NewsAccidents/Incidents
American man arrested after boarding empty Mauritania plane on tarmac
Authorities have arrested a man after he boarded an empty Mauritania Airlines plane sitting on the tarmac at the international airport in Nouakchott and threatened to set it on fire, the government news agency reported Thursday.
LinkCommercial
Extra capacity Dash 8-400 turboprop gets EASA’s certification
Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Canada received European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification for its extra passenger capacity Dash 8-400 turboprop variant.
The European aviation regulator EASA certified the modification of De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft giving a green light for the air carriers to operate the expanded capacity of the 90-seat twin-turboprop in the European airspace.
LinkAirlines
Upcoming low-cost transatlantic carrier Norse Atlantic Airways is hiring Boeing 787 crew members
OSM Aviation is looking to hire cabin and flight crew members on behalf of Norse Atlantic Airways. Norse Atlantic Airways will be deploying Boeing 787 Dreamliners on flights between Europe and the USA.
This new airline will begin operations with a fleet of 12 Boeing 787s, of which nine have already been signed for in a letter of intent, and the airline plans to do so for three more.
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Smartwings secures financing as part of its ongoing restructuring
Smartwings has signed a loan agreement with a syndicate of banks led by UniCredit Bank for a CZK 2 billion (approximately €76 million) loan with a maturity of six years, as part of the the Covid Plus program announced by the Czech government to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. The loan agreement has been concluded with four banks – UniCredit Bank, Komerční banka, Československá obchodní banka and Česká spořitelna.
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CMA CGM Air Cargo to add New York-JFK and Atlanta
CMA CGM AIr Cargo is expanding again. Besides Chicago (O’Hare), the new cargo airline is opening new routes between Liege and New York (JFK) and Liege and Atlanta on March 28.
The expansion is permitted with the arrival of the second Airbus A330-200F freighter operated by Air Belgium (2nd).
Link
Delta to resume flights to Iceland in May, first European destination open to vaccinated Americans
Beginning in May, Delta customers seeking a global escape will once again enjoy a nonstop connection from three U.S. hubs to Iceland’s stunning landscapes, world-renowned hot springs like the Blue Lagoon and the iconic capital city of Reykjavík.
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Austrian Airlines implements further restructuring measures including the loss of 650 jobs
Austria’s red-white-red flag carrier has used the challenging months of the coronavirus crisis to make extensive preparations for the future. Issues such as the redimensioning of the fleet announced in spring 2020, in which the airline is divesting itself of smaller types of aircraft such as the Dash 8 and Airbus A319 planes, are in the final implementation phase.
LinkAirports
Disinfection systems installed at Skellefteå Airport to ensure safe travel
Skellefteå Airport (SFT) has installed several disinfection systems across the airport site to increase safety, reduce the spread of infection and ensure the safety of passengers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Link
Lithuanian Airports to issue new tender for construction of new Vilnius Airport terminal
Lithuanian Airports has announced that it has agreed with construction company Mitnija to terminate the contract for the construction of a new passenger departure terminal at Vilnius International Airport (VNO).
Link
Dubai International becomes world’s first smart reading airport
Passengers travelling through Dubai Airport will now have free access to an extensive collection of their favourite publications online as part of the airport’s bid to become more contactless and paperless.
LinkMilitary
Top 10 most expensive fighter jets in 2021
Fighter jets are the most advanced, the most powerful, the most technologically complex aircraft. It is only natural that they are the most expensive ones too. So, if you had to buy one, what are your options?
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Italian aircraft carrier Cavour completes F-35B certification
The aircraft carrier Cavour of the Marina Militare, the Italian Navy, completed the sea trials for the operational use of the F-35B Lightning II in Norfolk, United States.
The first landing of the F-35B on the ship took place on March 1, 2021. “This is a milestone in the process of acquiring the strategic capacity to use the new aircraft, which will be followed, by the end of 2024, by the "Initial Operational Capability" and subsequently the "Final Operation Capability" which will coincide with the delivery of the last F-35B to the Navy planned by the program,” the Italian Navy said.
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Aviation Quote
To consider the Earth as the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd as to assert that in an entire field of millet, only one grain will grow.
- Metrodorus of Chios, 4th century BCE
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Trivia
SOVIET MILITARY AIRCRAFT
1. What Soviet bomber was a "bolt for bolt" clone of the American B-29 Superfortress?
Tu-22
Tu-4
An-12
Il-14
2. What is the only turboprop powered *strategic* bomber ever put into military service?
Tu-4
Tu-95
Tu-22
An-124
3. What BEST describes the original Tu-16 Badger?
Intermediate range bomber
Command and Control
Intercontinental range bomber
Airborne early warning
4. The Tu-22M Backfire is a modification of the Tu-22 Blinder.
True
False
5. What is the American counterpart to the Russian Su-25 Frogfoot?
A-7 Corsair II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
F/A-18 Hornet
A-1 Skyraider
6. What is the world's largest "swing wing" aircraft?
B-1B Lancer
T-160 Blackjack
Tu-95 Bear
Tu-22M Backfire
7. What is the Soviet equivalent of the USAF's C-5 Galaxy?
An-12 Cub
Il-76 Candid
An-124 Condor
An-24 Coke
8. What is the NATO code name for the Mi-24?
Hip
Helix
Havoc
Hind
9. What aircraft would be be found embarked on a Soviet Navy ship?
Mi-28 Hip
Mi-28 Havoc
Ka-25 Hormone
Ka-50 Hokum
10. Which is NOT true about the Ka-50 Hokum A?
It can perform loops
It is single seat helicopter.
It has been produced in large numbers.
It has coaxial rotors.
