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This radical aircraft design is already a hit in Silicon Valley

In just 90 days, aircraft designer Cobalt has taken over $50 million in pre orders for its first two models, the Co50 Valkyrie and the Valkyrie-X. In the first 24 hours alone, the company received 29 orders. Aircraft buyers are notoriously conservative when it comes to new design, preferring tried-and-true models that have remained relatively unchanged for decades....

Boeing, Okay Airways Announce Commitment for 12 737s

Boeing and Okay Airways today announced a commitment for 12 737s, including eight MAX 8s, three 737 MAX 9s and one Next-Generation 737-900ER (Extended Range) airplane. The agreement, valued at $1.3 billion at current list prices, is subject to the approval of the Chinese government and will be posted to Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website once all contingencies ar...

Delta to file for non-stop service to Cuba

Delta Air Lines will file with the U.S. government to operate non-stop service to Cuba, the airline said. The application follows Tuesday’s signature of a historic agreement allowing North American airlines to fly scheduled commercial flights to Havana and nine other Cuban cities. “Filing for service to Havana is an important moment in aviation history for Delta and between the U.S....

Aerolease Aviation signs LOI for 10 Mitsubishi Regional Jets

Aerolease Aviation, a Florida-based lessor with a portfolio of 40 used Boeing 757s, signed a letter of intent (LOI) for 10 Mitsubishi Regional Jets (MRJ) plus 10 options. Aerolease becomes the first lessor to commit to the MRJ. “We firmly believe that the asset value of the MRJ has now been recognized in the aircraft finance market,” Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. president Hiromichi Mor...

Boeing Sees SE Asia Aircraft Demand Worth USD$550 Billion

Southeast Asia will need 3,750 new aircraft worth USD$550 billion in 20 years from 2015, a senior Boeing executive told a press conference ahead of the Singapore Airshow. Of this number, 76 percent will be for single-aisle aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice-president for Asia Pacific and India sales at Boeing. This will be largely driven by low-c...

Delta’s Financials Have Improved So Much Its Debt Rating Is No Longer Junk

Delta Air Lines Inc. achieved its longstanding goal of regaining investment-grade credit, following through on a priority of retiring Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. Moody’s Investors Service raised the airline’s senior unsecured debt rating to Baa3, the lowest investment-quality level and higher than the junk grades of rival carriers American Airlines Group Inc. and Unite...

KC-46 demonstrates probe-and-drogue refuelling of F/A-18

Boeing and the US Air Force have completed the first KC-46APegasus refuelling of a combat jet using the next-generation tanker's wing-mounted hose-and-drogue system. The milestone was achieved on 10 February when the KC-46 transferred fuel to a US Navy F/A-18 at 20,000ft, says Boeing. On January 24, Pegasus completed its first ever aerial refuelling by topping up an F-16 d...

PSA Airlines celebrates 100th aircraft

PSA Airlines celebrated a special milestone Friday inducting the 100th aircraft into its fleet. The aircraft is a CRJ 900 Next Gen that operates under the American Eagle brand. The plane’s first flight left Dayton at 5:45 a.m. Friday on a trip to Canada. It returned at about 3:30 p.m. “It’s fantastic. It’s got that new car smell, that new plane smell,” said Dion...

JetBlue Launches Venture Capital Subsidiary to Invest in Travel Startups

JetBlue unveiled a new subsidiary, JetBlue Technology Ventures, which is based in a Silicon Valley incubator and will provide seed funding to early stage technology, travel, and hospitality startups. JetBlue Technology Ventures is led by its president, Bonny Simi, a JetBlue pilot who had been working on talent acquisition for the airline, and the subsidiary will be located in the Redwood City,...

Uber and Victor team up for New York Valenties prize

Uber and Victor ave teamed up to offer three couples an all expenses trip to New York over the Valenties weekend. The trip includes flight on a chartered private jet, one nights stay in the Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC Hotel, A $2500 shopping spree at Saks Fifth Avenue, and A 5-course Valentine’s Day Dinner. The prize is unfortunately only available to Uber users in 52 US East Coast citi...

Boeing 777 an Elephant in the Room, Says RBC

RBC cuts price target on Boeing driven by concern over 777 demand and production. In a research note published on February 10, RBC reiterated its Sector Perform rating on Boeing Co.but cut its price target from $143 to $135, driven by low earnings per share margins. RBC sees many fundamental issues that could impact the aircraft maker’s revenue and profit. The research firm sees the 77...

The Boeing 747 jumbo jet changed air travel with this momentous event 47 years ago

On February 9, 1969, the Boeing 747-100 jumbo jet took to the sky for the very first time. With that event, commercial air travel changed forever. With the 747 and its widebody, dual-aisle interior, airlines greatly increased the volume of passengers it could ferry per flight.  Known as the Queen of the Skies, the Boeing 747 ruled the skies for most of its life.  Over the pas...