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GE Aviation closes in on Passport certification

Flight Design confident of second quarter revival

German light aircraft manufacturer Flight Design is hoping to emerge from administration in the second quarter, following “productive talks” with potential investors. The Wildau-based developer of the CT-series of high-wing, light sport aircraft and the C4 piston-single was placed int...

Lebanon and Kenya to receive Bell Huey IIs

Lebanon and Kenya will become the latest nations to procure zero-timed Bell UH-1H-based Huey II helicopters through the US Army. Last week, Bell Helicopter of Fort Worth, Texas received $19 million from the Pentagon to furnish three Huey IIs for the government of Lebanon by March 2017. The sam...

First Airbus aircraft produced in the U.S. takes flight

The first Airbus aircraft produced in the U.S. Manufacturing Facility has flown for the first time. The A321, destined for JetBlue took off from the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Alabama, at 9:36 a.m., performed its test sequences, and landed safely at 1:02 p.m. The aircraft was flown by Test Pilots Mark McCullins and Bruce Macdonald. They were accompanied on the flight by Flight...

OPINION: Goodbye Finmecccanica, hello Leonardo

Arrivederci Finmeccanica. Buongiorno Leonardo. Not long after the Italian group announced it was consolidating its businesses around a single corporate identity, it has revealed that new identity – a surprising choice, inspired by the country’s greatest genius. Safran, meanwhile, is to replace Snecma, Messier-Bugatti-Dowty and other venerable brands with a monicker cr...

In Alabama, Airbus plants seeds of a new aerospace cluster

The first American-made Airbus jet built in the new final-assembly plant in Mobile, Ala., is expected to make its maiden flight this week and be delivered to JetBlue soon after. Boeing’s main competitor sees this beachhead in the U.S. as just the beginning. Airbus once hoped it would assemble a refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force in this Gulf Coast city. Even when it lost that job in...

Tajikistan says in talks on plane purchases with Airbus

Tajikistan has discussed potential plane purchases with Airbus, its government said on Saturday. The Central Asian country's deputy prime minister Azim Ibrohim met Airbus CIS Vice President Silvere Delaunay who is leading a delegation of executives and experts to study the local market, the cabinet said in a statement. Ibrohim told Delaunay during the meeting in the capital Dushanbe that...

See the world’s largest aircraft

New photos of the world’s largest aircraft, aka ‘the flying bum’, have been released ahead of its official unveiling. They show the Airlander 10 – part plane, part airship and part helicopter – in all its 302ft (92m) long glory in a First World War aircraft hangar in Bedfordshire, where it will be launched tomorrow. The aircraft, which earned its nickname becaus...

Piper M600 enters final stages of certification

Piper Aircraft announced today that the FAA has issued type inspection authorization (TIA) for the Piper M600. The issuance of TIA marks a significant milestone for the aircraft certification program. TIA initiates the formal FAA flight evaluation of the M600 type design, airworthiness, performance, and handling characteristics. The TIA authorization was granted following the conclusion of a ri...

Bell completes delivery of fifteen 429s to Canadian Coast Guard

Bell Helicopter has manufactured and delivered 15 Bell 429s to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) following the awarding of a contract in May 2014. The final delivery was marked by an acceptance ceremony attended by The Honourable Hunter Tootoo, minister of fisheries, oceans and the CCG, the Honourable Judy M. Foote, minister of public services and procurement, and Jody Thomas, Commissioner of...

Gulfstream Gaining Ground on NextGen Upgrades

With the 2020 FAA and EASA mandates for ADS-B out equipage rapidly approaching, aircraft manufacturers are busy developing service bulletin and supplemental type certificate (STC) upgrades to help customers meet the deadline. For Gulfstream Aerospace, most of its models now have a factory-provided upgrade path, except for the GIIs and GIIIs, according to Jeff Gay...

Tata Group needs a new cash cow but has to trim the fat

India’s Tata Group badly needs to find a new cash machine. The aviation-to-autos and salt-to-steel conglomerate’s existing ATM is Tata Consultancy Services, the nation’s largest software exporter. The code-writing company rakes in more than 180 billion rupees (Dh9.83bn) of annual free cash flow, which more than compensates for the 80bn rupees of cash drain from the group&rsq...

Airbus A320neo Engine Problems Still Unsolved: Lufthansa

Lufthansa Airlines has announced that it is not ready to put more of AIRBUS GROUP's A320neo aircraft into its commercial service as there are still issues with the aircraft’s engines. Lufthansa CEO, Carsten Spohr said at its annual report: “The engine issues are slowly improving, we're not there yet, that's why we have not agreed to take the second aircraft into the f...

Boeing picks Britain as home for its new European headquarters

Boeing has chosen Britain as home for its new European headquarters in a major boost to campaigners in favour of the UK leaving the EU. The world’s largest aircraft maker shrugged off Brexit concerns to select London as the base for its entire European operation. The Britain Stronger In Europe campaign has claimed that a vote to leave the EU would spark an exodus of firms. But Boeing s...

Air India future A320neo operator

Airbus is delighted to further its long relationship with Air India and to welcome them as a future A320neo operator from 2017. Air India and Alafco have signed a lease agreement for operating lease of 14 A320neo aircraft at the Hyderabad airshow in India. With this agreement Air India will benefit from A320neo’s 15 per cent fuel burn reduction, reduced noise and environmental footprint,...

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Essential news

Honda Aircraft Company celebrates type validation of HondaJet Elite II in Brazil at LABACE 2026

Honda Aircraft Company announced first delivery of HondaJet Elite II in Brazil, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued commitment to general aviation in South America. The de...

U.S. FAA certifies new Boeing 737-7 airplane

U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has granted Boeing an amended type certificate for the new 737-7 airplane, clearing it for commercial service. The smallest...

Eve Air Mobility achieves first transition flight milestone, advancing eVTOL program toward wing-borne flight

Eve Air Mobility completed its first partial transition flight, marking an important milestone in the development and testing of the company' eVTOL aircraft. The flight involved the acti...

Introducing latest-generation TBM to a major business aviation market - Daher Aircraft delivers the first TBM 980 in Brazil

The first TBM 980 for a Brazilian customer delivered by Daher Aircraft, marking the introduction of this newest fast and efficient turboprop-powered airplane in a market where the TBM family continues...

Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki sign MoU for feasibility study of medical air logistics in India

Air India, SkyDrive and Suzuki Motor Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a joint feasibility study on the use of eVTOL aircraft for medical air logistics in India. In...

Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 achieves first flight, advancing next-generation light jet toward certification

Textron Aviation achieved a key milestone as the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen3 prototype aircraft completed its first flight, advancing the next-generation light jet toward certification. With th...

The Arriel 2K, the engine powering the Leonardo AW09 helicopter, has received its EASA certification

The Arriel 2K engine that powers Leonardo’s AW09 helicopter, has received its type certificate from EASA. This marks an important milestone towards the entry into service of the AW09, Leonardo&r...

Daher Aircraft delivers the 400th Kodiak, underscoring this airplane family's expanding global reach and mission versatility

Daher Aircraft has delivered the 400th Kodiak, marking a significant achievement for the multi-role airplane family as its customer base continues to expand across government, commercial, business and...

Bombardier celebrates 200th delivery of its Challenger 3500 jet to Mr. Piero Ferrari

Bombardier delivered its 200th Challenger 3500 jet to Mr. Piero Ferrari, Vice Chairman of Ferrari. The aircraft will support Mr. Ferrari’s travel to Formula One races and other bu...

Top of the week

Bell's first 505 for aerial policing work in Asia Pacific commences operations

Bell Textron announced the Aichi Prefectural Police have officially commenced aerial policing operations utilizing the Bell 505, marking a landmark moment for aviation in the Asia-Pacific region. A ce...

Atoms and Joby Aviation form strategic partnership to build America's vertiport network

Atoms and Joby Aviation announced a strategic partnership to acquire and develop vertiport sites in the United States. The companies will initially focus on Florida, New York, and Texas, the markets w...

Volatus Aerospace partners with Singular Aircraft to introduce FlyOx 1 heavy-lift autonomous aircraft for Canadian wildfire response

Volatus Aerospace announced the next phase of its national wildfire response initiative through a strategic partnership with Singular Aircraft, developer of the FlyOx 1 multi-mission heavy-lift autono...