NewsBoeing 707 crashes near TehranPreliminary information from Iran indicates fatalities resulted from a Boeing 707 crash in the west of Tehran, according to news agency reports. Local media reports suggest that the aircraft was carrying from 10-16 passengers, and that only one survived. Images on social media indicate the aircraft came down in a suburban area, and that the fuselage was consumed by fire. Reports suggest the jet was attempting to land in Karaj, a suburb of Tehran.
LinkRolls-Royce redesigned Trent 1000 compressor blade gains certificationUK Aero-engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce says it has certified a redesigned intermediate pressure (IP) compressor blade for Package C variants of the Trent 1000 engine that powers the Boeing 787.
LinkFrankfurt Airport security staff to strike Jan. 15 Frankfurt Airport security staff, represented by the Verdi union, are planning a Jan. 15 strike, which is expected to cause major disruptions and flight cancellations. According to airport operator Fraport, the security checkpoints outside the transit area will remain closed during the strike, from 2 a.m. through 8 p.m. (local time). Frankfurt Airport is Lufthansa’s main hub and Germany’s biggest airport.
LinkVirgin Atlantic and Stobart link up to take over FlybeVirgin Atlantic and Stobart Aviation have established a joint company, Connect Airways, which is to acquire UK regional operator Flybe. They will equally hold a 60% share of Connect Airways, which will take over the entire share capital of Flybe under a £2.2 million cash offer disclosed by the parties on 11 January.
LinkPilots seek urgent answers on job, network after Flybe takeover Pilot representatives are seeking urgent reassurances on job security from the consortium involving Virgin Atlantic and Stobart Group, which is acquiring UK regional operator Flybe.
LinkIndonesian navy retrieves CVR from crashed Lion Air MaxThe Indonesian navy has reportedly retrieved the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed on 29 October 2018. Local media reports quoting a senior navy official say that the CVR was found at 09:10 local time on 14 January. It was buried under the sea floor in mud, in an area where the sea depth was around 30m.
LinkUS Sen. Ted Cruz named to key aviation post US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will serve as chairman of the Committee’s subcommittee on Aviation and Space, US Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, has announced. Cruz was previously chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, which was merged with the Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Security and Competitiveness this week as part of a reconfiguration of the various subcommittees initiated by chairman Wicker.
LinkVietnam's Bamboo Airways sets 16 January launch dateVietnamese start-up Bamboo Airways has set 16 January as its launch date, one week after gaining its air operator's certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), and sticking to its previous announcement of a mid-January launch. In a statement, the carrier states it will operate on a hybrid business model, offering economy and business class cabins on its aircraft. Flights will operate out of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to various domestic points in Vietnam. Subsequently, it is looking to operate international services.
LinkCredit Analysts: Boeing buyoff will leave EmbraerCredit analysts say Boeing’s purchase of most of Embraer’s commercial aircraft business (and rights to sell military KC-390s) may be a boon to the US manufacturer, but the Brazilian company will be left with a weaker profile for the near future.
LinkFirefly may lose $4.9 million in revenue from Singapore suspensionMalaysia Airlines Group (MAG) LCC subsidiary Firefly could lose up to MYR20 million ($4.9 million) a month after it was forced to stop 20 daily flights to/from Singapore from Dec. 1, 2018 after the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM) rejected its move from Changi to Seletar airport. “The exposure, the revenue lost from the suspension is MYR15 million, so we’re looking at MYR15 million to MYR20 million revenue lost on a monthly basis,” MAG CEO Izham Ismail told The Malaysian Insight. He added that the incident would affect MAG’s overall financial performance as a group.
LinkXiamenAir to relocate to new Beijing Daxing airport in 2020China’s XiamenAir will move to Beijing’s new airport—Beijing Daxing International—from Beijing Capital in March 2020, according to an agreement between the carrier and the state operating company of the facilities. The transfer will be made all at once, not gradually, the carrier said. XiamenAir is based in the southeastern Chinese city after which it is named.
LinkDeparting Smartwings 737 veers off Moscow runwayRussian investigators are probing an incident at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport during which a Smartwings Boeing 737 veered off the runway after commencing its take-off roll. The aircraft had been operating flight QS1003 to Prague when the incident occurred at 14:16 on 13 January.
LinkEtihad to cut 50 pilot positionsEtihad Airways will cut 50 pilot positions by the end of January as it continues its turnaround efforts. In a memo to employees, the airline's vice-president of flight operations Sulaiman Yaqoobi says the reduction in headcount follows a cut in capacity, and is part of the airline's plan for a "7 to 10% reduction in our operating cost across its network."
LinkAmerican, Delta lower 4Q guidance as unit revenue slipsDownward revisions of projected fourth-quarter unit revenues by two US major airlines within a week suggests that strong momentum reported by US carriers during last year’s third and early fourth quarters will be difficult to sustain in 2019.
LinkSouth African regulator grounds CemAir againThe South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) has grounded regional carrier CemAir for the second time in two months for what it says is the airline’s failure to provide proof of the airworthiness of its fleet. The SACAA suspended CemAir’s Part 121 and 135 air operator's certificates (AOCs) in December 2018 and recommended revoking them completely over what it described as Level One infractions that posed a serious safety risk to the public.
LinkUK Defense Secretary calls on airports to invest in anti-drone measuresThe UK public will expect the country’s airports to invest in anti-drone measures following the London Gatwick Airport incident in December, the country’s Defense Secretary said. “I think that everyone would be expecting all airports to be having this detection, and deterrence effect also, at all commercial airports in the future,” Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said. “It is a logical thing for them to be investing [in].”
LinkAir Premia teases A330neo renderingSouth Korean startup carrier Air Premia has released a rendering of an Airbus A330neo in its livery, as it moves closer to firming up its fleet plans. The carrier tells FlightGlobal that it is still in discussions with both Boeing and Airbus, and hopes to make a decision within the month on which aircraft it will choose.
LinkKawasaki C-2 to get an electronic warfare variantTokyo plans a major investment in electronic warfare (EW) to help counter rising threats in the region. According to a report in the Yomiuri Shimbum, Tokyo plans to adapt the Kawasaki C-2 tactical transport aircraft as an EW platform, with deployment planned for 2027.
LinkIsrael halts F-16 sale to Croatia Israel's government has abandoned a plan to sell surplus Lockheed Martin F-16s to Croatia, as the Middle Eastern country could not obtain approval from the USA to transfer the second-hand fighters fitted with Israeli equipment. In 2018, the Croatian government reached an agreement with Tel Aviv to take 12 former Israeli air force F-16 Barak jets, alongside a support package including a simulator, spare parts, ground equipment, training, logistical services and an "initial" weapons suite.
Link 
