NewsSingapore Air Holds Talks on Virgin Atlantic StakeSingapore Airlines Ltd. (SIA) said it is in talks about selling its 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic after people familiar with the matter said that Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL) is discussing buying shares. The U.K. carrier, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, has failed to break British Airways’ dominance at London’s Heathrow, undermining Singapore Air’s strategy of using the partnership to offer trans-Atlantic routes. Since taking office in 2011, Singapore Air Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong has also reoriented the carrier more toward Asia routes by ordering smaller planes to compete with low-cost airlines.
LinkBombardier moves CS300 into detailed design with high-density variant included Bombardier is moving into the detailed design phase on the larger CSeries variant with plans for a high-density version intact despite a rejection by a potential launch customer. AirAsia earlier today selected the Airbus A320neo instead of a 160-seat version of the normally 130- to 145-seat CS300, the larger sister to the 110- to 130-seat CS100.
LinkEgyptAir 777 fire probe inconclusive but short-circuit suspected Egyptian investigators have failed to pinpoint the cause of the fire which destroyed an EgyptAir Boeing 777-200 at Cairo. But the inquiry suggests a possible short-circuit or other fault resulted in electrical heating of the first officer's oxygen system hose, stored beneath the right-hand cockpit window. This oxygen-rich environment contributed to the intensity and speed of the blaze which occurred as the twinjet was preparing to operate a service to Jeddah. "The cause of the fire could not be conclusively determined," admits the Egyptian civil aviation ministry's central aircraft accident investigation directorate.
LinkNorwegian long-haul fleet to be configured with 291 seats Norwegian Air Shuttle will configure its Boeing 787 aircraft with 291 seats, with 259 in the economy-class cabin and 32 in premium-class. The low-cost carrier plans to take delivery of its first Dreamliner in April next year as it launches long-haul services from late May to New York and Bangkok from Oslo and Stockholm. All-leather Timco-supplied seats will be fitted throughout the aircraft. The economy-class seats will have a pitch of 31in (79cm) and those in the premium-class cabin will have a pitch of 46in.
LinkAeroflot still pressing to establish single eastern carrier Aeroflot is still battling to integrate its newly-acquired subsidiary operations into a profitable operation, but insists it is prepared to create a single carrier to serve the country's eastern region. It has tentatively named the carrier 'DWA', an acronym standing for 'Far Eastern Airlines' but also the Russian word for 'two', a probable reference to Aeroflot's ambitions to set up a second major group operator. Aeroflot says DWA would ideally use Vladivostok Avia as a platform. It says this would be an "expedient solution" to achieving a strong position in the region.
LinkAt Least 32 Dead In Congo Plane CrashA cargo plane crashed into houses near Brazzaville Maya-Maya airport while attempting to land in a thunderstorm on Friday, killing at least 32 people, a Congolese Red Cross official said.
LinkBoeing Union Trying To Halt Wildcat Strike CallThe union that represents Boeing engineers said it is trying to halt efforts by some of its members to call a one-day, wildcat strike next week to protest the slow progress of talks.
LinkEgyptAir To Resume Flights To SyriaEgyptAir will resume flights to Damascus and Aleppo airports on Monday after a three-day halt due to a deterioration in the security situation, the head of EgyptAir said on Sunday.
LinkUnions announce pre-Christmas strikes to protest Iberia job cutsUnions representing almost 90% of employees at Spanish airline Iberia have announced a series of 24-hour strikes in the run-up to Christmas. The unions - UGT, CCOO, USO, SICTPLA and ASETMA – said the strikes would take place between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21. In a joint statement, they said the industrial action was to protest restructuring plans for the airline, announced earlier this month by the International Airlines Group (IAG) that owns both Iberia and British Airways. The restructuring plans include up to 4,500 job losses, as well as pay and capacity cuts.
LinkIAG Takes Legal Action Against Iberia Pilot UnionIAG has lodged a claim in Britain's High Court against the Spanish pilots' union over strikes it held in late 2011 and early 2012. IAG, formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia, said on Friday the claim was against SEPLA, the Iberia pilots' union, and the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association in relation to the strikes that SEPLA undertook against the creation of Iberia's subsidiary Iberia Express in late 2011 and early 2012.
LinkAmerican Airlines asks for extension from bankruptcy courtAmerican Airlines has asked a US bankruptcy court to extend the period during which it has the exclusive right to file a plan for emerging from Chapter 11 reorganization. The request came as American Airlines passed the one-year mark of its filing for bankruptcy protection. The Dallas/Fort Worth-based company wants its period of exclusivity extended to March 11. Without an extension, the exclusivity window would expire Jan. 28, at which point rival restructuring plans could be submitted.
LinkTNT, UPS propose remedies for EC approvalFreight giants TNT and United Parcel Service (UPS) have submitted a series of remedies to the European Commission (EC) in a bid to secure regulatory approval for their merger. On Oct. 19, TNT and UPS received a statement of objections from the European Commission. In its findings, the EC voiced concerns that the tie-up could reduce competition in the express delivery market and ultimately affect consumers.
LinkCEOs: Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines discuss stronger partnershipLufthansa and Turkish Airlines are in talks about a stronger partnership, the two CEOs confirmed. Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil said the discussions are in the early stages. Earlier this month, several news agencies reported that Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan were in discussions about a possible partnership between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. Erdogan was quoted as saying he has agreed to a proposal by Merkel to establish joint management of the two carriers.
LinkFrance May Hive Off Part Of EADS StakeFrance may renounce voting rights for three percent of EADS but is likely to keep its full economic stake of 15 percent as part of a deal to bring Germany into the capital of the Airbus parent, sources familiar with the talks said.
LinkUS Navy details X-47B catapult launch test The US Navy has detailed the 29 November ground-based catapult launch of the Northrop Grumman X-47B, a key milestone in the path to carrier-based operations. "Rotation and fly-out showed excellent flight dynamics," says Captain Jaime Engdahl, programme manager for unmanned combat air systems-demonstrator (UCAS-D), "with normal or nominal [aerodynamic] loads throughout the flight".
LinkEurope enters stealth club with Neuron first flight Dassault today announced completing first flight of the Neuron, an unmanned combat air vehicle developed among six European partners. The 5t-class stealth technology demonstrator powered by the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour engine was flown from Istres, the flight test base of prime contractor Dassault. Dassault has not released further details about the maiden flight. The Neuron was scheduled to achieve first flight in mid-year, but was delayed.
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