NewsChile's JetSMART launches serviceChilean start-up JetSMART has launched commercial service, and plans to fly to eight domestic destinations in the coming months. The Santiago-based low-cost carrier operated its first revenue flight, from Santiago to Calama in northern Chile, on 25 July. It is operating nine-times weekly on the route, FlightGlobal schedules data show. JetSMART is competing against LATAM Airlines Chile and Sky Airline on the route.
LinkCape Air expected to finalise P2012 order by NovemberTecnam expects Cape Air to sign a deal for 100 or more 11-seat P2012 Travellers in October or November, says chief executive Paolo Langer. The US regional carrier plans to take 10 aircraft annually once deliveries begin in 2019, he says at the AirVenture Oshkosh show on 25 July. The airline will use the twin-piston P2012 to replace its fleet of aging nine-seat Cessna 402s.
LinkFirst El Al 787 emerges in full coloursIsraeli flag-carrier El Al has shown off its first Boeing 787 twinjet, after the aircraft was painted in the airline's colour scheme. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the 787-9 (4X-EDA) has been named 'Ashdod', after the Israeli port city.
LinkInquiry probes laboured 737 take-off from BelfastCanadian investigators have disclosed that a Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737-800 damaged lighting at the end of the runway during a prolonged take-off from Belfast. The crew had discovered problems with acceleration as the aircraft – chartered by tour operator TUI for a service to Corfu on 21 July – during its take-off roll from runway 07.
LinkPAL hints at delay in securing foreign investorPhilippine Airlines (PAL) has hinted that its search for a strategic investor is likely to continue into 2018, a push-back from its previous target of closing a deal by the end of the year. In a stock exchange disclosure, the Philippine flag carrier confirmed a local news report quoting president Jaime Bautista saying that should the operating environment "remain challenging", the airline will wait for the situation "to improve" before it seals a deal with a foreign airline investor.
LinkUS security chief defends reasoning behind electronics banUS secretary of homeland security John Kelly has defended the decision to allow personal electronic devices to be transported in aircraft holds despite being considered a potential threat within the passenger cabin.
LinkJAL, VietJet enter codeshare pactJapan Airlines and Vietnam low-cost carrier VietJet Air have entered a wide-ranging codeshare agreement. The pact will see the pair codeshare on JAL's flights between Japan and Vietnam, say the two carriers in a joint statement. The pair will also codeshare on each other's domestic networks, and JAL will codeshare on VietJet's flights to other Asian countries.
LinkP&W resolves GTF supplier problem, recommits to 2017 goalPratt & Whitney has resolved a supplier quality problem that limited deliveries of geared turbofan-powered Airbus A320neos to six aircraft in the second quarter, United Technologies executives say. The engine supplier also recommitted to deliver 350-400 geared turbofan engines overall in 2017 and "north of 700" engines next year, says UTC chief executive Greg Hayes, speaking on a 25 July earnings call with analysts.
LinkBoeing cash flow jumps in Q2 despite drop in deliveriesAn 8% decline in commercial aircraft deliveries lowered overall Boeing revenue by the same percentage in the second quarter, but the company still recorded nearly $5 billion in operating cash flow. The first of several completed 737 Max 8 jets was handed over to a customer in the second quarter. Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) delivered a total of 183 aircraft in the three-month period, compared with 199 in 2016's second quarter.
LinkChina Airlines transfer takes total A350 deliveries to 100Airbus has taken A350 deliveries into triple figures with the handover of a -900 to Taiwanese carrier China Airlines. The airframer confirms it has notched up 100 deliveries of the twinjet, around 30 months after the first A350 was accepted by Qatar Airways in December 2014.
LinkPentagon official confident delayed Defiant won’t hurt FVLThe delay to the first flight of Sikorsky-Boeing’s SB-1 Defiant may not impact the timeline for the US military's Future Vertical Lift programme, a Pentagon official says. The rigid-rotor, coaxial compound helicopter is months behind schedule for its first flight in the US Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR-TD), but the delay to the flight vehicle test may not affect the larger FVL programme, says Col Robert Freeland, from the office of the undersecretary of defense (OSD).
LinkKAI's woes continue as prosecutors probe deeperSouth Korean prosecutors have again raided Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) on corruption allegations. A company official confirms the raids took place at the company's Seoul and Sacheon offices on 25 July, but was unable to provide further details.
LinkRussian Helicopters in Chinese deals for 10 rotorcraftRussian Helicopters recently secured three contracts for a total of ten helicopters with its Chinese distributor, United Helicopters International. The deal will see deliveries commence in late 2017 and conclude in 2018, says Russian Helicopters in a statement.
LinkAlaska Airlines leaning toward all-Boeing fleet after Virgin mergerAlaska Airlines is studying whether to continue to operate a mixed fleet or to return to its pre-merger practice of flying only Boeing planes. Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America, which flies Airbus planes, late last year.
LinkAirlines step up pilot hiringAirlines have hired 2,426 new pilots so far this year, according to pilot advisory service FAPA.aero.
LinkAlaska Air backs plans to add automated security lanes in SeattleSeattle-Tacoma International Airport will spend $30 million on automated security lanes designed to speed up lines at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, with Alaska Air Group also planning to invest in the project. The lanes will allow up to five people at a time to load their carry-on items into bins for inspection.
LinkBoeing bullish after $1.8 billion 2Q net profitBoeing reported a second-quarter net profit of $1.8 billion, reversed from a net loss of $234 million in the 2016 June quarter when the company incurred several pre-tax charges—including R&D charges related to commercial aircraft programs—that weighed down earnings. Boeing’s 2017 second-quarter revenue dropped 8.5% year-over-year (YOY) to $22.7 billion, but the revenue dip was outweighed by a 17.5% decrease in expenses to $18.4 billion, producing an operating profit of $4.4 billion, up 83.3% over operating income of $2.4 billion in the 2016 June quarter.
LinkAlaska Air Group posts $505 million adjusted pre-tax profit in 2QAlaska Air Group—parent of Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air—earned $296 million in net income in the second quarter, up 13.8% over a net profit of $260 million in the 2016 June quarter, which does not include Virgin America’s 2016 second-quarter figures.
LinkNew Flybe CEO working on unit costsUK regional airline Flybe has posted improvements to its first-quarter load factor and yield, but new CEO Christine Ourmieres-Widener said further work is still needed.
LinkNew German leisure carrier SundAir receives first A320New German airline SundAir has taken delivery of the first of two leased Airbus A320s and is preparing to start operations, pending final approval by German aviation authorities, which is expected soon. The Stralsund-headquartered carrier expects to base the aircraft in Berlin and Kassel Calden.
LinkInmarsat: Wi-Fi is a necessity, not a luxuryResearch released by satellite communications provider Inmarsat shows growing demand for inflight Wi-Fi, with 60% of passengers regarding the service as “a necessity, not a luxury.” “The availability of inflight broadband has become a major factor when choosing an airline,” Inmarsat Aviation president Leo Mondale said.
LinkPeru, Fraport agree to major Lima Airport expansionLima Airport Partners (LAP)—a Fraport majority-owned company—and the government of Peru will move ahead with a major expansion program of Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) after signing an amendment to the 2001 Lima Airport Concession. Construction of the $1.5 billion project is scheduled to begin in 2018.
LinkAir Partner remarkets 15 Saudia Boeing 777-200ERsAir Partner’s Aircraft Remarketing division (formerly Cabot Aviation) has been appointed by Saudi Arabia’s national carrier Saudia as its exclusive remarketing agent for 15 Boeing 777-200ERs. The 15 new aircraft, which were delivered to Saudia from 1997 onward, are powered by GE90 engines and have a total of 232 seats in a three-class configuration, comprising 24 first-, 38 business- and 170 economy-class seats.
LinkRussia’s Pulkovo Airport develops China networkChengdu-based Sichuan Airlines plans to launch 2X-weekly Airbus A330-300 Chengdu-St. Petersburg service in the IATA winter season 2017/2018. The agreement was signed July 25 by the carrier and St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo International Airport.
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