NewsBrazilian KC-137 crashes on take-off in Haiti, none injured
A Brazilian air force KC-137 crashed on 26 May with no injuries to the 141 people aboard while attempting to take-off from the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port au Prince, Haiti. The Brazilian air force released a statement saying only that a "technical problem" caused the KC-137 to exit the runway around 15:30 GMT. The aircraft was loaded with 131 Brazilian troops who were returning to Brazil after a six-month deployment in support of the United Nations stabilisation mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
LinkFlybe deferral opens path to re-engined EmbraersUK regional carrier Flybe's deferral of a batch of Embraer deliveries was partly influenced by the prospect of receiving the re-engined version of the E-Jet family. The airline ordered 35 Embraer 175s in 2010 as part of an agreement which potentially extended to another 105 of the type up to 2020. Flybe began introducing the 175s in November 2011 and, by the end of March 2012, it had four of the type in a UK fleet comprising 68 aircraft - including its 14 E-195s and 50 Bombardier Q400s. However, the carrier has since embarked on a restructuring programme, including amendments to its jet and turboprop fleets. Its decision to defer 16 of the E-175s by three or four years, to 2017-2019, puts their delivery in the same timeframe as the entry into service of the re-engined E-Jet in 2018. "It was considered a benefit of the deferral," says Flybe corporate board director Mike Rutter. The airline had previously expressed an interest in the new aircraft.
LinkCowls missing from both engines on BA A319 UK investigators have opened an inquiry into the British Airways Airbus A319 incident at London Heathrow which resulted in substantial damage to both engines. Images show that the fan cowl doors on both engines have been torn away, with clear discolouration on the rear of the starboard International Aero Engines V2500 powerplant. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch says it has started a probe into the event involving the aircraft (G-EUOE) which had just taken off as flight BA762 to Oslo.
LinkDelta opens JFK terminal expansion, announces third phase Delta Air Lines opened a $1.2 billion expansion of terminal 4 at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) today, as it begins the slow process of consolidating its operations into one building at the airport. "The state-of-the-art Terminal 4 facilities have been years in the making and Delta people, global customers and the residents of New York now have the international hub facility that they expect and deserve," says Richard Anderson, chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based SkyTeam alliance member, during an event at JFK. "It's an exciting time at Delta and JFK Terminal 4 is emblematic of the investments we are making in New York and around the world." The 32,145 square metre (346,000 square foot) expansion includes the addition of nine new gates and renovation of seven gates on concourse B, which will replace Delta's terminal 3. The ageing facility will be demolished.
LinkBoeing ready to build first KC-46 tankerBoeing will start building the first KC-46 tanker for the US Air Force during June 2013, a company official says. "Starting in one month, we will begin final assembly of the wing structure," says Jake Howitt, Boeing's deputy KC-46 program manager. "On 26 June we load the first tanker parts into the wing final assembly jig up at Everett [Washington]." The start of final assembly is proceeding ahead of the 767-based aircraft's critical design review, which will finalise its engineering blueprints.
LinkJustice Dept Opposes American Air CEO PayoffA plan by American Airlines' parent AMR to exit bankruptcy and merge with US Airways is coming under fire from the US Department of Justice over nearly USD$20 million in severance pay earmarked for outgoing boss Tom Horton. In court papers filed in US Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, US Trustee Tracy Hope Davis, the department's official charged with regulating bankruptcy cases in the New York region, said the severance deal for AMR’s chief executive violates bankruptcy law. She asked the court not to approve the outline of the plan that must also be approved by AMR creditors. The initial merger agreement called for USD$19.9 million in severance payments for Horton, but when Judge Sean Lane approved the merger at a hearing in March, he refused to green-light the severance package, saying it was a matter that should be left for AMR's Chapter 11 exit plan. Davis at the time had opposed the severance on grounds similar to those she cited on Friday.
LinkAmerican-US Air Lobbying Focuses On Small CitiesUS Airways and American Airlines, seeking approval for a merger that would create the world's largest airline, are warning lawmakers that a requirement to divest certain airport slots would lead to less service for small and medium-sized cities, sources close to the effort told Reuters. The airlines may be required to shed slots at Washington's Reagan National Airport to prevent market domination. There is concern that those slots could go to rivals, such as JetBlue Airways, which would likely use them for flights to major cities. That could have the trickle-down effect of leaving smaller markets such as Tallahassee, Florida; Augusta, Georgia; and Charleston, West Virginia, without a daily flight to the nation's capital.
LinkAzul Plans To Raise Capital In IPOBrazil's third-biggest airline, Azul, plans to raise BRR1.1 billion reais (USD$536 million) in a share offering to buy more planes, a newspaper reported on Monday. The operation will be concluded by July and will involve preferred shares only, Valor Economico newspaper reported, citing sources with direct knowledge of plans. Azul, founded by Brazilian-born entrepreneur David Neeleman, competes against LATAM Airlines and Gol by offering low fares and direct routes between underserved cities. Its fleet is largely composed of Embraer E190 and E195 jets.
LinkFighters Escort Pakistani Plane, Two ArrestedBritish fighter jets escorted a Pakistan International Airlines plane to London Stansted Airport on Friday, where police went on board and arrested two men on suspicion of endangering an aircraft. Passengers left the plane and no one was hurt in the incident, a spokesman for the airport said. Flight PK709 from Lahore in Pakistan had been due to land at Manchester in northern England with 297 passengers on board, but was diverted shortly before arrival. Britain is on high alert after a soldier was hacked to death on a London street on Wednesday in what the government are treating as a terrorist incident. A security source said early indications were that the plane was not the target of a terrorist attack.
LinkAir China To Buy 100 Airbus AircraftAir China will pay USD$8.9 billion for 100 new Airbus aircraft, the company said in an announcement filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday. Air China said it will purchase 60 Airbus A320-series aircraft for USD$5.37 billion, taking delivery of the aircraft between 2014 and 2020. It said its subsidiary, Shenzhen Airlines, will purchase 40 Airbus A320-series aircraft forUSD $3.483 billion, taking delivery between 2016 and 2020.
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