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Saudi airline to buy 63 planes from Airbus and Boeing

Alhamdan: “The new agreements reinforces the national carrier’s strength and raises its operational efficiency.” | Aljasser: “In just two years SAUDIA has signed agreements to acquire 113 new aircraft. The new aircraft are 15 Boeing 777-300ER’s, 13 Boeing 787’s and 35 Airbus A320/A321neo’s. In an unprecedented move in the national carrier’s...

Air show displays North Korea's flight skills, new airport

North Korea opened an air festival featuring sky diving, air force demonstrations and lots of beer Saturday to promote a newly renovated and upgraded airport in the coastal city of Wonsan, an area where it hopes to draw more foreign tourists. The two-day International Friendship Air Festival has been touted for months by the North as part of its ongoing effort to draw more tourists. The Wonsan...

The 11 Craziest Elite Airline Perks

Entrance to the cushy lounge, upgrades to business class, priority boarding — those are airline perks for chumps. The real elites — especially those who fly a million miles or more, or generate more revenue for airlines than any other passengers — are collecting perks that the proletariat only dream of. Here are some of the most mind-boggling perks enjoyed by the high flyers....

Why planes are nearly always white?

WHEN you walk along an airport terminal to board the plane, it’s normally easy to tell which one you’re flying in — thanks to the branding, reports The Sun. Whether you’re going with British Airways or Easy Jet, the colourful writing on the side of the plane is sure to make it stand out. But have you ever wondered why commercial aircrafts are nearly always white? It t...

Bell Unveils 'Vigilant' Unmanned Tiltrotor for U.S. Marine Corps

Bell Helicopter unveiled a new unmanned tiltrotor aircraft—the V-247 Vigilant—it is proposing for the U.S. Marine Corps. The manufacturer displayed a one-eighth-scale model of the aircraft with a working swiveling wing at a briefing September 22 in Washington, D.C. Bell has designed the Vigilant to meet a need expressed in the 2016 Marine Aviation Plan for a large, “sea-baseab...

Russian Knights aerobatic team reportedly received first Su-30SM fighter jet

The Russian Knights aerobatic team based in Kubinka near Moscow has started receiving the first Sukhoi Su-30SM (NATO reporting name: Flanker-C) multipurpose fighter jets, some Russian Internet sources recently said. According to public sources, the Irkutsk Aircraft-Manufacturing Plant, part of the Irkut Corporation, manufactured the first Su-30SM fighter jet in September 2016. The plane was giv...

The Airbus A380 may finally have an American customer and it's completely unexpected

There are 194 Airbus 380 superjumbos flying around the world with more than a dozen airlines. Currently, none of those jets fly for an airline from the United States of America. But that may soon change. In an interview with Bloomberg's Christopher Jasper, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley told the publication that his airline is seriously considering the Airbus A380 double-decker...

Sabena technics: Global support for Air KBZ fleet

Sabena technics, the French MRO provider, will provide Air KBZ, the largest domestic carrier in Myanmar, global support of their fleet of ATR 72-600 and ATR 72-500 aircraft until 2021. Within the scope of this five-year contract, Air KBZ will benefit from a large range of solutions including pool access, repair and overhaul of rotable components for...

Boeing still studying larger 737 Max 10 to enter service after 2019

Boeing Co is still studying whether to build a larger version of its best-selling 737 aircraft to counter runaway sales by rival Airbus (AIR.PA) of a large version of its competing plane, a senior executive said. The company has not made a decision yet to build the larger jet, dubbed the 737 MAX 10, said Michael Teal, vice president and chief project engineer of the 737 MAX program. &qu...

Dassault Aviation welcomes the acquisition by India of 36 Rafale

France and India signed the contract for the acquisition of 36 Rafale by India. The conclusion of this contract comes after the announcement by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, during his visit to Paris in April 2015, of his desire to rapidly equip the Indian Air Force with 36 Rafale. This desire was reiterated during the visit to India by French President, François Hollande, in Jan...

NBAA: 18% of Bizjet Crews Don't Do Pre-takeoff Control Checks

NBAA is stressing the need for compliance with pre-takeoff flight-control checks in a new report that stemmed from the findings of the fatal 2014 Gulfstream GIV accident at Hanscom Field Airport in Bedford, Mass. Alarmingly, a study released yesterday by the association found that before-takeoff control check non-compliance among business aircraft operators is 17.66 percent. The U.S. NTSB found th...

Embraer Opens Aircraft Seat-building Plant in Florida

Embraer opened its new 50,000-sq-ft aircraft seat-manufacturing plant in Titusville, Florida, yesterday. The Embraer Aero Seating Technologies facility will focus on manufacturing all seating for Embraer's Phenom light jets and first-class seating for the new E-190E2 airliner. The facility is expected to create 150 new jobs by 2020. Embraer already employs more than 1,000 people throughout...