NewsAmerican Airlines to build $100M maintenance center in BrazilBrazil has approved American Airlines' plan to build a $100 million maintenance center at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport. The approval allows the airline to use the space for up to 40 years.
LinkHawaiian Airlines expands service to New ZealandIn March 2018 Hawaiian Airlines will add up to five nonstop weekly flights between Honolulu and Auckland, New Zealand. Seating options on Hawaiian's Airbus A330 aircraft will include business class with lie-flat seating, premium economy and the main cabin.
LinkAir Canada welcomes Rob Fyfe to its boardRob Fyfe, former chief executive of Air New Zealand, has joined the board at Air Canada. "We are delighted that Rob has agreed to bring his leadership experience and deep knowledge of the airline sector and Asia-Pacific to the service of our company and our shareholders," Calin Rovinescu, Air Canada's president and chief executive, said in a statement.
LinkAirlines set new all-time high for year-to-date passenger countUS airlines exceeded their previous year-to-date passenger count, carrying 414.4 million passengers in the first six months of 2017, compared to 403.1 million in 2016. During the first two quarters of the year, airlines served 360.9 million domestic and 53.5 million international passengers, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
LinkATC "antiquated," says former N.Y./N.J. port authority directorChris Ward, former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, says the US air traffic control system is "hopelessly antiquated" and Congress must move to make a change. Ward, now with the engineering and construction firm AECOM, says passengers don't "expect our pilots to use folding maps in the skies, so why do our air traffic controllers still use paper flight strips? This cannot endure."
LinkCanada threatens to cut ties with Boeing amid CSeries trade rowCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned that his country "won't do business" with Boeing if the American airframer continues a trade complaint against Bombardier and its CSeries commercial aircraft. Trudeau's comments, made on 18 September, mark the latest salvo in a trade dispute between Boeing and Bombardier, and throw additional uncertainty on Canada's plan to buy 18 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft.
LinkUnited schedules final 747 flight on 7 NovemberUnited Airlines final Boeing 747-400 will fly into the sunset on 7 November, operating a special final flight between San Francisco and Honolulu. The Chicago-based carrier is retiring the 747 after a nearly half century in its fleet. It took delivery of its first 747-100 in June 1970.
LinkRussian authority accused of certification 'incompetence'Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee has re-ignited a rift with federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia, with an extraordinary attack on its certification capabilities. The Interstate Aviation Committee (MAK) had been relieved of certification authority two years ago after a highly-public clash with Rosaviatsia over the investigation into a Boeing 737 crash in Kazan.
LinkRamp strike damages Wow's first A320neoIcelandic budget airline Wow Air's first Airbus A320neo has suffered ramp-collision damage just five months after the jet was delivered. Transportation Safety Board of Canada has identified the aircraft as having struck a passenger boarding bridge at Montreal on 9 September.
LinkEasyJet confirms interest in Air Berlin assetsEasyJet is to participate in the insolvency process for German carrier Air Berlin, confirming its interest in possible asset acquisition. The airline states that it has "submitted a proposal" to acquire parts of the troubled carrier's short-haul business.
LinkWhere do United and Cathay moves leave the A350-1000?The decision by Cathay Pacific to switch A350-1000 orders to the smaller -900 after a similar move by United Airlines earlier this month has caused further contraction in the orderbook for the largest version of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered twinjet.
LinkUSAF keeps B-21 costs in check as development ramps upA secretive new stealth bomber in development by Northrop Grumman could fall in price if long-term trends hold, says the head of the US Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO) on 18 September. The USAF still refuses to reveal the value of the contract awarded to Northrop in February 2016 to develop the B-21 Raider, but committed to produce at least 100 bombers for $550 million each at 2010 currency values.
LinkSaab to establish US production for T-XIn an attempt to shed its foreign brand in the US Air Force trainer replacement competition, Saab will establish manufacturing and production in the United States for its Boeing/Saab T-X advanced trainer aircraft. Last week, Boeing announced Triumph Aerospace Structures will supply the wing and tail structures for its T-X trainer and revealed Saab would supply the aft fuselage, as the company did for its first two production ready T-X aircraft.
LinkRolls Royce offers BR725 for B-52 re-engine effortRolls-Royce is pitching the BR725 for the US Air Force’s B-52 bomber re-engine effort, though the service has yet to establish a programme of record or release a request for proposals. Momentum has increased on the engine replacement as more responses to the USAF’s B-52H engine alternative study have poured in, says Tom Hartmann, R-R North America’s senior vice-president of customer business. Despite an accident in January that dropped one TF33 engine from a bomber during a training mission, R-R has no sense has no sense of when an RFP could drop or whether the USAF could fit the engine replacement in its budget.
LinkNorthrop Grumman acquires Orbital ATK in $9.2B dealSpace and missile specialist Orbital ATK will be acquired by Northrop Grumman under a $9.2 billion agreement announced on 18 September. The proposed deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter next year pending reviews, would deepen Northrop’s portfolio of large space systems with Orbital ATK’s focus on small launchers and satellites, as well as the latter’s terrestrial rocket and missile technology, including the AGM-88 advanced anti-radiation guided missile.
LinkP&W completes testing on F135 engine with adaptive fanTests this year on an F135 core engine paired with an experimental fan module featuring adaptive bypass airflow to improve fuel efficient and cooling capacity “met or exceeded expectations”, says engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. The testing on a full-scale powerplant for the Lockheed Martin F-35 wraps up P&W’s role under a four-year adaptive engine technology development (AETD) programme sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
LinkBritish Airways tries again on waste-based biofuelsUK carrier British Airways (BA) has partnered with renewable fuels company Velocys, after an earlier waste-to-fuel initiative—named GreenSky—with Washington-based Solena Fuels fell through. This latest venture uses fuel derived from waste biomass, similar to the GreenSky project that BA signed up to with Solena in 2010. Under that earlier project, BA was planning to power its London City flights using biofuels from a new facility in east London, which was scheduled to start production in 2017. However, the Solena project never materialized because of mixed government support, cautious investor appetite and low crude oil prices.
LinkHayes: Consolidation of US legacy carriers restrains JetBlue’s growth JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes has given a spirited defense of the role smaller carriers play in the international airline market, while condemning what he called anticompetitive behavior by the three large US legacy carriers.
LinkEmirates president sees Hyperloop applications for aviation Emirates president Tim Clark believes the Hyperloop, a vacuum-tube mass-transportation concept, could be used for aviation applications such as baggage transit.
LinkQantas CEO: Airlines can use loyalty programs to be the disruptorQantas International and Freight CEO Gareth Evans said airlines have the opportunity to be the disruptor, rather than be disrupted, as the digital economy heats up.
LinkAzimuth Airline to launch first flight Sept. 21Russian startup Azimuth Airline will begin operations Sept. 21 with daily services to Moscow Vnukovo and Omsk Tsentralny airports after receiving an air operator’s certificate at the end of August.
LinkXiamenAir accelerates fleet expansion paceChina Southern subsidiary XiamenAir plans to grow its fleet to more than 200 aircraft—and expand its widebody aircraft to 18—in 2018 to keep up with international market demand. The carrier is scheduled to open intercontinental routes to Paris and Toronto by 2020.
LinkUS Customs to launch revised trusted traveler website in OctoberUS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will launch a new website in October to incorporate a branding transition from Global Online Enrollment System (GOES) to the Trusted Traveler Programs System, the agency said Sept. 18. “This new Trusted Traveler Programs website reflects CBP’s continued focus on leveraging advanced technology and innovation,” acting CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said. “We remain committed to improving and modernizing the international arrivals process for the more than 300 million travelers who arrive at US ports of entry each year.”
LinkThomas Cook launches Economy Plus UK leisure carrier Thomas Cook Airlines will launch Economy PLUS service on its short- and medium-haul flights from Nov. 1. The new product offering includes services such as priority boarding, an increased luggage allowance and complimentary drinks inflight.
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