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Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN, 7000 air seals face new inspections
Operators of the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 variant, as well as the Trent 7000, face new inspections following word from the manufacturer of cracked air seals on out-of-service engines. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandated checks of intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) front air seals in a Nov. 20 airworthiness directive that skipped the public-comment period.
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Investigators unable to explain Trent 700 panel failures
Investigators were not able to pinpoint the cause of four Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engine inlet cowling panel failures, but regulators and the manufacturer are confident that changes, including a new design and reduced in-service inspection intervals, have sufficiently mitigated risks. The most recent incident occurred in June 2017 on a China Eastern Airlines A330-200 departing from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
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PICTURE: Muted Boeing unveils 737 Max 10
Although the Boeing 737 Max remains grounded, the situation has not stopped the US airframer from progressing with development of the largest variant of the aircraft family, the Max 10.
On 22 November, Boeing quietly unveiled the first flight-test Max 10, a variant designed to compete closely with the Airbus A321neo but one which has failed to attain nearly the same sales success.
LinkAirlines
Fatalities reported in Congolese Dornier 228 crash
A Dornier 228 turboprop, operated by Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) carrier Busy Bee Congo, is reported to have crashed while departing Goma airport in eastern DRC with up to 27 fatalities.
Local media reports say the Busy Bee Dornier 228 was operating a scheduled domestic flight from Goma to Beni on Nov. 24, when it crashed into a densely populated residential area and caught fire.
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TAP Air Portugal adds three A321LR Americas routes
Star Alliance carrier TAP Air Portugal has detailed plans to serve series of new routes from Portugal to Brazil, Canada and North America in 2020, operated by its new Airbus A321LRs.
The three new services will originate in Lisbon (Portugal) and will serve Maceió (Brazil), Montreal (Canada) and Boston (North America). The Boston service will operate via Ponta Delgada, on São Miguel Island, the capital of the Azores archipelago of Portugal.
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British Airways picks Atlanta as first 787-10 destination
International Airlines Group (IAG) carrier British Airways (BA) has confirmed it will receive its first Boeing 787-10 in January 2020, which will initially operate to Atlanta, Georgia in the US.
BA chairman and CEO Alex Cruz announced the first 787-10 delivery date and inaugural route at a media event in London on Nov. 19.
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Icelandair to rationalize network, consider fleet options in 2020
In 2020 Icelandair will rationalize its network, which has been disrupted by the grounding of its Boeing 737 MAXs, and evaluate replacements for looming gaps in its fleet.
“Our main focus is to rationalize our network in 2020, improving profitability, and to mitigate the risk of further extension of the grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX,” CEO Bogi Nils Bogason told ATW on the sidelines of IATA’s Wings of Change conference in Berlin. “There is an equal balance of routes in our network, but the grounding created an imbalance again.”
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New Air Tanzania Dash 8-400 seized before delivery flight
Tanzania's foreign ministry has disclosed that Air Tanzania's latest De Havilland Dash 8-400 has been seized in Canada before its delivery flight to the carrier's base.
The aircraft has been impounded "just days" before it was due to be flown to Tanzania, says the office of foreign affairs minister Palamagamba John Kabudi.
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Paint shop mishap damages BA's latest A350-1000
Airbus is undertaking repairs to a British Airways Airbus A350-1000 after the twinjet was damaged during the final stages of the production process.
The aircraft suffered an "incident", the airframer confirms, although it has not disclosed the nature of the event or the location of the damage.
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SAA agrees conditional wage rise to end strike
South African Airways has reached a conditional agreement to end the week-long industrial action initiated by two of the carrier's unions.
Cabin crew association SACCA and the union NUMSA ratified a deal on 21 November, says the airline.
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Tajikistan's Somon Air signs for E2 lease
Tajik carrier Somon Air is to lease a pair of Embraer 190-E2 re-engined regional jets, moving away from its current all-Boeing 737 fleet.
Somon Air has disclosed that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to take the aircraft through VTB Leasing.
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Turkish 737 veered off runway before gear collapse: inquiry
Ukrainian investigators believe the Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 which suffered a gear collapse at Odessa had initially veered off the runway while landing.
The aircraft had been operating flight TK467 from Istanbul on 21 November.
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PICTURE: Spain's Binter takes first E195-E2
Spanish regional carrier Binter has received its first Embraer 195-E2 from the Brazilian manufacturer, the first European customer to receive the largest member of the re-engined family.
Binter has five of the twinjets – powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1900G engines – on order.
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Juneyao Air starts fifth freedom route to Manchester
Juneyao Air is commencing fifth freedom flights to Manchester on 31 March 2020.
Manchester Airport says that this will be operated as a Shanghai Pudong-Helsinki-Manchester service on a thrice-weekly basis, using Boeing 787-9s.
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PAL 777 diverts after flames shoot from engine
A Philippine Airlines Boeing 777-300ER returned to Los Angeles after experiencing a "technical problem," in which its right engine appeared to spew flames.
The aircraft, registered RP-C7775, was bound for Manila, when the incident took place shortly after take-off.
LinkAirports
Facial recognition pilot to take place at Madrid-Barajas Airport
A facial recognition pilot project has been unveiled at Terminal 4 at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, with the aim of improving passenger experience at the airport by enabling customers to identify themselves at both general and fast-track security control and at the boarding gates with their biometric profile, eliminating the need to show travel documents.
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Phase one of BUD Cargo City completed and opened at Budapest Airport
The first phase of Budapest Airport‘s (BUD) new air freight facility, BUD Cargo City, has been completed and officially opened, with all warehouse and office space leased to tenants – including Celebi Aviation Holding and Menzies Aviation, two international ground and cargo handling companies.
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New Terminal One at JFK Airport receives approval of proposed lease
The New Terminal One project at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) has entered the next phase of progress after receiving approval from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s board to enter into a lease agreement to design, construct, finance, operate and maintain the redevelopment of the current terminal.
The new facility will aim to improve international passenger experience at JFK Airport and span the sites of the current Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and former Terminal 3.
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Aviation Quote
I suppose I'm as good as the next guy, but that's about all. Only reason I'm still flying while a lot of other great guys are gone is because I've had the breaks so far. I believe though, that the breaks are going to continue my way. The minute a flyer gets the notion that his number is up, he's finished. I start out, and know I'm coming back, and that's all there is to it.
Fear? You bet your life. But it's always on the way up. Then you get to thinking about a lot of things, but that all leaves you as you reach combat. Then there's a sense of great excitement, a thrill you can't duplicate anywhere. Then there can be no fear, no thought of life or death, no dream of yesterday or tomorrow.
What you have at that moment is — well, it may sound strange, but it's actually fun. The other guy has his chance, too, and you've got to get him before he gets you. Yes, I think it is the most exciting fun in the world.
- Lt. Col. Robert B. "Westy" Westbrook, USAAF, one of the leading aces of the Pacific, 'Los Angeles Examiner,' 20 June 1944.
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Trivia
Airliners And Their First Operators
1. What airline was the first operator of the Airbus A310-200?
Lufthansa
Delta
Air France
Austrian
2. The Boeing 767 is the most common aircraft on transatlantic flights. But what airline is the first user of the Boeing 767-300?
Condor
Japan Airlines
Qantas
American Airlines
3. The Dash 8 is a successful regional Canadian aircraft. Do you know the name of the airline that introduced it for the first time in commercial service?
DLT
Air BC
NorOntair
Air Canada
4. The Boeing 737 is the best-seller of Boeing, many versions of this aircraft are flying around the world. Can you tell me what airline made the inaugural flight of the Boeing 737-400?
British Airways
Varig
United Airlines
Piedmont
5. What was the launch airline of the Boeing 747-300?
Swissair
Saudia
UTA
Japan Airlines
6. The Dutch company Fokker created the Fokker 100 specially designed for short-regional routes with a capacity of 85-107 passengers. Do you know what airline is the first operator of this aircraft?
KLM
Malev
American Airlines
Swissair
7. The consortium Airbus Europe designed the A300 for short-medium haul and high-density routes, it became a successful aircraft and a serious rival for some Boeing models. The question is, can you tell me the name of the first user of the Airbus A300-600R?
American Airlines
Pan Am
Lufthansa
Eastern
8. Who was the first user of the Canadair CL-600-100?
Comair
Air France
Maersk
Lufthansa CityLine
9. Who was the first commercial user of the MD-90?
Delta
SAS
Saudia
Swissair
10. And finally we finish with the aircraft of the future. The Airbus A380 will be the biggest commercial aircraft ever built. Do you know what airline made the first order of this big airplane?
Virgin Atlantic
Emirates
Lufthansa
Singapore Airlines
