NewsCommercial
Boeing announces delivery of first 787-9 made in S.C.
Boeing announced it has delivered its first 787-9 built in South Carolina to United Airlines this week. "In 2012, we delivered our first South Carolina-built 787-8, and less than three years later, we're celebrating another significant milestone – our first 787-9 delivery," said Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina.
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Boeing 747-8I gains 330-minute ETOPS approval
FAA granted 330-minute extended operations (ETOPS) approval for the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, marking the first time a four-engine commercial passenger aircraft has gained 330-minute ETOPS approval. Boeing said 747-8I operators will now be able “to fly long-distances more directly on virtually any worldwide city pair routing.” The manufacturer noted that ETOPS has been a requirement for twin-engine aircraft since the 1980s, and FAA ETOPS regulations have recently been applied to four-engine passenger aircraft.
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Indonesian Aerospace eyes airliner variant of CN235
Indonesian Aerospace is considering the development of a commercial variant of the CN235 tactical transport aircraft. The company has explored the concept of the airliner variant, designated the N245, and believes it could build two prototypes by the 2017-2018 timeframe, says company director of production Arie Wibowo
LinkAirlines
Indonesia calls off AirAsia QZ8501 body search
The Indonesian national Search and Rescue Authority, Basarnas, will call off its search for bodies from Indonesia AirAsia QZ8501 crash March 22. The aircraft, an Airbus A320-200, crashed Dec. 28 last year with 162 people on board while flying through rough weather from Surabaya, Indonesia to Singapore. To date, only 106 bodies have been recovered, some more than 100 miles outside the immediate crash area.
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Air Madagascar re-fleets with ATRs
Air Madagascar has ordered three ATR 72-600 turboprops in a deal worth approximately $77 million, and is leasing two more of the type from Ireland-based Elix Aviation Capital. The first of the two leased aircraft was formally delivered Wednesday, with the second due to arrive next month. The three purchased turboprops will be delivered from 2017.
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Cathay Pacific Profit Up 20 Pct On Cargo Recovery
Cathay Pacific's net profit rose 20 percent last year due to a recovery in a cargo business that it plans to expand to meet growing demand on long-haul routes. Profit reached HKD$3.2 billion (USD$412.48 million) in 2014 on a 5.5 percent rise in revenue at HKD$106 billion. The airline did not provide guidance for the current year, but said it is "positive about the overall prospects for 2015".
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Regional carrier Envoy Air adjusts network
American Airlines intends to transfer Embraer EMB-145 jets like this one to another carrier and end Envoy Air’s New York operations. This photo was taken at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Envoy Air, which flies as American Eagle for parent American Airlines, said Tuesday it plans to close its New York base as it transfers airplanes and/or flying to other carriers.
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FedEx reports 53% surge in quarterly earnings
FedEx reported a 53% increase in earnings for the fiscal third quarter on a year-over-year basis. FedEx posted a $580 million profit for the quarter, which included the busy holiday shipping season. "We had a very successful peak season as volumes grew across all transportation segments," said CEO Frederick Smith.
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JetBlue to debut service to BWI from Fla. airport
JetBlue Airways Tuesday said its new twice-daily service to Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport or BWI would launch November 12 and is now available for sale on jetblue.com. This will be JetBlue's second destination from Baltimore/Washington, after launching its nonstop service to Boston Logan International Airport in 2009.
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Lufthansa Pilots Strike, No End To Dispute In Sight
Lufthansa pilots began the first of two days of strike action on Wednesday in a long-running dispute over early retirement benefits and the carrier's cost-cutting plans. The German airline is trying to cut costs and expand budget operations as it competes with low-cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet in Europe and Gulf rivals such as Emirates.
LinkAirports
Travelers can reserve parking spots at Atlanta airport
Travelers at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport can now reserve parking spaces at the airport's park-ride reserve lot and international terminal hourly parking. Reservations at the park-ride reserve lot cost $5 each plus $12 per day; spots at the international terminal's hourly parking deck cost $5 per reservation plus $16 to $24 per day, depending on demand.
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Military
Dutch Apache crew killed in Mali crash
Both crew members aboard a Netherlands Defence Helicopter Command Boeing AH-64D Apache were killed when their aircraft crashed during a training exercise in Mali on 17 March. The Dutch defence ministry says the aircraft came down 25nm (47km) north of Gao during a weapons firing exercise, which was being conducted in support of the type’s detachment to a UN peacekeeping force.
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RAF Hercules get extended-range upgrade
Several of the Royal Air Force’s Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports have been upgraded for extended-range operations, the UK Ministry of Defence says. Nine of the service’s Hercules have been equipped with external fuel tanks under a modification activity valued at around £7 million ($10.3 million), minister for defence equipment, support and technology Philip Dunne said earlier this month, responding to a parliamentary question.
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US Predator 'shot down' over Syria, says local news agency
Images released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) depict a crashed General Atomics Aeronautical Systems unmanned air vehicle, which it claims was shot down over Latakia in Syria on 17 March. The “hostile UAV”, believed to be a US Air Force MQ-1 Predator, was brought down by a Syrian air defence system, and Syrian authorities are said to be carrying out investigations “to verify the side which the drone is affiliated to”.
LinkRegulatory
EASA awards contract for cabin air contamination research
EASA has commissioned a pair of German organisations – one a medical school and the other an applied research establishment – to research cabin air quality. The agency says the research will start with in-flight work to identify suitable instrumentation to measure cabin and cockpit air contamination. Once the instrumentation and testing methodology has been established, EASA says it will carry out a larger-scale test programme on board commercially-operated large transport aeroplanes in the near future. Measurements will be taken in the cockpit and passenger cabin during all flight phases.
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Aviation Quote
Earthbound souls know only the underside of the atmosphere in which they live . . . but go higher - above the dust and water vapor - and the sky turns dark until one can see the stars at noon.
— Jacqueline Cochran
On This Date
---In 1909... The International Aero and Motor-Boat Exhibition opens in London. Among the exhibits is a Wright airplane for sale at $7,000.
---In 1912... The first of the U. S. Signal Corps Scout series capable of meeting a specification issued February 8, 1912, the S. C. No.8 is delivered to Augusta, Georgia by Curtiss pilot Charles F. Walsh. It finally passes all tests at College Park, Maryland in May with Lincoln Beachey at the controls.
---In 1918... U. S. airplanes in France make the first operational flights.
---In 1958…Britain's 1st planetarium opens at Madame Tussaud's in London.
---In 1969... The first scheduled jet air service inside the Arctic Circle begins as Nordair inaugurates a weekly return service between Montreal, Canada and Resolution Bay, Cornwallis Island, Canada.
---In 1981…workers killed in space shuttle Columbia accident. The final major test still between Columbia and its first voyage into orbit was a "dry" countdown demonstration test -- a full-dress rehearsal for the astronauts and the launch team. The test went as planned, but a tragic accident claimed the lives of two Rockwell technicians when they entered Columbia's aft engine compartment while it was still being purged with gaseous nitrogen.
---In 1984…STS-41-C vehicle moves to launch pad.
---In 1989… First flight of the V-22 Osprey.
---In 2007…Airbus A380 makes first flights to the United States, with one touching down in New York at John F. Kennedy International Airport and another in California at Los Angeles International Airport.
---In 2008…Flydubai is founded.
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