NewsCommercial
United impressed by Boeing middle-of-market jet design
Boeing's 797 concept has impressed United Airlines as the industry anticipates a formal market offering from Boeing regarding the middle-of-market passenger jet. The aircraft could debut in 2025, seating up to 260.
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Airbus, Thai Airways to develop MRO campus at U-Tapao airport
Airbus and Thai Airways International signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) March 8 to jointly evaluate developing a new maintenance and overhaul (MRO) campus at U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong, Thailand. The MOU was signed by Airbus Commercial Aircraft president Fabrice Brégier and Thai Airways International acting president Usanee Sangsingkeo.
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Russian government to invest in Ilyushin aircraft
The Russian government plans to invest RUB20.4 billion ($350 million) in Ilyushin Il-114-300 aircraft and RUB17.2 billion in long-haul, widebody Il-96-400 aircraft in 2018-2019. The investments were disclosed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin at the first meeting of the newly created government aviation board March 6.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada gets the word out about new Vancouver-Dallas route
Air Canada is boosting efforts to spread the word about its direct service connecting Vancouver and Dallas, which launched in February. "It's a new route and not everyone knows about it yet, or how amazing Dallas is," said Air Canada's Bonnie Walker.
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Austria to halve air travel taxes in 2018
Austria’s air travel tax will be cut in half on Jan. 1, 2018, following a confirmation by the Austrian Council of Ministers, as the country seeks to increase its attractiveness as a business and tourism destination. Under the new plan, Austria’s air travel tax will be amended to €3.50 ($3.70) for short-haul, €7.50 for medium-haul, and €17.50 for long-haul flights.
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French, Finnish strikes trigger severe disruption
A five-day French air traffic control strike has already triggered more than 830 flight cancellations over the first two days and, separately, Finnair has warned of considerable disruption March 10. Lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) said more than 400 flights were canceled March 6, followed by a further 430 flights on March 7 as a result of French air traffic strikes at the Brest, Bordeaux and Marseille control centers.
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Korean Air rights offering closes undersubscribed
Korean Air’s W457 billion ($399 million) rights issue closed with only 96.4% of the 22 million shares offered taken up. The SkyTeam carrier says in a stock exchange statement that there was a shortfall of 1.45 million shares.
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MH370 final report due out in months
Malaysia’s third interim report into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on 8 March 2014 highlights the lack of leads confronting investigators. The four-page report is the first since search operations for the missing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft ceased in in January this year. It was published in accordance with ICAO’s Annex 13 guidelines.
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Qatar Airways unveils new business-class seat
Qatar Airways presented a new business-class seat, “Q Suite,” at ITB Berlin on March 8. Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker said next year “all the current fleet will be reconfigured with the new product.” He declined to say how much the Doha-based carrier invested in the new seats.
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SAS Scandinavian Airlines doubles net loss in 1Q
SAS Scandinavian Airlines has reported a SEK556 million ($61.7 million) 1Q net loss for the November to January period, more than doubling the SEK246 million loss it posted in the year-ago period. “We are putting a seasonally weak quarter behind us, which, as expected, was worse than the preceding year. The inadequate profitability emphasizes the importance of SAS mobilizing to address the cost disadvantages that we have compared with more recently established competitors.
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SkyWest CEO warns pilot shortage could lead to big service cuts
SkyWest Inc. president and CEO Chip Childs warned the US Congress of a “growing pilot shortage” that could become significantly more pronounced over the next three years, leading to the grounding of large numbers of aircraft in US regional airlines’ fleets. Testifying March 8 at a House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing, Childs said Utah-based SkyWest—the parent of SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines and the US’s largest regional airline operator—has been able to maintain adequate pilot hiring levels so far. But he said smaller regional airlines are having increasing difficulty finding qualified pilots and the shortage will likely soon begin to seriously affect SkyWest.
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United could add used 777s as it evaluates widebody needs
United Airlines could acquire used Boeing 777-300ERs, as it continues to evaluate the future of its widebody fleet. “We may sprinkle in some used ones,” says Andrew Levy, chief financial officer of the Chicago-based carrier, referring to the 777-300ER on the sidelines of the ISTAT Americas conference in San Diego.
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United Airlines' workforce largest since 2012
United Airlines grew its workforce by 5% in 2016, reaching 88,000 employees. The number of pilots grew 8% to 11,454.
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United, Asiana Airlines expand codeshare agreement
United Airlines and Asiana Airlines are expanding their codeshare pact on flights connecting Incheon, South Korea, and Chicago. Shared US flights will increase from 46 to 62.
LinkAirports
Indianapolis airport rated best in North America
For the fifth consecutive year, Indianapolis International Airport has been named the best airport in North America serving more than two million passengers per year. The Airports Council International ranked airports worldwide based on passenger surveys.
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Military
USAF and Navy could team up on E-6 recap
The US Navy is looking at recapitalizing its airborne command and control fleet, which could produce a joint venture with the US Air Force. The Navy’s E6-B aircraft supports the service’s ballistic missile submarines and allows the USAF to launch missiles from the air should command centers on the ground become inoperable during a nuclear crisis.
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Dassault bullish on Rafale's long-term prospects
Production of the Dassault Rafale could continue well into the latter half of the next decade as the French manufacturer looks to add to the 110 aircraft already in its backlog. It is already holding discussions with the Paris government about a fifth order tranche, designed to allow France to field an eventual 225-strong fleet of Rafales, says Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier.
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Aviation Quote
All the calculations show it can't work. There's only one thing to do: make it work.
- Pierre Georges Latécoère
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Editor's Choice
Trivia
The Buff In Vietnam
1. How many crew members were on a typical bombing flight during missions over Vietnam?
Various
4
6
8
2. How many engines are on a B-52-B?
4
8
6
10
3. How many bombs could a fully loaded B-52-D carry?
112
58
32
108
4. From how many bases did B-52 aircraft fly to drop bombs over Vietnam?
4
1
3
2
5. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
6. What B-52 model was the most heavily used during bombing missions over Vietnam?
B-52-D
B-52-G
B-52-A
B-52-F
7. How many B-52 aircraft were lost to enemy action during the 'Christmas Bombing' campaign?
15
27
0
6
8. At which U.S. Air Force base were all B-52 crew members trained during the 1960's and 1970's?
Plattsburg AFB New York
Barksdale AFB Louisiana
Castle AFB California
March AFB California
9. In which seat position did the Electronic Warfare Officer sit on a B-52?
Lower deck, left side
Lower deck, right side
Upper deck, right front
Upper deck, left rear
10. What magnetic compass system was the PRIMARY magnetic compass system for the B-52?
J-4 Compass
N-1 Compass
ANG 1 - Astrotracker
NAV 12 Compass system
11. In 1963, just prior to the Vietnam War buildup, the U.S. Air Force had the largest number of B-52 aircraft in its fleet. How many B-52's did the U.S.A.F. possess at that time?
725
1091
650
456
12. The B-52 was produced at two different sites in the U.S. One was at Wichita, Kansas. Where was the other?
Los Angeles
Atlanta
Long Island
Seattle
13. What was the function of the ANALE24 system as it was used on the B-52?
Radio Telecommunications
Bombsite mechanism
Chaff dispenser
Radar navigation set
14. During an actual bomb run, which crew member ( other than the pilot ) sometimes handled steering of the aircraft?
Electronic Warfare Officer
Co-Pilot
Navigator
Radar navigator
15. During the Christmas bombing effort (1972) how many B-52 aircraft were lost to MiG Jet fighters?
0
5
2
7
