NewsBoeing Engineers Reject Contract OfferIn a widely expected show of force Boeing engineers and technical workers rejected a pay offer on Monday, setting the stage for talks to resume Tuesday for agreements covering 23,000 workers.
LinkKingfisher Locks Out Some Staff After UnrestIndia's Kingfisher Airlines said it would submit a revival plan to regulators and clear pending salary dues in the coming days, after staff unrest prompted the carrier to declare a partial lockout and cancel all flights for three days.
LinkAmerican Grounds Eight Planes After Loose SeatsAmerican Airlines said on Monday it has temporarily grounded eight planes to evaluate them after seats became loose on two flights in the last few days -- incidents which have also prompted safety regulators to look into the matter.
LinkGol To Order 60 Boeing 737 MAXGol Linhas Aéreas, Latin America's largest low-fare airline, plans to order 60 737 MAX jets with improved fuel efficiency from Boeing after soaring jet fuel prices triggered a year of heavy losses.
LinkEADS/BAE Shareholder Demands IntensifyEADS and BAE Systems battled to save their USD$45 billion merger plan from the crossfire of competing interests on Monday as governments and shareholders staked out positions in talks aimed at creating the world's biggest aerospace and arms firm.
LinkQatar Airways discusses A330 deal in wake of 787 delayFrustrated by endless delays to its Boeing 787 delivery schedule, Qatar Airways is understood to have initiated discussions with Airbus about a major A330 deal. Chief executive Akbar Al Baker has been vocal about being "failed by Boeing" over 787 deliveries, which were due to begin in late August but still have not started as a result of unspecified technical issues.
LinkAirbus: A380 2012 targets in doubt as wing cracks issue slows productionAirbus said its A380 sales targets are becoming harder to reach this year because of the issue of wing cracks issue discovered in January on in-service aircraft.
Speaking on the sidelines of Thai Airways’ first A380 delivery in Toulouse last week, Airbus VP-marketing Bob Lange said it has been a tough year, with little time left to meet its sales target of 30 of the type for 2012. As of Sept. 26, four A380s had been sold.
LinkPhilippine Airlines orders 10 more A330sPhilippine Airlines (PAL) has placed a firm order with Airbus for an additional 10 A330-300s. The new order follows a deal announced in August for 44 A321s and 10 A330s under the carrier’s fleet modernization program.
LinkICAO sees EU ETS as regional issue ICAO has insisted the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is a regional issue despite being given a mandate to come up with a global approach to paying for aviation emissions. EU ETS is a market-based measure, designed to financially reward airlines with the best green credentials and penalize polluters. However, the scheme has stirred up major international tension because critics say Europe is using the ETS to charge for emissions beyond its jurisdiction.
LinkLockheed Martin wins $1.85bn contract to upgrade Taiwan's F-16s The US government has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $1.85 billion to upgrade the avionics of 145 Taiwanese F-16A/B combat aircraft. "This retrofit program will include the addition of an active electronically scanned array [AESA] radar, embedded global positioning, as well as upgrades to the electronic warfare and other avionics systems of Taiwan's F-16s," says Lockheed. The company, however, did not state the provider of the AESA radar. The contenders for the sensor upgrade are Northrop Grumman's Scalable Agile Beam Radar and the Raytheon Advanced Combat Radar.
LinkUS Navy works through F-35C air-ship integration issues The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is working hard to integrate the Lockheed Martin F-35C Joint Strike Fighter onto the carrier deck, but challenges remain. Aircraft carriers, by virtue of their huge size and capability, are adaptable overtime, says Rear Admiral Thomas Moore, the US Navy's program executive officer for carriers. An individual carrier will repeatedly adapt new aircraft over the course of its lifetime and the F-35C will be no different.
LinkNASA awards risk reduction for advanced boostersNASA has awarded three contracts for risk reduction on potential new boosters for the space launch system (SLS), the launch vehicle meant to launch a new wave of space exploration. Dynetics, which is cooperating with Rocketdyne to build a modernized version of the powerful F-1, will "demonstrate the use of modern manufacturing techniques" on portions of the rocket engine, including the power pack and cryogenics tanks.
LinkDelta refinancing deal with Barclays totals nearly $2 billionDelta Air Lines has secured refinancing loans amounting to $1.7 billion in specified financing and $250 million more in unspecified financing, a company filing shows. The loans will refinance the existing senior secured notes on Delta's Pacific routes.
LinkAMR pilot union tells pilots to stop any deliberate delay tacticsAMR's pilots' union has issued a memo to pilots instructing them to stop using tactics to delay or cancel flights. American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association have not been able to negotiate a labor agreement as part of AMR's bankruptcy restructuring.
LinkBoeing 787-9 development benefits from 787-8 experiencesBoeing is set to begin development of its 787-9 jet in the coming months, and the company is projecting an easier time with the 787-9 based on its experiences with the 787-8. Production on the 787-8 is now coming up to speed after many delays put the jet-maker behind schedule, and the company remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the 787-9. "From a production standpoint, all the major structural pieces are in initial build. In a lot of cases, we're early. It's a significantly different spot we're in than we were with the -8," said Mike Sinnett, Boeing vice president and chief project engineer for the 787.
LinkWhat happened to Delta's Comair?Comair flew its last flight over the weekend. The airline was a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines under the Delta Connection brand. Rising fuel prices and hefty labor costs contributed to the airline's downfall because they made it too expensive for the carrier to compete, this feature says.
LinkAirlines target corporate travelers with special perksCorporate travelers have become a prime target for U.S. carriers trying to combat rising fuel costs and stiffer competition. Some airlines have invested in bedlike seats, extra legroom and Wi-Fi connections to attract discerning business travelers.
LinkLAX project makes way for bigger jets, more routesA major modernization project at Los Angeles International Airport is under way. It will increase concourse and taxiway sizes, up the number of gates available and heighten the airport's capacity for bigger jets. The project will cost $4.1 billion and allow the airport to increase the number of routes it can facilitate. LAX considers itself the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and the sixth-busiest in the world.
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