News
Southern Air files Chapter 11
Southern Air Holdings, parent of Southern Air (9S), has filed Chapter 11, citing the impact of major spending cuts by the US Dept. of Defense and an uncertain economy.
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Air Malta introduces new livery
Air Malta introduced their new livery over the weekend. netAirspace member rbpace was at the airport before the first flight and took the picture shown above.
BA to raise Dublin flight frequency
British Airways will operate eight daily return flights from London Heathrow to Dublin this winter, resuming services on the route after a 20-year absence, following its acquisition of BMI.
The Oneworld carrier stopped operating its own flights on the route when it began codesharing with Aer Lingus and only returned after acquiring BMI in June. The airline will begin a new schedule in winter, increasing its daily services from four to eight. This includes a new early morning departure from Dublin.
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Crucial vote nears in Boeing contract talk
One of Boeing's chief unions staged rallies in and around Seattle this week, calling attention to a vote set for Monday that will show whether workers are willing to accept a less generous contract offer or move closer to a strike.
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Oneworld to announce new member, Qatar expected
Oneworld will hold an event announcing a "significant membership development" on 8 October, coming amidst widely-reported discussions with Qatar Airways about joining the alliance.
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Qatar CEO: No plans to join oneworld
Qatar Airways has no plans to join the oneworld alliance, its chief executive Akbar al-Baker said on Sunday, dismissing reports that the airline had become the newest member of the group.
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Etihad open to more stake purchases
Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier which has been on a recent acquisition spree, is eyeing further investments if the right opportunity arises, its chief executive said on Sunday, adding 2012 revenue could top USD$5 billion for the first time.
"We see further equity investments only if it's the right opportunity, right partner, right market and right price," James Hogan, Etihad's chief executive said at an aviation conference in the United Arab Emirates' capital.
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Greece looks to aviation industry to rescue economy
Greece sees aviation as key to rescuing itself from its economic predicament, the county's new minister of tourism Olga Kefalogianni says.
Speaking at the World Route Development Strategy Summit about the potential of the aviation industry to drive economic growth in the current financial climate, Kefalogianni said aviation and economies of nations are intrinsically linked. She added that this was especially the case in Greece, a country with over 2,000 islands and 39 airports, where tourism comprises 15% of the country's economic output.
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Abu Dhabi's Rotana grows domestic operations
While Etihad Airways has been making waves on the international stage, Abu Dhabi's new domestic operator Rotana Jet is ramping up its network after launching its fourth service to Al Ain.
Rotana Jet began scheduled domestic flights in June, operating out of Abu Dhabi's Al Bateen Airport to Sir Bani Yas Island using an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet. The carrier has since added flights to Delma Island, Fujairah and as of 26 September, Al Ain.
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Japan Airlines cancels flights as Jelawat passes through Tokyo
Japan Airlines Co. canceled more domestic flights as typhoon Jelawat passed through Tokyo and tracked near northern Japan, packing winds gusting to 210 kilometers (130 miles) per hour.
The airline decided to cancel 55 domestic flights as of 5 a.m. today, affecting about 7,280 passengers, according to a faxed statement. The typhoon led to flight cancellations at Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways Co. (9202) yesterday, disrupting air traffic for tens of thousands of people.
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Southwest Airlines launches service at Des Moines International Airport
Southwest Airlines is excited to announce that LUV has officially landed in Iowa with service at Des Moines International Airport (DSM). Dozens of Southwest Employees are on hand to celebrate the long-anticipated arrival with the Des Moines Community and great State of Iowa.
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Other News
A Qatar Airways A330 diverted to Lagos after discovering an issue with the landing gear
United Airlines took delivery of its first 787. The aircraft will enter service in early November.
BAE Systems Australia has won a nine-month contract to develop operational models for the integration of the Lockheed Martin F-35 into the Australian defense environment.
Philippine Airlines has exercised options to buy 10 Airbus A330-300 aircraft for $2.5 billion, with deliveries planned in 2013-2014.
Abu Dhabi Airport saw strong growth in passenger and cargo traffic in the first eight months of 2012, outpacing Dubai's competing airport, according to figures released by the Abu Dhabi airport authority.
Lufthansa's efforts to cut costs will be challenged by increased fuel prices and a poor economy this year, its chief executive said.
Aviation Quote
The British were sporting. They would accept a fight under almost all conditions.
— Gunther Rall, Luftwaffe, 275 victories.
ON THIS DATE
---In 1861... The United States Army Balloon Corps, consisting of five balloons and fifty men, is formed.
---In 1906... United States Army Lieutenant Frank Lahm wins the 1st Gordon Bennett international balloon race.
---In 1912... The Military Aviation Service is founded in Germany.
---In 1941…Inter-Island Airways was renamed Hawaiian Airlines.
---In 1947... Los Angeles Airways opens the world’s 1st regular airmail service by helicopter, using Sikorsky S-51 machines.
---In 1947…First flight of the North American XP-86A.
---In 1966…West Coast Airlines, Flight 956 crashed with 18 fatalities. This was the first crash of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9.
---In 1971…Aurigny Air Services commences operations with Britten-Norman Trislander.
---In 1972…Malaysian Airline System is formed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
---In 1976… After his 1973 RTW attempt was aborted by bad weather between Hokkaidō and the Aleutian Islands, Don Taylor of California successfully circumnavigates the world (Oshkosh eastbound to Oshkosh) in his Thorp T-18, the first aviator to do so with a homebuilt aircraft.
---In 1986…The AH-64 Apache enters service with the US 6th Cavalry Brigade.
---In 1994…United Airlines created a new airline named United Shuttle.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Sniffer
A man is sitting in a plane which is about to takeoff, when another man with a dog occupies the empty seats alongside. The dog is sat in the middle, and the first man is looking quizzically at the dog when the second man explains that they work for the airline.
The airline rep said "Don't mind Rover, he is a sniffer dog, the best there is, I'll show you once we get airborne and I set him to work."
The plane takes off and levels out when the handler says to the first man, "Watch this." He tells the dog, "Rover, search." The dog jumps down, walks along the aisle and sits next to a woman for a few seconds. It then returns to its seat and puts one paw on the handler's arm. He says "Good boy." He turns to the first man and says, "That woman is in possession of marijuana, so I'm making a note of this, and the seat number, for the police who will apprehend her upon arrival." "Fantastic!" replies the first man.
Once again he sends the dog to search the aisles. The dog sniffs about, sits down beside a man for a few seconds, returns to its seat and places both paws on the handler's arm. The airline rep says, "That man is carrying cocaine, so again, I'm making a note of this, and the seat number." "I like it!" says the first man.
Once again he sends the dog to search the aisles. Rover goes up and down the plane aisle, and after a while sits down next to someone, and then comes racing back and jumps up onto the seat and craps all over the place. The first man is surprised and disgusted by this, and asks "What the heck is going on?" The handler nervously replies "He just found a bomb!"
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More News Stories
Russia and Czech Republic to liberalize air service agreement
Russian and Czech aviation authorities have signed a new air service agreement (ASA) and added one more designated carrier from each country on the Moscow-Prague route.
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Kingfisher cancels flights due to engineers strike
Kingfisher Airlines’ engineers went on strike Sunday over nonpayment of salaries. Four flights were canceled from Delhi and five others were delayed up to 30 minutes on Sunday, according to Indian news agency PTI.
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IATA sees airline profitability prospects improve for 2012
IATA has revised its 2012 financial forecast upward, predicting the world’s airlines will earn a $4.1 billion profit for the year compared to $3 billion forecast in June. But profits will still be less than half the $8.4 billion airlines earned in 2011.
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BOC Aviation to lease two new E-190s to TUI’s Jetairfly
Singapore-based BOC Aviation will lease two Embraer E-190s to TUI Travel for its Belgian Jetairfly subsidiary. The aircraft will be delivered in the first half of 2013.
The aircraft, which will be configured with 112 slimline seats in a single-class layout, will provide more capacity on lower-demand routes.
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