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WestJet ULCC Swoop makes inaugural flight, looks to expand quickly
WestJet ULCC subsidiary Swoop took to the skies June 20 with an early-morning inaugural flight from Hamilton to Abbotsford, marking the next major development in what is an expanding Canadian low-cost airline scene. The carrier’s other initial route links Hamilton to Halifax. On June 25, Edmonton and Winnipeg will be added to the network, and the airline will ramp up to a scheduled 90 weekly departures by mid-August.
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Virgin Atlantic names new CEO as Kreeger steps down at year-end
Virgin Atlantic CEO Craig Kreeger will step down at the end of the year and be succeeded by Shai Weiss, the UK carrier’s current CCO and former CFO, on Jan. 1, 2019. Kreeger, who has been CEO since early 2013, said it is an “ideal time” for a leadership transition, as the Virgin Atlantic-Delta Air Lines transatlantic joint venture (JV) is set to combine with the Delta-Air France-KLM-Alitalia JV next year. Delta owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic.
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UK trade minister quits over Heathrow Airport expansion
Britain’s trade minister resigned on June 21 over a planned House of Commons vote on whether to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport. “As the Government will be whipping the vote on Monday [June 25], this means I am resigning from the Government,” Greg Hands, a Conservative member of Parliament representing the constituency of Chelsea and Fulham in greater west London, stated in a tweet.
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WestJet Link launches western Canada flights with Pacific Coastal
Canadian LCC WestJet Airlines’ regional airline service WestJet Link debuted June 20 with its first flight between British Columbia cities Cranbrook and Prince George, flown via capacity purchase agreement (CPA) with Vancouver-based regional carrier Pacific Coastal Airlines. Additional new WestJet Link routes out of Calgary opened June 21 (serving Alberta cities Lethbridge and Lloydminster); a Calgary-Medicine Hat, Alberta route will begin June 22. Pacific Coastal will operate the routes as WestJet Link flights, utilizing its fleet of 34-seat Saab 340B aircraft painted in WestJet livery. Each aircraft includes six seats at the front reserved for premium economy customers.
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FedEx $4.6 billion fiscal 2018 net profit lifted by tax reform benefit
Memphis-based FedEx Corp. reported $4.6 billion in consolidated net profit for fiscal 2018—up 53% over the company’s fiscal 2017 $3 billion net result—boosted by $2.1 billion in tax benefits, $1.6 billion of which came from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) passed by the US Congress in late December 2017.
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US watchdog to review FAA’s Southwest oversight
The US Transportation Department Office of the Inspector General said June 20 it would review FAA’s safety oversight of Southwest Airlines following recent events that include an in-flight engine failure in April that caused the death of a passenger.
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NTSB: Fatigue crack led to 2015 British Airways engine fire
A fatigue crack in a turbine disk web and subsequent uncontained engine failure led to the Sept. 8, 2015 engine fire on a British Airways (BA) Boeing 777-236ER on takeoff from Las Vegas, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said June 20. The captain aborted the takeoff seconds after hearing a “bang” during the takeoff roll at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. The flight’s destination was London Gatwick Airport; 157 passengers and 13 crewmembers on board evacuated via emergency slides.
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Paris, Hong Kong airport operators ink cooperation agreements
Paris airports operator Groupe ADP and the Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) have signed two MOUs covering airport management, aviation development and cargo development aimed at strengthening cooperation between Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). The MOUs were signed at the Paris Air Forum.
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Smaller French carriers eye closer ties to increase competitiveness
France’s secondary airlines are looking at ways they can work together to better compete with legacy carrier Air France and with growing competition from LCCs on both long- and short-haul.
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Ethiopian to launch four African startups airlines by year-end
African Star Alliance carrier Ethiopian Airlines plans to launch new airlines in Chad, Guinea, Mozambique and Zambia before the end of 2018.
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Pegasus Airlines adds Muscat, Dammam routes to Gulf network
Turkish LCC Pegasus Airlines is expanding its Middle East presence with two new routes to the Gulf—Saudi Arabia’s oil industry center Dammam and Oman’s capital Muscat. The Muscat route will complete Istanbul-based Pegasus’ coverage of the Gulf, as Oman was the one member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to which it did not previously operate.
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KLM revamps main cabin long-haul meal service
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will phase in a new meal service concept in its economy-class cabins for intercontinental flights, as it cuts the number of cabin crew on many routes. A new collective labor agreement for KLM’s flight attendants includes a clause that one fewer crewmember will be assigned to many intercontinental flights. This has led the airline to look at ways of making service in the economy-class cabin more efficient.
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Air NZ ATR 72-500 in engine 'back firing' incident
An Air New Zealand ATR 72-500 had to return to Napier airport following an engine incident on 22 June. The aircraft, registered ZK-MCP, was on the Napier-Auckland route, when one of its Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F engines experienced a “back firing”. The airline stressed that there was no engine fire.
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SilkAir to transfer some 737s to Scoot
Singapore Airlines has revealed that it would transfer some Boeing 737s from its regional arm SilkAir to its low-cost unit Scoot. In response to queries from FlightGlobal, SIA says that both pilots and cabin crew will be recruited by Scoot to support its future 737 operations.
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Airbus outlines stark production impact of 'no-deal Brexit'
Airbus has emphasized that disruption to its aircraft production model critically depends on smooth and integrated operational flow, and has outlined the substantial measures it would need to adopt to protect that flow should the UK withdraw from the European Union without an adequate trade agreement.
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Bombardier considering Atmosphere cabin for Q400
Bombardier is considering developing a version of its new CRJ Atmosphere cabin for its Q400 turboprop as the company renews its regional aircraft focus, says Bombardier president of commercial aircraft Fred Cromer.
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Lockheed presents F-35 to Turkey amid US lawmaker opposition
Lockheed Martin officially presented the first F-35A fighters to Turkey in a 21 June rollout ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas. Turkey is not expected to receive the stealth fighter into its own airspace until 2020, though the country’s pilots will begin training on the new aircraft at Luke AFB, Arizona at the end of the month. Turkish aircraft maintainers have already begun their training at Eglin AFB, Florida.
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Aviation Quote

Men were going to die in the air as they had for centuries on the ground and on the seas, by killing each other. The conquest of the air was truly accomplished.

- René Chambe, Au Temps des Carabines, 1955.

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Trivia

Who am I?

Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.

1. First flown in 2001, I was the longest airliner in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?

2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?

3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?

4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?

5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?

6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?

7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?

8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?

9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?

10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?