NewsA look inside the UPS Worldport in Louisville, Ky.Employees at the UPS Worldport at Louisville International Airport in Kentucky are hard at work processing packages for holiday delivery. The facility has hundreds of miles of conveyor belts and will sort 4 million packages per day during the week before Christmas, double its usual workload.
LinkUnited CEO joins flight attendants in calls to end sexual harassmentUnited Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz on Monday wrote a letter to employees asking them to commit to a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, joining Association of Flight Attendants President Sara Nelson and others "who adamantly believe that sexual harassment, inappropriate behavior, intimidation or predation have absolutely no place anywhere in our society -- including, and especially, in our industry and on our aircraft."
LinkSouthwest to offer extra flights for football fansSouthwest Airlines will add Los Angeles-bound flights the last weekend of December from Oklahoma City and Atlanta to accommodate Oklahoma and Georgia football fans looking to cheer on their teams at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
LinkUnited Airlines reports increased Nov. trafficUnited Airlines announced that both its November traffic and capacity were up 5.1% compared to 2016. The airline also had its best-ever on-time arrival rate and fewest cancellations in a month in its history.
LinkAirbus to build fewer A380 superjumbo jetsAirbus has announced it will lower annual production of its A380 superjumbo jets to 12 in 2018 and eight in 2019, and may eventually cut production of the aircraft to as few as six per year.
LinkBoeing may resume production of 767Boeing will soon decide whether to restart production of the 767 passenger jet. Watchers say the iconic jetliner's return is likely.
LinkWinter storms disrupt air travel in EuropeDisruptions caused by weekend winter storms continued to affect air travel across western Europe on Monday, leading to delays at airports in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands.
LinkEasyJet outlines 20 new summer UK routesEasyJet has detailed plans to add 20 new routes to its UK network next summer across seven different airports. The low-cost carrier says it will start flights from Belfast International to the Isle of Man, Naples and Valencia, from Bristol to Genoa and Seville, from Liverpool to Dalaman, Palermo and Pula and a service from Manchester to Genoa.
LinkVietnam Airlines assesses 777X, A350-1000 for USA serviceVietnam Airlines is determined to launch services to the United States by the end of 2019, with more clarity expected soon about the country's US Federal Aviation Administration status. The Skyteam carrier is assessing both the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350-1000 for the 7,098nm Ho Chi Minh City-Los Angeles route, says Vietnam Airlines executive vice president Le Hong Ha.
LinkCrew lapse allowed A319 to enter runaway descentInvestigators have found that an EasyJet Switzerland crew inadvertently allowed an Airbus A319 to descend at excessive speed, before a sudden sidestick input threw several cabin crew to the floor. One cabin crew member sustained a serious injury during the 20 July 2014 incident.
LinkPilot shortage alive and well in Vietnam: Jetstar PacificA shortage of qualified pilots remains an issue for Vietnam low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific. Two advantages that the carrier has in its quest to fill the cockpits of its 17 Airbus A320 aircraft are its two shareholders, Vietnam Airlines and Qantas, says Jetstar Pacific chief executive Nguyen Quoc Phuong.
LinkAirbus sees big data delivering 'zero-AOG' goal within 10 yearsAirbus is confident that increasing use of data diagnostics should make the goal of “zero AOG” (ie grounding an aircraft due to a technical fault) achievable during the next decade. However any move to a fully-dynamic maintenance environment will be a lengthy transition will require extensive accumulation of supporting big data and operational experience.
LinkRussian ministry confirms MC-21 wing-strength successIrkut's MC-21-300 has passed a crucial strength test for its composite wing, the Russian ministry of industry has declared. The wing had been undergoing stress testing at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute but had required reinforcement following load testing earlier this year.
LinkUS to hold informal talks with Gulf states, but takes no action on Open SkiesThe US State Department has informed US airlines and labor groups that it will not formally reopen negotiations on Open Skies agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, but instead will engage the Gulf countries in informal talks over alleged subsidies to Gulf airlines.
LinkRyanair labor conflict worsens as Irish pilots vote to strike Dec. 20Conflict between Irish LCC Ryanair and its pilots is escalating in the run up to the busy holiday travel period after Irish pilots said they would strike Dec. 20 and a German union said negotiations were the only way to avert a strike, adding to similar calls for strikes in Portugal and Italy in recent days.
LinkEU, Tunisia close in on aviation agreementThe European Union (EU) and Tunisia have agreed the terms for a new aviation agreement, which is expected to grow annual traffic by up to 13% per year when it is finalized.
LinkBritish Airways readjusts its pension schemesUK carrier British Airways (BA) has taken further steps to manage its pension liabilities by closing two old schemes to further contributions and opening a new plan.
LinkAigle Azur to branch into long-haul with A330 orderFrench leisure airline Aigle Azur has placed an order for two Airbus A330-200s, which it will use to launch long-haul flights. On Dec. 12, Aigle Azur said it had ordered a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered A330s. The aircraft will be equipped with a three-class layout—including lie-flat business seats, economy plus and economy—along with the latest generation of on-demand IFE.
LinkLondon Luton plans major growthA 30-year growth plan for London Luton Airport has been announced by the airport’s owner London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL). Luton Council, which is the local authority for the area and the town with which the airport shares its name, is LLAL’s sole shareholder.
LinkAir Canada Boeing 737 MAX 8 enters serviceAir Canada launched Boeing 737 MAX 8 operations on the Toronto-Calgary route Dec. 11. The Canadian flag carrier has 61 firm orders for the 737 MAX, scheduled for delivery by 2021, with 18 to enter the fleet by the end of 2018.
LinkFlightSafety secures US approval for PC-24 simulatorFlightSafety International has secured interim Level C validation from the US Federal Aviation Administration for the first Pilatus PC-24 full-flight simulator. The approval comes less than a week after the superlight business jet received European and US type certification after a 30-month flight test campaign involving three aircraft and over 2,200 flying hours.
LinkCanada announces open fighter competition with caveatsCanada will hold an open competition to replace its aging CF-18 fighter fleet, but sent a firm warning to any company who might try to hurt Canadian business. That admonition appeared as a not-so-veiled threat toward Boeing, whose commercial arm launched a spat with Bombardier by accusing the Canadian manufacturer of dumping the CSeries on the market.
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Pride of place for Memphis Belle It’s not easy for a new aviation-themed attraction to impress the town of Dayton, Ohio, where the official motto is “Birthplace of Aviation”. After all, a Wright Flyer III – restored by Orville Wright himself – sits on display in the town’s Carillon Historic Park. A museum honouring the legacy of local hero Neil Armstrong is open to visitors in Wapokoneta, 60 miles to the north.
LinkJet Aviation launches charter operation in MaltaJet Aviation has been awarded an air operator's certificate from the Maltese civil aviation authority, allowing the business aviation services company to provide charter operations in the Mediterranean country using aircraft registered with the local 9H prefix. Malta is the third European country to award Jet Aviation an AOC after Germany and Switzerland. A 19-passenger 737-derived Boeing Business Jet, with the registration 9H-GGG, is the first aircraft to be added to the line-up. The VIP airliner will be joined in the coming weeks by a super-midsize Embraer Legacy 600.
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