NewsCommercial
Undisclosed customer orders 20 A330s
Airbus has secured orders for 20 A330s from an undisclosed customer, the airframer’s backlog figures have revealed. The manufacturer has disclosed that the order – a mix of seven A330-200s and 13 A330-300s – was signed on 29 April. Airbus has already opted to raise monthly production of A330s to seven aircraft next year, having previously cut the output to six.
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Bombardier debuts new CRJ900 cabin design with more bin space
Bombardier has unveiled a cabin design upgrade for the CRJ900 that is primarily focused on creating more overhead bin space for carry-on bags. Speaking at the Regional Airline Association (RAA) convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft VP-marketing Patrick Baudis said the Canadian manufacturer is trying to solve the problem of traditional roller carry-on bags having to be gate checked for CRJ flights. The new cabin design will allow for 50% more bags to be placed in overhead bins in the business-class section of the CRJ900, he said.
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Mitsubishi wants to start US MRJ flight tests this summer
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is seeking permission from Japanese and US regulators to move the start of MRJ flight testing in the US from the end of this year to this summer. The MRJ90 achieved first flight in Japan in November 2015, but in December Mitsubishi Aircraft announced a delay in the planned first delivery of the aircraft to All Nippon Airways (ANA) to mid-2018.
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FAA certifies Pratt & Whitney PW1400G-JM engine
FAA has certified Pratt & Whitney’s PW1400G-JM engine to power Russian aircraft manufacturer Irkut’s MC-21 aircraft. Pratt & Whitney said it now has three certified geared turbofan (GTF) engine variants.
LinkAirlines
American to install lie-flat seats in business class
American Airlines plans to install Super Diamond seats from B/E Aerospace in business class. The lie-flat seats, which recline 180 degrees, will be installed on Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s.
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EasyJet foresees continued growth despite 1H loss
UK-based easyJet slipped back to a net loss of £20 million ($29 million) for the half-year ended March 31, compared to a profit of £5 million a year ago. It made the loss on revenue of £1.77 billion, marginally up on last time’s figure of £1.76 billion.
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Emirates Airline reports FY 2015-16 profits up 56.4%
Dubai-based Emirates Airline recorded a net profit of AED7.13 billion ($1.94 billion) for the 2015-16 financial year ended March 31, up 56.4% compared to a net profit of AED4.6 billion in the previous year. Profit margin was 8.4%, the strongest margin since 2010-11. Revenue for the period dropped 4.3%, to AED85 billion, largely as a result of the strengthening US dollar against many currencies and downward pressure on prices caused by sharply reduced fuel prices.
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Hawaiian to optimize flight procedures over ocean
Hawaiian Airlines plans to make increased use of optimized flight procedures it demonstrated on a recent scheduled flight between Auckland and HNL.
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Japan Airlines subsidiary J-AIR introduces Embraer E190
J-Air Corp. (J-AIR), the regional offshoot of Japan Airlines (JAL), has introduced its Embraer E190 jet in Japan. The inaugural revenue flight took place May 9 between Osaka-Itami Airport and Kagoshima. The entry of the first E190 in J-AIR’s fleet brings the number of E-Jets operating across Japan to 28.
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Southwest passenger traffic grew in April
Southwest Airlines reported a 4.7% increase in passenger traffic for April on a year-over-year basis. Southwest also posted a load factor of 83.4% for April, its highest load factor ever for the month.
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United to continue seasonal service from Cleveland to Fla. cities
United Airlines is bringing back seasonal service from Cleveland to two cities in Florida, although the flights start in December instead of October this year. Service from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers will run through April.
LinkAirports
United marks 3 decades of hub operations at Dulles
United Airlines celebrated three decades of hub operations at Washington Dulles. United designated the airport in Washington, D.C., as a hub in May 1986. "Over the last 30 years, United has employed nearly 17,000 dedicated employees at IAD who have helped connect more than 500 million people through Washington Dulles to destinations around the globe," said Jon Roitman, United senior vice president of airport operations.
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Military
USAF issues RfP for initial design of next Air Force One
As America prepares to pick its next president, the US Air Force is about to put Boeing on contract to begin designing the next version of Air Force One. Boeing’s four-engine 747-8 wide-body jet was chosen in January 2015 to replace the current head of state fleet, which is comprised of two 747-200-based VC-25As. Boeing received its first Presidential Aircraft Replacement (PAR) contract earlier this year for risk reduction activities and now US Air Force Materiel Command wants to fund another task for preliminary design.
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Aviation Quote
"Some people want to give money to their children, buy houses, go on a holiday—whatever it is that they want to invest in. This particular journey has been something that I wanted to do most of my life, but there was no real opportunity to do so."
— Sarah Brightman on spending (maybe) Fifty million US dollars on a ride to the ISS. Article in The Space Review, 6 April 2015.
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Editor’s Choice
Trivia
WORLD AIRLINES
1. What is the oldest airline still operating under its original name?
KLM
Northwest Airlines
Deutsche Lufthansa
Qantas
2. What airline carried the most passengers in 2005?
British Airways
American Airlines
United Airlines
Japan Airlines
3. Which of these low-cost airlines is not based in India?
Air Blue
Go Air
SpiceJet
Paramount Airways
4. What colour is associated with EasyJet?
Dark Blue
Purple
Orange
Maroon
5. Which of these is not an international airline?
Continental Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Delta Air Lines
6. Which of these European Airlines is not operating?
SABENA
Air Dolomiti
Eurowings
Luxair
7. Which of these is a French airline?
GB Airways
Air Scotland
Brit Air
Aurigny Air Services
8. MALEV the flag-carrier of what country?
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Iceland
Hungary
9. Which of these is not a Japanese Airline?
Skymark Airlines
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Hokkaido International Airlines
10. Which of these is a Mexican Airline?
Aero California
Mesaba Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines
