Statistically just one airplane will be damaged every 1.87 million years, says study. US government officials' grave warnings that drones could cause a disaster above the nation's airports are overstated, a study by George Mason University has found. We're told birds are a much bigger threat to aircraft than folks' unmanned aerial systems (UASs). "We estimate that 6.1...
Helicopter engine maker Turbomeca has launched an online engine maintenance tracking system called Boost (bank of online services and technologies). The company describes it as a highly secured, web-based application developed in association with IBM that will allow operators to access real-time, personalized engine data, enrich their own fleet maintenance management and provide direct 2...
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) unveiled its C-2 next-generation transport aircraft, currently under development, at its base in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on Tuesday March 15, the local daily Japan Times said. The C-2, the successor to the existing C-1 transport plane, is capable of carrying the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air missile system and the Ground Sel...
Air Arabia, the Middle East and North Africa’s first and largest low-cost carrier, today announces the launch of seasonal direct flights from Sharjah to Batumi, Georgia, to cater to summer tourist demand. Flights will operate from July 2 to September 30, 2016, with Batumi becoming the second city after Tbilisi to join Air Arabia’s network in Georgia. Flights will be operational twic...
Papendrecht, Airbus and Fokker Technologies, a division of GKN Aerospace, will today sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a strategic partnership in research development and automation of Fibre Metal Laminate (FML) production, in the presence of the Royal couple of the Netherlands, his Royal Highness King Willem-Alexander and her Royal Highness Queen Maxima, the Dutch Minister of Forei...
Cubana Airlines will start direct flights from the Frank Pais International Airport, of the city of Holguin in eastern Cuba, to Santo Domingo, capital city of the Dominican Republic, according to company officials. Violeta Sayas, commercial specialist of the airline in Holguin said, in an exclusive interview with ACN, that the inaugural flight will be on March 22, which will add to the usual op...
Russia’s Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) has reported that airlines in member states had 56 accidents, including 27 crashes, which killed 116 people in 2015, according to IAC’s Safety Performance Report. The statistics include general aviation, helicopter performance and technical flights. IAC defines an accident as an event where an aircraft was damaged without fatalities, whil...
Honda Aircraft Company announced today that the HondaJet has received type certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Mexico, the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC). The world’s most advanced light jet also will make its debut at the 2016 Aero Expo, Mexico’s most prominent business aviation event. The trade show is being held at the...
Mountain Aviation of Denver Colorado has received FAA approval as the first FAA certified airline authorized to conduct commercial unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS” or “Drones”) operations. After 23 years of operating private jets for business and leisure travelers, Mountain Aviation is expanding its product offering into the newly regulated field of commercial Drone ope...
Gama Aviation’s U.S. aviation division received third-country operator authorization from EASA, becoming one of the first operators to receive the recognition. Beginning in November, the authorization is slated to become a requirement for commercial operators outside Europe to operate within the European Union countries/territories and the European Free Trade Asso...
Lockheed Martin’s unmanned SR-72 aircraft concept has surfaced again with renewed vigour, with company leadership now pushing a reusable, air-breathing hypersonic vehicle as an “affordable” way to validate a new propulsion concept for achieving speeds within the atmosphere between Mach 6.0 to Mach 20. Speaking at a Lockheed media event in Washington DC on 15 March, company chi...
A powerful competition watchdog in Europe has quietly begun asking the industry for its views on issues surrounding airline distribution. Airlines, intermediaries and travel technology companies are being asked to share their views with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition on how tickets are sold by airlines to travellers, either by the direct route or via interme...
Daher will unveil at least two aircraft at a dedicated event on 5 April at its Tarbes, southwest France headquarters. One of the models will be an upgraded version of its TBM 900, Daher says, but mystery surrounds the identity of the other aircraft. The French airframer has made no secret of its intention to expand its single-aircraft product line, and is believed to have been working on new...
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...
Our world is a dangerous place these days, with the threats of international and domestic terrorism mingling with more common hazards, such as vengeful ex-employees, vandals or other unhinged individuals. While some in the aviation service industry might ask Why us?, the answer is simple: private aviation by its nature attracts high-profile individuals such as celebrities or company executive...
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...
If you've ever taken a long-haul flight, you'll be familiar with the sensation of jetlag - that groggy feeling you get when your body's been through too many time zones in quick succession. There are all kinds of tricks you can use to beat it - some of which make more sense than others - but how do the professionals deal with this long-distance travel? BBC Future's Katia Moskvit...
Direct flights between Russia and Egypt are about to resume, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. They will start shortly in accordance with air safety, said Lavrov after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry. According to Lavrov, Cairo responded positively to Russia’s recommendations for airport and flight security. "We have agreed that measures will...
UK safety investigators have called for a raft of new Europe-wide regulations to be introduced covering the operation of offshore transportation helicopters in the wake of a fatal accident off the north coast of Scotland. The recommendations are contained in the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch’s final report into the 23 August 2013 crash of a CHC Scotia-operated Airbus Helicopters A...
Despite high fuel prices and sluggish economies, airlines have stabilized their finances by cutting costs to the bone and finding new products to sell, or old products to sell differently. Airline ancillary services may be unbundled traditional services, or they may be innovative new services. Successful MROs and OEMs prosper in much the same ways as airlines: by leaning out costs and finding n...
Single-engine turbine commercial operations in instrument meteorological conditions (SET-IMC) could be possible for the first time as a blanket rule across Europe by the end of the year and even sooner in the UK. The UK CAA has confirmed informally that it is “now a question of when not if” SET-IMC is passed, an industry panel noted March 10 during the...
