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United States aviation news

Southwest Uses 737 Retirements To Drop Costs

Southwest Airlines is phasing out its Boeing 737 Classic aircraft by about 2017 and is finding ways to use engine inventory from that fleet to decrease its maintenance costs. Mandy Gower, Southwest Airlines’ powerplant supply chain manager, told Aviation Week that the airline employs MTU Canada and BP Aerospace in Irvine, Calif., to tear down its CFMI CFM56-3s that pow...

World’s First Solar Airport No Longer Pays Electricity Bills

Cochin International Airport, the world’s first 100 percent solar airport, is generating so much power from its massive solar array that the airport no longer pays for electricity. “We wanted to be independent of the electricity utility grid,” Jose Thomas, the airport’s general manager, told the CNNMoney. Cochin started its solar journey three years ago when...

Meridian Air Charter Adds Ultra-Long Range Jet

Meridian, the award-winning private aviation company based at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, NJ, is pleased to announce the addition of a Falcon 7X (N221HJ) to its growing charter fleet of private business jets. This ultra-long range aircraft was completed in 2008, and seats up to fourteen passengers. It also has the capacity to sleep up to seven for long haul trips. It is based at Teterboro Airp...

Boeing, Nok Air Celebrate 737 Delivery, Kick Off Flight Training Program

Boeing delivered Nok Air's 21st Next-Generation 737-800 during a ceremony at the Seattle Delivery Center. The celebration marked the third direct-purchased 737-800 to be delivered to Nok Air. "We are extremely pleased to welcome another new 737-800 to our growing all-Boeing fleet," said Patee Sarasin, CEO of Nok Air. "The 737 provides us with the efficiency and reliabili...

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner Begins Major Assembly

Major assembly of the first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner is underway, the latest major milestone in the development of the newest member of the super-efficient 787 family. Boeing partner Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. began installing the circular frames into the midforward section of the fuselage on March 14, a full two weeks ahead of schedule. "Beginning major assembly early under...

Boeing, Air Europa Celebrate Delivery of the Airline's First 787 Dreamliner

Boeing, Air Europa and SMBC Aviation Capital are celebrating the delivery of the carrier's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner today. Air Europa leased its first 787 through an agreement with SMBC Aviation Capital. The delivery is also the first Dreamliner to SMBC Aviation Capital. The newest addition to Air Europa's fleet will touch down in Madrid on March 16th followin...

CH-53K project expands to 120kts and two test helicopters

Sikorsky's first CH-53K King Stallion has achieved speeds of 120kts as the heavy-lift helicopter development project presses forward with flight envelope expansion and adds a second test aircraft to the mix. The Lockheed Martin-owned rotorcraft manufacturer says its second triple-engine giant achieved flight on 22 January, and the two developmental aircraft have logged 35 flight hours since...

Boeing Co 777X: Is the Transition Worthwhile Enough?

Boeing Co. has been investing heavily in its 777-X and other transition programs, developing new facilities, and signing contracts for the plane’s different parts. The strategic decision has forced the aircraft manufacturer to lower its 2016 production guidance as well; it has revised down the outlook from 765 aircraft to a 740-745 range. The company aims to shift its focus toward its new...

NTSB: Pilot Responded Incorrectly to Engine Failure in Wichita FSI Crash

The pilot and sole occupant of a King Air 200 that crashed into a FlightSafety International (FSI) simulator building at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) on Oct. 30, 2014 responded incorrectly to a decrease in power from the twin turboprop’s left engine on takeoff, according to the NTSB’s probable cause report. The aircraft was headed to Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport (MEZ)...

Delta expands network between North America, Europe and India codeshare with Jet Airways and KLM

Delta Air Lines has entered into a codeshare partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Jet Airways to provide convenient connections for passengers to and from key destinations across North America to the Indian Subcontinent via Amsterdam. Effective March 27, 2016, Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will launch daily non-stop flights from Amsterdam to each t...

JetBlue wants to train aspiring pilots with diverse backgrounds

Aspiring pilots, rejoice. JetBlue has launched a program to select and train everyday folks to fly a commercial jet. JetBlue's pilots don't like the idea, saying there are already plenty of experienced pilots ready to work for JetBlue. The pilot recruiting and training program, dubbed Gateway Select, is designed to make “the profession more accessible to a broader range of cand...

United Airlines takes off with biofuel

A Boeing 737 jet that took off from Los Angeles International Airport on Friday morning looked like most other planes launching into the partly cloudy skies. But this San Francisco-bound United Airlines flight was preceded by speeches and fanfare because the plane’s engines were powered by a blend of petroleum-based fuel and sustainable biofuel, brewed at a Southern California refinery fr...