NewsBoeing completes 737 MAX 7 first flightBoeing test pilots completed a 3-hour, 10 min. first flight of the 737-7, the third and smallest member of the 737 MAX family, when the aircraft landed at Boeing Field, Seattle, on March 16. Boeing is scheduled to spend the bulk of this year completing the flight test and certification program before delivering the initial 737-7 in 2019.
LinkCargojet 2017 profits rise with increased ACMI, relief flightsFull-year 2017 net profit of C$23.7 million ($18.9 million), a nearly tenfold increase over the airline’s C$2.4 million net profit in 2016, driven by revenue generated by increased long-haul ACMI flying and chartered hurricane relief flights to the Caribbean.
LinkSAA promises improvements following Auditor General’s reportSouth African Airways (SAA) said it is taking “urgent steps” to address concerns raised by the country’s Auditor General (AG) in a report on the financially troubled carrier. In his report, AG Kimi Makwetu questioned whether the airline remaines a going concern.
LinkAir Canada, Air China to conclude partnership talks later this yearAir Canada is confident that joint-venture (JV) talks with Air China will be wrapped up this year, laying the groundwork for even closer cooperation between the two airlines, a top executive for the Canadian flag carrier said. “We have been negotiating with them for some time and hopefully we'll conclude the agreement later this year,” Air Canada CFO Michael Rousseau said at the recent JP Morgan Global Aviation and Transportation Conference.
LinkKLM unveils revamped A330-200 cabinNetherlands flag carrier KLM has revealed its first Airbus A330-200 with a completely renovated cabin, designed to improve the traveling environment for long-haul passengers. The first A330-200 to undergo the revamp operated the service from Amsterdam Schiphol, to Abu Dhabi. In the premium cabin, all seats in business class have been converted to lie-flat models, incorporating a new IFE system.
LinkLaudamotion to relaunch new branding in October, eyes A320neo Laudamotion, the rebranded bankrupt airberlin Austria-based subsidiary NIKI, will launch March 25 with an interim branding on former airberlin aircraft.
LinkSmall Planet Airlines to add six Airbus aircraft, eyes GermanyLithuanian leisure carrier Small Planet Airlines said it would add six Airbus aircraft to its fleet in 2018, taking the total up to 28, and expects to become the largest carrier in the Baltic States in terms of passengers, fleet and revenue this year.
LinkRyanair offers German pilots direct employmentRyanair said it would offer all its pilots in Germany direct employment contracts after the agency that has been supplying many of them up until now said it would stop providing them.
LinkUTC and Boeing ink ‘win-win’ deal, clearing way for Rockwell mergerUnited Technologies (UTC), which is in the process of buying Rockwell Collins, has signed an agreement with ultra-important customer Boeing, representing a green light for UTC’s acquisition and consolidation of major aerospace and defense suppliers.
LinkUnited ‘actively pursuing’ more used aircraftUnited Airlines is “actively pursuing” more used aircraft and sees its recently activated strategy of adding second-hand lift to be a long-term play that provides more fleet flexibility, a top executive said.
LinkSouthwest receives revocable permit for space at Honolulu airportSouthwest Airlines has received a revocable permit for space at Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, bringing the carrier a step closer to offering service to the Hawaiian islands. "Our work continues on the mainland and with the state of Hawaii to ready the landscape for our service that only would follow required governmental approvals," said Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins.
LinkJetBlue hits 1M passenger milestone at S.C. airportJetBlue Airways on Friday logged its 1 millionth passenger enplanement at Charleston International Airport in South Carolina. The airline started service at the airport in February 2013.
LinkBombardier sends CS300 to New York for demonstrationsBombardier appears to be demonstrating a CS300 to JetBlue Airways, which has been moving closer to completing a fleet review that could include a new aircraft order. The Montreal-based manufacturer confirms it has flown a CS300 to New York for demonstrations. Though the company declines to specify the potential customer, airport observers in recent days tracked a CS300 to a JetBlue hangar at New York John F Kennedy airport. Social media users also posted pictures of a CS300 in front of what they said is JetBlue's JFK hangar.
LinkFirst ANA A380 to start final assembly next monthThe main sections of the first Airbus A380 for All Nippon Airways have arrived in Toulouse, with final assembly to start in April. These comprise of six subassemblies – nose, central and aft fuselage sections, tailplane and the two wings.
Link MRJ flight test jets on ground for upgradesMitsubishi Aircraft’s four flight test MRJ regional jets at Moses Lake have been on the ground for more than a month, undergoing upgrades and executing ground tests. In response to queries from FlightGlobal, the Japanese manufacturer says the aircraft have been undergoing modifications since 13 February.
LinkUK lawmakers warn of 'serious' impacts from any no-deal EASA exitUK members of parliament have warned that exit from the EU could be "costly and disruptive" for the nation's aerospace industry if no agreement can be reached to maintain membership of the European Aviation Safety Agency. Although the UK and EU today disclosed a draft deal on the terms of an "orderly withdrawal", there is no detail on how the aerospace or aviation sectors will be affected.
LinkIAI to develop all-electric aircraftIsrael Aerospace Industries (IAI) is to develop an all-electric aircraft, an initial prototype of which will fly in around three years' time. Few details have been revealed about the project, but IAI says the new aircraft will have a maximum take-off weight of 4,530-6,800kg (10,000-15,000lb) – or about the size of a Beechcraft King Air 350.
LinkIt may be ageing, but U-2S could be more relevant than everOn its first overflight mission of the Soviet Union 62 years ago, the Lockheed U-2 was tracked for the entire mission. It would take the Soviets another four years to acquire the technology to shoot down the U-2, as Central Intelligence Agency pilot Francis Gary Powers learned to his cost over Sverdlovsk on May Day.
Link 
