NewsCommercial
Boeing, Microsoft to build cloud-based analytics platform
Boeing and Microsoft have teamed to transition many of Boeing’s commercial aviation analytics tools to the cloud, the aircraft manufacturer and the software company announced July 18. Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Microsoft are both based in Washington state. “[Boeing’s] aviation data resources coupled with Microsoft's cloud technology will accelerate innovation in areas such as predictive maintenance and flight optimization, allowing airlines to drive down costs and improve operational efficiency," Boeing VP-digital aviation Kevin Crowley said. “[The collaboration intends] to accelerate the digital transformation of aviation through the use of analytics-based applications, cloud technologies and large-scale integration."
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Boeing showcases 7 series as company marks 100th year
Boeing marked its 100th year in business with an event at Seattle's Museum of Flight that showcased its new 7 series commercial aircraft. "The innovative spirit of our founder Bill Boeing — who 100 years ago today dedicated this company to building something better — is alive in the generations of our people who continue to deliver products and services that matter and positively change lives around the world," said Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg.
LinkAirlines
Air Europa Pilots To Strike July 30 - August 2
Pilots at Spanish airline Air Europa have called a strike for July 30 to August 2 over grievances including the outsourcing of part of their fleet to another airline, Aernova. The Sepla union said pilots would operate minimum services for the duration of the strike.
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Alaska Airlines bolsters fleet with 19 new 737s in 2016
Alaska Airlines will take delivery of 19 brand-new 737s this year. The carrier has already received 13, bringing the total fleet count up to 153 737s.
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American works to optimize performance for summer
American Airlines is working to further enhance operational performance during the busy summer rush. "We're also working to improve reliability by minimizing aircraft swaps ahead of the Right Start periods," according to the company.
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Azerbaijan Airlines eyes Boeing 737 purchase
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) is considering buying 10 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, the carrier has announced. The Caucasus’ national carrier operates a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing types; at present, its single-aisle equipment largely consists of Airbus A320-family aircraft, with a small fleet of 20 year-plus Boeing 757s and some Embraer EMB 170/190s for regional work.
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ATSB investigating Emirates A380 landing incident
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating an incident where an Emirates Airline Airbus A380 descended below minimum assigned altitude while on approach to land at Melbourne Tullamarine International airport. The Bureau’s safety investigations and reports website says that the aircraft, registered A6-EDM (MSN 42), was operating a flight from Auckland on 14 July when the incident occurred. It was positioned around 28km south of the airport at the time.
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Egyptair MS804 investigators: ‘fire’ mentioned on cockpit voice recorder
Fire was mentioned on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the Egyptair Airbus A320 that crashed into the Mediterranean, but why or where the fire occurred is still not known, according to the latest statement from the Egyptian accident investigation organization. Egyptair flight MS804 was en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Cairo May 19 with 66 people on board when it lost radar contact and crashed. Everyone was killed.
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Ethiopian Airlines signs parts manufacturing agreement
Ethiopian Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South African aerospace firm Aerosud Holdings to form an Ethiopia-based joint venture, which will manufacture aircraft parts for Airbus, Boeing and others. “The manufacturing facilities, that will be set up in due course, are expected to be located in the vicinity of [Addis Ababa] Bole International airport,” Ethiopian Airlines group CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said, adding that this location—right next to Ethiopian’s main base—will offer good economies of scale and simplify imports and exports.
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Malaysia Airlines Settles MH17 Damages- Report
Malaysia Airlines has struck a deal to settle damages claims for most victims of its MH17 flight that was shot down over eastern Ukraine two years ago, Dutch national broadcaster NOS reported. NOS cited Veeru Mewa, a lawyer representing Dutch victims.
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Airbus Says Pegasus Will Take Delivery Of A320neo
Turkey's Pegasus Airlines will take delivery of its first A320neo as planned this week, Airbus said, reversing earlier indications that the delivery would be postponed following Friday's thwarted coup attempt in the country. The aircraft will be handed over in Hamburg on Tuesday, but without a previously planned media ceremony.
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FAA lifts Turkey ban, allowing Turkish Airlines to resume US flights
FAA has lifted all restrictions on flights between the US and Turkey, enabling Turkish Airlines to resume flights to the US July 19. The move rescinds a notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued July 16 in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt in Turkey that had the effect of banning all Turkish Airlines’ flights to the US. As of 1345 Washington DC time July 18, there were no longer any restrictions on flights from Turkey, an FAA spokesperson said.
LinkAirports
Old Athens Airport To Be Reborn As Leisure Resort
The crumbling former Athens airport complex housing thousands of stranded migrants will be transformed into one of Europe's biggest coastal resorts if a Greek development company gets approval. The EUR€7 billion plan to develop Hellenikon, a site three times the size of Monaco, has the potential to help kick-start an economy that is limping back to growth after seven years of recession.
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Hong Kong airport sees 5.1% passenger growth in first half
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has reported a 5.1% rise in passenger numbers for the first six months of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. It also registered a 2.6% increase in flight movements to 204,750 over the same period compared to the 2015 figures. The total number of passengers handled by HKIA between January and June 2016 was 35.2 million, with 5.9 million in June 2016—up 5.4% compared to the same month in the previous year.
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LAX seeks to solve ‘huge’ road access problem with $5.5 billion plan
Passengers’ difficulty accessing Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) efficiently via surrounding roadways is a “huge, huge problem we need to fix,” according to Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) CEO Deborah Flint. A year into her tenure leading the organization that oversees LAX following a five-year stint running Oakland International Airport (OAK), Flint is candidly acknowledging the gateway airport’s shortcomings, especially compared to modern Asian airports from which many LAX-bound passengers are connecting. “Efficiency of operations is the new currency of airports,” she told the International Aviation Club of Washington DC.
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New gates planned for Chicago O'Hare
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced that major airlines will build up to nine new gates at Chicago O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 5. The construction will be funded through existing resources, without raising taxes on airline passengers.[
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Military
Israel further assesses F-35B buy
Israel's potential acquisition of the short take-off and vertical landing B-model of Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter, to complement its ordered fleet of F-35As, has gained further momentum following a recent strategic assessment. A recent strategic assessment by the Israeli air force says that the number of short- and long-range rockets in use by militants in Lebanon and Gaza could affect the service's ability to use its bases during a conflict.
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Aviation Quote
Now, there are two ways of learning to ride a fractious horse: one is to get on him and learn by actual practice how each motion and trick may be best met; the other is to sit on a fence and watch the beast a while and then retire to the house and at leisure figure out the best way of overcoming his jumps and kicks. The latter system is the safer, but the former, on the whole, turns out the larger proportion of good riders. It is very much the same thing in learning to ride a flying machine.
— Wilbur Wright, from an address to the Western Society of Engineers, Chicago, 18 September 1901.
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