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Commercial

Airbus starts 2017 with A380 sales loss
European manufacturer Airbus had a quiet start to 2017, with just four aircraft—one A320ceo for Mexico’s VivaAerobus and three A350-900s for Air France—sold. That figure was effectively halved as two previous sales, the last pair of A380s for the French flag carrier, were converted to A350-900s, giving a net tally of two.
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Does being launch customer matter?
In a world where profit is king, it feels odd to see two airlines squabbling over a title that appears to carry no commercial advantage. The carriers are Norwegian and Southwest Airlines of the USA – both of which are vying to be recognised as launch customer for the Boeing 737 Max.
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Airlines

Air France formally swaps remaining A380s for A350s
Airbus has formally recorded the cancellation of two outstanding A380s intended for Air France, which instead is taking three more A350-900s. The swap, originally disclosed by the airline about a year ago, increases the Air France commitment for A350s to 21 aircraft.
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American close to lie-flat seats on all Boeing 777-200s
American Airlines' installation of lie-flat seats on all Boeing 777-200 planes is nearly complete. The lie-flat seats for business class will be available on all wide-body, international flights.
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Indigo Partners to launch Chilean ULCC JetSMART
Arizona-based investment firm Indigo Partners introduced its new ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), JetSMART, on Feb. 3 in Santiago, Chile. Utilizing a fleet of new Airbus A320s, the new ULCC expects to operate three aircraft by the end of the year, and nine by the end of 2018. JetSMART submitted its formal request for an air operator’s certificate to the Chilean Civil Aviation Authority Jan. 26.
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Wrong turn forced LOT flight to wait for taxiway painters
Polish investigators have detailed a bizarre incident in which a LOT Embraer 170 was obstructed by taxiway painting work at Warsaw’s Chopin airport after vacating the runway at the wrong exit. After being given landing clearance, the aircraft, arriving from Amsterdam, was instructed to leave the runway either through taxiway A4 or taxiway L, which connect to the far end of runway 11.
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Lufthansa unveils first A350 XWB with new cabin interior
Lufthansa unveiled the first of 25 Airbus A350-900s Feb. 2 in Munich after Lufthansa Technik completed the cabin installation. The aircraft—which was delivered to Lufthansa in December 2016—is scheduled to begin Munich-Delhi services Feb. 10. Lufthansa Technik said in a statement, “The required cabin installations are complete and the supplemental type certificate has been issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The aircraft is technically cleared to enter scheduled service.”
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Lufthansa embraces data analysis to offer passengers customized service
Lufthansa Group is aiming to offer passengers service “personalized on a silver tray” by utilizing “predictive analytics” to determine what offerings individual customers want, a senior executive said. Speaking to reporters during a Feb. 2 briefing in New York, SVP sales-Lufthansa hub airlines and CCO-Frankfurt hub Heike Birlenbach explained that Lufthansa plans to “pinpoint the respective needs of an individual customer rather than offering them everything we have.”
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Why Norwegian is setting the airline agenda in 2017
Norwegian has so far defied scepticism about its branding, the scale of its aircraft orders and its embrace of the low-cost long-haul model, to become one of the most influential airlines operating today. Plenty remains at stake for the carrier, not least with rising fuel prices, but Norwegian is at the heart of many of the airline industry's biggest themes.
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SkyWest posts $162 million net loss in 2016
SkyWest Inc., the St. George, Utah-based parent of regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, posted a $161.6 million net loss for the full-year 2016, reversed from a $117.8 million net profit in 2015. SkyWest’s full-year 2016 operating revenue was $3.1 billion, up 0.8% from 2015. SkyWest’s operating expenses totaled $3.3 billion, up 15.1% from $2.9 billion in 2015, and included a $466 million non-cash impairment charge related to the December 2016 termination of residual value guarantees (RVGs) with Bombardier over 76 CRJ200 50-seater aircraft owned by SkyWest and American Airlines. SkyWest was also assessed an additional $16 million in early lease return charges on eight CRJ700s.
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SWISS 777-300ER inspected after unscheduled landing in Canadian Arctic
A Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) Boeing 777-300ER is being inspected after making an unscheduled landing in Iqaluit, Canada. The aircraft, powered by GE Aviation GE90 engines, was en route from Zurich to Los Angeles Feb. 1, operating as flight LX40.
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Tigerair Australia Cancels All Bali Flights
Tigerair Australia has cancelled all flights to Bali after Indonesia refused final approval for the low cost carrier. “The Indonesian authorities have informed Tigerair that they require an alternative regulatory solution for Tigerair’s operations to Bali,” the airline said in a statement on its website.
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United Airlines to enhance customer service options with IBM mobile apps
United Airlines has joined the IBM MobileFirst for iOS project to develop applications for use by airline workers that seeks to enhance the customer service experience. "We want to put our employees in a position to deliver exceptional service at every step of the travel experience," said United's Jason Birnbaum.
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Airports

San Francisco Bay Area airports see surge in passengers
The three major airports in California's San Francisco Bay Area all reported a surge in passengers over 2015. San Francisco International Airport saw a 10% increase in 2016, Oakland International Airport traffic increased 7.7% and Mineta San Jose International Airport reported a 10.2% increase.
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London City Airport’s refurbished Western Pier nears completion
A major refurbishment and expansion of London City Airport’s Western Pier is approaching completion. The airport has finished the makeover of the first seven of the pier’s 10 ground-level gates. The first floor level, previously essentially a narrow corridor, has been extended out over the gates, increasing available space by some 84%.
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Military

Lockheed finalizes deal for 90 F-35s, claims $728M savings
Following a year of tense negotiations, Lockheed Martin secured its low-rate initial production lot 10 contract to deliver 90 F-35 fighter jets this week. The F-35 Joint Program Office touted $728 million in savings on lot 10 compared to lot 9, which exceeds by $128 million the cost reduction estimated by president Donald Trump earlier this week.
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Aviation Quote

It was war. We were defending our country. We had a strict code of honor: you didn't shoot down a cripple and you kept it a fair fight.

- Captain Wilfrid Reid 'Wop' May, RFC, 13 victories WW1

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Trivia

General Trivia

1. What airplane produced by a well-known aircraft manufacturer was rejected by the U.S. Army in 1973 because it could be brought down by bow and arrow?

2. What is the largest, post-World War II, piston-powered, twin-engine airplane designed from scratch and produced exclusively as a general aviation airplane?

3. Why should every dedicated pilot fly at least once to KFFA?

4. Several types of liaison airplanes served the U.S. military during World War II. Best known of these were the first five, the L-1, L-2, L-3, L-4, and L-5. Can you identify these utilitarian “L-birds?”

5. Almost everyone has heard of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, but what is the Lightning II?

6. U.S. military flight-crew positions often have nicknames. What are the official positions of a boomer, a GAFO (pronounced GAY-fo), a raven, a GIB (pronounced gib), and a whizzo?

7. The Pratt & Whitney J58 (JT11D) engines that powered the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird use JP-7 fuel so inert that it could not be ignited with spark or ignition plugs. How was this exotic fuel ignited during engine start?

8. On November 13, 1942, and after having survived in a life raft in the western Pacific for 23 days, Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, Col. Hans Adamson, and Pvt. John Bartek were found by the pilot of a Vought-Sikorsky Kingfisher, a U.S. Navy seaplane. What was so unusual about the subsequent rescue?