NewsUK regulator to probe seat allocationsThe UK civil aviation regulator (CAA) has launched a review of airline allocated seating polices after conducting consumer research that showed widespread confusion among the traveling public. The CAA conducted interviews with more than 4,000 passengers who had flown as part of a group in the last year.
LinkBoeing to start 737 MAX 7 flight tests Boeing is preparing to begin flight tests of the third, and smallest member of the 737 MAX family, the 737-7, following the rollout of the first aircraft at its Renton factory in Washington on Feb 5. Boeing is scheduled to deliver the 737-7 in 2019, but hopes positive news from upcoming flight tests will help stimulate further sales of the variant. While overall sales of the MAX have mushroomed to almost 4,100, the 737-7 has lagged behind. Despite a redesign of the -7 in 2016 to add range and increase passenger capacity by adding 12 seats, Boeing still has fewer than 70 acknowledged firm orders for the variant—compared to more than 2,100 for the -8 and around 274 for the stretched -10.
LinkLufthansa replaces Brussels Airlines’ top management Lufthansa Group replaced top management at Brussels Airlines Feb. 5, as the group revamps the airline after taking it over in late 2016. Brussels Airlines announced Christina Foerster would succeed CEO Bernard Gustin as of April 1 and CFO Jan De Raeymaeker will leave by March 31.
LinkA350-1000 performance stats revealedAirbus debuts the newly-certified A350-1000 at the Singapore Air Show this week as part of a three-week demonstration tour across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Airbus is scheduled to deliver the first production aircraft to launch customer Qatar Airways within the next two weeks. Singapore marks a three-day interlude for test aircraft MSN065, which will continue to Bangkok, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo and Manilla having visited Doha, Muscat, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei and Hanoi.
LinkQantas wants to carry full passenger loads on nonstop London service Qantas wants its aircraft of choice to be able to fly the anticipated nonstop services from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to London at a full passenger load, the airline’s CEO Alan Joyce said at the Singapore Air Show Aviation Leadership Summit (SAALS). The airline has tasked both Airbus and Boeing to make aircraft available for the service it plans to introduce around 2022. So far the manufacturers have offer aircraft that can fly the 21-hour northbound sector, but not at a full passenger load. Boeing is pitching the 777-8X for the flights whereas Airbus is offering the A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range).
[url=http://atwonline.com/airports-routes/singapore-qantas-wants-carry-full-passenger-loads-nonstop-london-service?NL=ATW-04&Issue=ATW-04_20180205_ATW-
04_357&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_6&elqTrack=true]
Link[/url]
Ryanair warns of labor squalls despite improving resultsIrish LCC Ryanair anticipates that its decision to recognize trade unions may result in some “localized disruption,” but said it is prepared to face any such problems.
LinkSouth African CAA grounds CemAir aircraftThe South African aviation regulator has grounded 12 aircraft from the fleet of carrier CemAir after finding irregularities in the maintenance procedures of the aircraft. CemAir operates both scheduled and nonscheduled services in and beyond South Africa. The South African CAA (SACAA) declined to give details of the aircraft affected, but CemAir’s website lists a mixed fleet of Bombardier CRJ100s, Dash 8 turboprops and Beech 1900D commuter aircraft.
LinkAir Austral, Air Madagascar reveal JV growth plansAir Austral and Air Madagascar are aligning their fleets, jointly developing their Saint Denis de la Reunion and Antananarivo hubs, and boosting their long-haul and domestic networks as part of a major plan to be the leading player in the Indian Ocean.
LinkRussia’s Azur Air ordered to repair ‘shortcomings’ or lose AOCRussia’s federal air transport agency Rosaviatsia has placed a limit on leisure carrier Azur Air’s air operator’s certificate (AOC) through March 20, according to a Feb. 2 statement by the agency.
LinkChina Southern, Boeing to launch P2F conversion production lineChina Southern Airlines plans to cooperate with Boeing to establish a 737 NG passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion production line in Guangzhou, China.
LinkUPS expands nonstop to Dubai using 747-8FUPS Airlines is expanding its Boeing 747 Freighter network beyond Asia, announcing it has launched a round-the-world 747-8F operation that includes a new route between Dubai and the company's Louisville hub. The news comes several days after UPS announced it placed a firm order with Boeing for 14 new 747-8Fs.
LinkQatar's rework demands delayed A350-1000 deliveryAirbus has declined to specify a delivery date for the first A350-1000 to launch operator Qatar Airways. A350 marketing director Francois Obe indicated during a briefing at the Singapore air show that the delivery, previously targeted for late-2017, was delayed as a result of the Middle Eastern carrier not being fully satisfied with the aircraft.
LinkBoeing 737 Max 7 debuts in RentonThe third and smallest iteration of 737 Max has broken cover at Boeing's Renton, Washington plant with the debut of the Max 7. Flight testing of the longest-range 737 Max variant is set to begin in the coming weeks, with deliveries to Southwest Airlines starting next year.
LinkA330-800 emerges from paintingAirbus's first A330-800 has emerged from painting bearing the airframer's livery for the A330neo test fleet. The aircraft, MSN1888, is awaiting installation of its Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.
Link Initial E-Jet E2s to require engine update Embraer has confirmed that several of the first E-Jet E2s to be delivered will require an upgrade due to durability issues with their Pratt & Whitney PW1900G engines. Speaking at a pre-Singapore air show briefing, Rodrigo Silva e Souza, marketing vice-president Embraer commercial aviation, said that a number of the E190-E2s due to be handed over in 2018 will have the "combustor configuration B" which "has a shorter life".
LinkBell floats idea of EMS helicopters in city stateBell Helicopter sees a long-term opportunity for emergency medical services (EMS) helicopters in Singapore, a wealthy country that presently lacks this capability. Sameer Rehman, Bell’s Asia-Pacific managing director, believes that the city’s impressive skyscrapers offer ample points for the development of helipads capable of handling EMS rotorcraft.
LinkIsraeli weapons house Rafael has Asian nations in its sightsIndia and Australia are among the Asia-Pacific nations that Rafael has firmly in its sights with its current and in-development weapons and targeting systems. The company is “in the final stages” of developing the third and latest, ER, version of its I-Derby radar-guided air-to-air missile, and is eyeing a deal with New Delhi, which has already fitted the current I-Derby on its Aeronautical Development Agency Tejas light combat aircraft.
LinkMilitarized 737s star on static displayMilitary variants of the Boeing 737 airliner will feature prominently in this year's static display, with two aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force and one from the USA. Both the RAAF and US Navy have brought a Boeing P-8A Poseidon to the show. While US Navy P-8As have visited the show before, this is the first time an RAAF example has visited.
Link 
