NewsAirlines
Qantas reports FY19 profit slides 6.5%; international routes improve
Qantas has an optimistic outlook for its international operation despite reporting weaker profits and a near-term slowdown on its Hong Kong route.
The Qantas Group posted a net profit of A$891 million ($603 million) for its 2019 fiscal year ended June 30, down 6.5% from A$953 million in the previous year. Underlying profit declined 17% from the group’s record profit in FY2018.
Link
United expands international service with premium-heavy 767
United Airlines is betting on a small percentage of its widebody fleet playing a large role in helping expand its international footprint, scheduling its reconfigured premium-heavy Boeing 767-300ERs on several new routes and upgrading flights in established high-yield markets.
United’s latest international additions, unveiled Aug. 22, include new seasonal service between Newark Liberty International (EWR) and Nice, France, starting in May, as well as year-round flights between Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) and Zurich in March.
Link
Qantas to test ultra-long-haul 787-9 flights
Although Qantas stresses it has yet to decide if it will launch the ultra-long-haul routes envisioned under its Project Sunrise initiative, the airline is increasing its efforts to research and plan for these flights. In conjunction with its fiscal 2019 earnings report, the airline revealed it will operate research flights later this year from London and New York to Sydney nonstop.
Link
LATAM Cargo expands Colombia, Peru operations
LATAM Cargo Group announced plans Aug. 22 to grow its networks in Colombia and Peru, boosting its position in two key South American markets for international trade.
The Santiago-based group will double its Colombia-US operations by adding 12 new weekly Bogota-Miami frequencies.
Link
Ryanair to add first flights to Georgia
Ryanair plans to make its debut this fall in Georgia—a former Soviet republic located between Europe and Asia—serving the country’s capital of Tbilisi and the west-Georgian city of Kutaisi.
Ryanair will launch Tbilisi-Milan Bergamo, Kutaisi-Bologna and Kutaisi-Marseille in November, followed by Tbilisi-Cologne services in April 2020.
Link
Wizz Air to boost capacity in Austria, UK
Central and Eastern European LCC Wizz Air, which launched operations at its Vienna, Austria, base in June 2018, is adding two more Airbus A321s and six new routes in mid-December.
In November, the LCC will launch operations from London Southend Airport.
Link
AirAsia X to launch Kuala Lumpur-Tokyo Narita service
Malaysian LCC AirAsia X will introduce new direct service from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo Narita starting Nov. 20.
AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail announced the route via social media, writing the new route will allow passengers the ability to access Tokyo “either through Narita Airport or Haneda Airport, giving them more flexibility on flight times and connectivity ... these new services are in response to overwhelming consumer demand and ahead of what will be a big year for Tokyo tourism in 2020.”
Link
American agrees to pay $22.1 million to settle falsification allegations
American Airlines has agreed to pay $22.1 million to settle allegations that it falsely reported delivery times of mail transported internationally on behalf of the US government.
The US Postal Service (USPS) contracted with the Dallas/Fort Worth-based carrier to transport receptacles of US mail from six US Defense and State Department facilities abroad to numerous international and domestic destinations.
Link
Field-landing Ural A321 to be cut up and removed
Ural Airlines has disclosed that the Airbus A321 which came down in a cornfield after a take-off incident at Moscow Zhukovsky will be cut up for scrap.
The airline stresses that it does not plan to reuse "any part" of the twinjet which lost power, apparently after a bird-strike, and carried out a gear-up touchdown in the field.
Link
Pobeda 737 suffers damage from go-around tail-strike
One of Russian budget carrier Pobeda's Boeing 737-800s has suffered damage during a tail-strike following a service to Gyumri in Armenia.
Armenia's Civil Aviation Committee states that the incident occurred at 21:04 on 19 August as the jet arrived from Moscow Vnukovo.
LinkAirports
Incursion probe underlines Gatwick runway check pressure
UK investigators have warned that the intensity of single-runway operations at London Gatwick, arising from pressure to meet capacity targets, threatens the hub's ability to conduct runway inspections safely and effectively.
This conclusion by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch follows a probe into an inspection vehicle's being cleared to enter runway 26L while an arriving Aer Lingus Airbus A320 was still rolling on the runway 12s after touchdown.
Link
Russia discusses restoration of disputed Abkhazia's airport
Russian authorities are discussing the restoration of air services to the disputed territory of Abkhazia, a region in the northwestern extremity of Georgia.
Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia says governing representatives of the two sides have met with a view to assessing Abkhazia's main airport at Sukhumi and determining the measures necessary to resume flights.
Link
Wizz becomes latest carrier to enter London Southend
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is to venture into London Southend operations with three routes to Romania and Lithuania.
The airline has reached an agreement for the services with Southend airport operator Stobart Group.
Link
Express rail service launched at London Luton Airport
East Midlands Railway will deliver more than £600 million of improvements including regular electric train services between London and Corby and Luton Airport Parkway.
London Luton Airport (LLA) has announced a new partnership agreement with Abellio, which will operate the East Midlands Railway for the next eight years.
LinkMilitary
Boeing awarded nearly $1bn for more A-10 wing replacements
The US Air Force (USAF) awarded Boeing a contract worth up to $999 billion for 27 wing replacements for the service’s Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, with the option to order 85 more sets over the contract’s 11-year period.
Some 173 aircraft out of the service’s fleet of 283 A-10s already have new wings retrofitted and this contract will cover replacements for the rest, says Boeing.
Link
BAE Systems wins work to upgrade F-35’s EW suite
Lockheed Martin has awarded BAE Systems a contract to upgrade the electronic warfare (EW) suite it provides for the F-35 fighter.
The work involves upgrading the AN/ASQ-239 EW/countermeasures system for the Block 4 configuration of the aircraft, says BAE Systems.
Link
Northrop Grumman to boost RQ-4 production capacity
Northrop Grumman plans to more than double production capacity for the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-4C Triton unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to 12 aircraft per year in anticipation of growing demand for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform.
The manufacturer is adding production capacity to its Site 7 facilities in Palmdale, California.
Link
Aviation Quote
You never lose the buzz of flying. Every time you take off, it feels a bit naughty, as if you’re doing something humans shouldn’t really do.
- Matt Jones, Managing Director of Boultbee Flight Academy, the only Spitfire school in the world. August 2011.
Daily Video
Editor's Choice
Trivia
WW2 Luftwaffe
1. The JU-87 "Stuka" was not a pretty site to look at, all the less so when it was hurtling towards you at an 80 degree angle, but it was not pleasant to hear either. It had a siren on its port landing gear. What was the nickname the crews gave this device?
The Horns of the Reich
The Trumpets of Jericho
The Sirens of Jericho
The Trumpets of Victory
2. This out-of-date bomber was used for high altitude reconnaissance by Germany for a short period of time after the Battle of Britain. Which was it?
Junkers 88P
Junkers 86R
Dornier 217N
Dornier 23R
3. Germany shortly before WW2 is commonly believed to have had little interest in long range heavy bombers, but in fact it had one of the largest supporters of long range bombers from the get-go. Who was he?
Ernst Udet
Ernhard Milch
Kurt Student
Walter Wever
4. Many medium bombers that Germany had were converted into night fighters when the need arose. Which of those was unpopular with its crews?
Junkers 188
Junkers 88
Dornier 217
Messerschmitt 110
5. The He-177 was a great aircraft when it worked. What was one of the things the RLM (Reichsluftministerie) did that caused the 177 to go from a great bomber to a great disaster?
Elimination of the evaporative cooling system
Demands that poor French engines power the He-177
Demands that the He-177 be built out of wood
Underpowered BMW 132 Bramo engines
6. Which one of the three German Battle of Britain bombers could carry the most tonnage, and which could carry the least over a short distance?
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Junkers 88, Junkers 87
Dornier 215, Heinkel 111
Heinkel 111, Dornier 17
7. This is the only bomber in World War II to have a top speed of over 460mph, what was it?
Arado 234
Heinkel 111P
Arado 232
Junkers 388K
8. The Junkers 287 was the intended replacement for the aging Stuka in 1944. With forward swept wings, two Junkers 003 turbojets and something interesting captured from the Americans, the JU-287 would have been a formidable ground attack/bomber aircraft. What was the American "contribution"?
Landing gear taken off B-24's
Rockets of P-47 wing racks
Guns off of P-51D fighters
Norden bombsights off of B-17's
9. Ground attack was a field of bombers in which the Germans excelled. Convinced that more armor was necessary to protect the pilots of ground attack aircraft Henschel came up with the HS-129, what was its nickname?
armored Panzer destroyer
The flying tank
The flying armored car
the flying assault gun
10. The Germans had originally decided to build one carrier known as the Graf Zeppelin. What were the two types of aircraft that were designed to be based on the carrier?
Fi-282, Do-215
He-115B, Bf-110E
Fi-167, Ju-87C
Ju-87T, Bf-109L
