NewsCommercial
MRJ first delivery expected to be delayed again
Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is expected to announce a further delay to the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) program on Jan. 23. Japanese newspaper The Nikkei reported that Mitsubishi Aircraft parent Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has confirmed the delay of first delivery of the MRJ90 to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) to mid-2020. Mitsubishi Aircraft has called a press conference for Jan. 23 to provide an MRJ program update. A spokesperson told ATW Mitsubishi Aircraft would not be providing any details until the press conference.
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IAM files new petition to unionize Boeing South Carolina workers
The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Jan. 20 to hold an election to unionize more than 2,850 production employees at Boeing’s South Carolina facility in North Charleston. It is the second time IAM is seeking an election to represent Boeing’s North Charleston workers. The IAM withdrew its first unionizing petition with the NLRB April 17, 2015, a week before the scheduled vote.
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European carriers evacuate passengers from The Gambia
European charter airlines have begun an emergency evacuation of their nationals from The Gambia, following rising fears of an armed conflict about to break out in West African country. UK tour operator Thomas Cook Airlines said it had operated 16 flights in three days to extract all 3,500 of its customers, with most being emergency services.
LinkAirlines
ACT Airlines 747F recorders sent to Moscow for analysis
The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, which were retrieved earlier this week from the ACT Airlines Boeing 747 freighter crash site, have been sent to Moscow for analysis, the Kyrgyzstan government said in a statement. The analysis will be performed by Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee and experts from Turkey, where the aircraft was owned and registered.
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American Airlines, airberlin to end codeshare in March
American Airlines will discontinue its codeshare agreement with Germany’s second largest carrier airberlin from March 26. “An interline agreement will further exist between the two airlines,” an airberlin spokesperson confirmed to ATW. “Passengers can use American connecting flights in combination with airberlin transatlantic flights.”
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British Airways To Flies All Passengers During Strike
British Airways says all passengers will be able to fly to their destinations during the three day cabin crew strike starting Thursday, 19th January. The airline said in a statement on its web site that it had “further strengthened its schedules from the previous two days of strike action.”
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Japan Air Commuter receives first ATR
Japan Air Commuter has taken delivery of its first ATR 42-600. The JAL Group carrier has ordered a total of nine of the turboprops, to be delivered by the end of 2019. Purchase rights span a further 14, and JAC has an option to convert orders to the larger ATR 72.
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Saudia outlines 2017 fleet delivery plan
Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia will take delivery of 30 aircraft this year, according to a Jan. 17 statement. The SkyTeam alliance member said the expected aircraft comprise eight Airbus A320ceos, 10 A330-300s, five Boeing 777-300ERs and seven 787s. The first new aircraft this year, an A330-300, will be delivered to Jeddah Jan. 26.
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Tigerair Australia Bali Flights Restart Feb 3
Tigerair Australia said it has received Indonesian government approval to restart flights to Bali. The airline said in a statement that scheduled flights to and from Denpasar airport will resume on February 3, subject to “final procedural approvals”.
LinkAirports
Hong Kong carriers applaud plans to develop aviation
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific has welcomed a commitment by the territory’s government to increase its role as a “super-connector” hub for the region. The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has announced measures intended to cement its position as a major Asia-Pacific airline hub. Hong Kong is part of China, but retains a certain degree of autonomy after being handed back to Beijing in 1997 after some 150 years as a British colony.
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Omani airports set new passenger records
Oman’s two major airports recorded the largest number of passengers ever to use their facilities in 2016. More than 12 million passengers passed through Muscat International Airport (MIA), in the Gulf sultanate’s capital, last year, a rise of 17% compared to 2015. The airport serving the nation’s second city, Salalah, also saw a 17% rise, to more than 1.2 million.
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FedEx updates Memphis, Tenn., tower
FedEx Express is upgrading its Memphis International Airport control tower. "The project includes equipment upgrades and improvements to the observation deck and work areas," said FedEx spokesman Jim Masilak.
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Military
Airbus offers C295 tanker fit after H225M test success
Airbus Defense & Space has begun offering its C295W transport with an in-flight refuelling system modification, after completing a fresh series of trials with a medium rotorcraft. Conducted during December in conjunction with Airbus Helicopters, the trials involved a pair of C295s supporting H225M Caracals. This involved the use of a palletized hose-and-drogue refuelling system, deployed via the medium transport’s rear ramp.
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Polish firm updates Mi-24 for Senegal
Poland’s Lodz-based WZL-1 has completed the modernization of a Mil Mi-24V attack helicopter for the Senegal air force. The secondhand rotorcraft is understood to have been acquired from a former Soviet-era operator.
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Lasers and scanners illuminate F-35 ramp up
As World War II raged, US Air Force Plant 4 cranked out 17 B-24 Liberators a day for the Allied forces. The Lockheed Martin plant in Ft Worth, Texas went on to be the birthplace of the F-111 Aardvark and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Today, the dwindling F-16 line occupies a smaller facility next door known as the Falcon’s Nest, dwarfed by the colossal space, several football fields long, that is now the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production line.
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Aviation Quote
"The question to ask is whether the risk of traveling to space is worth the benefit. The answer is an unequivocal yes, but not only for the reasons that are usually touted by the space community: the need to explore, the scientific return, and the possibility of commercial profit. The most compelling reason, a very long-term one, is the necessity of using space to protect Earth and guarantee the survival of humanity."
- William E. Burrows, The Wall Street Journal, 2003
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Aircraft Names
Provided is the name, you provide the designation
1. HAVOC
2. BALTIMORE
3. BOLO
4. DRAGON
5. JETMASTER
6. DESTROYER
7. VENTURA
8. TORNADO
9. CANBERRA
10. HUSTLER
