AirlinesAir Tanzania revealed as Boeing 787-8 customerDar-es-Salaam-based Air Tanzania has been revealed as the previously unidentified customer for a single Boeing 787-8, valued at $224.6 million at list prices. “The 787 will offer increased frequency to the country, significantly increase passenger numbers feeding on to its domestic flights thereby boosting overall tourism to Tanzania,” Boeing Commercial Airplanes VP sales-Latin America, Africa & Caribbean Van Rex Gallard said.
LinkAurora Airline relaxes onboard device restrictions Russia’s Aurora Airline has relaxed restrictions on the use of smartphones and tablets on takeoff and landing. The policy change, which took effect Dec. 12, allows passengers to use electronic devices, but they must disable wireless access and Bluetooth, according to Aurora.
LinkEmirates’ first Trent 900-powered A380 nears service entry Dubai-based Emirates Airline is expected to take delivery of its first Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered Airbus A380 later this week following what the carrier is referring to as a last-minute technical glitch with the engine. Emirates president Tim Clark said last month that the airline was not prepared to accept the aircraft until unspecified technical issues with the engine were resolved.
LinkLufthansa pilot strikes cost $106 million in 4Q The latest round of pilot strikes by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union has affected Lufthansa Group earnings by €100 million ($106 million) in the fourth quarter, the company said in a statement. However, despite the strikes, Lufthansa said it transported 7.6 million passengers in November, up 5.9% compared to the previous year, when there was a seven-day strike by the flight attendants’ union UFO, which also led to significant flight cancellations. ASKs were up 9.3% and load factor increased 0.5% to 75.8%.
LinkMH370 search down to one shipThe Chinese search ship Dong Hai Jiu 101 will return to Shanghai after spending most of 2016 searching for MH370 in the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean. In a statement, Australian minister for infrastructure and transport Darren Chester thanked Beijing for supplying the vessel, which has assisted the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines 777-200ER since February 2016.
LinkPakistan International Airlines chairman resigns amid crash probePakistan International Airlines (PIA) chairman Muhammad Azam Saigol has resigned as fallout from last week’s fatal ATR 42-500 crash continues. Saigol, who became PIA’s chairman just six months ago, stepped down for “personal reasons,” PIA said, making no further comment.
LinkQ400 and 777 in loss of separation incident over Sydney airportAn investigation is underway into a loss off separation incident that involved a QantasLink-operated Bombardier Q400 and an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200ER over Sydney airport on 9 December. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says on its investigations website that the Q400, registered VH-LQG, was departing Sydney on a flight to Tamworth when it “climbed above its assigned level resulting in a loss of separation with the inbound Boeing 777 on a crossing track.”
LinkQatar CEO Al Baker considers upgauging Airbus orderQatar Airways is considering switching at least some of its current order for Airbus A320neos to the larger A321neo model, the Gulf carrier has confirmed. CEO Akbar Al Baker made the comments during a press conference in Doha Dec. 12.
LinkSAS posts $142 million full-year profitSAS Scandinavian Airlines reported a full-year net income of SEK1.3 billion ($142 million), up 38.2% from a SEK 956 million profit in the year-ago period. “During the autumn, market conditions have become more demanding and the industry continues its rapid pace of change.
LinkSouthwest targets 100%-Wi-Fi equipped fleet by the end of 2017Southwest Airlines plans to have a fully Wi-Fi-equipped fleet by the end of 2017, and has entered into agreements with inflight connectivity providers to significantly increase the speed of its onboard Wi-Fi services starting next year. Southwest said Dec. 13 that it has extended its agreement with longtime Wi-Fi provider Global Eagle Entertainment and signed a new agreement with Panasonic Avionics. Panasonic will equip new Southwest aircraft with its Global Communications Services offering, including the Boeing 737 MAX 8s scheduled to join the Dallas-based carrier’s fleet starting next year.
LinkCRJ crash: Display behaviour absent from operator manualsSwedish investigators have found that operating manuals used by West Atlantic did not describe crucial aspects of the behaviour of primary cockpit displays in the event of an in-flight upset. The inquiry into the fatal accident involving a Bombardier CRJ200 freighter in northern Sweden, during a night flight on 8 January, indicates that the captain was startled by an indication of a sharp nose-up pitch on his display – an indication which was false.
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