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Airbus grabs 83 orders for May as sales accelerate
Airbus garnered 83 orders in May, with 77 of those for the A320 family of aircraft and six A350-900s. Airbus made 57 deliveries for the month, including three A321ceos for American Airlines -- one being the first from Airbus' new final assembly line at Mobile, Ala.
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Russia Says Irkut MC-21 To Rival Boeing, Airbus
Russia's Irkut unveiled a new medium-range passenger plane which state media said was superior to its Western-made counterparts in many respects and would be snapped up by both Russian and foreign carriers. In a ceremony at a factory in Siberia attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Irkut rolled out its new MC-21 passenger plane which is still undergoing testing but is due to enter production next year.
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UTC, Pratt execs defend A320neo GTF, say ‘teething problems’ fixed
Pratt & Whitney executives are defending the PW1100G, insisting the engine startup restrictions and associated software problems that bedeviled the Airbus A320neo’s entry into service (EIS) are now fixed. Speaking to reporters at events surrounding United Technologies Corp.’s (UTC) Media Days June 6-7 in East Hartford, Connecticut, executives from UTC and subsidiaries Pratt and UTC Aerospace Systems found themselves diverting from presentations on geared turbofan (GTF) production ramp-up efforts to address criticisms made by Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker on the sidelines of the IATA AGM in Dublin June 3.
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Russian authorities prohibit Red Wings SSJ100 operations
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has restricted Moscow-based Red Wings Airlines’ air operator’s certificate (AOC), prohibiting it from SSJ100 aircraft operations. The decision takes effect from July 1. The restriction was made after an inspection carried out earlier this year, Rosaviatsia said in a statement.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Airlines expands service in Calif.
Alaska Airlines has announced the beginning of its expanded service within California connecting San Jose with Orange County/Santa Ana and San Diego. The airline also plans to provide seasonal flights connecting San Diego and Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Colo.
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American CEO Says Costs To Reduce Security Delays Not Sustainable
US airlines' efforts to help reduce long airport security lines are not sustainable, the chief executive of American Airlines, Doug Parker, said. American, Delta and United have each added USD$4 million to what they typically spend on stocking bins at checkpoints and to take care of tasks other than screening, which is handled by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
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Cebu Pacific Looking To Add Additional Airbus A330s
Philippines budget airline, Cebu Pacific, is looking to acquire two more Airbus A330s, company president Lance Gokongwei said. "That is under consideration because we're looking to fly to additional routes particularly Honolulu or increasing potential flights to the Middle East," Gokongwei told reporters.
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Second Specialist Vessel To Join EgyptAir Search
A second ship with specialist search equipment will join the hunt for the flight recorders and wreckage of EgyptAir flight MS804, the head of France's air accident investigation safety agency said. A French naval supply vessel picked up a signal from one of the two recorders on June 1, and Egypt has chartered a second vessel operated by Mauritius-based Deep Ocean Search, equipped with a suitable sonar and underwater vehicle.
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Emirates repays $1bn bullet bond
Emirates Airline has repaid a $1 billion bullet bond that matured on 8 June, and is preparing to repay a separate S$150 million ($111 million) bond due later this month. The airline says in a statement that the $1 billion bond was raised in 2011 to bolster its working capital, while the Singapore dollar bond was raised in 2006.
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Fastjet Names New Chief Executive
African budget airline Fastjet has appointed Nico Bezuidenhout as chief executive, filling a position that was vacant for nearly three months after the previous CEO resigned due to pressure form the company's second-largest shareholder.
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Flybe rejigs Republic Q400 deal over 'cautious' forecasts
UK operator Flybe Group is restructuring its previous agreement to take 24 Bombardier Q400s from US carrier Republic Airways, opting instead to take 15 of the turboprops.
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SAS, Norwegian pilots agree to labor deal
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has reached a last-minute labor deal with Norwegian short-haul pilots, averting one set of potential strike action. SAS has been working since April to secure new collective labor deals with its Norwegian and Swedish pilots.
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Southwest Airlines expects increase in operating revenue
Southwest Airlines has confirmed an expected increase in its operating revenue per available seat mile for the second quarter. Available seat miles jumped by 4.6% last month.
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Southwest celebrates Tuskegee Airman's 91st birthday
Southwest Airlines helped Lt. Col. George E. Hardy, a member of the Tuskegee Airmen celebrate his 91st birthday after he arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport for a trip to Florida. "When we learned Lt. Col. Hardy’s story, we knew we needed to make this birthday one to remember. Our Team immediately went to work," according to the airline.
LinkMilitary
Israel accepts final M-346 Lavi trainer
Israel's air force on 7 June accepted delivery of its last Aermacchi M-346 "Lavi" trainer from Leonardo-Finmeccanica, with all 30 of its examples having been accepted since March 2014.
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Boeing targets October test for improved Chinook rotorblades
Boeing is targeting an October test of new CH-47F Chinook rotorblades to increase its maximum take-off weight by 907kg (2,000lb), despite the upgrade not yet being fully funded by the US Department of Defense. A US Army-owned Chinook is at the manufacturer’s Mesa, Arizona facility where it is undergoing modifications ahead of tests of the honeycomb composite rotorblades, which form part of the service’s Block II upgrade plan.
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APKWS deployed on USAF F-16
BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) has been deployed on the US Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-16 - the first time the service has used the weapon on a fixed-wing aircraft. The laser-guided rocket is being used on board aircraft supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, BAE says, and is part of an urgent operational requirement that also covers its potential use on the Fairchild Republic A-10.
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Aviation Quote
Navigating by the compass in a sea of clouds over Spain is all very well, it is very dashing, but — you want to remember that below the sea of clouds lies eternity.
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, 'Wind, Sand, and Stars,' 1939.
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