CommercialAir Canada receives first 787Air Canada has received its first Boeing 787 aircraft – the -8 variant – on 18 May. With the delivery of its first 787, the Star Alliance member plans to replace similar-sized aircraft in its fleet with the type. Configured with 251 seats across three class: 20 business, 21 premium economy and 210 economy class seats, it will be used on services such as to Tel Aviv and Tokyo Haneda, says Boeing.
LinkChina Southern to take 80 A320s and A320neosChina Southern Airlines is to acquire 80 Airbus A320-family aircraft including 50 of the re-engined A320neo jets. The carrier is also to dispose of six Embraer ERJ-145 regional aircraft. China Southern has not given an engine selection for the A320s or A320neos. It says the aircraft will be delivered in stages over the course of 2016-20. China Southern has not given the value of the transaction, stating that Airbus has “insisted” on preserving confidentiality regarding the price.
LinkEU May Challenge US Tax Breaks In Boeing-Airbus DisputeThe European Union is considering raising the pressure on the United States in the world's largest trade dispute by challenging tax breaks that encouraged Boeing to keep production of its latest jet in Washington state, according to people familiar with the matter. The potential move would open a tense new phase in the decade-old formal trade dispute over aircraft industry aid, as Brussels and Washington argue about whether they have complied with rulings by the WTO, which in turn could set the tone for sanctions. Both the EU and US claimed victory when the WTO ruled between 2010 and 2012 that Airbus and US Boeing had benefited from billions of dollars of unfair subsidies, in a pair of cases spanning thousands of pages but lacking a final resolution. But new aircraft developments by both companies have sparked fresh disputes over whether the two sides have obeyed those WTO rulings or simply continued aiding their industries as before.
LinkRyanair Eyeing Long-Distance Flights - ReportLow-cost carrier Ryanair plans to offer flights to the United States by 2019 and will lure long-distance passengers with very cheap prices, Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported, citing chief executive Michael O'Leary. "We will start with this as soon as we get the planes," O'Leary told the newspaper in an interview. New aircraft are currently too expensive and out of stock due to heavy orders by Gulf carriers such as Emirates, the CEO said.
LinkAttackers Fire Rockets At Benghazi AirportClashes broke out early on Monday in Benghazi in Libya's volatile east with unknown attackers firing Grad rockets at the city's Benina airport, army and security sources said. Fighting was also reported in two other areas in Benghazi where irregular forces led by a renegade retired general and Islamist militants had already fought on Friday. Authorities had closed the airport on Friday for security reasons.
LinkBoeing Conducted Unfair Practices Against EngineersThe US National Labor Relations Board said on Thursday that Boeing committed unfair practices against its union engineers near Seattle and in Portland, Oregon, when it photographed and videotaped workplace marches in 2012. The federal decision required Boeing to "cease and desist" and among other measures to post within the next two weeks a notice saying employees are entitled to join a union and participate in union activities and that Boeing won't videotape, photograph or watch union activities, or "create an impression that we are watching your union activities." The decision by Administrative Law Judge Gerald Etchingham also requires Boeing to rescind its security and management policies that call for photographing and videotaping rallies and marches in or near the factory.
LinkAlaska Airlines reports revenue increase in AprilAlaska Airlines Group posted a 5.3% increase in passenger revenue for April on a year-over-year basis. Alaska boosted capacity for the month by 4.9%, while fuel costs dropped 6.5% for April.
LinkFedEx weighs options for Tenn. operations centersFedEx Express is studying options for its Air Operations Center in Memphis, Tenn. Built around 40 years ago, the entire building could get a face lift under a new master plan. FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx, is also considering moving its operations to new headquarters. "Both options would be more energy efficient while providing updated, collaborative workspaces along with dedicated personal workstations," FedEx Express said.
LinkRepublic considers fate of Bombardier CSeries orderRepublic Airlines, based in Indianapolis, is delaying a decision on ordering Bombardier CSeries aircraft. "We're not talking about cancelling the order," said Republic CEO Bryan Bedford. Republic placed an order for the CS300, which seats 138 passengers, in 2010, but has around two years before it needs to make a decision on the order.
LinkHawaiian to deploy Airbus A330-200 for Australia route Hawaiian Airlines is increasing capacity on its Honolulu-to-Brisbane service in Australia by trading its current 264-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft for a 294-seat Airbus A330-200, the Honolulu-based airline said Thursday. The new plane will start flying the route on Dec. 5. It will feature high-resolution touch-screen entertainment systems and have more legroom. The airline said that more than 65,000 people flew Hawaiian between Honolulu and Brisbane in 2013. In March, the airline launched a fourth nonstop flight to Brisbane, which the company said added 20,000 new seats to the markets.
LinkAir Canada decides against Bombardier narrow-body orderAir Canada will keep its 25 Embraer SA planes instead of replacing them with new Bombardier Inc. narrow-body aircraft. Air Canada is in the midst of a financial turnaround and decided against purchasing the planes as part of an effort to keep its costs down. "Given other priorities, we did not want to further increase capital expenditures nor debt levels," said Mike Rousseau, Air Canada's chief financial officer.
LinkEastern Air Lines places order for Boeing 737s Eastern Air Lines Group, the company that is planning to revive Eastern Air Lines, announced that it has placed an order for ten Boeing 737-800 aircraft, a short- to medium-range narrow-body jet. It also said it secured purchase rights for ten Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, an aircraft that is being developed as a successor to the third-generation 737. It is expected to launch in 2017, 50 years after the first 737 took flight.
LinkPilots union launches ad campaign opposing Norwegian airlineThe Air Line Pilots Association is asking the U.S. Department of Transportation to deny Norwegian Air International's request to fly into the U.S. The union launched ads in select markets urging the U.S. government to reject Norwegian's request to fly in the U.S.
Link 
