NewsCommercial
Bombardier delivers first Q400 combi
Japan’s Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) has become the launch operator for Bombardier’s new Q400 passenger-cargo “combi” version, which can carry up to 9,000 lb. (4,082 kg.) of cargo and 58 passengers. Okinawa-based RAC, which is a member of Japan Airlines Group, received its first Q400 combi on Dec. 31, kicking off deliveries from its five-aircraft order.
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China To Allow Transit Stops In Taiwan
China said it will allow transit stops in Taiwan for its citizens flying from three Chinese cities, allowing people from the mainland to travel on from the island for the first time. The change is another step towards normalising travel arrangements between the two sides which have enjoyed increasingly close business ties over recent years, and follows the launch last week of their first telephone hotline.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada To Appeal Maintenance Work Ruling
Air Canada is seeking to appeal to the country's highest court a decision last year ordering the airline to keep heavy maintenance operations in Montreal. In November, the Quebec Court of Appeal ruled against the carrier, upholding a lower court's 2013 decision that Air Canada must keep the operations in Montreal.
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Austrian Airlines launches Embraer E195 operations
Austrian Airlines launched its first Embraer E195 scheduled flight on Jan. 4, 2016, on the Vienna-Stuttgart route. The Lufthansa subsidiary acquired 17 E195s from former Lufthansa CityLine for nearly $900 million at list prices. They will gradually replace the 21 Fokker aircraft currently used by Austrian Airlines. Embraer jets have an average age of four years, compared to the average age of about 21 years with Austrian’s Fokker 70/100 fleet. The 120-seat E195s use about 18% less fuel per seat.
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Lufthansa to add more than 4,000 workers in 2016
The Lufthansa Group will hire more than 4,000 workers in 2016, which includes nearly 2,800 flight attendants, 240 pilots and 150 service staff at Munich Airport. According to Lufthansa Group, it will focus on hiring 1,400 flight attendants for Lufthansa (800 in Frankfurt and 600 in Munich); 800 for Swiss International Air Lines in Zurich; 360 for Eurowings in Vienna, Dusseldorf and Hamburg; 200 for Austrian Airlines in Vienna; and 30 for Lufthansa CityLine in Munich.
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Malaysia Airlines suspends checked baggage to Europe
Malaysia Airlines abruptly put a temporary suspension on all checked baggage on its flights to Europe, citing strong head winds and safety concerns. In an initial statement issued on Jan. 5, Malaysia Airlines said it was only able to carry hand luggage on services from Kuala Lumpur to Europe. Passengers can still check in luggage, but it will be sent “later,” on a separate flight “as soon as the situation permits.”
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Pegasus Airlines Cancels Russian Flights
Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines has suspended flights to and from Russia until January 13 after authorities there failed to give its crew members visas. Russia has instituted a number of sanctions against Turkish companies and individuals after the Turkish military shot down a Russian jet in November it said had breached its airspace while on a bombing campaign in Syria.
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Saudi Arabia stops air services with Iran
Saudi Arabia announced Jan. 5 it is ceasing all air services with Iran due to increasing tension between Riyadh and Tehran following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shia Moslem cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia is the homeland of Sunni Islam, while Iran is the champion of the Shia branch of the religion. The two nations have long been rivals and have taken opposing sides in the current strife in Syria and Yemen.
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Spirit Airlines CEO Baldanza replaced
Spirit Airlines president and CEO Ben Baldanza has been replaced by former AirTran Airways CEO Bob Fornaro, effective immediately. Baldanza had led Spirit since 2006, overseeing the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida-based airline’s transformation into a rapidly growing and consistently profitable ultra low-cost carrier. The airline maintained profitability as it grew capacity by 30% in 2015, but its revenue performance was sluggish throughout the year as major US airlines began aggressively matching its low fares.
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United Airlines offers 2 new bundles with Economy Plus
United Airlines debuted two new bundles with Economy Plus near the end of 2015. "After their flights, customers who sit in Economy Plus consistently report higher levels of satisfaction -- including with parts of the travel experience outside of the aircraft," said Rahsaan Johnson, a spokesman for United.
LinkAirports
Southwest looking to expand training facilities at Dallas Love Field
Southwest Airlines is looking into expanding its headquarters at Dallas Love Field by constructing a new flight training center. "If we move forward with the building, we estimate a move-in date no earlier than 2018," said Lori Crabtree from Southwest. The carrier's current flight training facility was designed to train 2,600 pilots, but Southwest now employs around 8,000 pilots.
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Spokane Reopens After Plane Slides Off Taxiway
Spokane Airport in Washington state has reopened after a United Airlines Boeing 737 slid off a taxiway, forcing a nearly three-hour shutdown. No injuries were reported and the airport reopened for flight operations at 8:45 local time as workers sought "to assure adequate braking conditions have been established," officials said on Twitter.
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Military
Boeing wins 10-year T-38C contract as USAF looks to T-X
Boeing has defeated an unnamed challenger to secure a 10-year contract worth up to $855 million for Northrop T-38C Talon avionics and logistics support, maintaining its involvement with the widely-used aircraft through 2026 as the US Air Force fields a replacement “T-X” combat trainer. Boeing completed a major T-38A/B avionics suite upgrade in 2007, converting 463 Talons to the T-38C standard by replacing analog components with a new digital cockpit.
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France reportedly confirms C-130J buy
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has reportedly given the green light for Paris's acquisition of four Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transports to plug a capability shortfall caused by the Airbus Defense & Space A400M's inability to provide in-flight refuelling for helicopters. Following an authorization from the US state department in November 2015 to proceed with the sale, news agency Reuters quotes Le Drian, speaking during a visit to French forces stationed in Jordan, as confirming the deal will go ahead. French aircraft are deployed in the Middle Eastern nation as part of Opération Chammal, its fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
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Spain and Belgium prepare to take on Baltic policing duties
On 7 January, Spain will take the lead role for the next four-month, NATO-led Baltic Air Policing (BAP) rotation, as it deploys four Eurofighters to Šiauliai air base in Lithuania. The BAP mission provides fighters to NATO nations Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which do not have their own combat aircraft, primarily in light of the alliance's tensions with Russia. Hungary has led the activity since August 2015, using its Saab Gripens. Spain will take on this role, while Belgian air force Lockheed Martin F-16s will take over from German air force Eurofighters that have been based at Amari air base in Estonia, in a secondary BAP role.
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Aviation Quote
Real confidence in the air is bred only by mistakes made and recovered from at a safe altitude, in a safe ship, and seated on a good parachute.
— Rodney H. Jackson, 'A Lesson in Stunting,' Aeronautics magazine, February 1930.
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Who Was The Pilot
1. The developer of the Spruce Goose as well as its pilot. Who was it?
John Glenn
Amelia Earhart
Howard Hughes
Charles Lindbergh
2. Who was the pilot of 'The Flyer'?
3. Who was the pilot of Freedom 7?
Gus Grissom
John Glenn
Wally Schirra
Alan Shephard
4. Who was the first pilot to break the sound barrier?
5. Who was the pilot (commander) of Apollo 13?
Tom Hanks
Buzz Aldrin
James Lovell
Neil Armstrong
