NewsCommercial
Production of Boeing 787-9 hums along in S.C.
Boeing South Carolina is continuing production for the Dreamliner 787-9, which can seat 40 more passengers than the 787-8.
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New era for Dornier 328 with Sierra Nevada acquisition
A new chapter in the history of the Dornier 328Jet and turboprop opened last week, with the acquisition for an undisclosed sum by Sierra Nevada (SNC) of type certificate holder 328 Support Services. 328 Support, based in London and with main operations at Oberpfaffenhofen airport near Munich, supports many of the approximately 175 D328s still flying. It bought the type certificates in December 2005 from insolvent AvCraft, which had acquired them in turn from Fairchild Dornier when it foundered during the post-9/11 downturn.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Airlines Announces Order for Six Boeing Next-Generation 737-900ERs
Alaska Airlines' fleet of fuel-efficient Boeing airplanes is growing again. Seattle's hometown airline is purchasing six more Boeing 737-900 Extended Range aircraft, valued at $594 million, Boeing's current list price. The new planes, four scheduled for delivery in 2016 and two in 2017, bring Alaska's total of locally manufactured jets on order to 79.
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Arkia A330neo gives Airbus first Israeli long-haul deal
Israeli carrier Arkia is to become the first carrier in the country to take Airbus long-haul aircraft with a tentative agreement to acquire up to four A330-900neos. The airline has signed a memorandum of understanding for the jets, the airframer states. All A330neo jets will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. No delivery date for the Arkia aircraft has been disclosed.
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Delta rolls out new wine for business fliers on London, U.S. flights
Delta Air Lines has rolled out a new wine menu for Business Elite passengers traveling between London Heathrow and the U.S. The new wines come from Italy, France and California.
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JetBlue celebrates 15 years in the sky
JetBlue Airways is celebrating its 15th anniversary with a "Bluemanity" paint scheme for one Airbus A320. "This plane with our values proudly displayed across the fuselage is a tribute to all JetBlue crew members," said Mike Elliott, senior vice president of people at the carrier. JetBlue debuted on Feb. 11, 2000.
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Lufthansa Looks At Plans To Slim Down Management
Lufthansa is looking at options for simplifying the way it runs its airlines, including the removal of a layer of management a person familiar with the situation said. Options include centralizing functions such as network planning, currently done by individual airlines. The group is working on the plans with consulting firm McKinsey and aims to implement the changes in the second half of the year, the person said.
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Lufthansa targets early redemption of JetBlue bonds
Lufthansa is aiming to reduce its debt by offering incentives for bondholders to cash in bonds earlier than their 2017 expiration date. The bonds, issued in 2012, will exchange into shares of JetBlue Airways. JetBlue said the exchange will not affect the number of its outstanding shares.
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Qatar's Al Baker firmly rebukes Delta chief in subsidies row
Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker has dismissed the latest round of accusations from US airlines about unfair competition from the Gulf carriers, saying they need to understand the difference between government subsidies and government equity. Al Baker was speaking to Richard Quest of CNN in the wake of a controversial interview the US network's business anchor conducted with Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson on 16 February.
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Southwest offers Passbook option for boarding passes
Southwest Airlines will now offer mobile boarding passes that can be downloaded to the Passbook app from Apple. "Mobile boarding passes can be downloaded directly to Passbook which operates on Apple devices running iOS6 or later," Southwest states on its blog.
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United Airlines to tweak loyalty program on March 1
On March 1, United Airlines will adjust its frequent flier program to a model based on fares paid instead of miles flown. MileagePlus members can earn 5 to 11 points per dollar on airfares, depending on their status.
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Virgin America Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2014 Earnings
Virgin America (VA) today reports its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014. Key points include:
Fourth quarter 2014 operating income of $34.2 million and net income of $28.1 million, excluding special items[1]. This represents the highest net income for a fourth quarter in Company history and the ninth consecutive quarter of year-over-year improvement in income, excluding special items. On a GAAP basis, operating and net income for the fourth quarter of 2014 and 2013 were $10.1 million and $3.9 million, respectively.
LinkAirports
Istanbul Snowstorm Grounds Flights
A snowstorm in Istanbul grounded planes at the city's Ataturk Airport for three hours on Wednesday, Turkish officials said. Turkish Airlines cancelled more than 300 flights scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Aviation authorities re-opened Ataturk Airport at 12:50 pm local time after a brief closure.
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Discussion
TCI Takes 6.7 Percent Stake In Aena
The Children's Investment Fund Management (TCI) took a 6.7 percent stake in last week's listing of Spanish airport operator Aena to become the biggest shareholder after the state. The EUR€3.88 billion sale is seen as a vote of confidence in Spain's economic recovery.
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Texas city green-lights improvements for municipal airports
The Fort Worth, Texas, City Council voted to designate $2.4 million from its oil and gas revenue for a new hangar at a municipal airport. Spinks Airport will receive a 10-bay hangar complex under a proposal approved by the council, which also calls for the closure of a runway at Meacham International Airport.
LinkMilitary
Airbus advances A400M tanker testing
Airbus Defence & Space has tested the A400M’s ability to simultaneously refuel a pair of combat aircraft in flight, as it promotes the type’s credentials for the tactical tanker role. “In the course of four flights, the A400M performed 74 contacts and dispensed 27.2t of fuel” to two Spanish air force Boeing F/A-18As, Airbus says. The activity was conducted at altitudes between 20,000ft and 33,000ft, and at air speeds ranging from 180kt (333km/h) to 300kt, it adds.
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Lockheed expects New Delhi to replace lost C-130J
Lockheed Martin is confident that New Delhi will replace the C-130J tactical transport lost in a 2013 crash, and expects deliveries from a follow-on order for six of the type to commence in 2017. Speaking to Flightglobal at Lockheed's stand at the Aero India show in Bengaluru, Abhay Paranjape, the company's director of business development for India, says a replacement for the destroyed Hercules, combined with the incoming aircraft, would allow India to base six C-130Js on each of the nation's coasts.
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UK extends Chinook support deal with Boeing
Boeing has secured a £450 million ($694 million) extension to its long-standing through-life customer support (TLCS) contract for the Royal Air Force’s CH-47 transport helicopters. Announced on 17 February, the new five-year agreement continues an availability-based maintenance and support arrangement for the Chinook that was established by the Ministry of Defence with Boeing in 2006. Welcoming the contract extension, Boeing Defence UK managing director David Pitchforth says that under the TLCS arrangement the company “has delivered aircraft availability that is 10% above the requirement, and driven serviceability to an all-time high”.
LinkRotary Wing
Airbus Helicopters drops PW210 engine on 'repositioned' X4
On the eve of the official unveiling of its new X4 medium-class rotorcraft, Airbus Helicopters has sensationally ditched one of the two engine suppliers on the program and hinted at a heavier aircraft than previously thought. The medium-twin X4 was initially proposed with a choice of either Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210E or Turbomeca Arrano powerplants, both in the 1,100shp (809kw) range – but now the former engine has been dropped.
LinkCorporate
Gulfstream G650ER Circumnavigates The Globe In One Stop
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced that the G650ER recently set two city-pair records while flying around the world in one stop. The G650ER took off from White Plains, New York, with three passengers and four crew members on board. It flew 6,939 nautical miles/12,851 kilometers eastbound to Beijing at an average speed of Mach 0.87 for a total flight time of 13 hours and 20 minutes. The aircraft then flew eastbound 6,572 nm/12,171 km to Savannah, accomplishing the mission at an average speed of Mach 0.89 for a total flight time of 12 hours. The aircraft landed both times with fuel in excess of National Business Aviation Association instrument flight rule reserves.
Link
Jet Aviation Basel performs 25th BBJ completion
Jet Aviation's maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in Basel, Switzerland has performed its 25th Boeing Business Jet completion since it took on its first project in 1999. The latest contract, for an undisclosed private customer, involved repainting the exterior and a complete cabin refurbishment. The work took nine months to complete.
Link
Aviation Quote
Nothing ever built arose to touch the skies unless some man dreamed that it should, some man believed that it could, and some man willed that it must.
— Charles Kettering
On This Date
---In 1473...Born: Nicolaus Copernicus, Torun, Poland, astronomer, heliocentrism.
---In 1912... One of the most successful pre-World War I airship operations begins with the first flight of the Zeppelin LZ II, Victoria Louise, and its introduction into service with the German airship company DELAG.
---In 1934…The United States Army Air Corps begins flying US airmail after the government cancels all existing airmail contracts due to alleged improprieties by the previous administration during the negotiations of those contracts.
---In 1937... Howard Hughes establishes a new transcontinental speed record of 7 hours 28 minutes 25 seconds from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey.
---In 1955…TWA Flight 260, a Martin 4-0-4 (N40416) crashes into the Sandia Mountains while on a flight form Albuquerque to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Instrument failure giving poor direction is accredited with the deaths of all 16 on-board. The 10,678ft mountain is still the home to some of the wreckage, which can be seen from the Sandia Tram.
---In 1965…Lufthansa signs up as the first customer for the forthcoming Boeing 737.
---In 1970…First flight of the Canadair CL-84 CX8401.
---In 1970…U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik 52 and Molniya 1-13 communications satellite.
---In 1982... The first Boeing 757 takes to the air on its maiden flight. With capacity for between 178 and 239 passengers in a wide variety of configurations, it has a cruising speed of 528 mph and a range of 2,100 mi., or 5,343 mi. at economic cruise.
---In 1985…China Airlines Flight 006, a 747SP (N4522V) flying from Taipei to Los Angeles experiences a #4 engine failure, leading the aircraft to roll and take a 30,000ft dive before regaining control. The aircraft received significant damage to the horizontal stabilizer, and its right main gear became deployed while it also lost a large amount of hydraulic fluid. The aircraft diverts to San Francisco with only two injuries among the 274 people aboard.
---In 1985…Iberia Flight 610, a 727-200 (EC-DDU) crashes after striking a television antenna while on approach to Bilbao, Spain, killing all 148 on-board. The Captain was heard to have yelled “Shut up” several times as the Ground Proximity Warning System told him to pull up.
---In 1986…U.S.S.R. launches Mir space station into Earth orbit.
---In 1988…First flight of the Boeing 737-400.
---In 2002…First flight of the Embraer 170.
---In 2005… British Airways, the No. 2 engine of a Boeing 747–400 G-BNLG surged (whereby the airflow through the engine reverses) and suffered internal damage just after take off from Los Angeles on a flight to London Heathrow with 16 crew and 351 passengers on board.[150] The crew shut the engine down and continued the climb and continued the flight, in line with BA's standard operating procedures for 4 engined aircraft. Because it was unable to attain normal cruising speeds and altitudes, the aircraft diverted to Manchester Airport, England. The United States Federal Aviation Administration had been critical of the Captain's decision and accused BA of operating the aircraft in an non airworthy condition.] In June 2006 the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch recommended that the UK and US authorities review the policy on flight continuation and give clear guidance. This has not happened but the FAA have accepted the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority’s determination that the aircraft was airworthy.
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Queso wrote:EVERYBODY should be able to recognize #1. Is everyone so caught-up in jetliners that all these very unique aircraft are unrecognizable?
Queso wrote:EVERYBODY should be able to recognize #1. Is everyone so caught-up in jetliners that all these very unique aircraft are unrecognizable?
FlyingAce wrote:Queso wrote:EVERYBODY should be able to recognize #1. Is everyone so caught-up in jetliners that all these very unique aircraft are unrecognizable?
We all have different areas of expertise... My aircraft recognition skills, even with commercial jetliners, are subpar. But give me a GDS and I'll book and price you a complex international itinerary in no time
Queso wrote:FlyingAce wrote:Queso wrote:EVERYBODY should be able to recognize #1. Is everyone so caught-up in jetliners that all these very unique aircraft are unrecognizable?
We all have different areas of expertise... My aircraft recognition skills, even with commercial jetliners, are subpar. But give me a GDS and I'll book and price you a complex international itinerary in no time
What's a "GDS"?
Queso wrote: Is everyone so caught-up in jetliners that all these very unique aircraft are unrecognizable?
