NewsQantas to take A321LR deliveries for LCC JetstarThe Qantas Group has confirmed it will take delivery of 18 Airbus A321neo long-range (A321LR) aircraft beginning in mid-2020, which will be used by its Jetstar LCC subsidiary for fleet replacement and growth.
LinkEASA publishes first opinion on drone safetyThe European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has taken an important step toward building a regulatory framework to govern the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, in the region’s airspace.
LinkDelta-Aeromexico cooperation expandsAeromexico and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines will offer nonstop service between Detroit and Leon, Mexico, starting April 30, connecting two major automotive-industry regions and taking another step in leveraging their joint venture (JV).
LinkAVIC to roll out MA700 in 2019; first delivery likely in 2022The first Aviation Corp. of China (AVIC) MA700 turboprop airliner should be rolled out around the middle of 2019, following the start of manufacturing of long-lead parts in December 2017.
LinkVolaris posts $30 million net loss as passenger revenue growth stallsMexico City-based ultra-LCC Volaris—faced with a very competitive low-cost market combined with fluctuating currency exchange rates—posted a MXP595 million ($30.2 million) full-year net loss for 2017, reversed from MXP3.5 billion net profit in 2016. Volaris’ full-year revenue totaled MXP24.8 billion, up 5.7% year-over-year (YOY), but passenger revenue, notably, was flat for the year at MXP17.8 billion. Non-ticket revenue increased 23.3%. Full-year expenses increased 19.5% to MXP24.8 billion, as fuel costs and landing/takeoff/navigation expenses rose 26.4% and 22.6%, respectively.
LinkFlydubai 2017 net profit up 18% as Emirates partnership strengthensDubai-based hybrid carrier flydubai reported a full-year profit of AED37.3 million ($10.1 million) for 2017, up 18% on a net profit of AED31.6 million in 2016. It achieved the result on turnover of AED5.5 billion, compared to AED5 billion in the previous year. Passenger numbers were up 5.5% at a record 10.9 million, compared to 10.4 million in 2016.
LinkBoeing, Embraer navigate politically delicate combination plansEmbraer CEO Paulo Cesar Silva expects his company and Boeing to find a set-up for the planned combination of the businesses “in the next weeks.”
LinkALPA warns against lowering pilot qualificationsThe president of the largest North American airline pilots’ union in a Feb. 21 speech argued that strict pilot training and qualification requirements have helped prevent passenger fatalities among US airlines for nine straight years.
LinkHawaiian's A330-800 order remains in place, for now: airlineHawaiian Airlines confirms it has not cancelled an order for six Airbus A330-800s, countering reports that the carrier had already terminated its deal with Airbus in favour of Boeing 787-9s. Though the Honolulu-based airline confirms its agreement to buy the Airbus widebodies remains in place, Hawaiian declines to comment about whether a new deal with Boeing may be imminent, as has been reported.
LinkAntonov pilots test-fly Saratov An-148 upset scenarioAntonov has carried out a simulation indicating that the An-148 which crashed outside Moscow could have been brought under control. Preliminary findings from the Russian Interstate Aviation Committee inquiry into the 11 February Saratov Airlines accident have pointed to unreliable airspeed information, probably linked to an unheated pitot-static system.
LinkQatar's focus on large twins keeps A380s on holdQatar Airways is not looking to firm up any of its Airbus A380 options, as it prepares to put its first A350-1000 into service. The airline ordered 10 A380s and, by the end of January, had taken delivery of nine.
LinkQantas holds line on firming 787 optionsQantas has let one of its Boeing 787 options lapse and says remaining options will only be firmed after it has proven the business case for the aircraft. During the airline’s earnings call, chief executive Alan Joyce says that while Qantas is keen on expanding its 787 fleet, the decision will come after it finalises plans for its remaining 747s.
LinkAir NZ targeting 777-200 replacement from 2022Air New Zealand is looking to options to replace its eight Boeing 777-200ERs from 2022. The Star Alliance carrier disclosed that it has started the evaluation in an investor presentation following the release of its results for the six months to the end of December 2017.
LinkAir NZ expects Trent 1000 issue to be resolved by AprilAir New Zealand expects that the issues plaguing the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines that power its fleet of eight Boeing 787-9s will be resolved by around the middle of April. Chief executive of the Star Alliance carrier Christopher Luxon says that the airline “has made great progress” on replacing intermediate turbine pressure blades in the engines following two incidents in December that caused 787s to return to Auckland.
Link SIA selects Perth as second 787-10 destinationSingapore Airlines will deploy the Boeing 787-10 on one of its four daily flights from Singapore to Perth in May. The carrier has already announced Osaka as its maiden scheduled 787-10 route. The type will also be deployed on selected services to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur ahead of that.
LinkSpiceJet rules out making a move for Air IndiaSpiceJet has ruled out making a move for Air India, as the state-owned flag carrier undergoes privatisation this year. SpiceJet chairman and managing director Ajay Singh says the low-cost carrier has its own "massive" expansion plan and wants to stay focus on its own growth.
LinkBell brand drops "Helicopter" for shape of a dragonflyAs part of a transition to a broader product strategy, Bell has dropped the “Helicopter” from the company’s name and adopted the dragonfly as the new symbol of its brand symbol, chief executive Mitch Snyder says on 22 February. The switch returns the company to its roots as a pioneer in aviation technology. Prior to launching into the helicopter business in the early 1940s, the original Bell Aircraft was the designer of fighters, such as the World War II-era P-40 and the X-1 supersonic research aircraft.
LinkAerion releases configuration of supersonic jet engineAerion has released a configuration of the first civil supersonic jet engine since the Bristol Siddeley Olympus. The engine under study by GE Aviation is the final, and perhaps most critical, piece of Aerion’s 15-year-old quest to revive supersonic travel from the ashes of the retired BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde, but still introduces a new challenge that the would-be manufacturer's designers must overcome.
LinkBoeing rejoins competitive field for Canadian fighter dealThe Canadian government has announced that five bidders — Boeing, Dassault, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin and Saab — are eligible to compete for a long sought-after contract to replace the country’s 88 CF-18 fighters. The disclosure of the Future Fighter Capabilities Project (FFCP)’s official Supplier’s List ends a mystery about whether Boeing would decline to participate after angering Canadian government officials.
LinkUK preparing ambitious combat air strategyThe UK Ministry of Defence will publish a new combat air strategy document later this year, which defence secretary Gavin Williamson says will “bring together the best of British engineering, skill and design, and deliver a compelling vision for the future of air power". Williamson announced the activity on 21 February, saying the "bold and ambitious" plan is expected to be released "in the summer", shortly after the Royal Air Force marks its 100thanniversary.
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