NewsCathay Pacific 'pleased' with A350-1000 performanceCathay Pacific Airways is "pleased" with the performance of the Airbus A350-1000 during its first three months in service, says chief executive Rupert Hogg. "Overall, it's been a very smooth introduction into service for the A350[-1000]," he told FlightGlobal at an event to mark the launch of the Hong Kong-based carrier's new Washington Dulles route on 25 September. "We’re pleased with that."
LinkJAL expands Alaska codeshare with new Seattle routeJapan Airlines will return to Seattle in 2019 under an expanded codeshare with Alaska Airlines. The Oneworld Alliance carrier will offer daily service to Seattle Tacoma International airport from Tokyo Narita with an up to 206-seat Boeing 787-8 from 31 March 2019, JAL says. Seattle will be the carrier's sixth destination on the US West Coast.
LinkLa Compagnie details A321neo cabin plansFrench premium airline La Compagnie will equip incoming Airbus A321neos with 76 of Rockwell Collins' business-class seats and inflight entertainment (IFE) systems supplied by Zodiac Inflight Innovations. The carrier will also outfit the aircraft with inflight wireless internet provided by Viasat.
LinkCape Air gears up for Tecnam Traveller in 2019Cape Air anticipates taking delivery of its first eight Tecnam P2012 Traveller aircraft in January or February of 2019. The company will initially keep the 11-seater close to its headquarters in Hyannis, Massachusetts, operating the twin piston-engine aircraft on routes within New England to destinations such as Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Vermont and Maine.
LinkAir NZ first A321neo to enter service mid-NovemberAir New Zealand’s first Airbus A321neo will enter service in mid-November, flying on transtasman and Pacific islands routes. The carrier says that the 214-seat, all-economy configured A321s will feature larger overhead baggage bins, Android-based in-flight entertainment with 10in screens, USB charging points and in-flight connectivity.
LinkSIA’s A350 makes US power playSingapore Airlines' resumption of nonstop services to Newark and Los Angeles represents a major bet on premium traffic and will shake up rivals such as Cathay Pacific and United Airlines. With the arrival of the Airbus A350-900ULR in its fleet, the two routes are poised for a comeback after they were axed in 2013.
LinkPilot error behind Air Canada A320 near-miss at San FranciscoThe flight crew's lack of awareness of a runway closure at San Francisco was the probable cause behind a near-miss involving an Air Canada Airbus A320 that almost landed on a taxiway on 7 July 2017, says the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The flight crew also failed to manually tune the instrument landing system frequency while on approach, and both pilots reported feeling fatigued - factors that contributed to the incident, said NTSB investigators in a board meeting today as they reached the final stages of the investigation into the incident.
LinkAmerican to install Thales seat-back IFE on new 787-8sInflight entertainment (IFE) provider Thales has won a contract to equip 22 of American Airlines' incoming Boeing 787-8s with the Avant seat-back IFE system. The aircraft will have 10in (254mm) seat-back screens in the coach cabin, 12in screens at premium economy seats and 17in screens in business class, Thales says.
LinkEASA certifies A330-900Airbus has secured European certification for its A330-900, the larger member of the re-engined A330neo family. The airframer confirms that it has received the type certificate from the European Aviation Safety Agency.
LinkEASA crew test-flies MC-21 ahead of certification bid European Aviation Safety Agency test pilots have conducted preliminary examination flights of the Irkut MC-21-300. Two test pilots and a test engineer have been trained to operate the twinjet type, as the airframer pursues EASA certification.
LinkEC unimpressed with UK’s Brexit “no deal” aviation plan The European Commission (EC) has given a cool response to the UK’s aviation transition plan in the event of there being a “no deal” Brexit situation. And IATA’s director general has expressed concerns at the vast amount of work that will be required by aviation organizations and individuals to maintain air links.
LinkFAA bill clears way for US government to regulate seat size The global airline industry has come out in strong support for the US Congress’s recently-announced compromise bill to reauthorize the FAA through 2023. But a provision tucked in the bill that would clear the way for the FAA to regulate minimum seat sizes has some industry-watchers concerned Congress may be overstepping its bounds.
LinkEmirates scraps proposed fifth freedom Dubai-Spain-Mexico City route Emirates Airline has withdrawn its application to operate flights from Dubai to Mexico City via an intermediate stop in Spain, after Mexican authorities granted three flights a week versus the daily schedule sought by the Dubai-based carrier. In its decision to withdraw, Emirates said the proposed 3x-weekly plan was not commercially viable “given the resource investment required for such a long-distance operation, not to mention the negative impact on connectivity and convenience for our customers.”
LinkDelta investigates cause of IT issue that prompted ground stop Delta Air Lines said it was investigating the root cause of the technology issue that affected the carrier Tuesday evening, prompting an hour-long ground stop across its US operations. Around 8.20pm US eastern Tuesday Sept. 25, the Atlanta-based, SkyTeam carrier issued a ground stop while it worked to bring systems back up.
LinkNorwegian slashes transatlantic routes; blames Scottish air taxes Long-haul LCC Norwegian is cutting its US routes from Belfast, Northern Ireland, ending transatlantic services from Edinburgh, Scotland, and cutting some European routes from the Scottish capital. “Following a comprehensive review of our services from Belfast in response to customer demand, we have decided to withdraw our routes from Belfast to the New York and Boston areas,” the carrier said Sept. 26.
Link Air France’s Joon to further expand network Air France announced five more of its routes that will transfer to hybrid airline Joon from mid-2019. Starting from next summer, Joon will fly from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Madrid, Stockholm, Prague, Manchester, UK; Quito, Ecuador, and the Caribbean island of Saint-Martin.
LinkSupersonic amendment on FAA bill hailed as breakthrough FAA reauthorization legislation agreed by US House and Senate committee leaders on noise standards for civil supersonic aircraft has been lauded by a Colorado startup that is developing a 55-seat, Mach 2.2 airliner.
LinkLufthansa to grow Air Dolomiti, shrink CityLineLufthansa Group is making a major shift to its regional airline portfolio that involves expanding Italian subsidiary Air Dolomiti. Air Dolomiti operates a fleet of 12 Embraer 195s, but that will more than double over the next four years to 26 aircraft.
LinkRoyal Navy bids farewell to Sea KingsThe Royal Navy has withdrawn its final Westland Sea King helicopters from use, ending 49 years of UK operation for the twin-engined type. However, with the replacement for the airborne surveillance and control (ASaC)-configured helicopters not due to enter service until 2020, there are fears that the retirement leaves the navy with a capability gap.
Link 
