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RETROSPECTIVE: The day Boeing’s 747 took to the sky
The year 1969 marked a golden age for the post-war aerospace industry, in which Flight International was one of the leading communicators, for those 12 months witnessed three key events that were genuine landmarks in the evolution of flight – the maiden sorties of the Boeing 747 and Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde, and the first Moon landing.
And the year was barely a month old when the first of these key achievements occurred: the 747 took to the skies on 9 February, signalling the start of an air-transport capacity revolution that continues to this day.
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IAG’s Walsh: Airbus must cut prices to sell more A380s
Airbus must become “more aggressive” in its pricing of the A380 if it wants to receive additional orders from International Airlines Group (IAG) CEO Willie Walsh said. “We might consider adding aircraft, but only at a price that we think is attractive,” Walsh said Feb. 1 on the sidelines of a oneworld alliance event in London. IAG’s existing fleet of 12 A380s, operated by subsidiary British Airways (BA), “works very well.
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GE Aviation's 2018 profit jumps 20% as Leap production lifts
Profits of General Electric's aviation unit shot up 20% year-over-year in 2018 to $6.5 billion amid increasing deliveries of aircraft engines.
"Aviation had another outstanding quarter," GE chief financial officer Jamie Miller said during the company's earnings call on 31 January.
In 2018, GE Aviation generated $30.6 billion in revenue, up 13% from the previous year and resulting in a 21% profit margin.
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OPINION: How Boeing's jumbo bet paid off
Half a century ago this month, the cheers went up across Everett as the first Boeing 747 took to the air. Those celebrations were recognising not only the impressive engineering feat, but a commercial one too.
The 747 had scored an important public relations victory by beating a key rival for the airlines' affections into the air – Concorde. In the end, the Anglo-French supersonic transport (SST) flew around a month later. But while Boeing's jumbo jet was earning money for its customers within 12 months, it would be another seven years before supersonic air travel became a reality.
LinkAirlines
Qantas acquires 19.9% stake in Virgin partner Alliance Airlines
Qantas has purchased a 19.9% stake in Australian charter and regional carrier Alliance Airlines—a move that raised concerns by rival Virgin Australia, which has a long-standing partnership with Alliance.
Qantas acquired the Alliance shares for A$60 million ($43.6 million) with a long-term aim of taking a majority stake in the airline, the Australian flag carrier said Feb. 1.
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Air France to rebrand HOP! regional subsidiary
New Air France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith has taken the next move in simplifying the organization’s brand structure, bringing Air France’s regional operator HOP! closer to the parent company.
The regional carrier will be rebranded as Air France HOP (losing its exclamation mark) to tie the company’s brand identity more closely to that of the mainline carrier.
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Korean startup Air Premia selects 787-9s for 2020 launch
Korean startup Air Premia has decided on a fleet of Boeing 787-9s, with operations scheduled to begin in September 2020.
Five 787-9s have been ordered “from a handful of lessors,” the airline said. Three aircraft are set to arrive in the carrier’s first year of operation, with the others to follow in 2021. The fleet will comprise a single aircraft type, the airline said.
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Royal Air Maroc sees fleet, hub growth ahead of oneworld membership
Royal Air Maroc (RAM), set to become the 14th member of the oneworld alliance, is strengthening its position in north Africa as its fleet grows and the carrier’s home hub in Casablanca brings more capacity online.
Plans for the state-owned Moroccan carrier to join oneworld were announced in December 2018, with full membership expected in mid-2020.
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Oneworld expects more partners for associate status
The oneworld alliance has “a pipeline of candidates” lining up for its oneworld connect status, alliance CEO Rob Gurney said Feb. 1.
A London press conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the alliance featured the first connect partner, Fiji Airways.
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Qatar to stay in oneworld for now, as alliance makes improvements
Qatar Airways is prepared to stay in the oneworld alliance as long as there is a chance of working out differences with fellow members the airline said are hostile to the Doha-based carrier. Speaking at an event in London to mark the alliance’s 20th anniversary, Qatar Airways’ Group CEO Akbar Al Baker was asked about the Arab carrier’s disagreements with two oneworld members, Dallas/Fort Worth-based American Airlines and Australia’s Qantas.
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Allegiant 2018 net profit down 18.3% on fuel costs, fleet transition
Las Vegas-based Allegiant Travel Co., parent of LCC Allegiant Air, reported a net profit of $162 million for 2018, down 18.3% from $198 million in 2017—a reflection of higher fuel prices and completion of a fleet transition.
Operating revenue for the year rose 10.3% to $1.7 billion and full-year expenses were up 11.2% to $1.4 billion. Expenses were pushed up by a 29.8% year-over-year (YOY) increase in the cost of fuel.
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Wizz Air posts sharp Q3 profit drop on higher costs
Central and Eastern European LCC Wizz Air’s net profit fell sharply to €1.7 million ($1.9 million) in the third quarter, down 87.6% from €14 million a year earlier, driven by higher costs.
During the three months ended Dec. 31, 2018, Wizz Air carried 8.1 million passengers, up 14.9% on the prior-year figure. The airline’s 15% capacity increase was met with 17.4% growth, pushing average load factor 2.2 points higher to 91.4%.
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PICTURE: American latest to add A321neo to fleet
American Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo, making it the latest US carrier to add the re-engined narrowbody to its fleet.
Airbus handed over the aircraft (MSN 8647) to the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier in Hamburg today, the airframer says. It is equipped CFM International Leap-1A engines.
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PICTURES: Air Senegal A330neo pays visit to future home
Air Senegal’s first Airbus A330-900 has returned to Toulouse following a brief stopover in the African state ahead of the aircraft’s delivery.
The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-powered aircraft, MSN1910, was flown from Toulouse to Dakar on 31 January, a route of some 2,000nm, as part of a ceremonial event attended by Senegalese president Macky Sall.
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Emirates and China Southern enter codeshare pact
Emirates Airline and China Southern Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding to begin codesharing on 18 routes in China, the Middle East and Africa.
In the initial stages of the agreement, Emirates will place its code on China Southern services to Fuzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Qingdao, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing and Xian, subject to government approval. No start date for the arrangement has been disclosed.
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Garuda Indonesia considering switch to 737 Max 10
Garuda Indonesia is considering a switch of part of its order for Boeing 737 Max 8s to the larger Max 10 variant.
A source close to the details says that the airline is studying the specifications of the Max 10 and how it could fit into its network, but has not formally amended its order.
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Azul adds two Avianca Brazil A320neos
Azul has taken two Airbus A320neo aircraft previously operated by bankrupt Avianca Brazil.
The aircraft (MSNs 7918 and 8086) are leased from BOC Aviation and were added to Azul's fleet in January, Flight Fleets Analyzer shows.
LinkAirports
Paris CDG airport to open consultation for capacity expansion
Groupe ADP, which manages Paris airports, is preparing for the consultation phase of a major capacity expansion program at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport.
Terminal 4 is being designed to enable CDG to cope with continuing passenger traffic growth, adding a capacity of 35-40 million passengers. Construction works would be spread over 2021-2037, with a partial opening in 2028. The plan does not involve any additional runway, as the current four are believed to be able to accommodate the predicted increase in aircraft movements.
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securing the perimeter - 5 top tips to protect Airports from intruders
Lucas Young, business development manager for Transport at Axis Communications, discusses how emerging video technology will play an important role in improving airport security.
Despite heavy investment in the area, airfields remain frustratingly difficult to fully secure. Hundreds of incidents of unauthorised access occur every year, all around the world.
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Fraport USA adds Nashville to its list of US Airports
Wholly-owned Fraport subsidiary, Fraport USA, today assumed responsibility for managing the retail and F&B operations at Nashville International Airport.
The airport handled an all time high of almost 16 million passengers in 2018 (+13.2%) to maintain its position as one of strongest performing aviation gateways in North America.
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GE wins $517m ITEP contract for US Army helicopters
General Electric Aviation was selected by the US Army for a $517 million contract to complete engineering and manufacturing development work on its T901-GE-900 turbine engine for the service’s Improved Turbine Engine Programme (ITEP).
The company’s T901 turbine engine has a single-spool core architecture, compared to the T900’s dual-spool design put forward by competitor Advanced Turbine Engine Company (ATEC), a joint venture of Honeywell and Pratt & Whitney.
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DOT&E delivers another scathing report on F-35 progress
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II has made some progress, but continues to fall short in many areas.
That’s according to the Pentagon’s top weapons tester, the Office of Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), which wrote in a report released 31 January that the stealth fighter’s performance, as well as Lockheed Martin’s fixes and upgrades for the aircraft, failed to meet agreed upon standards in 2018.
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Aviation Quote
The bluebird carries the sky on his back.
- Henry David Thoreau, Journal
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Editor's Choice
Trivia
Airlines And Airways
1. What was Fiji Airways known as before May 2012?
Air Pacific
Pacific Airlines
Air Fiji
Fiji Airlines
2. Air New Zealand makes which major New Zealand city its "home base"?
Auckland
Wellington
Christchurch
Sydney
3. Magda Szubanski starred in which Australian low budget airline's commercials from 2004-2008?
Jetstar
Qantas
Tiger Airways
Air Australia
4. What is the name of the corporation that owns American Airlines?
AMR Corportation
Applied Industrial Technologies
American Transportation Corporation
Bucyrus International
5. Which airline was created with the backing of the Dubai royal family?
Gulf Air
Air Arabia
Emirates
Middle Eastern Airways
6. Singapore Airlines uses their iconic flight attendants as a successful marketing tool. What are the flight attendants known as?
Geisha Girls
Singapore Beauties
Asian Beauties
Singapore Girls
7. What airline is colloquially known as "The flying kangaroo"?
Emirates
QANTAS
Virgin
Air Canada
8. In 2011, Richard Branson's Australian airline became known as what?
Virgin Australia
Virgin Down Under
Virgin Oceania
Virgin Blue
9. If I was to fly to a regional center in Australia, what airline would I chose?
Regional Express
Emirates
Jetstar
Virgin Australia
10. Air Canada's predecessor was Trans-Canada Airlines, which was created in 1936. Which year was their first passenger flight?
1937
1932
1948
1955
