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China Postal Airlines signs for 10 737-800BCFs
China Postal Airlines has signed with Boeing for 10 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters, although the program has yet to be launched. The agreement also includes the purchase of seven Boeing 757-200s, which China Postal plans to convert into freighters, says Boeing in a statement.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada moves up service to Fla. city due to golf tourney
Air Canada plans to begin service from Toronto to Jacksonville, Fla., two weeks earlier than originally planned due to a golf tournament. "Many Canadians love golf almost as much as going to Florida, so we are very pleased to adjust our schedule to accommodate fans attending The Players," said Lisa Pierce, senior director, US sales and market development at the airline. The carrier will begin nonstop service to Jacksonville on May 7.
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Air France-KLM Paris Attack Impact Lasted Into December
Air France-KLM has felt the effects of the November 13 Paris attacks on traffic in and out of the capital but said it is too early to predict the impact on Christmas holiday-season travel. Aeroports de Paris said on Monday that the shootings had led to a 6 percent drop in the number of passengers passing through its Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in the second half of November.
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Delta, KLM To Code-share With Jet Airways
Delta Air Lines and KLM will launch a code-share agreement with India's Jet Airways via Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Delta and KLM customers will be able to connect onto Jet Airways daily flights to New Delhi and Mumbai, with onward travel to other destinations.
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El Al Israel Airlines to lease two Boeing 787-9s from ALC
Israeli flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines will take a pair of Boeing 787-9s from Air Lease Corp. as a replacement for some of its older 747s. Announcing the deal, ALC said the two aircraft—sourced from its existing order book—will be placed on long-term lease with El Al.
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GOL to finish Wi-Fi installation in 1H 2016
São Paulo-based low-cost-carrier GOL plans to finish outfitting its first aircraft with Wi-Fi in the first half of 2016. The airline will then equip the rest of its fleet with Gogo’s technology in fewer than three years, airline spokeswoman Ludmilla Marchionni said. Most US carriers have already equipped their fleets with Wi-Fi, but connectivity is not common in South and Central America. GOL is Gogo’s first customer in the region, and the first to sign up for technology that streams live television channels to passengers’ portable devices.
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TAM Madrid-Sao Paulo Flight Diverted After Bomb Threat
A flight operated by Brazilian flag carrier TAM Airlines was forced to return to Madrid late Monday after a bomb threat, the company said in a statement. Flight JJ8065, a Boeing 777, left Madrid's Barajas Airport around 21:21 (9:21 pm) local time and turned back shortly after passing Casablanca in Morocco, about an hour and a half into the flight.
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United considering nonstop service to Singapore
United Airlines is weighing the addition of a nonstop route to Singapore. "When we have the right aircraft, we will tackle that market," said Brian Znotins, vice president of network for United. The airline is considering an ultra-long-range version of the Airbus A350-900 for the route, as the Boeing 787 does not have enough range.
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Virgin America to lease 10 new A321neos from GECAS
GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has signed an agreement with Virgin America to lease 10 new Airbus A321neos. The aircraft, which will be powered by CFM’s LEAP-1A engines, will expand the carrier’s fleet. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 1Q 2017 and the remainder will deliver in 2017 and 2018. All 10 aircraft are part of GECAS’ existing orderbook with Airbus.
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US carriers posted 87% on-time arrivals in Oct.
Major US airlines had an on-time arrival rate of more than 80% for the third straight month, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In October, the 13 major US airlines had an 87% on-time arrival rate, the third-best month in 21 years since BTS started tracking arrivals.
LinkMilitary
France orders eight Airbus A330 MRTTs
France has ordered eight Airbus Defence & Space A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTT), from an eventual requirement for 12 of the type worth a total €3 billion ($3.3 billion).Paris had already committed to one example in June, with the remainder to be signed for by 2018. The initial aircraft is expected to be delivered to the French air force in in 2018, with further handovers of one or two per year until 2025. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the French MRTTs will carry both an Airbus refuelling boom system and underwing hose-and-drogue refuelling pods. They can also be reconfigured to carry 271 passengers as a transport aircraft.
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IAF retires Skyhawk trainer fleet
The Israeli air force (IAF) has retired its McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fleet after 48 years in service. Used for combat operations after delivery in 1967, the type was retired from operational service in the early 1990s and converted to the training role as Boeing F-15s and Lockheed Martin F-16s entered IAF service. The A-4 is now being replaced by the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Lavi.
Link
USN begins F/A-18 flight certification of new anti-ship missile
The US Navy’s newest and most sophisticated anti-ship cruise missile is a step closer to being fielded as standard on the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet after the first captive-carry flight with a weight- and form-representative payload over Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland. The flight marks the start of F/A-18E/F airworthiness certification for the Lockheed Martin-built Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), and follows earlier ground-based load and fit checks at Patuxent River.
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Aviation Quote
"Are you ever afraid when you fly?"
"That's a good question. Yeah. I'm always a little afraid when I fly. That's what makes me so damn good. I've seen pilots who weren't afraid of anything, who would forget about checking their instruments, who flew by instinct as though they were immortal. I've pissed on the graves of those poor bastards too. The pilot who isn't a little bit afraid always screws up and when you screw up bad in a jet, you get a corporal playing taps at the expense of the government."
— Lieutenant Colonel Bull Meecham, USMC, in Pat Conroy's book, 'The Great Santini.'
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