NewsCommercial
Boeing may suspend 737 MAX production if grounding drags on
As Boeing weighs its options for managing the 737 MAX supply chain until the grounded model is back in service, the US manufacturer may consider pausing production completely if circumstances continue to delay the narrowbody’s return, Boeing executives said July 24. “As our efforts to support the 737 MAX’s safe return-to-service continue, we will continue to assess our production plans,” Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said during the company’s second-quarter (Q2) ...
Link
Boeing to speed up 777F production to offset 777X slowdown
Boeing will accelerate assembly of 777 freighters in 2020 to offset the impact of a slowdown on the 777X after acknowledging longer-than-expected delays to the first flight of the 777-9. The flight test debut of Boeing’s new widebody twinjet has now been pushed back into early 2020, almost a year later than originally planned because of durability issues discovered late in testing on the 777X’s General Electric GE9X engine.
Link
EDITORIAL: There’s no shame in buying a flight ticket
Attention-grabbing as it might be, the flight-shame movement to persuade people to not fly is misinformed and misguided.
Airlines and the global air transport system are an incredible force for good. They connect people and businesses, deliver tons of goods and critical supplies, and—most important—stimulate and grow economies so that more people can live richer lives with greater opportunities.
Link
Boeing slumps to near-$3 billion Q2 net loss on Max grounding
Boeing has reported a net loss of nearly $2.9 billion for the second quarter, driven by charges for the grounded 737 Max.
The airframer had warned on 18 July that it would take a $4.9 billion after-tax charge in its second-quarter results, due to the costs associated with the Max.
Link
GE9X engine issue pushes 777X first flight to 2020
An issue with the General Electric GE9X powerplants that will power the Boeing 777X has delayed that aircraft's first flight until 2020, the airframer has disclosed.
Boeing had previously said first flight of its newest widebody would occur in 2019, with certification and deliveries to follow in 2020.
LinkAirlines
Pobeda Airlines to start first international route from Krasnodar
Aeroflot LCC subsidiary Pobeda Airlines has begun selling tickets for Krasnodar-Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen service, which will begin Oct. 30. The twice-weekly Boeing 737-800 flights will become the carrier’s first international service from the city in the south of the country. Pobeda’s current network from Krasnodar includes flights to Moscow Vnukovo, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
Link
UPS applies to FAA for approval to launch drone delivery subsidiary
Package delivery company UPS has applied to the US FAA for a Part 135 air carrier certificate to operate a commercial drone delivery service.
During a 2019 second-quarter earnings call July 24, UPS executives said the company has established a new drone delivery subsidiary, UPS Flight Forward, in anticipation of receiving Part 135 certification this fall.
Link
South Korean startup Hi Air takes first two ATRs
A proposed startup carrier in South Korea has taken a major step forward with the delivery of its first two ATR 72-500 turboprops.
The airline, to be called Hi Air, intends to start service later in 2019 after it receives its air operator’s certificate (AOC), ATR said. Skyworld Aviation, the company that helped arrange the sale, said the two ATR 72s were previously operated by Air Tahiti.
Link
Genghis Khan Airlines set to launch ARJ21 operations
Chinese startup Genghis Khan Airlines plans to begin operations July 26, using Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) ARJ21 regional jets.
During the initial stage of operation, services will connect points within Inner Mongolia, said the airline, which is based in Hohhot, the capital of that province.
Link
Ryanair’s Irish pilot union conducts strike ballot over pay
Ryanair pilots in Ireland are deciding whether to go on strike over pay, after the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA), a branch of the Forsa trade union, launched a strike ballot.
Ryanair began recognizing unions in December 2017 after a pilot rostering crisis brought workforce tensions to a head.
Link
British Airways loses legal action to block pilot strikes
British Airways (BA) on July 23 failed in a legal attempt to block a planned strike action by pilots, but immediately said it intends to appeal the decision.
A High Court in London rejected BA’s call to scrap the results of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) vote, saying the union’s member ballot for industrial action had been conducted correctly and the results should stand. The ballot produced a 93% vote in favor of a strike over a pay claim.
Link
Ambiguous instruction put A319 in path of rotating A320
French investigators have determined that an ambiguous taxiing instruction prompted a Bulgaria Air Airbus A319 to cross an active Paris runway while an A320 was rotating to take off.
The Turkish Freebird Airlines A320, departing Charles de Gaulle airport's runway 08L, had been travelling at 139kt and was some 1,500m away when the A319 crossed 08L from the S6 taxiway.
Link
Air Koryo starts Pyongyang-Macau
Air Koryo will expand its international network for the first time in at least four years, when it commences flights to Macau in August.
North Korea's flag carrier will operate twice weekly flights between Pyongyang and Macau from 2 August, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macau (AACM) confirms.
Link
Qantas sets 20 April start date for Chicago flights
Qantas has confirmed that its Brisbane-Chicago flights will start on 20 April, with 9 February set as the starting date for its Brisbane-San Francisco service.
The latter flights will operate thrice weekly and join Qantas's existing services to San Francisco from Sydney and Melbourne. Chicago, meanwhile, will be served four times per week.
LinkAirports
Shannon Airport invests in new recruitment programme
With a major investment and recruitment programme, Shannon becomes the first airport in Ireland to take delivery of two high-tech HRET fire tenders.
Shannon Airport, a Shannon Group company, has become the first airport in Ireland to take delivery of two new state-of-the-art High Reach Extendable Turret (HRET) fire tenders.
Link
Dublin Airport installs automatic visual docking guidance system
The new automatic parking system will reduce delays through faster turn-arounds, while simultaneously heightening safety, as part of Eurocontrol’s Europe-wide initiative.
Dublin Airport is installing an automatic visual docking guidance system (AVDGS) on all aircraft contact parking stands.
AVDGS is an electronic display above aircraft parking stands which provides real-time information to pilots as they are parking aircraft on arrival or pushing back for departure.
Link
Sheremetyevo serves over 23 million passengers in first half of 2019
Sheremetyevo International Airport has reported increases in both domestic and international passenger growth for the first half of 2019.
Total passenger traffic in the first six months of 2019 was 23,404 million passengers, an increase of 14.1 per cent year on year (YoY). In HY1 2019, the airport provided 188,346 take-off and landing operations, a 14.6 per cent increase YoY.
LinkMilitary
USAF F-35As gain safety feature seven years early
Lockheed Martin F-35As operated by the US Air Force have started to receive a ground collision avoidance system seven years ahead of schedule.
Integration of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) onto A-model aircraft has begun, the F-35 Joint Program Office has confirmed.
Link
RAF test pilot to fly with Virgin Orbit crew
A UK Royal Air Force (RAF) test pilot will be seconded to support Virgin Orbit's small satellite launch activities, with a successful candidate to fly on board its modified Boeing 747-400 platform, named "Cosmic Girl".
Link
Aviation Quote
You don't think much of the individual, because you don't think you've hit him and you hope that he will bail out or something; it's the aeroplane you've hit . . . normally it was more of a game if you like, you were outwitting and shooting down another aircraft, you were simply hitting metal.
- Wing commander Pete Malam Brothers, RAF, 16 victories WWII. Imperial War Museum Sound 7462.
Daily Video
Editor's Choice
Trivia
AIRPORTS
Provide Either the IATA code or the airport name
1. Will Rogers International Airport.
2. LEMD
3. General Billy Mitchell International Airport
4. TNCM
5. LFSB
6. EDDF
7. EGLL
8. YSSY
9. SAEZ
10. SKBQ
11. ENGM
12. Tokyo Haneda
13. OIII
14. Cape Town D.F. Malan
15. BOMBAY INTERNATIONAL
