NewsCommercial
Belgian Flights Halted After ATC Issue
Flights in and out of Belgian airports were halted on Wednesday due to a technical problem at the domestic air traffic controller Belgocontrol, although planes could still cross the country at higher altitudes. Brussels Airport, the country's busiest, said all take-offs and landings were suspended until at least 14:00 CET.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada announces upgrades to A319 Business Class
Air Canada is upgrading the Business Class seating on 20 of its Airbus A319s. The upgrades include reduced seating with more personal space, charging and USB ports, more efficient overhead bins, and other features.
Link
Alaska Airlines is offering Preferred Plus upgrade to bulkhead seating
Passengers on Alaska Airlines can now purchase the upgrade to Preferred Plus 24 hours before their flight. The upgrade includes bulkhead seating and a complementary cocktail, glass of beer or wine.
Link
Delta orders pizza for passengers delayed by bad weather
Delta passengers flying to Atlanta were treated with impromptu pizza parties after landing at diversion airports because of bad weather.
Link
Delta Airlines to begin flying Oakland - Atlanta
Delta Airlines has announced that it will begin daily non-stop service between Oakland and Atlanta October 1. Delta has assigned Boeing 737-800 aircraft to the route with capacity for 160 passengers.
Link
JetBlue begins codeshare with Seaborne Airlines
JetBlue will gain access to more destinations in the Caribbean through a codeshare with Seaborne Airlines. The two airlines have had an interline agreement since 2013.
Link
Ryanair Targets easyjet To Maintain Profit Momentum
Ryanair has forecast a 10 percent rise in passenger numbers and profit in its current financial year as it targets more primary airports and improves its online offering to compete better with rivals. The success of its recent image makeover, however, means the Irish airline does not expect to have to slash prices to gain market share.
Link
Singapore Air Investigates Engine Power-Loss
Singapore Airlines is investigating how one of its Airbus A330-300s temporarily lost power in both Rolls-Royce engines in mid-flight. The May 23 incident occurred when flight SQ836 hit bad weather en route to Shanghai from Singapore with 194 passengers and crew on board. "Both engines experienced a temporary loss of power and the pilots followed operational procedures to restore normal operation of the engines," SIA said in a statement.
Link
Skymark Restructuring Meets Airbus Opposition
Airbus, a major creditor to Japan's failed Skymark Airlines, has expressed its opposition to ANA's participation in Skymark's restructuring, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Airbus has asked for a delay in Skymark's submission of its restructuring plan, which includes ANA's support, to the Tokyo District Court beyond the May 29 deadline, the people said, declining to be identified because the discussions are not public.
Link
Southwest to begin flying non-stop Orlando - D.C.
Southwest Airlines will provide daily service between Washington Reagan National Airport and Orlando International in Florida. Service will begin November 1.
Link
Transaero receives first Ku-band equipped plane
The Boeing Co. has delivered the first 737 with a Ku-band satellite antenna system installed during the production process. The aircraft, a 737-800, was handed over last week to Russia carrier Transaero.
Link
Wizz Air Sees Growth As Annual Profit Soars
Wizz Air reported a 67 percent jump in annual profit and said it was confident of further profit growth this year as it continues to expand capacity. In its first results as a London-listed company, Wizz Air said underlying net profit came in at EUR€146 million in the twelve months ended March 31, compared to the EUR€87 million it made in the previous period.
LinkAirports
John Wayne Airport traffic is up nearly 6%
Traffic at John Wayne Airport is up 5.7% year-to-year according to reports on April traffic.
Link
Seattle to move 42 million passengers this year
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport could see upward of 42 million passengers this year, according to The News Tribune of Tacoma. Sea-Tac, now the nation's 13th busiest airport, is in the middle of a $1.9 billion renovation project to better handle the increased traffic.
Link
Military
Embraer hands first modernized AF-1B carrier jet to Brazilian Navy
Embraer has handed the Brazilian Navy the first of 12 modernised AF-1B intercept and attack jets through a programme aimed at extending the service life of the carrier-based aircraft through to 2025. Renamed AF-1 by Brazil, the McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks were purchased from Kuwait in the late 1990s and are now being upgraded with new computer and radar systems as well as improved communications equipment and weapons. AEL Sistemas, a local subsidiary of Elbit Systems, is replacing the analog panels in the cockpit with glass displays.
LinkSpace
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket approved to launch US military satellites
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been certified by the US military to put its most important satellites on orbit, injecting long-awaited competition into the multibillion-dollar American national security space launch market that has been dominated for almost a decade by United Launch Alliance.
Link
Aviation Quote
In the Alaska bush I'd rather have a two hour bladder and three hours of gas than vice versa.
— Kurt Wien
On This Date
---In 1912... Capt. Charles de Forest Chandler, commanding officer of the U.S. Signal Corps Aviation School at College Park, Maryland, receives War Department form no. 395 AGO, dated February 2, 1912, which was the first document on U.S. aviation medicine. It dictates that “all candidates for aviation only shall be subject to a vigorous physical examination to determine their fitness for duty.”
---In 1914... Glenn Curtiss successfully flies the refurbished Langley Aerodrome for a distance of approximately 150 ft. at Keuka Lake, Hammindsport, New York.
---In 1920... The first Lewis & Vought VE-7 (Vought Experimental No.7) is delivered to the U.S. Navy.
---In 1947…First flight of the Sukhoi Su-11 (1947), first aircraft with Soviet-designed jet engines.
---In 1947…First flight of the Douglas Skystreak.
---In 1947…British South American Airways trials non-stop flights from London to Bermuda using aerial refueling over the Azores.
---In 1971…First flight of the Dassault Mercure F-WTCC.
---In 1971… Mars 3, USSR Mars Orbiter/Soft Lander, launched. Mars 3 arrived at Mars on December 2, 1971. The lander was released and became the first successful landing on Mars. It failed after relaying 20 seconds of video data to the orbiter. The Mars 3 orbiter returned data until August, 1972. It made measurements of surface temperature and atmospheric composition.
---In 1999…First flight Airbus A319.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Trivia
General Trivia
1. What fighter aircraft built by Lockheed, Boeing and General Dynamics, first test flown in 1990, was designed to combine stealth, supersonic cruise, high maneuverability, advanced avionics and had internal weapons carriage?
2. What aircraft introduced in 1991 could hold 102 troops, 48 litters, 54 ambulatory patients or 170,900 pounds of cargo? This aircraft received the Collier trophy for most versatile aircraft in aviation history.
3. What spacecraft was launched in the Nineties with a low-cost lander and rover, which sends back more than 16,500 pictures?
4. What constellation of satellites revolutionized navigation and surveillance during this time period?
5. What aircraft was the world's first ultra-long range business jet?
6. What aircraft was developed as a medium-size jet airliner for regional airline operations?
7. What single state-to-orbit reusable launch vehicle was developed by Lockheed Martin?
8. What was the permanent orbiting laboratory in space built by 15 nations? It's first components were placed in orbit in 1999. It was 356 feet wide, orbiting 225 miles above the earth.
