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Commercial

Boeing could complete 747 production in less than 3 years
Boeing could complete all outstanding orders for its 747 in less than three years, according to a report by Reuters. Boeing produces the 747 at a rate of 1.3 per month. Reuters calculated the manufacturer could be finished with production in two and a half years
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Airbus unveils new seating configuration at Aircraft Interior Expo
The dreaded middle seat may soon become harder to avoid. That's thanks to a new seat layout unveiled by Airbus this week at the Aircraft Interior Expo in Hamburg, Germany. The European jetmaker has come up with a seating layout giving airlines the option for even more seats in the economy section of its A380 double-decker superjumbo jet. Airbus is doing so with a layout that squeezes an extra seat into each row in economy.
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Airlines

Alaska Air Bans Worker Who Got Trapped In Cargo Hold
A contract baggage handler who became trapped in the cargo hold of an Alaska Airlines jet on takeoff from Seattle after falling asleep has been banned from all future work at the airline. The employee of Menzies Aviation, an airport ground services company, made news on Monday as an unintended stowaway on Alaska Flight 448 when he woke up inside the sealed baggage compartment to realize the plane was already airborne.
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American to repaint its fleet in AA livery by 2017
American Airlines said its fleet will be repainted in AA livery by the end of 2017, according to an employee newsletter. "The only aircraft that won’t get paint jobs are those delivered in the new livery and the older aircraft that we'll retire during the next several years," the carrier said.
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ANA reveals Star Wars livery on Boeing 787-9
All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has unveiled a new ‘Star Wars’ livery on its latest Boeing 787-9 that marks the start of a five-year tie-up with The Walt Disney Company (Japan). Painted with the iconic R2-D2 character, the plane’s design was unveiled to fans of the popular science fiction franchise in the United States on 16 April.+
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ANA To Buy Stake In Skymark Airlines
ANA will buy a stake of less than 20 percent in Skymark Airlines as part of a rescue plan for the bankrupt domestic budget carrier, people familiar with the matter said. Private equity firm Integral has secured a majority stake, according to Reuters. If ANA held 20 percent or more it could be forced to surrender some of its landing rights at Tokyo's Haneda airport. ANA's investment comes after Skymark filed for bankruptcy in January. Skymark agreed a JNY¥9 billion (USD$76 million) deal with Integral earlier this year and has been seeking other parties to help it turn the business around.
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Used A380 market a chance to explore type's value: Clark
Emirates president Tim Clark believes that the second-hand market for the Airbus A380 will be a good opportunity for carriers to explore the economic capabilities of the jet. The Middle Eastern carrier took its first A380 in 2008 and the carrier typically retains aircraft for around 12 years. Clark, speaking at an event in London, said: “It’s clear to me that there are carriers interested in the A380 that can’t afford one.”
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FedEx, UPS adjust to meet changing demand
FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service have adjusted their business models as more consumers order through e-commerce, according to an analysis by Lee Samaha.
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Germanwings Crash Families May Seek Damages In US
Families of the victims of the Germanwings crash are considering a claim for damages in the United States if they cannot reach agreement with parent airline Lufthansa in Germany, a lawyer representing the families said. Compensation talks with Lufthansa are expected to start soon and the lawyer, Elmar Giemulla, said he hoped the company would agree to pay damages commensurate with the emotional harm caused by the crash.
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Hawaiian Airlines inks agreement with FLYdocs
Hawaiian Airlines has selected FLYdocs to provide electronic aircraft records management and other services. "As Hawaiian Airlines expands its business and infrastructure, we are thrilled to know that FLYdocs will help streamline our record keeping process by simplifying aircraft records transactions through their web-based application," said Jim Landers, interim vice president of maintenance and engineering for Hawaiian.
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Kenya Air To Sell Assets To Navigate Cash Crunch
Kenya Airways will sell some older planes and land and is negotiating a bridging loan to help it through a cash shortage caused by a drop in passenger numbers, its chief executive said. The carrier, part-owned by AirFrance-KLM, made a big loss in the half-year to September after a spate of Islamist militant attacks drove tourists away from Kenya and made it tough to fill its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
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Southwest expansion and changes to fleet mix sets it apart
Columnist Adam Levine-Weinberg writes that Southwest Airlines is poised for growth as it expands from Dallas Love Field. Southwest predicts a 6% boost in capacity for 2015, including 3% growth from Love Field. The carrier is also changing its fleet mix to keep down costs
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Airports

Va. officials gather to boost Dulles airport
Va. Gov. Terry McAuliffe and other state officials highlighted the importance of the Dulles International Airport to the region at an event on Thursday.
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Aviation Quote

The most frequent last words I have heard on cockpit voice-recorder tapes are, 'Oh Shit,' said with about that much emotion. There's no panic, no scream, it's a sort of resignation: we've done everything we can, I can't think of anything else to do and this is it.

— Frank McDermott, partner in McDermott Associates, specialists in cockpit voice recorders.

On This Date

---In 1861... Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, American inventor and balloonist, makes a balloon trip from Cincinnati, Ohio to the South Carolina coast in 9 hours.

---In 1935... The first passengers leave for Australia on a new Imperial Airways/QANTAS service; the first Australian departures were made from Brisbane on April 17.

--In 1959... Aeroflot puts the 84 to 110-seater Ilyushin IL-18, its first turboprop, into service from Moscow to Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, and Adler, now Sochi, on the Black Sea.

---In 1978…A Korean Air Lines Flight 902, a 707, was hit by a missile fired from a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor after it had entered Soviet airspace. This caused a rapid decompression of the fuselage which killed two passengers. The 707 made an emergency landing on a frozen lake near Murmansk, USSR.

---In 1998...An Air France flight from Bogotá's El Dorado Airport, to Quito, using an aircraft leased from TAME and flown by Ecuadorian crew, crashed into a mountain near Bogotá. All 43 passengers and 10 crew died.

---In 2012… A Boeing 737-200 operated by Karachi-based Bhoja Air, a Pakistani domestic carrier, crashed into a small village near Islamabad, with nine crew members and 118 passengers onboard. Total casualties are 127.

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Editor’s Choice

Trivia

General Trivia

1. What is the Cessna 305?

2. While flying in a single-engine Cessna, Martin Wikelski observed that dragonflies fly only during warm daylight hours. How did he determine this?

3. The tails of the Piper PA–28 series of aircraft feature corrugations to strengthen the metal surfaces. Why are these corrugations concave (rounded inward) instead of convex (bulge outward)?

4. What major aviation motion picture was used by the U.S. Air Force as an official training film?

5. Construction of what will become the world’s highest airport used by airlines will begin next year and be completed in 2014. In which country will this airport be located?

6. The Invasion of Normandy (a.k.a. Operation Overlord) began on June 6, 1944, which is also known as D-Day. It involved what probably was the largest armada of military aircraft ever assembled for a single purpose. What does the “D” in D-Day represent?

7. A pilot is flying over Kansas at noon under clear skies. Unbeknownst to him, the sun is suddenly extinguished. How much time would elapse before the pilot finds himself flying in total darkness?