On 30 December 2015, Urban Aeronautics’ AirMule completed its first autonomous, untethered flight at Megiddo airfield in northern Israel. UrbanAero Rafi Yoeli – chief executive of UrbanAero, the parent company of Tactical Robotics, which developed the vertical take-off and landing aircraft – says the test schedule in Megiddo includes plans to demonstrate the AirMule&rsq...
Emirates is to launch a new daily circular service from Dubai to Cebu and Clark in the Philippines as it looks to strengthen tourism and trade links. The new service, which will feature a Boeing 777-300ER, will start from March 30 and will provide more options for Filipino workers living overseas - of which there are nearly 900,000 living in Dubai. “This new service will help to enhanc...
A Turkish Airlines flight scheduled to fly to Istanbul was called back from a runway at the Mumbai airport on Monday after an unclaimed mobile phone was spotted in the aircraft before take-off. Around 250 passengers on board the aircraft were evacuated and were frisked again after being allowed back into the jet. “The flight was about to take off when it was called back due to security...
The leading cause of aviation deaths in 2015 was "unlawful interference," not technical failures, for the second year running, said Dutch safety consultancy firm To70, the Independent reported Sunday. With more than 900 airline deaths in the past two years, attacks have outweighed any other cause of plane accidents. “Unlawful interference on board by passengers is reasonably wel...
US aerospace giant Boeing has announced a $14 billion share buyback and 20 percent increase in its regular quarterly dividend starting 2016 to $1.09 per share. Boeing said the new buyback plan will replace the $12 billion plan that was previously in place of which $5.25 billion remained. "Once again, we are demonstrating our commitment to a balanced cash deployment strategy that fuels i...
An aircraft full of passengers bound for Spain was forced to turn around when a bird damaged one of its engines. The Flybe flight from Southampton Airport to Alicante had just taken off at 10:00 GMT when it suffered a bird strike. The pilot made an emergency landing shortly after 10:30. An airport spokeswoman said the engine continued to function while the plane returned and none of the 7...
In time with the release of Taylor Swift’s most recent video, Out Of the Woods, filmed in New Zealand, Air New Zealand has challenged its fans to write new lyrics for the song—with a safety theme. “We have a blank space we need you to fill, as we’ve got a special Safety Mission for you,” the airline states on its US-Facebook page. “In honor...
Carol Andrews, a United Airlines flight attendant for 52 years with more than 10 million miles under her belt, was showing no signs of slowing down on a recent afternoon as she addressed a lady’s group while dressed in her 1960s United uniform. While the Pinewood Springs resident persisted in offering to show some magic tricks to the century-old Country Club, the lady’s group that m...
A flight was delayed at Heathrow Airport on Saturday after a drone was flown over one of its runways. The departure runway was closed for seven minutes between 12.45 and 12.52pm – delaying at least one flight - after a drone was spotted flying in Heathrow air space. One passenger, Aimee Fuller, a member of the British Olympic snowboarding team, wrote on Twitter: "Onboard! At Heath...
Mehair (MW, Mumbai Int'l) has signed a contract with the government of Goa to provide helicopter and seaplane services to remote locations within the western Indian state. The contract, which comes into being from January 6, will see Mehair deploying its seaplanes on scheduled flights to tourist locales on the Mandovi and Chapora rivers. This will be followed by helicopter operations on Jan...
Aviation policies or “open skies” was the main theme in the airlines business last year. First, American carriers got tangled with their Arabian Gulf rivals in a long, dismal tale with both sides portraying the other as a beneficiary of protectionism. In March, three American airlines – Delta, United, and American – disclosed what they called a detailed piece of inves...
AgustaWestland and Alenia Aermacchi parent Finmeccanica has transformed from a holding company of separately controlled businesses into a single corporate entity with operating divisions. Under the Italian industrial group’s ‘One Company’ plan, announced on December 22, Finmeccanica now has a new governance and operating model, with the company organised into four sectors...
China's civil aviation sector saw improved safety in flights, according to a senior official in charge on Friday. Chinese civil aircraft have completed 3.62 million safe flights for a total of 8.46 million hours, up 7.4 percent and 10.8 percent year on year respectively, according to Li Jian, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The frequency of severe aircraft inci...
Jet AirWerks, LLC (JAW), a Kansas-based turbine jet engine component repair station, has been awarded certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for the performance of repair and overhaul services for commercial turbine jet engine and airframe components. The CAAC certification allows Jet AirWerks to expand its market footprint and enhance its curr...
As rain swipes across the country, Dubai International Airport (DXB) is going to experience some delays. The state of the weather and operations are the cause of the delays, but airport staff is working with airlines and other partners to take control of the situation. A Dubai International Airport spokesperson said, “Dubai International is experiencing some delay in arrivals and departur...
Sizakele Mzimela is the co-founder, CEO and shareholder of South African-based regional airline Fly Blue Crane. She is a veteran aviation and business leader with 20 years of experience in executive leadership roles, including CEO at flag carrier South African Airways (SAA) and regional SA Express. Ms. Mzimela (pictured at top, center) has served as chair of the African Airlines Association (...
If your flight home for the holidays seemed longer or shorter than usual, that probably wasn’t a coincidence. Travelers rely on accurate flight times to ensure they make their business meetings or connecting flights on-time and there’s been fluctuation in recent years regarding how long airlines say a flight will actually last, according to a new report on flight time padding and on...
The union representing Delta Air Lines Inc.’s pilots wants raises of almost 40 percent compounded over three years, attempting to reverse some of the pay and benefit cuts adopted in the early 2000s. The union cites the carrier’s surging profits in saying it had requested a 22 percent raise for 2016, followed by 7 percent raises in the following two years, according to a memo from th...
The Federal Aviation Administration's no drone zone around the nation's capital has grown. The FAA warned this summer that unmanned aircraft, such as drones and model aircraft, were prohibited within 15 miles of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just south of Washington. But its online guidance now says they're banned from Washington's special flight rules area, a ring...
Days after a deadly plane crash in the heart of Alaska's largest city, there are lingering questions regarding what caused the pilot to fly into two office buildings, including one where his wife works. The FBI is leading the investigation into the Tuesday morning wreck that killed 42-year-old pilot Doug Demarest, but has released little information. It declined to comment on any possible l...
Italian aviation authorities have launched an investigation after an easyJet flight landed on the wrong runway at the airport in Pisa. Flight EZY1847 from Manchester landed on a closed runway that is used for passenger jets taxiing to or from the adjacent airstrip. The Airbus A319-100 was given permission to land on runway 04L but touched down on runway 04R instead. EasyJet said the s...
