Germany is continuing to promote the creation of a multinational pool of up to 20 NH90 rotorcraft to be used for combat medevac missions. It first floated the idea in late 2014 amid contract revision talks with the NH Industries consortium which resulted in it retaining 20 options for the troop transport helicopter. Maj Gen Thomas Marlow, commander of the German army’s rapid forces div...
Bell Helicopter begins 2016 with final assembly of its V-280 next-generation tiltrotor 23% complete and on target for first flight in September 2017, with the next major milestones being mating of the wing and fuselage in April. The company’s VP of advanced tiltrotor systems Vince Tobin says the straight, composite wing for the US Army technology demonstrator is almost fabricated, includi...
Thai Airways International will postpone delivery of 14 widebody aircraft originally scheduled to enter the fleet between 2016 and 2018. The 14 aircraft comprise 12 Airbus A350-900s and two Boeing 787-9s, says a company spokeswoman. “This resulted from decisions put forth by the State Enterprise Policy Committee (SEPO) that advised [Thai] to be cautious of introducing new aircra...
Ryanair, Europe’s favourite airline, today (20 Jan) announced that it has negotiated 5 year pay and conditions deal with all of its 76 cabin crew bases across Europe, following the successful conclusion of similar 5 year deals at all 76 pilot bases. Following weeks of direct negotiations between Ryanair and its elected cabin crew representatives, using long established collective bargaining...
Philippine Airlines and Lufthansa Technik AG have signed a five-year Total Component Maintenance (TCM) contract for the Airline’s Airbus A320 and A340 Fleet. The services will be extended end of 2016 to support additional Airbus 320s operated by Philippine Airlines. Lufthansa Technik will support Philippine Airlines at its main base in Manila, the Component Service o...
The Lufthansa Group, Airbus’ largest airline customer and operator, marks a major step in aviation history today by taking delivery of the first A320neo, the world’s best-selling and most fuel efficient single aisle aircraft. Equipped with all new technology Pratt & Whitney PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ engines, the A320neo sets a new, even higher standard in aircraft ef...
Russian aircraft manufacturer Aviastar-SP, based in Ulyanovsk, will upgrade three Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) heavy transport planes, the manufacturer’s press office told TASS on Tuesday in a message. "Under a government contract, Aviastar-SP JSC will modernize three An-124 planes - one in 2016 and two in 2017," the message says. According to the press...
Etihad Airways has been named Business Airline of the Year at the 2016 Business Travel Awards. The ceremony was held last night at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane. The Business Travel Awards recognise the extraordinary achievements of the most deserving organisations and individuals in the business travel industry. The awards, organised by Buying Business Travel M...
An Airbus A340 testbed is currently operating out of Darwin Airport in search of icing conditions in tropical thunderstorms as part of a flight test campaign to trial new technologies developed to detect icing conditions. A340-300 F-WWAI – in fact A340 MSN1, the original A340 flight test development aircraft, which first flew in October 1991 – arrived in Darwin on January 11 and is...
An hour into their trip from Tokyo to Auckland on an Air New Zealand airplane, passengers aboard this flight experienced severe turbulence, the kind that makes you worry about your life. Turbulence hit right during dinner service and the results look just like the aftermath of a massive party in an Airbnb rental. It’s not quite as intense as these videos of scary airplane landings we hope to...
Tehran has for months telegraphed its intention to purchase new commercial aircraft to update its aging jetliner fleet just as soon as economic sanctions against the country were lifted. Iranian Transport Minister Abbas Akhoundi made good on that promise Saturday, telling state media that Iran will purchase 114 jets from Airbus Group EADSY 0.79% , just hours before the process of formally ro...
Exotic supercars? Luxury powerboats? Whatever. This new two-seat aircraft is the most fun you can have on land, sea, or in the air. In the annals of cinematic foreplay, there are few greater scenes than Pierce Brosnan's tandem glider flight with Rene Russo in 1999's The Thomas Crown Affair. Russo shrieks, giggles, and gasps—and that's before Brosnan hands her his joystick. (In...
