NewsCommercial
Muilenburg defends Boeing’s handling of 737 MAX text messages
Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg defended the company’s handling of recently disclosed text messages and email exchanges between employees involved in the development of the 737 MAX. He told members of a US Senate Committee, “The premise that we would lie and conceal is not consistent with our values.” Boeing alerted the FAA to the messages on Oct. 17, which included an exchange between former Boeing chief technical pilot Mark Forkner and a colleague, in which Forkner wrote, ...
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CFM stays the course until MAXs return to service
As several hundred newly built and ready for delivery Boeing 737 MAXs have remained parked in Everett, Washington state while awaiting eventual clearance to fly, CFM International has been providing proactive maintenance preservation on the type’s LEAP 1B engines during the months the aircraft have stood idle.
Speaking with reporters at the ALTA Leaders Forum in Brasilia, CFM International president & CEO Gael Meheust described his company as “a risk-sharing partner” with Boeing while the US OEM works through its year of MAX-induced troubles.
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A220 engine checks revised after high-cycle Swiss failure
US regulators have disclosed that the most recent incident involving failure of a Swiss Airbus A220 engine occurred with a powerplant which had accumulated more than 300 cycles.
Two earlier Swiss A220-300 incidents involved low-cycle Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines – the failures occurring at 154 and 230 cycles.
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Boeing CEO denies knowing of troubling emails and defends safety culture
Boeing's chief executive told lawmakers on 29 October that he was unaware until recently of newly-disclosed instant messages in which Boeing's former chief technical pilot described concern about the function of the 737 Max's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) and said he unknowingly lied to regulators.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada sees 9.4% drop in 3Q net profit on MAX absence
Air Canada reported a 9.4% year-over-year (YOY) drop in third-quarter net income as the absence of its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft took a toll on peak summer operations.
The Canadian flag carrier posted 3Q net income of C$636 million ($487 million), compared to a restated C$702 million for the same period last year. Operating revenue was up 3% to C$5.6 billion, a third-quarter record, while expenses increased 2% to C$4.6 billion.
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TAP Air Portugal retires final Airbus A340
Portuguese Star Alliance carrier TAP Air Portugal has retired its last Airbus A340 as part of its transition to an all-A321LR and A330neo long-haul fleet, which will be completed by the end of 2019.
TAP has operated the A340 since the 1990s, performing over 63,000 flights and carrying 12 million customers to more than 55 destinations.
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ANA net profit down 23% for fiscal 1H; cuts full-year profit forecast
All Nippon Airways (ANA) reported its net profit for the six months through Sept. 30—its fiscal first half—dropped by 23% to ¥56.7 billion ($520.6 million).
Operating revenue increased 1.7% year-on-year (YOY) to ¥1.1 trillion. However, operating costs rose more quickly, up 4.7% to ¥977.1 billion.
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IndiGo orders another 300 A320neo-family jets
Indian budget carrier IndiGo has placed a firm order for 300 Airbus A320neo-family jets – a mix of A320neos, A321neos and A321XLRs.
The deal, described by the airframer as "one of Airbus's largest aircraft orders ever with a single airline operator", brings IndiGo's A320neo-family total to 730.
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Air Nostrum CRJ1000 acquisition faces state-aid scrutiny
Spanish carrier Air Nostrum's fleet modernisation is being assessed by the European Commission, which suspects it might have violated state-aid regulations.
The Commission has opened an in-depth investigation over the granting of €9 million in public support to the airline from the Valencia regional administration.
LinkAirports
Stuttgart Airport steps closer to carbon neutrality with electric cargo vehicles
Stuttgart Airport have introduced four new electric cargo handlers in a bid to limit their carbon footprint.
The fully-electric baggage and cargo tractors are just as effective as the older diesel models, but are 60 per cent more economical, emission-free and just as fast, with the added advantage of limited noise pollution.
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First preview of new Sydney Airport terminal design unveiled
Plans for the new terminal at Western Sydney International Airport have been revealed after architects were assigned to design the modernised precinct.
The architectural team was a co-operative effort between London-based Zaha Hadid Architects and Sydney-Based Cox Architecture. Zaha Hadid Architects Project Director, Cristiano Ceccato, said: “The design is an evolution of Australian architecture past, present and future”.
LinkMilitary
USA approves $4.5bn upgrade package for 98 Japanese F-15Js
The US State Department approved a $4.5 billion package to upgrade 98 examples of Japan’s Mitsubishi F-15J Eagle air superiority fighter fleet.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency told the US Congress of the possible sale on 29 October, it says in a media release. The agency is required by law to tell the US Congress, but the notice does not mean the sale is finished.
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Lockheed Martin F-35A to be priced at $77.9m by 2022
Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office agreed to a $34 billion production contract for 478 examples of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.
As part of the three year deal, the price of all aircraft variants will fall an average of 12.7% from lot 11 to 14, the company says.
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France buoyed by first upgraded Atlantique 2 deliveries
French defence minister Florence Parly has welcomed the delivery of the first two Dassault Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft upgraded to the new standard 6 specification.
Parly was shown the capabilities of the modified twin-turboprops during a 2h demonstration flight from the French navy’s Lann-Bihoue base in Britanny, northwest France on 24 October.
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Aviation Quote
When the weight of the paper equals the weight of the airplane, only then you can go flying.
- attributed to Donald Douglas
Daily Video
Editor's Choice
Trivia
Airliners
1. Which company built the ill-fated Comet?
Hawker Siddeley
De Havilland
Handley Page
Vickers
2. Which of the following does not belong?
DC-5
DC-6
DC-4
DC-7
3. Who was primarily responsible for the design and development of the Constellation?
Juan Trippe
Malcolm Loughhead (Lockheed)
Howard Hughes
Glenn Martin
4. Which Convair model was the company's last entry in the commercial airliner market?
990
240
880
340
5. Which passenger plane was never used as Air Force One?
Douglas DC-7
Lockheed Constellation
Douglas DC-6
Boeing 707
6. Which of the following is not a jumbo jet?
Boeing 747
McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Lockheed L-1011
Douglas DC-10
7. What was the designation of the four-engine jet airliner being produced by Airbus prior to the A380?
A350
A321
A320
A340
8. Before Boeing introduced its long-haul 747-400 series, a smaller version of the 747 was built that had a range of almost 7,000 miles. What was the designation of this popular 'mini-jumbo'?
747-250
747-SB
747-SP
747-200
9. During the 1950s turboprop aircraft made up a large portion of the commercial airliner fleet. Which of the following was not a turboprop?
Lockheed Electra II
Bristol Britannia
Vickers Viscount
Martin 404
10. In the romantic era of the Clippers, Pan Am bought flying boats from Martin, Sikorsky and Boeing. What was the designation of the airplane built by Boeing for service in the fabled Clipper fleet?
307
247
377
314
