NewsCommercial
Boeing confirms 737 Max 10 spec's amidst frenetic activity
As the 737 Max 8 approaches the airworthiness certification milestone, Boeing’s narrowbody hub in Renton, Washington, enters a frenetic period of activity, with the first 737 Max 9 test aircraft nearing first flight in early March, a proposed 737 Max 10 wrestling with a key design decision, a multi-airline entry into service looming in the second quarter and a production ramp-up to yet another record-breaking level slated to start in May.
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Airbus applies race-yacht ‘winglet’ design lessons to Sharklets
Airbus is working on a redesign of its A320 Sharklet wingtips as a result of developing a new design manufacturing process for the foil of a high-speed yacht competing in this year’s America’s Cup race. Airbus is an industry partner on Oracle Team USA, the defending team in the 2017 America’s Cup with a high-technology catamaran. Oracle Team USA won the 2010 and 2013 America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport dating back to 1851.
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Trump to visit Boeing in South Carolina for 787-10 rollout
The White House has confirmed President Donald Trump will visit Boeing’s North Charleston, South Carolina facility 17 February for the rollout of its first 787-10. “This trip has been months in the making,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer says.
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Rolls-Royce poised for rise in large-engine output
Rolls-Royce has secured capacity to delivery around 500 large engines this year, having increased output by 15% to some 355 in 2016. It disclosed its readiness as it revealed that underlying revenues for large engine supply, centred on the Trent family, increased by 2% last year to £1.6 billion, although overall underlying civil aerospace profit more than halved to £367 million.
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Airbus to use shortened vibration-test method on A330neo
Airbus is planning to use a quicker technique to validate ground-vibration responses on the A330neo, having tested it on the A350-1000. The airframer says the testing is designed to assess the aircraft’s behaviour under certain flight conditions.
LinkAirlines
Air Canada announces summer service connecting Montreal, Tel Aviv
Air Canada announced today a significant expansion in services between Canada and Israel, with the introduction of a seasonal non-stop service between Montreal and Tel Aviv and an increase in its current Toronto-Tel Aviv non-stop service to a daily frequency year-round. With the new services beginning this summer, a 28% capacity increase over summer 2016, Air Canada will be the airline offering the most seats and frequencies between Canada and Israel.
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American delivers for customers on Valentine's Day
American Airlines Cargo goes above and beyond to meet the Valentine's Day demand for fresh flowers. "In almost all cases, whether it's a small boutique or a Costco shipment, air cargo helps flowers make their way onto shelves just days after they're picked," said Marah Schobert of American Airlines Cargo.
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Newly-found debris from 1985 Eastern crash gives no clues: NTSB
Debris recently recovered from the site where an Eastern Airlines Boeing 727 crashed in 1985 have provided investigators no additional clues as to the cause of the accident, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The debris, which included a recording of a 1960's television drama, was recovered in 2016 by two US adventurers, as detailed in an article in Outside Magazine.
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Icelandair posts $89 million 2016 net profit
Icelandair Group reported a 2016 net profit of $89.1 million, down 20% from $111.2 million in net income for 2015. Revenue for the year increased 12.8% to $1.3 billion from $1.1 billion in 2015. EBITDA fell 3% to $219.8 million. Icelandair reported total international passenger numbers of 3.7 million in 2016, up 19.5% from 2015. International traffic was up 21.7% to 11.2 billion RPKs; international capacity increased 23.2% year-over-year to 13.7 billion ASKs, producing an international passenger load factor of 82.2%, down 1 point from 2015.
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Russia lifts AOC restrictions for Pskovavia
Russian authorities have removed temporary restrictions on the air operator’s certificate (AOC) of Pskov-based regional carrier Pskovavia. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, imposed the AOC restrictions in November 2016 based on an unscheduled inspection earlier that month, as well as on a financial and economic analysis made from June 30 and Sept. 30, 2016.
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Qatar Airways to reveal new business-class seat
Qatar Airways is set to unveil its new business-class seat at ITB Berlin on March 8. The Doha-based airline said it will reveal the new seat, along with plans for the year ahead, during a press conference on the opening day of ITB Berlin.
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TUI To Sell Travelopia To KKR
TUI Group has agreed to sell its Travelopia unit to US private equity firm KKR for EUR€381 million (USD$404 million). The sale of Travelopia, which styles itself ‘The world’s largest collection of specialist travel brands’, is part of the sale of the travel group’s non-core businesses. TUI said the proceeds of the sale will be used to expand growth in the hotel and cruise segments of the market.
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United expands Polaris, conducts fleet review
United plans to bring its Polaris business class cabin to another 66 of its Boeing aircraft in 2017, and is in a fleet review that includes plans for replacing older aircraft. Upgrades to more than a dozen 767-300ERs are set to begin this spring.
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Wideroe to be E190-E2 launch operator
Norwegian regional carrier Wideroe will be launch operator of the Embraer E190-E2, making a move up to jet operations after years of operating Bombardier turboprops. The airline will place its first E190-E2 into revenue service in the first half of 2018, and the remaining two E190-E2s will be delivered later in the year, Embraer commercial aviation president and chief executive John Slattery said.
LinkAirports
St. Louis shows love for Southwest
Southwest Airlines has attracted more than half of all departing passengers from St. Louis Lambert International Airport, as the airline expands to more than 100 flights a day. "Southwest is really getting a big name here in St. Louis," said Southwest's Jeff Hart.
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Serbia Invites Bids For Belgrade Airport Concession
The Serbian government has opened the bidding process for a 25-year concession to operate Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport. The deadline for the submission of non-binding bids is April 11, with a second round of binding bids due 75 days after a review of the initial bids is complete.
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Military
F-35A premiers at Hill AFB Red Flag
The F-35A premiered at Red Flag this month, marking the first time the US Air Force’s Lightning Strike variant participated in the training exercise at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. The Hill event marked the second part of the F-35A’s Red Flag activities. Earlier this month, the F-35 participated in Red Flag exercises at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
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Sikorsky planning Latin America tour for M28
Sikorsky will launch a two-month tour this March for its PZL Mielec M28, taking the twin turboprop aircraft across seven Caribbean and Latin American countries to demonstrate its short take-off and landing capabilities. Sikorsky’s aggressive campaign will begin this March and will cover Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago. It’s not an inexpensive feat to take an aircraft on the road, but Sikorsky decided to launch the tour following growing interest from both commercial and military customers in Latin America over the last three years, according to Adam Schierholz, vice president of Sikorsky’s Latin American business development. Following the spring tour, Sikorsky plans to take the aircraft through India.
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Lockheed powers up India F-16 pitch
Lockheed Martin is confident of securing new sales for the F-16, and claims that the type’s economies of scale and broad user base give the Block 70 variant an edge in New Delhi’s requirement for a single-engined fighter. The US firm had a large presence at this year’s Aero India show, which included an F-16 cockpit demonstrator.
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Aviation Quote
In the '80's my gut feeling was that airlines were crap. I hated spending time on planes. I thought we could create the kind of airline I'd like. So we got a secondhand 747 and gave it a go.
- Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic. Interview in Men's Journal magazine, May 2006.
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