NewsBoeing 787 to fly for United on May 20United Airlines plans to restart Boeing 787 Dreamliner service on May 20, which would be 11 days earlier than previously scheduled. United will fly its first 787 flight from Houston to Chicago, with Houston-to-Denver service starting on May 21. United will inaugurate the first international route on the 787 next month between Denver and Tokyo.
LinkHonda Aircraft delays HA-420 again to late-2014 Honda Aircraft says today that certification of the HA-420 HondaJet is delayed by roughly one year to late-2014 as development of the light jet's all-new engine continues to fall behind schedule. As of October, the five-passenger HA-420 was supposed to be delivered to customers by late 2013, or several months after the Honda/General Electric HF120 completed its own certification process this month. But Honda Aircraft now reveals that the 2,000hp (1,400kW) HF120 will not achieve certification until the end of this year. When asked why the engine did not clear the certification milestone as scheduled, Honda Aircraft declined to offer specifics.
LinkWestJet orders 10 737-800s, defers five 737-700s Calgary-based WestJet has struck an agreement with Boeing to purchase 10 737-800s, and defer five 737-700s scheduled for delivery between 2014 and 2015 to 2016 and 2017. Through a separate agreement with a third-party, WestJet will sell 10 of its oldest 737-700s to a third party in 2014 and 2015. Removing these older aircraft will lower the age of WestJet's fleet by a year, it says. WestJet operates more than 100 Boeing 737 aircraft, with the oldest 737-700s aircraft built in 2001.
LinkWestJet Profit Up A Third On Higher LoadsWestJet Airlines, Canada's second-largest airline, reported a 33 percent rise in profit as it flew fuller planes in the first quarter. Net earnings rose to CAD$91.1 million (USD$90.3 million), from CAD$68.3 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 8.6 percent to CAD$967.2 million. Load factor rose to 84.3 percent from 83 percent a year ago. Costs per available seat mile rose 0.3 percent. WestJet said it expects revenue per available seat mile (RASM) to decline in the second quarter, hurt by the timing of the Easter and Passover holidays and cancellation of some business by travel agency Thomas Cook.
LinkTurkish deal takes Airbus gross orders above 500 Turkish Airlines lifted Airbus's gross orders above 500 by the end of April, as the carrier booked 82 A320-family jets. The airline unveiled plans, in March, to order up to 117 single-aisle Airbus twinjets including the A320neo. Airbus's latest backlog figures covering the first four months of 2013 shows that the airframer logged the firm part of this order - 57 A321neo and A320neo jets plus 25 A321s - on 19 April. Turkish has placed options on another 35 A321neos.
LinkLinkIcon A5 faces new delays on FAA weight exemption request 
Icon Aircraft must supply significantly more data about the A5 amphibian before the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will consider a long-standing request for a weight exemption. In a 2 May letter to the Los Angeles, California-based start-up, the FAA finally responded to Icon's year-old request, but did not provide a firm answer. Icon first applied on 7 May 2012 to be exempted from the 649kg (1,430lb) weight limit for a special-light sport aircraft. The A5 needs the exemption because it uses a spin-resistant airframe. It is a feature that is intended to improve safety, but means the A5 will exceed the FAA's weight limit under the S-LSA category without the exemption, Icon says.
LinkMayrhuber Named Lufthansa Chairman After Stormy AGMWolfgang Mayrhuber was named chairman of Lufthansa's supervisory board on Tuesday after a stormy meeting where major shareholders voiced their displeasure with the return of the German airline's longtime chief executive. The 66-year-old Austrian, who ran Lufthansa for seven years before stepping down at the end of 2010, had withdrawn his candidacy for the board a day before the annual general meeting (AGM) in Cologne, only to change tack hours later and re-enter the race. Despite the flip-flop and a record as chief executive that some have criticized, Mayrhuber received the support of 63.2 percent of shareholders voting at the meeting, a less than resounding endorsement but enough to place him on the supervisory board.
LinkQatar Approached IAG Over Bankia Stake - ReportQatar has approached International Airlines Group, the owner of British Airways and Iberia, with an informal offer to become the company's largest shareholder by buying the 12 percent stake held by Spanish lender Bankia, the Financial Times reported. Qatar had approached IAG to ask whether the company would welcome it as a shareholder, the FT said citing two people familiar with the matter. The financial daily cited one of those people as saying the initial approach was made last year, though it wasn't clear which Qatari entity would buy the Bankia stake.
LinkAA-US Airways to announce leadership team by JuneAmerican Airlines and US Airways said the carriers plan to announce the senior executives for the merged company by late May or early June. Executives from both airlines plan to meet in Dallas-Fort Worth this week.
LinkSouthwest adds service at Memphis International AirportSouthwest Airlines started booking flights on its website from Memphis, Tenn., on Monday evening. The carrier will begin service at Memphis International Airport in November. Southwest will provide nonstop service from Memphis to Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, and Orlando and Tampa, Fla.
LinkNTSB plans for CT scans of 787 batteriesThe National Transportation Safety Board is looking for a company to perform computed tomography (CT) scans on selected Boeing 787 lithium-ion batteries. "[The tests] must also be completed within the shortest timeframe possible to provide the fastest possible receipt of this information to avoid potential future accidents involving this type of aircraft battery," the NTSB said in a notice.
LinkA4A opposes White House plan to raise taxes on airfaresAirlines for America opposes President Barack Obama's plan to increase taxes paid by customers on airfares. "Instead of $61 on a typical $300 domestic ticket, that could go to $75," said John Heimlich, chief economist at A4A. "We're not getting the most out of the money we're providing already."
LinkFAA oversight of repair stations should be risk-basedThe Department of Transportation's inspector general found that the Federal Aviation Administration should re-evaluate its oversight process to focus on the greatest risks at repair stations for U.S. airlines.
LinkPreCheck program is now available on international flightsThe Transportation Security Administration has expanded its PreCheck expedited screening program to select international flights. Airlines participating in the PreCheck program include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways.
LinkAverage Q4 airfare drops at Atlanta airportThe average domestic airfare out of the Atlanta airport dropped to $361 in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with $378 in the same quarter of the prior year. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta was one of five U.S. airports with the largest drops in airfare, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
LinkRAF Typhoons put through paces at Red FlagThe UK Royal Air Force's fast jet inventory has undergone a dramatic transformation over the decade since its Operation "Telic" involvement during the second Gulf War with Iraq in 2003, rationalising to just two types: the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Panavia Tornado GR4. Gone are the Sepecat Jaguar, BAE Systems Harrier and Tornado F3 fleets, and with them the mass of a sizeable frontline squadron strength. From 2014, the RAF is likely to be composed of just seven frontline fast jet units.
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