200 service
India’s new regional carrier Zoom Air, has launched Bombardier CRJ200 regional jet service with aircraft acquired from a third party. The carrier, which is based in Gurgaon, Haryana, operates from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and will serve 16 destinations, connecting smaller cities and towns across the country.
LinkAirports
Fla. airport expansion design includes expedited baggage claim
Expansion plans for Florida's Orlando International Airport include an expedited baggage claim, a train station and 120 new gates. The first phase of the new South Terminal is projected to open in 2020.
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Zurich Airport, NAVBLUE team to increase capacity in low visibility
Zurich International Airport is reporting that aircraft movements in low visibility conditions have increased 17% since October 2016. Working with Swiss air navigation services provider Skyguide and Airbus subsidiary NAVBLUE, the airport installed an instrument landing system (ILS) 32 elements localizer antenna supported by NAVBLUE’s ELISE (exact landing interface simulation environment) technology.
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Military
Airbus seeks fresh talks to ease burden of A400M
Airbus has written to its customers for the A400M military transport in a bid to reduce its financial exposure to programme delays, after the company’s charges on the programme hit €2.2 billion ($2.3 billion) last year. Announcing its group results for 2016 on 22 February, Airbus said it was taking an additional €1.2 billion charge against the A400M in the second half of the year, adding to a €1 billion provision detailed last July.
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Leonardo sets sights on strike-roled M-346 FA
Leonardo has used the IDEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi to unveil plans to produce a new fighter/attack (FA) version of Aermacchi M-346, to be available from next year. “The new version has been conceived to take advantage of the performances and the introduction of an enhanced mission configuration, based on the proven Grifo-346 multimode radar, to accomplish air-to-air and air-to-surface operations," says Leonardo aircraft division marketing and sales representative Eduardo Munhos De Campos. “The fighter/attack model will be available from the end of 2018,” he adds.
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Paramount pushes low-cost Mwari
As South Africa attempts to revitalise its aviation industry, Paramount pushed its new armed AHRLAC in Dubai this month. At IDEX, Paramount promoted its Mwari, a low-cost surveillance and attack aircraft. The South African company is marketing Mwari as a fixed-wing aircraft with the capabilities of an AH-64 Apache, a pitch that makes all the more sense with Boeing developing Mwari’s mission system.
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Aviation Quote
By further reducing the number of legacy airlines and aligning the economic incentives of those that remain, the merger of US Airways and American would make it easier for the remaining airlines to cooperate rather than compete on price on service.
- US Justice Department, part of a lawsuit filed to stop the AA/US Air airline merger, 13 August 2013.
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It's awfully gloomy and miserable at this airport today.
