Airlines are, finally, more broadly banning hoverboards — the self-balancing mini-Segway devices that are all the rage and the holiday gift of 2015 — due to safety reasons relating to their lithium ion batteries. At least ten hoverboards have caught fire across nine US states in recent days. But the delay in doing so, the contradictory messages that have been sent out and not corrected...
The Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) has taken delivery of its final Airbus Helicopters H135 training helicopters. The 14th and 15th examples of the type were recently handed over, says Airbus Helicopters in a statement. Deliveries of the H135, designated TH135 in JMSDF service, commenced in 2011. Airbus adds that there are over 80 H135s operating in Japan. Roles includ...
Mitsubishi Heavy Industry has started work on the first Lockheed Martin F-35A to be assembled in Japan. The work took place at a Mitsubishi factory in Nagoya, and saw the mating of the aircraft’s wings, fuselage, and tail, says Lockheed in a statement. The aircraft is designated AX-5, and will be the fifth F-35A produced for the Japanese air force. Japan’s first four aircraft, de...
Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Limited, the largest independent global helicopter leasing company, today announced that it has closed on a multi-aircraft agreement with Omni Helicopters International S.A., a strategic partnership between Stirling Square Capital Partners and Omni Group. The aircraft are operating for Omni Taxi Aereo, Brazil's largest helicopter service operator to the offshore indu...
Bond Offshore Helicopters, part of the Babcock Mission Critical Services business, has launched an entirely new service which will take passengers to offshore Oil and Gas facilities in the Northern North Sea from Aberdeen via new facilities at Sumburgh Airport, Shetland. Thanks to an agreement with partners at LoganAir, Bond can now transport hundreds of passengers a week from Aberdeen Airport...
Time is running out for Boeing’s iconic 747 jumbo jetliner, the plane that brought global travel to the masses in the 1970s. The storied 747 has fallen from favour in the modern airline industry as carriers turn to twin-engined aircraft that can fly farther and use less fuel, such as Boeing’s own 777 or the Airbus A350. Sales of the cavernous freight model have waned as well, done i...
We are now getting our first look at United’s 2016 fleet plan. Some of the highlights include United taking delivery of older ex-China Southern A319 aircraft as well as new 737-900ERs, Dreamliners, and its first 777-300ER. A319: United operates 55 A319s in its fleet, and in 2016 the airline plans to take delivery of 9 of the 14 ex China Southern aircraft leased fr...
The future of the legendary Jambo Jet hinges on the order from a Russian freight company. The company plans buying 18 Boeing 747 freighters. If the deal fails the production of the aircraft may be ended. The fate of the US-produced Boeing 747 hinges heavily on AirBridgeCargo Airlines and Moscow-based parent Volga-Dnepr Group. In November, AirBridgeCargo purchased two aircraft. In comi...
Nowadays we can actually live tweet our own mid-air meltdowns, but how on earth did people entertain themselves on planes before the dawn of Wi-Fi and gadgets? Movies have been shown in the air since 1921 -- yes, really -- but once upon a glamorous jet age we managed to get by without the in-flight entertainments we today take for granted. The staff at AirlineRatings.com have gathe...
The United States hopes to conclude aviation talks with Cuba about the resumption of scheduled commercial airline flights "very, very soon," a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday. The official was speaking ahead of Thursday's one-year anniversary of the United States and Cuba's agreement after 18 months of secret talks to restore diplomatic ties that Washingt...
V Air, a Taiwan-based LCC, enters the Japan market by launching its first Taipei-Nagoya service tonight. The inaugural flight ZV202 departed from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 19:45, carrying 162 passengers, with an 85% load factor. The estimated arrival time is 23:45 local time. Taipei-Nagoya route is the 4th scheduled service of V Air, marking a new milestone on the carrier’...
Nordic Aviation and its partner airline Adria Airways will start organising flights to Munich from 19 December. The return flights will initially take place once a week, and twice a week on Saturdays from February until the end of March. According to Nordic Aviation board member Erik Sakkov, there has already been a lot of interest in the Munich route. “This flight route is the result of...
