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Commercial

US Sen. Warner: Air safety, security in jeopardy as shutdown lingers
US Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) warned of dire consequences for the air travel system if thousands of FAA workers, air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents miss their second paycheck, as the ongoing partial government shutdown—now in its 34th day—shows no sign of letting up.
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Enders: No-deal Brexit will put British Airbus facilities at risk
Airbus CEO Tom Enders has said the future of the company’s UK plants is at risk if the country opts of a no-deal exit from the European Union. In his most harshly worded statement on Brexit yet, Enders—speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Jan. 24—said Airbus would have to make some “very harmful decisions for the UK,” in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
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Bombardier to acquire Global 7500 wing programme from Triumph
Bombardier is acquiring the Global 7500 wing programme from the Triumph Group, in a move designed to secure the production ramp-up and long-term success of its flagship business jet and strengthen Bombardier's position as a leading aerostructures supplier.
The deal is expected to close during the first quarter, when the business will be incorporated into Bombardier's aerostructures and engineering services division.
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Airlines

American’s 2018 net income up 9.4% on network improvements
American Airlines is confident that big-picture initiatives it has put in place—including a focus on leveraging its Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) hub, more tailwinds from cabin segmentation and cost reductions—have the carrier poised to rebound from what CEO Doug Parker acknowledges was a “challenging [2018] financially.” For the full year, American’s net income was $1.4 billion, up 9.4%.
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Air France, pilots reach tentative labor agreement
Hopes that new leadership at Air France and its main pilots’ union would bring an end to the long-running impasse between the two sides appear to be coming to fruition, with the announcement of a tentative labor deal.
In a brief statement issued late Jan. 23, Air France said it had reached a “tentative agreement” with the two unions representing its pilots, SNPL and SPAF.
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IAG will not make bid for Norwegian; to sell stake
International Airlines Group (IAG) has ruled out making a further offer for LCC Norwegian and announced plans to sell its existing stake. IAG acquired 4.61% of Norwegian in April 2018, with the aim of initiating full takeover discussions. However, Norwegian rejected two subsequent IAG approaches, saying the offers were too low. Last August, IAG CEO Willie Walsh said the group would not retain its Norwegian shares, should it fail to acquire the LCC.
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JetBlue 2018 net income down on higher labor, fleet costs
In results accounting for the impact of US tax reforms, a fleet transition and a labor agreement, JetBlue Airways reported an adjusted 2018 net income of $487 million, down compared to $574 million in 2017.
The adjusted figures exclude the gain of $502 million in 2017 as a result of the tax reforms, as well as one-time costs in 2018 related to an Embraer E190 fleet transition and a labor agreement with the airline’s pilots.
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Slovenia’s CAA halts proceedings against Adria Airways
Slovenian carrier Adria Airways said Jan. 22 that the Slovenian CAA has dropped an investigation into whether it is able to fulfil the terms of its operating license.
“The Civil Aviation Agency issued in its decision that the procedure for checking the fulfillment of the conditions of the holder of the operating license for the air carrier Adria Airways is stopped,” Adria Airways said in a statement.
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Flybe reassures market on future of Virgin-led takeover
UK regional operator Flybe is seeking to reassure the market about the future of its proposed takeover by a Virgin-led consortium, amid reports that one of its biggest shareholders has threatened to take legal action to stop the transaction from going ahead.
In a Jan. 24 notice to the London Stock Exchange, Flybe said it had received half of the proceeds from a £20 million ($26.1 million) bridge loan facility which the Connect Airways consortium agreed to provide in order to shore up the struggling carrier’s liquidity. 
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AirAsia countersues Malaysia Airports in fee dispute
Malaysia’s AirAsia is countersuing airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) in response to a lawsuit filed by MAHB against the LCC over unpaid fees.
AirAsia is seeking MYR400 million ($96 million) for losses and damages incurred by the airline and its long-haul sister carrier AirAsia X by what it said were operational disruptions at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 2, known as KLIA2.
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ANA to add international routes, aircraft in FY2019
All Nippon Airways (ANA) plans to launch new international routes and introduce new aircraft types to its network in fiscal 2019.
In the fiscal year that begins April 1, flights from Tokyo Narita International Airport to Perth, Australia, are set to start Sept. 1, and to Chennai, India, during the northern winter season. These will follow the launch of a route from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Vienna Feb. 17, during fiscal 2018, before the end of the current fiscal year.
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Tigerair Australia pilots plan Jan. 25 strike action
Tigerair Australia pilots are scheduling a strike on the morning of Jan. 25, as contract negotiation talks stall.
The Australian Federation of Airline Pilots (AFAP)—which represents 75% of Tigerair pilots—has given notice of a work stoppage between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. local time on Jan. 25. AFAP has been in contract negotiations with Tigerair parent Virgin Australia for more than two years.
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Southwest to end Mexico City service in March
Southwest Airlines will end service to Mexico City on 30 March, becoming the latest North American airline to exit the Mexican capital.
The Dallas-based airline currently serves Mexico City from Houston Hobby, operating four times daily. It began flights on the route in October 2015 with twice daily service, and doubled the frequency in 2017.
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Southwest waits out 'maddening' govt shutdown for Hawaii launch
Southwest Airlines says long-anticipated Hawaii service could slip to the second quarter, unless the US government re-opens within a week which could allow for a first quarter launch.
The Dallas-based carrier is awaiting US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees to return to work before the airline can carry out tabletop exercises and validation flights to attain extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) certification for the Hawaii service.
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TUI to refurbish 767 interior
TUI Group has selected UK retrofit equipment specialist MAC Aero Interiors to supply lavatories for a fleet of Boeing 767s.
MAC Aero Interiors says it has signed a four-year contract covering the production and aftermarket support for 20 lavatory units.
The equipment for the first two aircraft will be manufactured in the current year, with the remaining units to follow in 2020, it says.
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JetBlue sees delays to A321neos, pushes out A220 deliveries
JetBlue Airways expects delays to the delivery of up to seven Airbus A321neos this year, and says it has postponed deliveries of its first A220-300s to allow more time for the airline to choose suppliers of the aircraft's interiors.
The New York-based airline now expects to take six A321neos "minimum" in 2019, down from 13 deliveries previously, says chief financial officer Steve Priest in an earnings call today. "We've been officially notified by Airbus of widely-known delays in neo deliveries," says Priest.
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JAL to debut A350-900 on Haneda-Fukuoka route
Japan Airlines has scheduled its Airbus A350-900 to fly on the Tokyo Haneda-Fukuoka route from September.
The Oneworld carrier revealed the debut for its newest type in its latest update of its schedule for the year to the end of March 2019.
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Airports

Report: Heathrow expansion should be ‘scrapped’ on noise concerns
Air traffic should not be allowed to increase at London’s Heathrow and City airports and plans for the addition of a third runway at the UK’s biggest hub should be scrapped, according to a new report on aircraft noise by politicians elected to represent London’s residents.
In a report published Jan. 23, the London Assembly Environment Committee said that concerns from local residents about aircraft noise had led it to conclude that “air traffic using Heathrow and City airports should not increase, and the proposed third runway at Heathrow should not go ahead.”
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PICTURES: Heathrow shows off digital tower potential
UK air navigation service NATS has illustrated the potential for enhancing London Heathrow tower controllers’ situational awareness, using tagging on a high-definition digital view of the airport.
NATS is still testing the visual overlays and use of other supplemental information in a digital laboratory located in the base of the control tower.
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Western Sydney airport issues EOI for terminal designs
The selection process for an architect to design the passenger terminal at the upcoming Western Sydney airport has kicked off.
Australia’s urban infrastructure minister Alan Tudge says that expressions of interest are now open, and the first stage in the competitive selection process will see the final terminal design chosen by the end of 2019.
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Military

USAF looks at autonomous drone swarms for search and rescue
US Air Force researchers are looking at using swarms of autonomous unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) for search and rescue missions.
The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the UK's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), in collaboration with the Wright Brothers Institute and University of Dayton Research Institute, said on 22 January that they plan to run a competition to explore the concept.
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Trivia

General Trivia

1. What is the Cessna 305?

2. While flying in a single-engine Cessna, Martin Wikelski observed that dragonflies fly only during warm daylight hours. How did he determine this?

3. The tails of the Piper PA–28 series of aircraft feature corrugations to strengthen the metal surfaces. Why are these corrugations concave (rounded inward) instead of convex (bulge outward)?

4. What major aviation motion picture was used by the U.S. Air Force as an official training film?

5. Construction of what will become the world’s highest airport used by airlines will begin next year and be completed in 2014. In which country will this airport be located?

6. The Invasion of Normandy (a.k.a. Operation Overlord) began on June 6, 1944, which is also known as D-Day. It involved what probably was the largest armada of military aircraft ever assembled for a single purpose. What does the “D” in D-Day represent?

7. A pilot is flying over Kansas at noon under clear skies. Unbeknownst to him, the sun is suddenly extinguished. How much time would elapse before the pilot finds himself flying in total darkness?