NewsBoeing appoints former 777X engineer to NMA leadership teamIn a further indication of growing preparations for the expected launch of the new mid-market airplane (NMA) in 2018, Boeing has appointed former 777X chief project engineer Terry Beezhold to an unspecified senior leadership role on the embryonic small twin-aisle program.
LinkAerolíneas Argentinas set to receive Latin America’s first 737 MAX 8CEO Mario Dell’Acqua said Aerolíneas Argentinas will take delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 Nov. 29. The aircraft will make its first commercial flight Dec. 1. “It is a great honor to be the first Latin American airline to fly the MAX,” Dell’Acqua told ATW on the sidelines of the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum in Buenos Aires Nov. 20.
LinkLatin American CEOs welcome Argentine air transport reformsLatin American airline CEOs gathered at the ALTA Airline Leaders Forum Nov. 21 in Buenos Aires praised the Argentine government’s plan to double the country’s domestic passenger traffic by 2019 to 21.3 million passengers.
LinkDelta to offer lie-flat seats on six more domestic routesDelta Air Lines will offer lie-flat business-class seating on domestic flights on six more routes next year as customer service on US domestic long-haul flights continues to become more competitive. Atlanta-based Delta already offers lie-flat seats on the New York JFK-Los Angeles, JFK-San Francisco, Boston-San Francisco and Washington National-Los Angeles routes.
LinkSF Airlines wins bid for two Boeing 747 freightersShenzhen-based SF Airlines purchased two Boeing 747 freighters for CNY320 million ($48 million) via an online auction conducted by China’s e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding. The aircraft were formerly operated by the insolvent Jade Cargo International, which filed for bankruptcy in 2013.
LinkEasyJet full-year profit falls 21%EasyJet's operating profit fell 21% to £401 million ($503 million) in the year ended 30 September. Revenue rose from £4.67 billion to £5.05 billion, but costs excluding fuel increased from £3.06 billion to £3.58 billion. Fuel costs fell £52 million to £1.06 billion.
LinkEasyJet sees Air Berlin assets being 'earnings accretive' in 2019EasyJet's chief financial officer Andrew Findlay expects the assets it is taking over from Air Berlin to make a positive contribution in 2019. The UK budget carrier has agreed to lease up to 25 ex-Air Berlin Airbus A320s for operations from the German capital Tegel airport, recruit 1,000 flightcrew formerly with the now-defunct Oneworld member and acquire other assets, including airport slots, for a cost of €40 million ($53 million).
LinkA350-1000 features automated rapid-descent capabilityAirbus has incorporated an automatic emergency descent function into the newly-certified A350-1000, which it intends to introduce into the smaller -900. The function is designed to simplify a rapid descent to a safe altitude.
LinkUK aerospace body calls for EU membership beyond 2019UK aerospace and defence trade association ADS is pushing for the UK to remain an EU member state during a post-Brexit transitional period, until the country's future trading relationship with the bloc has been determined. Speaking before the UK parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee, which is looking into the impact of Brexit on the country's aerospace sector, ADS chief executive Paul Everitt said today that member companies wanted the current "status quo" to be maintained throughout any transitional period following the UK's scheduled departure from the EU in March 2019.
LinkAirbus secures EASA certification for A350-1000Airbus has secured European certification for the A350-1000 just three days shy of the first anniversary of the twinjet's maiden flight. The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued a type certificate for the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97-powered aircraft, and the airframer expects US FAA approval to "follow shortly".
LinkIsland Aviation to launch seaplane operation with Kodiak 100sIsland Aviation Services, the parent company of Indian Ocean carrier Maldivian, is establishing a seaplane operation in the Maldives with a fleet of Quest Kodiak 100 single-engined turboprops. The venture, branded Sky Atoll Private, is designed to tap into increased demand for transport from the archipelago's tourist industry.
LinkUSAF needs Reagan-level dollars for penetrating counterair platformThe US Air Force will need to replicate funding levels not seen since President Ronald Reagan's military spending build-up in the early 1980s in order to make its next-generation air dominance (NGAD) concept a reality, the head of Air Combat Command says this week.
LinkUSAF releases F-16 service life extension solicitationThe US Air Force has released a request for proposals for a contract to beef up the structures on on a subset of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet to keep the single-engined fighter in service for at least 30 more years. In April, the USAF authorized a plan to extend the F-16C/D model’s service life from its original 8,000 flight hours to 12,000 flight hours. A June notice increased that extension to 13,856 equivalent flight hours.
LinkUSAF doubts new JSTARS could fly in contested airspaceThe US Air Force does not believe recapitalising the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) fleet will give the service the capability it needs for contested environments, the head of Air Combat Command says.
LinkKC-390 arrives in USA for flight testingIn a sign that testing activity has resumed since an incident six weeks ago, Embraer’s KC-390 arrived at the company’s US base in Jacksonville, Florida on 20 November to begin a series of flight tests before certification. The KC-390's flight test centre is based deep in Brazil's interior at the remote Gavião Peixoto complex. But Embraer will test its dual-role transport and tanker in Jacksonville, evaluating avionics systems, crosswind operations and external noise.
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