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Airbus confident of A350 XWB delivery goal for 2015
Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier remains confident that the European aircraft manufacturer will achieve its goal to deliver around 15 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft this year. “If we reach this target, I think we have secured a strong foundation for the future ramp-up of A350 production. It is always extremely difficult to produce an aircraft that is just certified,” Bregier said.
LinkAirlines
Aeroflot drops plans to acquire Transaero; bankruptcy imminent
Aeroflot’s plans to acquire Transaero Airlines have fallen through and the Russian government will allow Transaero to enter bankruptcy, placing the carrier’s future in serious doubt. A source confirmed to ATW that the Russian government has ruled out rescuing Transaero. ATW understands that the government decided Transaero’s debt burden was too high for a bailout to be viable.
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American reaches tentative contract deal with unions
American Airlines Group Inc said Wednesday that it agreed to a tentative contract with the association representing its reservations and gate agents that provides for "significant pay raises." The exact terms of the deal, which were not immediately disclosed, will now go to American's 15,000 passenger service agents for a vote in coming weeks, according to the unions that jointly represent the workers, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Communications Workers of America. The workers voted to unionize about one year ago.
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Delta to boost fuel efficiency by 5% by 2018
Delta Air Lines plans to boost fuel efficiency over the next several years, writes columnist Adam Levine-Weinberg. "The combined impact of Delta's aircraft retrofits and aircraft replacements should drive faster fuel efficiency improvements in the next few years," he writes. "By 2018, fuel efficiency could be about 5% better than today's level."
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Luxair investigates Q400 belly landing
An investigation is underway into an incident in which a Luxair Bombardier Q400 turboprop came to rest on the runway at Germany’s Saarbrücken Airport following a rejected take-off. Flight LG9562 was taking off en route for Luxembourg’s Findel airport when the accident occurred Sept. 30. Saarbrücken is a small regional airport in western Germany. The aircraft was flying a Hamburg-Saarbrücken-Luxembourg routing.
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SAS sells Blue1 to CityJet
SAS Scandinavian Airlines is to sell its Blue1 subsidiary to CityJet of Ireland in a further move to outsource its services on regional and thinner routes. SAS recently announced that UK regional carrier Flybe would be taking over a tranche of its regional services.
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United CEO seeks feedback from customers and employees
Oscar Munoz, the new CEO of United Continental Holdings, has offered a public apology for the issues that have lasted during the merger integration, while launching a website where customers and employees can share feedback. On the fifth anniversary of its merger's closing today, United will launch UnitedAirtime.com. The website allows passengers and employees to offer ideas for improvement. The carrier has also taken out newspaper ads in which Munoz pledges to improve United.
LinkAirports
Denver International Airport, FAA launch No Drone Zone PSA
Military
BAE wins deal to replace USAF F-15 electronic warfare suite
BAE Systems will replace an aging Northrop Grumman electronic warfare suite on hundreds of US Air Force Boeing F-15s, Boeing announced on 1 October. The selection adds to BAE’s sweep of recent electronic warfare contracts for F-15s, beginning with Saudi Arabia’s selection of the company’s digital electronic warfare system (DEWS) for the new F-15SA fleet and the same as a retrofit on the existing F-15S fleet.
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Italy's first AEW-roled G550 nears delivery
The Italian air force’s first of two Gulfstream G550 business jets to undergo modification to an airborne early warning and control system configuration, appears set for delivery to the service. Pictured during a stop at Shannon airport in Ireland on 30 September, the aircraft – which carries a temporary US registration – had been flown from Gulfstream’s Savannah facility in Georgia, and later departed for Tel Aviv.
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Il-20M deployment aids Russian strikes in Syria
The Russian air force has deployed Ilyushin Il-20M intelligence-gathering aircraft inside Syria to help co-ordinate its attacks on rebel personnel, and to also follow the movements of other militaries operating in the area. Dedicated to electronic intelligence missions, the Il-20M arrived in Syria days after Russia's first Ilyushin Il-76 began to unload military hardware at Latakia air base.
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Aviation Quote
The air battle is not necessarily won at the time of the battle. The winner may have been determined by the amount of time, energy, thought and training an individual has previously accomplished in an effort to increase his ability as a fighter pilot.
— Colonel Gregory 'Pappy' Boyington, USMC, 26 victories, W.W. II.
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