China’s aviation industry is coming to the end of its most profitable year in history and is headed for a 2016 that will see more new airlines formed and new international routes added as the sector stands out as a bright spot in the mainland’s slowing economy. The industry turned in a total profit of 54.8 billion yuan (HK$65.7 billion) in the first 11 months of the year, up 76.2 pe...
Russia will supply President-S onboard defense systems to Egypt to protect aviation from antiaircraft missile systems and air-launched missiles, the first deputy head of Radioelectronic Technologies Group (KRET), part of state hi-tech corporation Rostec, said on Friday. "There is a contract and we’re working within this contract. The deliveries will start in the imminent future,&qu...
It has been just 10 years since Airbus launched its A380, the world’s largest passenger aircraft. When the super-jumbo made its first commercial flight in 2005, it was viewed as the future of air travel. The double-decker allowed airlines to carry more people without buying extra landing slots at increasingly congested airports. The Gulf’s three biggest airlines – Emirates, Et...
African airlines are facing another year in the red, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting collective losses of approximately $100 million for 2016. This follows loss estimates of some $300 million for African carriers in 2015, according to the organization’s recently revised industry outlook , in which it projected that globally the world’s airlines a...
Just 18 short months ago, most airlines were attempting to grasp how they would craft merchandising strategies in order to fully exploit exploding ancillary revenue sales. Now with year-end 2015 fast approaching, online travel agencies (OTAs) have emerged as one of the fastest growing channels for ancillary revenues. Travel services technology provider and GDS firm Amadeus recently offered some...
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” Gloria Steinem Among those leading the shift to gender balance in air and space is the Institute for Women of Aviation Worldwide (iWOAW), whose flagship outreach program, Women of Aviation Worldwide W...
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. was fined almost 500,000 euros ($547,000) for what a French court termed irregular pay practices concerning pilots operating European routes for the Hong Kong-based airline. The penalty was imposed after union complaints that crew stationed at Charles de Gaulle airport weren’t being recognized by Cathay as based in France, allowing it to avoid making proper pay...
Some foreign carriers pitch for more landing points as well as higher number of seats but at times allowing such requests could hurt domestic carriers, said a senior official from the Civil Aviation Ministry. Signalling a major shift in granting air traffic rights, the government is looking at restricting the number of landing points for overseas airlines irrespective of their seat entitlements...
An investigation has been launched after a Malaysia Airlines plane took off from Auckland Airport on Christmas Day and surprised the pilot with the direction it started flying. Just eight minutes into the direct flight to Kuala Lumpur, MH132's pilot queried why his Airbus A330 was heading so far south. He wondered why the plane was heading towards Melbourne and not taking a more direct f...
PJSC Aeroflot (Moscow Exchange ticker: AFLT) announces the results of the Board of Directors meeting held on 24 December 2015 and chaired by Kirill Androsov. The meeting’s agenda included the following items: Consolidated financial results of Aeroflot Group for the first nine months of 2014. In this period, Aeroflot Group’s passenger traffic plan was 99.8% implemented....
Low-cost carrier Pobeda, part of the Aeroflot Group, has carried its 3 millionth passenger. The passenger was registered on a 10:50 Moscow-Sochi flight (DP 117). This landmark event was celebrated at Pobeda’s home airport of Vnukovo, Moscow. Participants included Russia’s Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vnukovo Airport Vitaly Vantsev, Chairman...
Have you got what it takes to man an airport X-ray machine? Test your abilities here. Do you think you've got what it takes to work in airport security, starring at X-rays of passenger's luggage in an effort to spot any items that shouldn't be taken onto planes? Simulscan, an Italian firm that trains officers in X-ray screening, has released this images of scanned bags - each one...
An engine-related problem has forced a plane bound for Virginia to return to Rochester, New York. The Federal Aviation Administration says Commutair Flight 3585 declared an emergency at around 3 p.m. Friday shortly after takeoff. The plane had been headed to Washington Dulles International Airport but returned to Rochester International Airport. It landed safely. Representatives for Commu...
Northrop Grumman Corp has won a contract worth $93.08 million to build a full-scale demonstrator of a new unmanned spy plane - a flying wing with large counter-rotating propellers - that would take off and land on destroyers and frigates, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Northrop has been working on a design for the new drone for several years under a joint program called Tern that is led by...
Ten local general aviation companies have established the city’s first general aviation association to meet the rising demand for the industry in the East China region. The Shanghai General Aviation Association, approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, will set up a resources bank to share talents including pilots, maintenance workers and air traffic controllers among the c...
A proposal for a dedicated civil aviation security force to look after security affairs of the airports has been dismissed by a Parliamentary Standing Committee, but it has strongly suggested an aviation security policy for ensuring fool-proof security at airports. Arguing against a dedicated security force, it said multiple agencies were already engaged in airport security and were playing a s...
Pilots at United Airlines will vote on a contract extension in January that lacks any commitment for a 100-seat aircraft order from the carrier. The Chicago-based airline put the possibility of a small narrowbody order on the table in talks earlier this year, confirms Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) United master executive council chair captain Jay Heppner in a video post...
With the fourth Wizarding World of Harry Potter set to open at Universal Studios Hollywood in April, Paramount Pictures building theme parks in London and Spain and a pair of 20th Century Fox World parks recently announced for Malaysia and Dubai, it’s clear that the studios are determined to give Disneylands the world over a real run for their money in the next decade. But, when it comes to...
Abu Dhabi Airports has awarded contracts to Aer Rianta International and Lagardère Capital, to provide duty free servicess in the Midfield Terminal Building (MTB) which is currently under constrtuction at the emirate's international airport. The Aer Rianta International group (ARI), a leading airport retail management company with operations at airports in Europe, New Zealand, Nort...
Russian Helicopters has been pushing its credentials at the Russian national exhibition Trade and Industrial Dialogue: Russia-Iran 2015 in Tehran this week where it also debuted the new multirole Mi-171A2 helicopter.. Led by the Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Denis Manturov, the event was held from 21 to 23 December in Tehran. “We plan to strengthen our business ties with our pa...
Eastern Europe has replaced the Middle East as the region with the fastest growing defence budgets, with double-digit increases in response to the Ukraine crisis according to the IHS Jane's Defence Budgets annual report. The annual report examines and forecasts defence expenditure for 104 countries and captures 99% of global defence spend. The report said that low oil prices are eating into...
