NewsBreaking News
EgyptAir's Airbus A320 disappears over the Mediterranean
EgyptAir's flight MS804 flying from Paris to Cairo disappeared from the radar early in the morning on 19 May, 2016. The Airbus A320 was carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew members. Egypt's navy, air force and coast guard were deployed for the search of the lost aircraft 280km north of the Egyptian coast. Greece has sent two planes and a frigate on a mission, it's helicopter fleet is on standby. In response, Egypt’s Civil Aviation Minister cut his visit to Saudi Arabia short and is headed to EgyptAir's Crisis Center.
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LinkCommercial
A350-1000 on track for first flight this year
The first Airbus A350-1000, which is now structurally complete in Toulouse, is on course to make its maiden flight by year-end as it moves through the final-assembly process. Airbus says that while it has not yet set the date for the official roll-out, the first aircraft (MSN059) “is progressing well in the final assembly line” and “first flight is on track to happen by the end of the year”.
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Announces Lease Placement of Two New Boeing 787-9
Air Lease Corporation (AL) announced today the placement of two new Boeing 787-9s on long-term lease to Oman Air. The aircraft are scheduled to deliver in 2018 and 2020, both from ALC’s order book with Boeing. This new agreement follows Oman Air’s August 2015 announcement of lease agreements covering 14 additional jet aircraft on lease from ALC, including three new Boeing 737-800s, seven new Boeing 737-8MAXs, one new Boeing 787-9, one used Boeing 737-700 and two used Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
LinkAirlines
Alaska Air Group announces promotions for executives
Alaska Air Group announced two promotions for its subsidiaries of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Alaska appointed Ben Minicucci as president and chief operating officer of Alaska Airlines. The company also named David Campbell as president and CEO of Horizon Air.
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American Airlines receives first US-produced A321
Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines has taken delivery of its first US-produced Airbus A321 from the Mobile, Alabama manufacturing facility. American Airlines SVP-integrated operations David Seymour said having the Airbus final assembly line (FAL) in the US “has simplified our delivery process.”
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Cathay to take first A350 on 27 May
Cathay Pacific has confirmed that it will take delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 in Toulouse on 27 May, after several push backs from an initial delivery schedule of February. The airline made the disclosure on its monthly magazine CX World, adding that this will be the first new type to enter the airline's fleet in 20 years.
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China Airlines takes 10th 777-300ER
China Airlines has taken delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER on order, with the aircraft scheduled to land at Taoyuan International airport on 17 May. The aircraft, which features a co-branded livery with Boeing, will be deployed on services to Frankfurt and North America from late May, says China Airlines.
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Delta Trims Capacity Growth
Delta Air Lines will fly fewer seats this winter than it planned and defer the 2018 delivery of four large aircraft, as extra flights by rivals add capacity to the market. Delta's fourth quarter flight capacity will now rise by less than 2 percent in the second half of 2016, according to a regulatory filing.
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Hawaiian Airlines on-time arrival rate at 89.9% for March
Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time arrival rate among major US carriers in March with 89.9% of flights arriving on time, according to the Department of Transportation. The carrier also was the most punctual for the 12 months ending in March.
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Korean Air narrows net loss in 1Q
Korean Air recorded a consolidated net loss of KRW175 billion ($149 million) for the first quarter, up from a KRW133 loss in the same period a year earlier. The net loss was due mainly to impairment costs related to its financial exposure to struggling sister company Hanjin Shipping. Korean Air achieved an operating profit of KRW323 billion for the period, which was a record for the carrier and an increase of KRW133 billion from the previous year.
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Qatar Airways increases shareholding in IAG to 15.01%
Qatar Airways said it has raised its ownership stake in International Airlines Group (IAG) to 15.01%. The Doha-based carrier originally acquired a 9.99% stake in IAG, the parent company of British Airways (BA), Madrid-based Iberia, Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling and Dublin-based Aer Lingus, in January 2015. It raised that stake to just under 12% last month, and now has moved to the 15.01% holding.
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Turbulence Injures Southwest Flight Attendants
A Southwest Airlines flight from Boston to Chicago encountered strong turbulence that injured two flight attendants and forced the plane to land early on Tuesday for safety reasons. Southwest Airlines flight 147 hit turbulence after taking off from Logan Airport and returned to Boston, where two flight attendants were taken to hospital with unspecified injuries, a Southwest spokeswoman said.
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Southwest CEO outlines expansion opportunities
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said the carrier is eying 50 more destinations in North America, as well as six destinations in South America. "We still have tremendous opportunities to expand," Kelly said. The carrier will celebrate its 45th anniversary in the skies next month.
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TAP Portugal Introduces New Service
U.S. travelers to Europe can now include a free visit to Portugal to their travel plans with new daily nonstop service from both New York’s John F. Kennedy International and Boston’s Logan International airports. TAP Portugal serves 45 European destinations from the US, via Lisbon, at fares starting from just $799. Travelers can stay up to three nights on their stopover in Lisbon and even add a free domestic flight to Porto also.
LinkAirports
Bulgaria Launches Tender To Operate Sofia Airport
Bulgaria is launching a tender to operate Sofia airport for 35 years, a deal expected to bring in BGN1.2 billion levs (USD$695 million) for the state. Operators of airports in Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich, Lyon, Dublin and London Heathrow, as well as companies from Qatar, Turkey and China, have expressed initial interest in the tender for the Balkan country's main airport, Transport Minister Ivailo Moskovski said.
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Military
Senate committee votes to disband F-35 JPO
Three weeks after a prominent member called the size of the F-35 joint program office (JPO) “disturbing”, the Senate Armed Services Committee has proposed to disband the organisation just as an $8 billion follow-on modernisation program is taking shape. The committee’s version of the National Defense Authorisation Act for Fiscal 2017 approved on 16 May would eliminate the JPO after the Lockheed Martin fighter transitions to full rate production two years later. Management responsibilities would be divided by variant, with the US Air Force taking over procurement and modernisation of the F-35A and the US Navy gaining the same powers over the F-35C and the Marine Corps’ F-35B.
LinkRegulatory
China To Open Lower Altitude Airspace
China moved towards further opening up the country's lower altitude airspace for civilian use, a step that could spur growth in its general aviation industry by making it easier for smaller aircraft to fly. The State Council, the country's cabinet, announced the move on Tuesday in a statement posted on the Chinese central government's website. The statement did not give details. The move was announced as a guideline and will become law once the country's aviation regulator completes detailed rules.
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Aviation Quote
Concorde is like a great wine; you dream of it beforehand, you savor it while drinking, and remember it for the rest of your life.
— Philippe Faure-Brac, voted world's best wine steward, 1992.
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Editor’s Choice
Trivia
Who am I?
Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.
1. First flown in 2001, I am the longest airliner currently in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?
2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?
3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?
4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?
5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?
6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?
7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?
8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?
9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?
10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?
