NewsIncidents/Accidents
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle From RAF Lakenheath Has Crashed Into The North Sea. Pilot Status Unknown.
On Jun. 15, 2020, at approximately 09.40LT, an F-15C belonging to the 493rd Fighter Squadron of the 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, UK, callsign “CHOSEN 4”, crashed into the North Sea.
The aircraft was part of 4-ship (c/s “CHOSEN 1-4”). Emergency comms were heard on 282.8 a known koint/combined on-the-scene voice and DF SAR frequency used throughout NATO.
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American Boeing 787 Diverts To Chicago With Control Issues
On Sunday, the crew of an American Airlines Boeing 787 on its way from Dallas-Fort Worth to Frankfurt decided to divert to Chicago, reporting flight control issues. No emergency was declared, and the plane landed safely a little over an hour and a half after initiating the diversion.
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Two Airbus A320s Suffer Light Collision In Russia
Two Airbus A320s suffered minor damage on Sunday after colliding while taxiing on the runway at St Petersburg-Pulkovo Airport. The S7 Airlines Airbus’ winglet clipped the tail of the Ural Airlines Airbus. The damage was minor, and no-one was injured.
LinkCommercial
Russia's Boeing 737 MAX Alternative - The MC-21: What We Know
There has been significant progress made this month on the development of Russia’s MC-21. The aircraft is set to be the country’s answer to the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320neo. With testing going strong, manufacturers are one step closer to introducing the jet.
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The Xian MA60 - The Little Known Chinese Turboprop
The Xian MA60 is a little known Chinese built twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed for domestic and short-haul routes. Designed and manufactured by the Xi’an Aircraft Industrial Corporation (XAIC) of China, the Xian MA60 is a larger version of the Xian Y7-200A that was based on the hugely popular Soviet-designed Antonov An-24.
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The Rise And Fall Of Bombardier Aerospace
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier has seen better days than where it finds itself now. Here, in 2020, the company’s aerospace division is a shell of what it once was – having divested itself of the Dash 8 turboprop, CRJ Regional Jet, and CSeries (A220) programs all within the last two and a half years. How did we get here?
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Three's A Crowd: Airbus' 3rd BelugaXL Leaves The Paint Shop
Airbus announced this week that the third of its super transporter cargo planes, the BelugaXL, has rolled out of its paint shop in Toulouse. The plane, the third out of six, is expected to join service early in 2021.
LinkAirlines
Swiss Operates 6 Mile Airbus A320 Flights To Bring Planes Back Into Service
SWISS International Air Lines and sister company Edelweiss Air are looking to restart services in the coming weeks. The airlines will be flying 17 aircraft from their storage site in Dubendorf airfield back to Zurich Airport, where they can resume operations. A SWISS Airbus A320 has already completed the six-mile journey.
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TUI Boeing 737 Opens Germany's Mallorca Travel Corridor
As Spain gradually returns to a new normal following one of the strictest coronavirus lockdowns in Europe, a TUI Germany Boeing 737-800 has arrived in Mallorca from Dusseldorf. In an experiment to see if Spain is prepared to welcome back holidaymakers since it closed its borders in March, a plane full of mask-clad tourists has arrived at Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI).
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Southwest To Offer Complimentary Social Distancing Until October
Southwest will offer social distancing on flights until at least September 30th. As the US airline doesn’t provide reserved seating, the offer will be accomplished by limiting the number of tickets sold on flights.
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United Airlines Uses MileagePlus Program To Secure $5 Billion Loan
Today, United Airlines announced that it would have total liquidity of about $17 billion by the third quarter of 2020. $5 billion of this will come from financing made possible using the airline’s loyalty program, MileagePlus.
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SAS Awarded $500 Million In Aid With Environmental Strings Attached
The Swedish Government announced today that it is ready to provide Scandinavian triple flag-carrier SAS with an additional $500 million (SEK 5 billion) in aid. But the capital injection does not come without its green strings attached.
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Jetstar Pacific Will Be Rebranded Following Vietnam Airlines Sale
Part Qantas owned Vietnamese low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific is to be renamed as Qantas exits the business. Pending regulatory approval, Qantas will sell its 30% stake in the airline to majority owner Vietnam Airlines, who will then undertake a rebranding of the carrier to bring it in line with the parent company’s identity. The carrier will revert to the name it had when it was a state-owned entity: Pacific Airlines.
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JetBlue Says COVID Won't Cause Fares To Increase
The one question that’s plaguing lovers of travel and flying is what will happen to the price of air fares as airlines begin to come out of the coronavirus crisis? With many missing several months of earnings and looking to implement cost-heavy measures, such as removing buy on board and undertaking enhanced cleaning, you might think the age of cheap flying is over. JetBlue’s COO and President, Joanna Geraghty, doesn’t think so.
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Today Marks Austrian Airlines’ Return To The Skies
Austrian Airlines took to the skies again this morning after a temporary suspension in flight operations lasting nearly 90 days. The carrier, which was grounded on March 18th, will resume operations gradually. It will first focus on restarting flight operations to several European destinations and Tel Aviv, before expanding this to include long-haul routes.
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Thai Airways Insists Jobs Wont Be Lost In The Short Term
Amid formulating rehabilitation plans for the airline, Thai Airways has announced that there will be no employee layoffs for the time being. Although the carrier is struggling to keep afloat financially, the management insists that all jobs will be retained for at least a year.
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The Story Behind ANA's Colorful Airbus A380 Liveries
It has now been over a year since All Nippon Airways (ANA) first introduced its Airbus A380 aircraft. The Japanese outfit’s units specialize in flights between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu. With these operations, the jets have been given liveries with eye-catching designs.
LinkAirports
How Many Airports Can Actually Handle The A380?
One drawback of the Airbus A380 is that it requires extensive modifications to airports, such as enlarged taxiways, longer runways, and modified airport gates. But obviously not every airport offers these changes, thereby limiting the operational destinations of the aircraft. So what is required for the A380 to fly to an airport, and how many airports around the world can even take this large aircraft?
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Frankfurt Sees Slight Rebound In Passenger Traffic During May
Frankfurt Airport has seen a rebound in its passenger figures for May. However, the increase was very subtle. The values rose by 45%, showing that almost 10,000 more passengers used the airport last month. Despite the subtle rise in passenger numbers, freight experienced a healthy increase in May.
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Mumbai airport to operate 100 flights from 16 June
Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), which operates the country's second busiest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), on Monday said that the state government has permitted the airport to double its flights from 16 June.
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Sudan airport to stay closed until June 28
Sudan will keep its airports closed to international and internal scheduled commercial flights for another two weeks until June 28, a spokesman for Sudan Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) told Reuters on Sunday.
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Aviation Quote
The warm Hawaiian sun was blaring in as we went eastbound. I just closed my eyes for a minute, enjoying the sunshine and dozed off.
- Scott Oltman, captain of go! flight 1002 on 13 February 2007, who along with the first officer fell asleep heading out over the ocean during an inter-island flight. They awoke in time to fly back to land. From a subsequent NTSB interview.
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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
