NewsCommercial
Leap-powered A320neo conducts maiden flight
Airbus's first A320neo fitted with the CFM International Leap-1A engine has become airborne on its maiden flight. The aircraft, MSN6419, departed Toulouse at around 13:30 local time, the airframer confirms. Airbus is developing the Leap-1A version of the re-engined jet as an alternative to the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered variant.
LinkAirlines
Airlines decline to carry lithium battery shipments
At least 18 airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines, will not carry shipments of lithium-ion batteries, and the International Civil Aviation Organization is working to develop new shipping standards to ensure safe transport of the batteries.
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AirAsia Looks To Sell Stake In Loyalty Scheme
Malaysia's AirAsia is in talks to sell a minority stake in its loyalty scheme joint venture to private equity firms, in a deal that could value the business at about USD$330 million. AirAsia BIG, the loyalty program owned by the budget airline and Malaysia's Tune Group, could raise about USD$100 million by selling a 30 percent stake, people familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
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Austrian Airlines Sees Revenue Boost Ahead
Austrian Airlines expects revenues to rise about 10 percent and wants to hire 400 new employees over the next three to five years. Lufthansa unit Austrian Airlines is plotting a path back to growth following years of staff disputes and painful cost-cutting measures ended in October by a collective wage agreement with pilots and flight attendants. "We anticipate growth in passenger volume, revenue and the total number of our employees during the upcoming 3-5 years," chief financial officer Heinz Lachinger said.
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JetBlue to add 2 new flights to Mexico City
JetBlue announced its 35th Latin American destination on Monday with the addition of flights from Fort Lauderdale and Orlando to Mexico City. The flights will debut at an introductory rate of $99.
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Ruili Airlines signs for 60 Boeing 737 Max
Ruili Airlines has signed an agreement with Minsheng Financial Leasing and AVIC Leasing for 60 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. A spokeswoman from the Chinese start-up tells Flightglobal the agreement was inked on 18 May, which also marks the airline’s one year anniversary. Of the 60 jets, 30 will come from Minsheng, and 30 from AVIC.
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SIA's first A350-900 in final assembly
Airbus says it has begun the final assembly of Singapore Airline’s (SIA) first Airbus A350-900 at its Toulouse manufacturing facility. The airframer issued an image of the aircraft in the initial fuselage section joining phase. Subsequent assembly stations will see the aircraft's wings joined, the start of cabin installation, and the first power-on, adds Airbus.
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Banks To Take 33.4 Pct Stake In Skymark
Sumitomo Mitsui and the Development Bank of Japan are set to take a combined 33.4 percent stake in bankrupt budget carrier Skymark Airlines, giving them veto power over major decisions, people familiar with the plan said. ANA plans to acquire a 16.5 percent stake, said the sources, who declined to be identified because an announcement has not been made. Last month, ANA said it would acquire a stake of up to 19.9 percent and private equity firm Integral would take 50.1 percent, while unnamed entities would hold the remainder.
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Southwest adds Albany, N.Y. - Denver route
Southwest will offer a Saturday route from Albany, N.Y., to Denver this summer. The route will be made permanent if it draws enough passenger interest, according to airport officials.
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Southwest, American top list of companies poised for best 2015 earnings per share growth
According to new research from S&P Capital IQ, five of the 10 companies poised to post the biggest full-year earnings growth this year are in the transportation industry, with the likes of Southwest Airlines and American Airlines topping the list. The airlines have been helped by the low price of fuel, as well as increased market consolidation.
LinkAirports
Charlotte-Douglas Airport introduces therapy dog program
Passengers through Charlotte-Douglas Airport may be greeted by one of the seven dogs on the airport's canine team. The dogs are trained to help relax and comfort anxious travelers and wear vests that say "pet me."
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Chattanooga Airport traffic up over 14%
Chattanooga Airport increased traffic 14.6% in April over last year, according to airport officials. This puts the airport on track to break its traffic records if the trend continues.
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Orlando International sees international traffic jump more than 15% in 1Q
Orlando International reports 1.18 million international travelers arrived at the airport in the first quarter of 2015, up 15.14% over the previous year. Traffic to the airport was up across the board because of increased capacity from most of the airport's carriers.
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Tallahassee Regional Airport to receive $10M makeover
Say goodbye to Tallahassee Airport's hodgepodge decor, flat screens and muted colors. Get ready to welcome a more modern space. The airport terminal, first built in Dec. 3, 1989, for $33 million, is getting its most extensive interior renovations. City officials want a fresh face to replace the airport's dated look that greets travelers streaming in and out — 706,574 passengers last year alone.
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Military
A400M operators advised to check engine control system
Airbus has issued fresh operating guidance to users of its A400M tactical transport, as investigation work continues into a fatal crash involving the type on 9 May. In an alert operator transmission (AOT) made on 19 May, Airbus Defence & Space advises its customers to take actions “to avoid potential risks in any future flights” involving the Atlas. “The AOT requires operators to perform one-time specific checks of the electronic control units [ECU] on each of the aircraft’s engines before next flight, and introduces additional detailed checks to be carried out in the event of any subsequent engine or ECU replacement.”
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Boeing encouraged by possible US Navy, Kuwait Super Hornet deals
The head of Boeing’s defence business says 12 more Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet orders in fiscal 2016 plus a near-term sale to Kuwait would keep the combat jet’s production line in St Louis, Missouri, open through 2018. Neither deal is secure, but Boeing Defense, Space and Security boss Chris Chadwick is encouraged by new defence policy legislation in Congress that would fund 12 more Super Hornet buys, and reports that Kuwait is nearing a deal to become the third nation after the US and Australia to procure E- and F-model F/A-18s.
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US approves $1.9bn munitions sale to Israel
The US State Department has approved a massive arms sale to Israel for a variety of munitions including the joint direct attack munition, laser-guided paveway, small diameter bomb, hellfire missile and advanced medium-range air-to-air missile in potential deal worth an estimated $1.9 billion to domestic arms suppliers. The sale is foreshadowed in a notice to Congress published today by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
LinkCorporate
Jet Aviation to complete first 787-9 BBJ
Jet Aviation is to carry out the world’s first private completions project on a Boeing Business Jet 787-9. An undisclosed Middle Eastern customer selected the Basel-based outfitter for the project that will see the VVIP aircraft delivered to the completions centre later this year for a two-year completions cycle. President of Boeing Business Jets David Longridge says: “We are very excited to work with Jet Aviation Basel closely as they complete the first BBJ 787-9 Dreamliner that we sold. It is a milestone project for us at Boeing Business Jets and we are confident that the customer will be very satisfied with the work done by Jet Aviation Basel.”
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Qatar Executive increases Gulfstream order
Middle Eastern VIP operator Qatar Executive has firmed up its earlier memorandum of understanding for 20 Gulfstream business jets and added an extra 10 aircraft to the order. Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker signed the deal today at EBACE in Geneva. The 30 firm orders and options cover a combination of Gulfstream’s new G500 and G600 jets, as well as its existing G650ER.
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Aviation Quote
When it comes to testing new aircraft or determining maximum performance, pilots like to talk about "pushing the envelope." They're talking about a two dimensional model: the bottom is zero altitude, the ground; the left is zero speed; the top is max altitude; and the right, maximum velocity, of course. So, the pilots are pushing that upper-right-hand corner of the envelope. What everybody tries not to dwell on is that that's where the postage gets canceled, too.
— Admiral Rick Hunter, U.S. Navy.
On This Date
---In 1784... The first women to ascend in a tethered balloon are the Marchioness de Montalembert, the Contess de Montalenbert, the Contess de Podenas, and Mademoiselle de Ligarde. Their Montgolfier balloon lifts to the length of the restraining rope.
---In 1927... The first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic is made by Charles A. Lindbergh. In his Ryan monoplane Spirit of St. Louis, he covers 3,600 miles in 33 hours, 29 minutes and wins the Orteig Prize of $25,000.
---In 1929... Charles Lindbergh marries Anne, daughter of Dwight W. Morrow, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and author of an influential report on American aviation.
---In 1932... The first solo flight by a woman pilot across the Atlantic is made by American Amelia Earhart. She flies from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland in a Lockheed Vega monoplane in 13 hours, 30 minutes.
---In 1933…Turkish Airlines is founded.
---In 1951…U.S. Air Force Captain James Jabara becomes the first fighter ace to score his five victories in a jet (an F-86 Sabre) against jets (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s).
---In 1965…First flight of the deHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
---In 1971…Boeing announces that it haa canceled its Supersonic Transport (SST) project.
---In 1977…First flight of the Sukhoi T-10 (prototype of Sukhoi Su-27).
---In 1978…McDonnell Douglas delivers its 5,000th F-4 Phantom aircraft, twenty years after the first flight of the prototype.
---In 1978… Pioneer Venus 1, USA Venus Orbiter, launched. Pioneer Venus 1 (also known as Pioneer 12) arrived at Venus on December 4, 1978. It operated continuously from 1978 until October 8, 1992, when contact was lost with the spacecraft. It was expected to burn up in the Venusian atmosphere 6 days later. The orbiter was the first spacecraft to use radar in mapping the planet's surface. The electron field experiment detected radio bursts presumably caused by lightening. No magnetic field was detected. From 1978 to 1988 the amount of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere decreased by 10%. The reason for this decrease is unknown. Perhaps a large volcano erupted just before the orbiter arrived and the amount of sulfur dioxide slowly declined.
---In 2003…First flight of SpaceShipOne (first captive flight, unmanned).
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Editor’s Choice
Trivia
Who am I?
Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.
1. First flown in 2001, I was the longest airliner in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?
2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?
3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?
4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?
5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?
6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?
7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?
8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?
9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?
10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?
