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Airline support gathers around Boeing MoM concept
US airlines are increasingly showing firm interest in Boeing’s middle-of-the-market aircraft concept, which could replace many of the 757s and 767s that they continue to fly. Executives from both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines spoke positively of the programme, dubbed the “MoM” by some, as they look at their future aircraft needs in the roughly 200- to 260-seat segment at the ISTAT Americas conference in San Diego.
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Boeing 737 MAX 8 gains FAA certification
The Boeing 737 MAX 8, the first variant of the re-engined 737 exclusively powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines, has gained FAA certification. After a more than year-long flight test program with four aircraft, FAA has verified “the design complies with required aviation regulations and is safe and reliable,” Boeing said.
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Bombardier delivers first CSeries of 2017 to Swiss
After a several-months hiatus, Bombardier has resumed deliveries of its CSeries aircraft, announcing it has delivered the first CSeries of 2017, a CS100, to Swiss. The Montreal airframer had not delivered a CSeries since the last days of 2016, when it delivered a CS300 to Air Baltic and a CS100 to Swiss.
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Embraer doubles net profit in 2016
Embraer earned net income of $167.8 million in 2016, more than doubling a net profit of $80.8 million in 2015, as the company delivered seven more commercial aircraft in 2016 versus 2015. The Brazilian manufacturer said commercial aircraft deliveries, which totaled 108 in 2016, will dip to between 97 and 102 in 2017, more in line with 2015’s 101 total.
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Boeing defends 737 Max 10 after lessors demur
A day after two lessors held back from endorsing the 737 Max 10X, a top Boeing executive defended the company’s proposed double-stretch of its re-engined single-aisle now being offered to customers. The 737 Max 10X will provide “better economics than anything out there in its size”, says Keith Leverkuhn, vice-president and general manager of Boeing’s 737 program.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada makes profit turning over Boeing 787s
Strong demand for the Boeing 787 among the world’s airlines has created a profitable sideline for Air Canada – selling some of its 787 aircraft and leasing them back. Air Canada sold two of its newest planes last year for $351-million and leased them back, recording a $19-million gain on the sale, and it expects to sell and lease back more 787s this year, chief financial officer Michael Rousseau said Wednesday.
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Alaska plans 12 new routes from San Francisco bay area
Alaska Air Group has announced a major expansion from the San Francisco Bay area, with plans to add flights to 12 destinations, including cities on the US East Coast. The new routes include nine from San Francisco International airport and three from Norman Y Mineta San Jose International airport, which is south of San Francisco.
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Alitalia to pull out from Reggio di Calabria
Alitalia will cease all flights from the southern Italian city of Reggio di Calabria in a move that will remove the majority of services from the city’s airport. From March 27, the Italian flag carrier said it will halt its 56 weekly flights from Aeroporto dello Stretto, which serves Reggio on the “toe” of Italy. The airport overlooks the Straits of Messina, which separate mainland Italy from Sicily and give the airport its name.
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Azul to be launch operator of E195-E2
Brazil’s Azul, already the world’s largest operator of the current generation Embraer 195, will be the launch operator of the re-engined E195-E2. “Azul played a key role in the E195-E2 development, actively participating in the design specification of the aircraft and helping Embraer design the most efficient single-aisle aircraft in the market today,” says John Slattery, Embraer commercial aviation president and chief executive.
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Four Australian and NZ carriers form new industry group
Qantas, Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand and Regional Express have teamed up to launch a new industry lobby group called Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ). In a joint statement, the four carriers say that the group will help to contribute on policy issues affecting travelers in Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on airports, taxation, infrastructure access and regulatory reform.
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China Eastern CEO calls for air space management legislation
China Eastern Airlines CEO Ma Xulun will call on Beijing to formulate legislation for China’s air space management to meet the country’s fast-growing market demands when he attends the annual National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference this week.
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JetBlue unhappy with gate position at Hartsfield-Jackson
As JetBlue Airways’ planned launch date for Atlanta service nears, the airline is in a dispute with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport over which gates it will use. In a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, JetBlue said it is “in the position of having to decide whether to postpone the March 30 service launch at the airport, which would negatively affect more than 50,000 customers, or proceed in rushed fashion to ready gate and support space that is less optimal from an operational and a commercial perspective.”
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KLM Boeing 747 escapes damage in Chicago fire
Dutch carrier KLM has confirmed that one of its Boeing 747s was involved in an incident at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, after a loading vehicle caught fire in close proximity to the aircraft. The Boeing 747 was being prepared to operate flight KL612 from Chicago O'Hare to Amsterdam when the incident happened at 7:35 p.m. local time on March 8.
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Pegasus Airlines posts $36.1 million loss for 2016
Turkish low-cost carrier (LCC) Pegasus Airlines dropped into the red in 2016, recording a net loss of TL136.2 million ($36.1 million), sharply reversed from a profit of TL111.9 million in 2015. Revenue for the year rose 6% year-over-year (YOY) to TL3.7 billion. The loss had been expected, but in September 2016, CEO Mehmet Nane told ATW he anticipated the airline would bounce back in 2017. Although the situation was already improving by that point, he said the recovery would not be sufficient to offset a poor first half of the year.
LinkAirports
Southwest underscores long-term commitment to Phoenix
Southwest Airlines will add eight gates to Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor International Airport in coming years, showing its long-term commitment to Phoenix, where Southwest is the No. 2 carrier behind American Airlines. Southwest offers service to 50 US cities out of Sky Harbor.
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Dubai World Central welcomes new A380 service from Korean Air
Dubai World Central–Al Maktoum International Airort (DWC) achieved a new milestone on Wednesday when it welcomed its first scheduled A380 passenger flight – Korean Air’s flight KE9951 from Seoul, South Korea. The flight – from Incheon International Airport – is the first of a series of scheduled charter flights the carrier will operate to DWC in addition to their existing scheduled operations to neigbouring Dubai International Airport (DXB).
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Transit hotel opens at Frankfurt Airport
Passengers transiting through Frankfurt Airport now have the option of securing a private room for a few hours, with the opening of an airside hotel on March 6. The MY CLOUD hotel is located at Gate Z 25 in Frankfurt’s Terminal 1, meaning that transit passengers can stay right next to the airside gates without having to clear security.
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24-hour ground staff strike to hit Berlin airports Friday
German trade union Verdi has called for ground staff at Berlin’s Tegel and Schönefeld airports to strike March 10. The 24-hour strike, which is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. local time, is expected to have a considerable impact on air traffic to and from Berlin.
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Military
Indian Navy Retires Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat
The Indian Navy formally decommissioned the aircraft carrier INS Viraat (ex HMS Hermes) on 6 March, after 30 years of operational service. The aircraft carrier last sailed under her own power in July 2016, and the fighter compliment of British Aerospace Sea Harrier FRS51 fighters were phased out in May 2016.
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Aviation Quote
CAPCOM Richard Covey: Challenger Houston, you are go at Throttle Up.
Cmdr. Dick Scobee: Roger Houston, Go at Throttle Up.
Pilot Mike Smith: uh-oh ...
- last words recorded from Space Shuttle Challenger before exploding 74 seconds into its flight, 28 January 1986.
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