CommercialBoeing completes legal delivery of 787-9 to Air New ZealandBoeing has completed the legal delivery of the first 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand on schedule on 30 June, the company says. The legal milestone comes 10 days before Air New Zealand accepts the new aircraft in a ceremony at the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington, on 9 July. The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered aircraft is the first of 10 787-9s on order by the Star Alliance carrier and the first of 413 aircraft ordered overall.
LinkBoeing adds weight and clarifies range for 787-9 and 787-10As Air New Zealand prepares to receive the first 787-9 next week, Boeing has increased the weight and clarified the range for the two largest variants in the Dreamliner family. Maximum take-off weight for the 787-9 and 787-10 rises to 253,000kg (557,000lb), or 1,810kg higher than previously listed. Boeing attributes the weight growth to added range, saying the 787-9 can now fly up to 8,300nm (15,400km).
LinkBombardier Wins Order For 16 CRJ900sBombardier said on Monday an unidentified customer has ordered 16 CRJ900 regional jets in a deal worth USD$727 million at list prices. The value of the deal could swell to USD$1.1 billion if options for eight more of the planes are exercised.
LinkEU Seeks Clarification Over Possible Aid To AlitaliaEuropean Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia has written to the Italian government requesting clarification on possible state aid to Alitalia, which is aiming to tie up with Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad. Reuters news agency is reporting that Almunia asked for a full transcript of the meeting of Alitalia's board on October 11, 2013 at which it was agreed that the state-owned Poste Italiane would take a stake in the airline. In addition, Almunia asked for a copy of a so-called "fairness opinion" provided by Credit Suisse.
LinkHeathrow Planning Landing Fee IncreaseLondon Heathrow Airport is looking to raise its landing fees, chief executive John Holland-Kaye told the Financial Times in an interview. Holland-Kaye, who takes over as CEO on Tuesday, told the FT that Heathrow planned to increase the "aeronautical charge" to GBP£24 per passenger from GBP£20.
LinkRunway Work Limits Dubai Airport TrafficPassenger traffic through Dubai's main airport fell 2.5 percent from a year earlier to 5.09 million people in May because of construction work on its two runways, operator Dubai Airports said on Monday. Dubai International, one of the world's busiest airports, is cutting back flights for an 80-day period from May 1 as first one runway and then the other is closed for resurfacing and other construction work. Under a plan announced in April, flights through Dubai are to be cut by 26 percent during the period. Eight airlines flying into Dubai are to divert to the emirate's new Al Maktoum Airport, boosting the flights it handles each week to over 600 from 80.
LinkAirline shares now an attractive investment, analyst saysAirline shares are soaring as investors look at airlines in a new light. "It's a stable business now," said Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant and co-founder of Boyd Group International. Mergers have helped airlines focus on capacity discipline and returning dividends to shareholders, analysts say.
LinkAviation pioneer Rollin King dies at 83Rollin King, who co-founded Southwest Airlines along with Herb Kelleher, died at 83 last week. King and Kelleher had the idea for a Texas airline in 1967, and sketched the route map on a cocktail napkin, according to Southwest lore. "The extended family of Southwest Airlines employees and retirees shares in the loss of Rollin King and honors the legacy of affordable air travel he sparked more than 40 years ago," said Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest, in a statement.
LinkAirlines examine Inmarsat's tracking proposal Weeks after Inmarsat proposed a free global airline tracking service to ICAO, Hawaiian Airlines responded with a resolution to participate in trials, via principal engineer – avionics engineering Dan Smith’s statement at the Global Connected Aircraft Summit in early June. Inmarsat’s “free tracking” consists of one FANS/ADS-C position report being provided for free once every 15 minutes; FANS/ADS-C is over Classic Aero service, not SwiftBroadband (SBB) as yet – the latter is pending availability of safety services approval. “We do have some SwiftBroadband connectivity, it’s not activated,” said Smith, as he confirmed that Hawaiian considers the proposed Inmarsat service a boon to onboard safety and communication practices. Airlines including TAP Portugal, All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa have also expressed some level of interest in learning more about the proposed service from London-headquartered Inmarsat. It should be noted that – as RGN previously reported – Hawaiian was already poised to be the first carrier to test SwiftBroadband for safety services before the MH370 tragedy spurred Inmarsat to offer free tracking.
LinkCharlotte Douglas looks to add international flightsCharlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the second-busiest U.S. airport in terms of traffic. However, the majority of flights from Charlotte are domestic, and the airport is eying ways to boost international service. "The challenge we have right now is we don't have enough of a [local traveler] base to really support a major international hubbing operation," said Brent Cagle, interim aviation director at the airport.
LinkFla. airport sets up viewing room for World Cup matches There's no need to miss any World Cup matches if you're traveling through Orlando's international airport. Officials at the Orlando International Airport set up a special viewing room last week so air travelers can watch matches in between flights. The room is located in the main terminal building across from a bank and next to an area for postal services.
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