NewsUS government shutdown would halt FAA noncritical functionsThe FAA’s contingency plan for a government shutdown once again would cause its Oklahoma City aircraft registration office to shutter and put a halt to all but the most critical functions of its Aviation Safety (AVS) branch, a Department of Transportation (DOT) document shows.
LinkPekoske: Airport security screeners will remain working in shutdown Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners will remain working at airport security lanes in the event of a US government shutdown, TSA administrator David Pekoske said.
LinkSAS in ‘final negotiations’ for new A320neo orderScandinavian Airlines (SAS) has confirmed it is in final negotiations with Airbus for a large batch of A320neo narrowbodies following a Reuters report, citing SAS CFO Goran Jansson, that the carrier will purchase 40-50 aircraft.
LinkWalsh: IAG will grow substantially if NIKI deal is approvedInternational Airlines Group (IAG) CEO Willie Walsh told ATW that the company will grow significantly if the deal to buy NIKI assets via its Spanish LCC subsidiary Vueling goes ahead.
LinkKorean Air to phase out older Boeing 737s, 747s and 777sKorean Air plans to phase out more of its older passenger and cargo aircraft this year as it upgrades its fleet with several widebody and narrowbody deliveries.
LinkTianjin Airlines to connect Los Angeles with two cities in ChinaTianjin Airlines plans to connect Los Angeles with two Chinese secondary cities beginning in December. With this move, the HNA Group carrier will have three long-haul routes at Zhengzhou, a city of 9.7 million people 660 km (410 mi.) southwest of Beijing.
LinkChina’s big three carriers exceed 100 million passengers in 2017China’s big three carriers—China Southern, China Eastern and Air China—each reported passenger boardings of more than 100 million in 2017 as market demand continued to grow. Last year, China Southern transported 126 million passengers, up 10.2% over 2016. Domestic passengers were up 10.3% to 109 million and international passengers jumped 11.1% to 15.4 million. The Guangzhou-based airline carried 2.3 million passengers on regional routes (Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). Average passenger load factor was up 1.7 points to 82.2%.
LinkContract docs reveal plans for Russia's new widebody engineA newly-signed contract discloses key details of Russia’s design goals for the country’s first high-bypass gas turbine engine in the 75,000lb-thrust power class launched on 19 January to support the CRIAC CR929 widebody, Ilyuishin Il-96-400 and several military projects.
LinkAmerican Airlines expands route networkAmerican Airlines announced 52 new nonstop flights in 2018, including hourly weekday shuttle flights between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport. "Many of the new routes are focused on connecting smaller cities to one of American's major hubs to create new city pairings for customers," said American Airlines executive Vasu Raja.
LinkWalletHub scores airline rewards programsWalletHub evaluated and compared domestic airlines' loyalty rewards programs, putting Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines in the top two spots for most rewards value. WalletHub noted that four of the largest 10 US airlines are offering more rewards in 2018 than they did in 2017, and seven of the 10 don't impose blackout dates on flights purchased with miles.
LinkJFK airport taking steps to improve operationsA senior executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates John F. Kennedy International Airport, said the agency has set up a new emergency operations center to help them better coordinate with airport terminals and airlines before, during and after storms. The current system to handle passengers and their baggage when major storms hit is "antiquated" and "broken," said Rick Cotton, the authority's executive director.
Link United to deploy larger planes for some Duluth, Minn.-Chicago flightsUnited Airlines will use Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft for its first and last daily flights between Duluth International Airport in Minnesota and Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The carrier's other daily flights between the cities will continue to use 50-passenger jets.
LinkGulfstream delivers last G450, ending 30-year GIV eraGulfstream delivered the last G450 business jet on 19 January, shutting down the final derivative of the original GIV after a 30-year production run. The Rolls Royce Tay-powered G450 was launched as the GIV-SP, but was rebranded before it entered service in 2005.
LinkNTSB report faults control system gaps in fatal 525 crashA Bell Helicopter 525 test aircraft crashed, killing two flight test pilots, 18 months ago after a series of system design flaws in the fly-by-wire helicopter aggravated severe vibrations caused by the crew’s unusually slow recovery from a test using a low rotor speed, the US National Transportation Safety Board says in a final investigation report released on 17 January.
LinkState Department clears potential F-35A export to BelgiumThe US State Department has approved a possible foreign military sale of 34 Lockheed Martin F-35As to Belgium worth an estimated $6.53 billion, the agency announced this week. Lockheed still needs Congressional approval, but the State Department blessing moves Lockheed once step closer in its bid to replace Belgium’s aging fleet of 59 F-16A/Bs.
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