NAS Daily 31 MAY 19

airtrainer 30 May 19, 22:15

News

Commercial

First Engine Run For 777X
Boeing has successfully carried out the first engine run of the 777X program, signaling that the first flight of the upgraded Triple Seven passenger plane, scheduled to happen in June, is imminent.
Link

Denying reports, Mitsubishi says MRJ90 remains top priority
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. said the MRJ90 regional jet remains its “number one priority” after Asian news outlets reported the company was changing direction to concentrate on development of a smaller version intended for the US market. In a May 29 report, Nikkei Asian Review said the Japanese manufacturer was shifting its focus to work on a “drastic redesign” of what was formerly the MRJ70, to be rebranded as the “Space Jet.”
Link

Britten-Norman to set up passenger airline in Malta
UK-based regional aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman is planning to establish a regional airline in Malta as part of a wider agreement to develop its presence in the country.
Britten-Norman has been designing and building aircraft for 60 years, including the Islander and Trislander, which tend to be used for remote operations.
Link

Blade-wear issues confined to Trent 1000: Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce is "confident" that issues with premature blade deterioration on the Trent 1000 are confined to that engine and will not be replicated on any of its other powerplants.
The UK manufacturer has been dealing with durability issues on the engine since 2016. These have caused severe disruption to operators of the Boeing 787 equipped with the Trent 1000.
Link

Airlines

United Plane Makes Emergency Landing, Engine Fire Caught on Video
A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Hawaii after one of its engines apparently caught fire. The plane was flying from Hawaii to Majuro, capital of the Marshall Islands. But it was forced to return to Honolulu Sunday, soon after take off.
A passenger on Flight 132 posted a video of flames coming out of the engine. There were 142 passengers on board, but luckily no injuries were reported.
Link

United Airlines overhauls Avianca management structure
United Continental Holdings has indicated plans to extend a loan to Bogota-based Avianca Holdings SA, after the two companies agreed on a leadership reshuffle that involved a loss of voting rights for Avianca’s largest shareholder.
The management overhaul comes after former Avianca CEO Hernan Rincon resigned in April.
Link

US House Dems urge Delta to ‘immediately cease’ anti-union campaign
A group of 73 US House Democratic lawmakers have also sent a letter to Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian calling on the Atlanta-based carrier to “immediately cease all efforts” to dissuade their ramp agents and flight attendants from joining the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).
Link

Russia allows foreign carriers to fly domestic routes
The Russian government has allowed non-Russian airlines to operate individual charter flights on domestic routes, according to a decree signed May 24. Prior to the ruling, foreign carriers could only fly from abroad to points in Russia.
Last year, Russia’s aviation authorities allowed foreign companies to operate domestic charter flights during the FIFA 2018 World Cup, which took place in several Russian cities in June-July 2018.
Link

Government takes full ownership of Air Greenland
The Greenlandic government has taken full ownership of Air Greenland, after Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and the Danish government agreed to sell their shareholdings.
“Naalakkersuisut [the government of Greenland] has on May 29, 2019, concluded purchase agreements with the Danish government and SAS regarding the Danish state's shares of 25% and SAS's shares of 37.5% in Air Greenland,” the government of Greenland announced on May 29.
Link

Cathay prepares for new Hong Kong runway with HK Express deal
Cathay Pacific's pending acquisition of Hong Kong Express is just one element of its preparation to take advantage of growth opportunities afforded by the coming opening of a third runway at its Hong Kong base.
HK Express will give the Oneworld Alliance member a "running start" to rapidly expand in the low-cost segment once the new runway opens in 2024, says the the carrier's chairman John Slosar at the Wings Club in New York on 30 May.
Link

United to seek compensation for 737 Max grounding
United Airlines will seek some form of compensation from Boeing for the impact of the 737 Max grounding, says chief executive Oscar Munoz.
"There will be recompense of some sort over time," he says at New York's LaGuardia airport today. "The discussion of that is a bit early. Let's get that aircraft back to flight safely."
Link

Airports

Hong Kong studies ways to reduce separation
The Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) is mulling the implementation of refined wake vortex categories, which could help increase arrival and departure capacity at Hong Kong International Airport.
The authority says technical studies are being undertaken for the development and deployment of the technology known as Re-categorisation of aircraft wake turbulence (RECAT). It did not say if or when RECAT would be implemented.
Link

Five new gates to open at LaGuardia's terminal B this week-end
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) today announced that United Airlines will begin operations at five new gates of the new eastern concourse of Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport this weekend.
Today also marks the unveiling of a brand new United Club, located on the second level of the new concourse, which opened last December.
Link

Military

Saab ready to offer Canadian-built Gripen fighters to Ottawa
Saab is ready to sell the Canadian government 88 Canada-built Gripen fighters should Ottawa require home-built aircraft.
The Swedish combat aircraft manufacturer cautions nothing is finalised and its offer will ultimately reflect Canada’s formal request for proposal (RFP). The company expects the final RFP to be issued around midyear by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
Link

Viking to market para-public DHC-6 Twin Otter on world tour
Viking Air plans to fly a para-public variant of the DHC-6-400 Twin Otter, called the Guardian 400, around the world starting in September.
The Victoria, Canada-based company is pitching the turboprop aircraft as a platform for maritime surveillance, search and rescue, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, among other missions.
Link

Boeing and Sikorsky confirm bids for German CH-53G replacement
Germany’s effort to replace its ageing heavy transport helicopter fleet is gathering pace, with both Boeing and Sikorsky formally confirming their interest in the requirement.
Berlin in February issued a “call for competition” for the Schwerer Transporthubscrauber (STH) programme, requiring responses by late May.
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Aviation Quote

By far the greater number of aeroplane accidents are due to precisely the same circumstances that have caused previous accidents. A distressing feature of these accidents is the evidence they afford of the unwillingness, or the inability, of many pilots to profit from the experiences and mistakes of others.

- Gustav Hamel and Charles C. Turner, Flying: Some Practical Experiences. Published posthumously in 1914.