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The Pressure Facing Large Aircraft Lessors In 2020
The coverage of the current aviation crisis has mainly focused on airlines and manufacturers. Without a doubt, these are the most severely impacted players in the industry. However, very soon, another vital component of the aviation industry might come under pressure. Aircraft lessors could face mounting financial pressures and significant disruption to their pre-pandemic activity; in fact, first signs of that are already evident.
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Boeing Flies In Medical Supplies From China With a 737-700
Boeing flew a special 737 to China on a mission to bring vital medical supplies to the United States. The mission was operated in conjunction with FIRST Robotics Founder, Dean Kamen. Completed on April 18th, the operation brought 540,000 medical-grade face masks to New Hampshire.
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How Some Boeing 737s Are Equipped To Land On Gravel
Not all runways are smooth; some are rough surfaces such as gravel while others use grass or sand surfaces. This has implications for which aircraft can use them. A modification kit was offered to help the Boeing 737 with gravel runway landings, and in this article, we explore the details.
LinkAirlines
El Al's Dreamliners Ferry Millions Of Eggs From Europe
Israeli airline El Al has been operating some eggciting flights lately. The airline’s Boeing 787s have been ferrying millions of eggs between Europe and Tel Aviv, 45 tonnes at a time.
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Etihad's Catering Service Provides 15,000 Meals For Abu Dhabi
While airline catering has been one of the biggest casualties of coronavirus, in the UAE, at least one kitchen is buzzing with activity. In a press release issued on Sunday, Etihad Airways said its catering arm has been commissioned by several parties to provide meals to people who have been affected by the corona-crisis.
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Titan Airways Flies An All-Business A318 To St Helena For Relief
British charter airline Titan Airways flew an all-business class Airbus A318 from London to St. Helena on Sunday, carrying medical supplies for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Titan Airways 32 seat all-business Airbus A318-100, registration number G-EUNB, departed London Stansted Airport (STN) Sunday morning.
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Could South Africa Allow Foreign Airlines To Operate Domestic Flights?
It’s no secret: South African Airways (SAA) is struggling. This was the case long before the aviation industry was struck by the current health crisis. Now, whatever passenger traffic the struggling airline served has further evaporated as travelers are urged to stay home. So if South Africa’s flag carrier collapses, could we see the country open up its domestic routes to foreign flag carriers?
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Branson Offers Caribbean Island To Save Virgin Atlantic
Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur and founder of the Virgin Group, has called on the UK government to consider his airline’s application for a bailout favorably. In an open letter to employees, Branson said Virgin Atlantic would not survive without help and has even offered his private island, Necker Island, as collateral against a loan.
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Four Norwegian Air Subsidiaries File For Bankruptcy
Staffing subsidiaries of struggling low-cost carrier Norwegian Air have today been declared bankrupt, The four subsidiaries, based in Sweden and Denmark, employ a total of 4,700 pilots and cabin crew members, all of whom are facing the loss of their jobs.
LinkAirports
4 More Airlines Move To Heathrow's Terminal 2
As London’s Heathrow Airport continues to consolidate its flight operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, four more airlines have moved their flights to Terminal 2. Finnair, Qantas, and Qatar Airways are the latest airlines to change terminals.
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Why Vancouver Is North America's Best Airport
For ten straight years, Vancouver International Airport (YVR) has taken the title of North America’s best airport, according to SkyTrax. By no means as large as Toronto Pearson or Chicago O’Hare, YVR still manages to sit above the 400 airports on the continent. So why is this airport consistently beating out the competition?
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How Atlanta Became The World's Busiest Airport
In September 2019, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport was declared the busiest airport in the world. Not really a surprise; it was, after all, the 21st year in a row that the airport took the top spot. Over 110 million passengers passed through the airport last year, that’s ten million more than Beijing Capital Airport in second place. As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, but why do all flights lead to Atlanta?
LinkMilitary
Germany picks Boeing F-18 to replace aging Tornado fleet
Germany has officially confirmed to the United States that it would acquire 45 F / A-18 Super Hornets from Boeing to replace part of the Panavia Tornado fleet.
Since 2017, the German government has been actively looking to replace its aging fleet of Panavia Tornado aircraft. The strike aircraft, that entered service in the 1970s, is now even too old to participate in NATO missions.
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Airbus completes first automated in-flight refueling [Video]
Airbus refueled a Portuguese F-16 in flight using a fully automated procedure. It is the world’s first automated in-flight aircraft refueling, according to the manufacturer.
The flight test campaign, carried out earlier in 2020 over the Atlantic Ocean, involved an A330 MRTT tanker test aircraft equipped with the Airbus “A3R” system, and an F-16 fighter jet from the Portuguese Air Force acting as a receiver. "The campaign totaled 45 hours of flight tests and 120 dry contacts with the A3R system. The certification phase will begin in 2021," said Airbus in a press release.
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Aviation Quote
Challenger was lost because NASA came to believe its own propaganda. The agency's deeply impacted cultural hubris had it that technology—engineering—would always triumph over random disaster if certain rules were followed. The engineers-turned-technocrats could not bring themselves to accept the psychology of machines with abandoning the core principle of their own faith: equations, geometry, and repetition—physical law, precision design, and testing—must defy chaos. No matter that astronauts and cosmonauts had perished in precisely designed and carefully tested machines. Solid engineering could always provide a safety margin, because the engineers believed, there was complete safety in numbers.
- William E. Burrows, This New Ocean, 1998.
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Trivia
Famous Names, Famous Airports
1. Where in the world can you find Juan Santamaria International Airport?
Panama
Spain
Thailand
Costa Rica
2. In which of these Italian cities would you find an airport named after Leonardo Da Vinci?
Florence
Rome
Pisa
Venice
3. After which of these historical figures is the airport in Paris, France, named?
Charles De Gaulle
Thierry Henry
Napoleon Bonaparte
Johannes Kepler
4. In which of these U.S. cities is the William P. Hobby Airport located?
Austin
Dallas
El Paso
Houston
5. Where in the world would you find Benito Juarez International Airport?
Buenos Aires
Madrid
Montevideo
Mexico City
6. Which of these famous people has an airport in Chicago named after him?
Alexander Hamilton
Edward O'Hare
John F. Kennedy
Dwight D. Eisenhower
7. Where in the world can you find an airport named after Nikola Tesla?
Belgrade
Moscow
Belfast
New Delhi
8. Where in the world would you find the Jorge Chavez International Airport?
Bogota
Brasilia
Lima
Sucre
9. Where in the United States would you find an airport named after Fiorello La Guardia?
Newark
New York City
Atlantic City
Boston
10. In what city would I find an airport named after famous soccer player (footballer) George Best?
Rio de Janeiro
Istanbul
Belfast
Stockholm
