Zodiac Aerospace is exploring the opportunity of seating passengers underneath the main deck of commercial aircraft, in the area currently occupied by baggage and the occasional crew rest, catering trolley stowage, or downstairs lavatory area. The interiors powerhouse has applied for a paternt a wide range of methods to enable lower deck seating on passenger aircraft unearthed by Philip Ro...
Dr Rachelle Ornan-Stone wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up. Instead, she’s the Regional Director of Cabin Experience and Revenue Analysis at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, with a background in psychology and design — and, yes, NASA — working on airline and spaceship cabin interiors. “The most exciting project that I’ve worked on to date was the design of the...
fLightWhile 3G mobile telecommunications and its successor 4G have been established for some time on the ground, it may surprise some readers to learn that inflight mobile connectivity has been limited to 2.5G EDGE for several years. But that is now changing. AeroMobile is celebrating the world’s first inflight 3G service on board an Airbus A330-200 operated by customer airberlin....
During yesterday’s International Air Transport Association (IATA) Media Day in Geneva, IATA Director of Marketing and Sales Tim-Jasper Schaaf presented new data points which cast a new light on the importance of happy passengers. The update came as a result of our previous report that IATA found no direct correlation between satisfied passengers and profitable airlines during a previ...
British Airways owner IAG SA said a joint venture with leading South American carrier Latam Airlines Group SA complementing a lucrative partnership with American Airlines Group Inc. would be a “sensible next step” in its trans-Atlantic strategy. “It’s a group that we would like to have closer ties to,” IAG Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said. “There is...
A new report on drone sightings and close encounters with aircraft finds that the proliferation of drones is quickly creating an unsafe environment in the air above U.S. airports. The Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College collected data from 931 incidents involving drones and manned aircraft in U.S. airspace from Dec. 17, 2013, to Sept. 12, 2015. A close encounter is defined by the...
Fans flying to a UFC featherweight showdown in Las Vegas were treated to some in-flight fisticuffs when two brawling passengers forced their plane to return to New York. JetBlue Flight 611 was just 25 minutes into its flight Thursday night when the flying fracas erupted, the MailOnline reported. Passenger Damien Coyne told the site he was "embarrassed and angry" about the inci...
A girl band was arrested at an airport after they were mistaken for being sex workers. K-Pop group Oh My Girl were travelling to the U.S. for an album cover shoot when they were stopped at Los Angeles International Airport by authorities. The eight-piece, aged between 16 and 21, were detained in customs for 15 hours on Thursday after officers searched through their costumes and props, t...
Speaking at the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Global Media Day on Thursday, IATA head Tony Tylor lauded the performance of Chinese airlines in recent years amid positive long-term prospects for the global airline industry. "Now the safety record (in China) is as good as anywhere else in the world. The reason that they've achieved it is that they've follo...
Weather delays can't be avoided, but a little levity from the crew can sometimes lighten passengers' mood. Which is why, on an easyJet flight from Cyprus to Gatwick in November that was delayed because of weather, a pilot joked that he would write excuses for students on board who missed school because of the delay, according to Road Warrior Voices. Much to the pilot's surprise,...
Shandong Aielines (SC) has expanded its fleet to 90 aircraft, with a new Boeing 737-800 (Registration B-7087) landing at Jinan Yaoqiao International Airport (TNA) on Dec. 11. With the arrival of B-7087 aircraft, Shandong Airlines has completed its fleet introduction plan for 12th Five Year. According to statistics, the Jinan-based carrier has taken delivery of 57 aircraft in 2010-2015,...
Moves by Britain to delay, once again, a decision on where to build a new airport runway to serve the London area highlights Europe's difficulties in keeping up with emerging countries when it comes to creating vital airport capacity. By 2035, airports across Europe will be unable to accommodate some 2 million flights due to capacity shortages according to Eurocontrol, the European Org...
Ireland-based low-cost carrier (LCC) Ryanair plans to substantially increase its presence in Romania, with the creation of up to five bases in the Eastern European nation over the next few years, according to CEO Michael O'Leary. The move is a clear challenge to Hungary-based Wizz Air, which is the major LCC in Central and Eastern Europe. Currently, Ryanair flies only to a single Roman...
Indonesia's aviation experts have pegged test flights for a small propeller plane, deemed the N219, for May next year - five months behind schedule. The aircraft, developed by National Space and Aviation Agency (Lapan) and state aircraft producer Dirgantara Indonesia, was unveiled to public in a ceremony on Thursday, after several months of delay. "The development of N219 was a...
Bujumbura airport is still open but some airlines have canceled flights, an adviser to Burundi's president said on Friday, after gunmen attacked military bases in the capital in the early hours of the morning. "Bujumbura airport is not closed but some airlines have canceled their flights to Bujumbura," presidential media adviser Willy Nyamitwe told Reuters in a brief mes...
A foreign passenger was arrested after he made a bomb hoax abroad a Bangkok Airways flight heading from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Koh Samui, causing the flight to be delayed for over five hours. The PG145 flight was supposed to take off at 2:00 p.m. but the passenger in question had quarrel with another foreign passenger and claimed that there was a bomb on board. His s...
An undisclosed Middle East customer has ordered a new Legacy 650 large jet. The aircraft is scheduled to be received at the end of 2015 and will be managed by Titan Aviation Group, a global aviation specialty service provider headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. “The Legacy 650 has impressed customers because of its range, reliability and ample cabin and baggage space offering &n...
TAG Aviation and Rockwell Collins have been granted approval for an EASA Supplemental Type Certifications (STC) for the installation of the TTR-4100 TCAS II version 7.1 on Dassault Falcon 2000 and 2000EX. Approval for The Falcon 900 and Falcon 50 will follow in the coming weeks. The STCs are being developed jointly with Rockwell Collins and are to serve the entire Falcon fleet. STCs will be...
Air New Zealand is claiming another world first with its new electronic bag drops at Auckland International Airport. The national carrier said checking-in would be faster with the new bag drops which featured "world-first biometric technology". The technology was similar to that used by SmartGates, where passengers scan their passports and boarding passes to have their identities v...
Star Wars fans and aviation enthusiasts are in for a treat on the weekend, when ANA’s inaugural Tokyo (Haneda) – Sydney service touches down in the NSW capital. The Japanese flag carrier will fly its Star Wars-themed 787-9 Dreamliner for the first flight. NH879, which is due to touch down at 0935 local time Saturday morning. And should sleepyheads miss the landing or fail to...
West Star has reconfigured a Falcon 2000 to a unique 13-passenger configuration. The Falcon 2000 is normally configured for 8 or 10 passengers. The reconfiguration required fabricating a new, reduced size RH galley and LH Aux galley/entertainment center, shifting the forward cabin bulkhead/door forward, and extending all the side ledges and window panels. The aft cabin bulkhead was also modifie...
