NewsAir Belgium to start long-haul services from CharleroiAir Belgium plans to begin long-haul flights from its Brussels Charleroi base this summer, starting with a Hong Kong service. The start-up says its first aircraft, an Airbus A340-400, will arrive at Charleroi in mid-February, and that the flights to Hong Kong will begin in March. Services to other destinations in China and elsewhere in Asia are also planned.
LinkVistara eyes regional route for first international destinationIndian carrier Vistara has revealed that its first international service will be to a regional destination. Vistara's chief executive officer Leslie Thng made the comment during a televised interview on CNBC TV-18.
LinkBoeing releases strong Q4 earnings, upbeat 2018 outlookRising commercial aircraft deliveries and service transactions helped Boeing achieve a 39% jump in operating profit in the fourth quarter, rising to $3.03 billion. Boeing also released an upbeat forecast for this year, predicting a 6-6.8% jump in deliveries, rising from 763 aircraft in 2017 to between 810 and 815 aircraft.
LinkA321LR departs on maiden flightAirbus has commenced the maiden flight of its new long-range A321LR, the aircraft having lifted off from Finkenwerder airfield in Hamburg at 11:08 local time. It took off from the German plant's runway 23 as weather conditions, including an overcast sky and rain, cleared sufficiently for the test.
LinkShort A321LR test campaign to focus on long-range operation Airbus expects to need only 100h of flights to certify the A321LR, with the campaign centred on the aircraft's long-range capabilities. The initial A321LR – MSN7877 – has returned to Hamburg Finkenwerder, where it performed a low pass before circling for touchdown. Its landing at 13:42 followed a maiden flight, with a crew of six, which took the twinjet over the North Sea to the north of the Dutch coast.
LinkAir Canada to add nonstop domestic regional flights in JulyAir Canada announced that new, nonstop domestic regional flights will be added beginning July 2. The routes include offerings in Alberta and Calgary. "With the continued growth at several communities on Vancouver Island and in the BC Okanagan, we see the opportunity to add new nonstop services and provide additional convenient travel options," said Air Canada executive Benjamin Smith.
LinkAir Canada wants to make loyalty program more personalizedAir Canada is looking to start its own frequent flier rewards program when its current contract with Aimia expires in 2020. With the new program, Air Canada hopes to improve the customer experience and offer more consumers more personalized rewards, says Mark Nasr, Air Canada's vice president for loyalty and e-commerce.
LinkAirbus eyes further A321neo stretchAirbus has confirmed it is looking at a further stretch of the A320neo family, but is unlikely to make a fast decision. “We are looking at further opportunities,” A320 family head Klaus Roewe said on the sidelines of the A321LR first flight event in Hamburg.
LinkRyanair closes in on Aer Lingus flight connectionsRyanair is hopeful of having its much-discussed feeder connection with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus operational this year, Ryanair head of marketing Kenny Jacobs said Jan. 31.
LinkFrench Blue changes name after US LCC JetBlue objects French low-cost, long-haul carrier French Blue is changing its name to French Bee to avoid legal problems after objections about its name from US LCC JetBlue Airways.
LinkFlybe making ‘strong progress’ on improvement planUK-based regional airline Flybe is feeling the benefits of a renewed focus on operating costs and fleet trimming. In a 3Q trading update of its 2017-18 financial year, the airline reported a 7.4% rise in revenue, to £172.8 million ($244.8 million), up from £160.8 million for the year-ago period.
LinkSpirit appears close to resolving difficult pilot labor situationNearly three years of contentious negotiations between ultra-LCC Spirit Airlines and its pilots may be nearing an end as the carrier’s flight deck crew prepares to vote on a tentative agreement (TA) for a new, five-year labor contract. Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Spirit’s pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), will vote in February on a TA endorsed by leaders of Spirit’s ALPA unit. The contract would include “significant pay raises, job security provisions and improvements in retirement and insurance benefits,” ALPA said in a statement. The contract would last until March 1, 2023, according to ALPA.
LinkVolotea sees passenger loads leap 42% in 2017Spanish LCC Volotea recorded a 42% jump in passenger numbers in 2017, reaching 4.8 million, up from 3.4 million in 2016, beating the Barcelona-based airline’s predictions. The privately owned airline said revenues increased 22% in 2017 to more than €300 million ($374 million), but did not release profit or loss figures and did not respond to a request for additional details.
LinkFate of Hemisphere project hinges on Silvercrest fix, CEO saysTextron has put the future of the largest Cessna-branded business jet on hold until it knows whether Safran can resolve a problem detected in October with the Silvercrest engine during high-altitude testing. Textron Aviation launched the 12-passenger Cessna Citation Hemisphere with 4,500nm range in 2015, promising to achieve first flight in 2019 with an aircraft powered by two 12,000lb-thrust Silvercrest engines.
LinkBombardier enters final phase of Global 7000 testingBombardier has entered the final phase of a 14-month-old airworthiness campaign after the fifth Global 7000 business jet entered flight testing on 30 January. The debut for flight-test vehicle (FTV) 5 keeps the programme on track for gaining type certification in the second half of this year.
LinkGermany needs in-flight refuelling for future heavy-lift helicoptersGermany has confirmed that its future fleet of heavy-lift helicopters will require in-flight refuelling capability. Berlin in late 2017 gave the go-ahead for its BAAINBw procurement agency to begin the acquisition of around 60 helicopters to replace an existing fleet of 70 elderly Sikorsky CH-53G/GA/GS transports operated by the German air force.
LinkLeonardo extends three-year legal war over US Army helo contractsA three-year-old saga over a US Army plan to buy more Airbus UH-72A Lakota helicopters opened yet another potentially lengthy chapter after Leonardo filed a new legal challenge just as a federal appellate tribunal rejected the last one. The latest twist in the legal wrangling puts Airbus’ final assembly plant for the UH-72A in Mississippi at risk, despite funded army plans to 51 more Lakotas after the lawsuits are resolved and up to 113 more in the long-term.
LinkNH Industries confident on sealing NH90 orders from Qatar and SpainNH Industries (NHI) is hopeful that it can finally secure a firm order from Qatar this year for both variants of its NH90 helicopter. Doha four years ago signed a tentative agreement with the three-way consortium for 22 examples of the 11t-class rotorcraft: 12 TTH troop transports and 10 NFH maritime helicopters.
LinkUK begins Gazelle helicopter replacement effortInitial work is under way to replace the British Army's active fleet of 22 elderly Aérospatiale Gazelle AH1 helicopters, as the venerable type nears retirement. "We do have plans to replace the Gazelle," says Air Cdre Al Smith, capability air manoeuvre at the UK's Joint Helicopter Command. "It hinges on operational outputs so the customer gets the same or better product," he adds, noting: "I think we can probably do better than we do today."
LinkEthiopian Airlines will launch 3X-weekly Addis Ababa-Kisangani and –Mbuji Maya in the Dominican Republic of the Congo from March.
Turkish Cargo began weekly Istanbul-Miami, Florida Boeing 777-200F service.
Hawaiian Airlines launched daily Portland, Oregon (PDX)-Maui’s Kahului (OGG) Airbus A321neo service. Hawaiian will also begin Oakland, California (OAK)-Lihue (LIH) A321neo service from April 11.
Cyprus-based
Cobalt Air will launch daily Larnaca-London Heathrow Airbus A320 service from March 27.
WestJet will move its nonstop seasonal service between Whitehorse, Yukon, and Vancouver, British Columbia, to Calgary International Airport (YYC) in Alberta, effective June 29. For the first time, flights between Whitehorse and Calgary will be available for purchase, from Jan. 29.
