NEWSLufthansa Group 1Q passenger traffic up 4.8%
The Lufthansa (LH) Group reported its airlines carried 21.9 million passengers in the first quarter, up 4.8% compared to the same period last year. Load factor rose by 1.3 points to 74.2%, while ASKs increased 2.6%. The LH Group comprises LH and its subsidiaries Germanwings, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines.
LinkGOL receives approval for third-party maintenance services
Brazil’s GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes said its maintenance center at Tancredo Neves International in Belo Horizonte has been approved by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). The center can now provide maintenance services—comprising conventional and electrostatic painting, weighing and calibration—for Boeing 737-300s, -700s and -800 fleet, opening up an opportunity for third-party services.
LinkTAICA warns of costs from Frankfurt night-flight banThe International Air Cargo Assn. (TAICA) said a German court’s decision earlier this month to uphold a night-flight ban at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) will likely result in “economic and environmental damage” and reduced investment in FRA by cargo airlines.
LinkChinese carriers post losses despite passenger traffic increasesChinese carriers reported a net loss of almost CNY200 million ($31.6 million) in March, reversed from a collective net profit of CNY1.71 billion in the year-ago month, due to high fuel prices and a decline in cargo traffic.
LinkRyanair cuts Edinburgh services in dispute over costs
Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has scrapped a further batch of flights from Edinburgh airport (EDI) in Scotland, in an ongoing dispute over costs with airport owner BAA.
LinkVolga-Dnepr considers An-124 order
Volga-Dnepr Group said it intends to order 20 Antonov An-124s, plus options for 20 more, from United Aircraft Corp. (UAC), according to group executive president Valery Gabriel. The order, which is expected to consist of An-124-111 and An-124NG aircraft, would be valued at $4 billion; delivery would be through 2030.
LinkBA to cut 1,200 jobs in bmi takeover
British Airways (BA) has announced it will cut up to 1,200 jobs as it absorbs the mainline operations of British Midland International (bmi).
LinkJetBlue pilot charged with interference with flight
A grand jury indicted a JetBlue pilot and charged him with interference with a flight crew following a mid-air meltdown, forcing a transcontinental flight to make an emergency landing in Texas last month, court documents show. Pilot Clayton Osbon "moved through the aircraft and was disruptive and had to be subdued and forcibly restrained from re-entering the cockpit" during the flight from New York to Las Vegas, the federal indictment said.
LinkDelta passengers not exposed to bat rabies
A bat swooping around the passenger cabin during a Delta Air Lines flight last August may have been unnerving for passengers, but there is no evidence anyone was exposed to rabies, a federal health agency said on Thursday. The bat in question flew into the cabin of a Delta flight from Madison, Wisconsin, to Atlanta that had 50 passengers and three crew members aboard, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in report.
LinkTransaero secures financing for A380 deal
Russian privately owned airline Transaero has secured financing from state bank VEB to buy four A380s from Airbus, a key step towards completing the USD$1.58 billion deal.
LinkTwo killed in USMC MV-22 accident in Morocco
The US Marine Corps confirms that a Bell Boeing MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor operating from the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima crashed near Agadir, Morocco, killing two Marines. The aircraft was participating in an exercise with the Moroccan military called African Lion. Four marines were on the MV-22 at the time of the accident. Two were killed, while two others were severely injured in the crash.
LinkNTSB’s Reno investigation calls for tighter rules on air racesThe US National Transportation Safety Board has slammed the Federal Aviation Administration for "inconsistencies, incompleteness and inaccuracy" in its safety guidelines for air shows and air races. Recommendations for improving the guidelines have emerged from the NTSB's ongoing investigation into the dramatic crash of an air race-modified North American P-51D Mustang on 16 September 2011, at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. The pilot and 10 spectators were killed and 66 others seriously injured when the out of control aircraft crashed into the crowd at high speed.
LinkManufacturers urged to up their game for small business jet salesAccess to finance for smaller business jets has become a source of concern, with statistics showing that purchases of new small jets fell dramatically last year. A mere 109 very light jets and entry level jets – which sit at the smallest end of the market – were sold globally in 2011, compared with 204 in 2010, according to Ascend data. In the first two months of this year, only six were sold worldwide.
LinkLive Virtual Constructive technology set to revolutionize air combat trainingThe US Air Force and Lockheed Martin are getting ready to demonstrate the first operational use of live virtual constructive (LVC) training technology on 26 April at Luke Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona. The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way air forces train-particularly for aviators who will fly 5th generation machines like Lockheed's F-22 Raptor and F-35.
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