NewsCommercial
Boeing supplier in talks on early 747 wind-up
A major Boeing supplier says discussions have opened over possibly ending 747 production as early as the first half of 2019, but Boeing says there are no plans to close the 50-year-old production line. Triumph Group makes fuselage panels and sections, lower rudder sections and the empennage of the 747 under a contract with Boeing that expires in mid-2019. Last year, Boeing withdrew a plan to insource fuselage panel production to a company-owned factory in Macon, Georgia.
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Two A380s among four Airbus testbeds heading to museums
Two of Airbus’s A380 test aircraft are to be transferred to museums, along with two other testbeds including the first A320. Airbus is moving its A380 MSN4 to the air and space museum at Le Bourget, the site of the Paris air show. The aircraft, built in 2005, will be the first to be transferred and is set to be relocated on 14 February.
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Airbus to broaden A320neo assembly from mid-year
Airbus is aiming to begin final assembly of A320neos at its Chinese plant in Tianjin around mid-year, with production at its US Mobile line at the end of 2017. The two assembly lines complement its Toulouse and Hamburg single-aisle facilities, at which A320neo manufacture is already underway.
LinkAirlines
American Airlines adds service to Bahamas, Maine from N.C.
American Airlines said Monday that it’s adding two new weekly routes from Charlotte Douglas International Airport, both to vacation destinations. The flights – to Georgetown, Bahamas and Bangor, Maine – will both operate on Saturdays, flown by subsidiary PSA on a CRJ-700 regional jet. Here are the details:
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Air France-KLM's MRO unit wins deal from Cayman Airways
Cayman Airways has contracted Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance to provide component support for a Boeing 737. AFI KLM E&M says it already serviced the 737-800 for its previous operator before it joined Cayman Airways' fleet in December.
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Hawaiian Airlines sees boost in traffic, RPMs in Jan.
Hawaiian Airlines had passenger growth of 5.3% in January, while revenue passenger miles were up 9.5%. Load factor also increased by 2.8%.
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JetBlue discusses capacity growth plan
JetBlue is planning capacity growth of between 5.5% and 7.5% this year, and says it is offering a "quick response" to protect revenue passenger miles and anticipates a favorable response from investors.
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Egyptian ministry refers to Airbus crash as sabotage
Egypt’s foreign ministry has described the crash of a Russian-operated Airbus out of Sharm el-Sheikh as having resulted from a deliberate attack. Investigators in Egypt have yet to give the results of their inquiry into the loss of the MetroJet A321 over Sinai on 31 October 2015.
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AAR to maintain SkyWest's CRJ landing gears
MRO provider AAR has signed an agreement to overhaul landing gears on SkyWest Inc's Bombardier CRJ aircraft, AAR announces. The deal has a three-year term and can be extended to five years. It covers landing gear assemblies and sub-assemblies, according to a media release from Wood Dale, Illinois-based AAR.
LinkAirports
Southwest to reach 209 daily flights in Denver
In June, Southwest will surpass 200 daily flights out of Denver International Airport, adding 10 new flights during the first half of 2017 specifically. Southwest is the No. 2 carrier out of the Denver airport, behind United Airlines.
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Alaska Airlines investing $41 million for Seattle airport enhancements
Work has begun on Washington's Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's North Satellite Modernization Project. Alaska Airlines is investing $41 million on a new lounge and work space, among other notable improvements. "As Seattle's hometown airline, Alaska is committed to continue to grow and invest at Sea-Tac," said Alaska Airlines executive Andrew Harrison.
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Military
A-10 fleet spared retirement through 2021
The Fairchild Republic A-10, the titanium bathtub revered by the US Air Force and congressional members alike, will dodge early retirement for at least five more years, the USAF chief says this week. The air force will keep the Warthogs through 2021, USAF chief Gen David Goldfein told reporters during a media roundtable. The A-10’s ultimate retirement date will be decided following a discussion with Defense secretary James Mattis, he adds.
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F-35 to make Australian debut at Avalon
The Lockheed Martin F-35 will make its Asia-Pacific air show debut at Air Show Australia at Avalon in late February. Two F-35As will be flown from the USA, says the show organizer in a statement.
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Italian army details rotary transition plan
The Italian army’s aviation inventory is to rationalize its fleet of nine helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft types today to just four, including a new attack platform to be developed by Leonardo. Operations with the service’s Boeing CH-47C transports will be fully transferred to its 16 new F-model Chinooks this year, says Col Roberto Minini, chief of flight safety for Italian Army Aviation. Its growing fleet of NH Industries NH90s will replace an ageing inventory of Bell 205s and Bell 212/412s by 2021, he adds.
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Aviation Quote
If you are bored flying, your standards are too low.
- Lauran Paine Jr., article in Sport Aviation, June 2014.
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