NewsCommercial
TurbineAero opens $10.7 million APU MRO facility in Thailand
TurbineAero has opened an auxiliary power unit (APU) repair facility outside Bangkok that will allow it to almost double its capacity in Southeast Asia.
The custom-built $10.7 million facility’s layout should help the company increase efficiencies and decrease turnaround times, as well as expand repairs to further vertically integrate its APU aftermarket offerings.
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Boeing inks digital service, training deals with Korean carriers
Boeing’s services business has renewed its partnership with Korean Air and its affiliate Jin Air in the areas of pilot training and digital solutions.
Korean Air signed a 10-year agreement with Boeing for digital navigation services, as well as electronic flight bag (EFB) solutions offered by Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen. The Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro EFB solution will offer pilots digital charting and navigation information.
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GECAS and IAI launch 777-300ER cargo conversion
GECAS is forecasting that the Boeing 777-300ER freighter conversion programme launched with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) could secure more than 150 orders up to 2030.
The IAI conversion programme was unveiled today by leasing giant GECAS, which has placed a launch order for 15 firm conversions with 15 options and is co-investor in the programme. The conversion is designated 777-300ER Special Freighter (SF) and is the first after-market cargo modification launched for the 777 family.
LinkAirlines
Airbus offers to provide A350-1000 for Qantas ultra-LCC competition
Airbus confirmed it is offering a version of the A350-1000 in the Qantas ultra-long-haul competition around its Project Sunrise initiative that would enable the airline to launch nonstop flights from Australia’s east coast to London and New York, among others. “The airplane will be available in the timeframe required by Qantas at the end of 2022,” Airbus head of A350 marketing Marisa Luisa Luca Ugena said.
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SWISS cancels 100 flights as A220 engine inspections continue
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) canceled around 100 flights Oct. 15 and 16 after the carrier decided to return its entire fleet of 28 Airbus A220s to home base for engine inspections following a third engine-related diversion on Oct. 15. Approximately 10,000 passengers were affected. The aircraft will not return to regular flight operations until they have been properly inspected, SWISS said in a statement.
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Air Arabia, Etihad form LCC joint venture
Etihad Aviation Group and LCC Air Arabia will form a new Abu Dhabi-based joint venture (JV) LCC—called Air Arabia Abu Dhabi—to tap into the growing demand for low-cost air travel in the Gulf.
Air Arabia Abu Dhabi will be Etihad’s first new major investment since moving away from a previous approach of developing airline equity partners, in which it took substantial shareholdings.
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United posts $1 billion 3Q profit on high demand; lifts full-year guidance
United Airlines raised its full-year earnings forecasts following a stronger-than-expected third-quarter, driven by robust passenger demand and industry-leading cost discipline. Chicago-based United on Oct. 15 lifted its estimate for 2019 earnings-per-share to $11.25-$12.25, higher than previous estimates of $10.50-$12. The carrier posted a $1 billion 3Q profit, 23% higher from the year-ago period, on revenue of $11.38 billion, an increase of 3.4% “While headwinds affected the sector ...
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South Korea’s Hi Air eyes 10 ATR 72 turboprops, nears AOC approval
South Korea’s new startup Hi Air is looking to get 10 ATR 72 turboprops as it awaits approval of an air operator’s certificate (AOC) from Korean regulators.
In the meantime, Hi Air has taken delivery of two former Air Tahiti ATR 72-500s since late July and aims to add two of the type annually.
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Ryanair to expand French summer 2020 schedule
Ryanair will add eight new routes to and from France as part of an expanded French schedule for summer 2020.
The Irish LCC is adding 35 new summer routes, including 27 new summer services and eight routes connecting Marseille to Alghero (Italy), Nantes to Brussels Charleroi, and Toulouse to Palma (Spain).
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EasyGroup wins two legal cases to preserve brand
UK LCC easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has won legal actions against two airlines he alleged were infringing on his company’s use of the “Easy” brand.
Haji-Ioannou is well-known for taking legal action against those who he believes are trying to cash in on his company’s name. He and parent EasyGroup won a legal victory Oct. 14 against a Colombia-based executive, Alfonso Avila, who had set up a small airline, Easyfly, in Latin America.
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PICTURES: Cape Air unveils P2012s ahead of December flights
US commuter carrier Cape Air unveiled its first two Tecnam P2012 Travellers on 16 October, hosting an event during which Tecnam executives predicted a surge in P2012 orders.
The event at Cape Cod's Barnstable Municipal airport came 30 years to the day after the company's first flight in 1989, and marks the start of the airline's effort to replace a fleet of decades-old Cessna 402Cs.
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Air Canada cancels 737 Max flights until middle of February
Air Canada on 16 October became the latest airline to extend the removal of the Boeing 737 Max aircraft from its winter schedule, as an increasing number of carriers expect the jet will not be approved to return to service until early 2020.
"Today we are extending to February 14, 2020 the removal of the Boeing 737 Max from our operating schedule,” says Lucie Guillemette, Air Canada’s executive vice-president and chief commercial officer.
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Titan picks A330-200 to replace ageing 767
UK charter and wet-lease specialist Titan Airways is bringing in its first Airbus A330, a -200 variant, to replace a Boeing 767-300ER.
The carrier had indicated earlier this year that it was looking at A330s as an alternative to its 16-year old 767.
LinkAirports
San Francisco International airport renumbers gates for $8.9mil
San Francisco International airport overhauled its gate numbering system for the first time in 25 years, implementing a new alphanumeric system that it hopes will simplify the passenger experience as travelers walk through the airport.
The change at one of the West Coast’s busiest airports cost $8.9 million to implement and took place overnight from 15 October to 16 October.
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LAX to open centralized pick-up point for taxis and ride apps
Los Angeles International Airport is set to open LAX-it at the end of the month, a new "amenity rich" centralised area where departing passengers can pick-up taxis and ride app services.
It hopes that the new area will make for a better experience for passengers seeking a cab ride away from LAX and help ease traffic congestion in the Central Terminal Area (CTA).
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MIA unveils its new baggage handling system
Miami International Airport yesterday unveiled its new state-of-the-art, fully automated baggage handling system to the world.
The Florida gateway's new $324-million system, funded in part by a $101.2-million grant from the TSA, doubles the speed and efficiency of baggage screening and delivery for flights in MIA's Central and South terminals.
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Boschung delivers 22 airport de-icers to Beijing Daxing International Airport
As both airports are managed by the same operating group, the positive experience with the existing Boschung maintenance fleet at the BCIA led to the decision to choose in favour of Boschung and its state-of-the art de-icing technology for BDIA.
With the opening of the new Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA) the Chinese government will give support to the already existing Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) and effectively manage one of the busiest air traffic regions in the world.
LinkMilitary
US Army FTUAS win springboards Martin UAV to several new contracts
After advancing to the next round in the US Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial System (FTUAS) development contest, Martin UAV has won several other contracts for its V-Bat, a vertical-takeoff-and-landing, tail-sitting unmanned air vehicle (UAV).
The company is currently negotiating a research, development, test, and evaluation contract with the US Navy (USN) and US Marine Corps’ (USMC) Warfighting Laboratory, it says at the Association of the US Army exposition in Washington, DC on 16 October.
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US Army ponders CH-47F engine alternative after T55 delays
The US Army is thinking about alternative engine manufacturers for the CH-47F Chinook helicopter amid recurring delivery delays of the T55 turboshaft from Honeywell.
The service disclosed its concerns at the US Army Association exposition on 16 October.
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Aviation Quote
There are pilots and there are pilots; with the good ones, it is inborn. You can't teach it. If you are a fighter pilot, you have to be willing to take risks.
- General Robin Olds, USAF.
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Trivia
Airliners And Their First Operators
1. What airline was the first operator of the Airbus A310-200?
Lufthansa
Delta
Air France
Austrian
2. The Boeing 767 is the most common aircraft on transatlantic flights. But what airline is the first user of the Boeing 767-300?
Condor
Japan Airlines
Qantas
American Airlines
3. The Dash 8 is a successful regional Canadian aircraft. Do you know the name of the airline that introduced it for the first time in commercial service?
DLT
Air BC
NorOntair
Air Canada
4. The Boeing 737 is the best-seller of Boeing, many versions of this aircraft are flying around the world. Can you tell me what airline made the inaugural flight of the Boeing 737-400?
British Airways
Varig
United Airlines
Piedmont
5. What was the launch airline of the Boeing 747-300?
Swissair
Saudia
UTA
Japan Airlines
6. The Dutch company Fokker created the Fokker 100 specially designed for short-regional routes with a capacity of 85-107 passengers. Do you know what airline is the first operator of this aircraft?
KLM
Malev
American Airlines
Swissair
7. The consortium Airbus Europe designed the A300 for short-medium haul and high-density routes, it became a successful aircraft and a serious rival for some Boeing models. The question is, can you tell me the name of the first user of the Airbus A300-600R?
American Airlines
Pan Am
Lufthansa
Eastern
8. Who was the first user of the Canadair CL-600-100?
Comair
Air France
Maersk
Lufthansa CityLine
9. Who was the first commercial user of the MD-90?
Delta
SAS
Saudia
Swissair
