As preparations continue for the second phase of Europe’s Clean Sky technology development initiative, the first phase predecessor has reached its “most intensive” period – in terms of what has been achieved so far and what is about to be demonstrated. “This year or next year we will have achieved almost all of [the Clean Sky 1 demonstrations] as anticipated at the...
Lockheed Martin has begun the final assembly of Israel’s first F-35 Lightning II, having passed a key milestone at its Fort Worth site in Texas on 7 January. The Israeli air force’s lead example of the “Adir” – designated AS-1 – entered the mate process, where its four main structural assemblies are brought together. “AS-1 is expected to roll out of...
Some 100 relatives of the A321 passenger jet crash victims have prepared a class-action lawsuit to the New York Court against the US leasing company International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), from which the Russian Kogalymavia airline rented the airbus, the Russian Izvestia newspaper reported Monday. The Russian Airbus A321 with 224 people on board crashed on October 31 whil...
Cabin crew make or break a flight — it’s as simple as that. “The airline with a great seat and a bad crew will get a bad score no matter how fancy the seat is,” IATA director of marketing and sales Tim-Jasper Schaaf said when speaking of the association’s Airs@t survey program. “The crew drives passenger satisfaction so much that the other factors are less impor...
A United Airlines flight en route to Denver from Anchorage, was diverted on Saturday to Vancouver where a suspect was arrested due to "security concerns," authorities said. United flight UA1104 landed safely at about 4:30 am local time in Vancouver, where it was met by law enforcement authorities, the airline said. There were 131 passengers and six crew members aboard the Boeing 737....
On January 10, 1990 the first McDonnell Douglas MD-11 took off to the skies. Praised by enthusiasts and passengers, crews had mixed feelings about the trijet and operators somewhat despised it. From the beginning, the aircraft failed to deliver on its fuel burn and range promises. A PIP (product improvement package) was introduced but by that point the dye was cast. Airlines like Singapo...
Beijing has allowed Chinese citizens to begin using Taiwan as a transit point for onward international flights. Last week, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said passengers flying from Nanchang, Kunming Changshui and Chongqing would be allowed to transit through Taipei Taoyuan International Airport before flying on to a third destination. Reuters reports the two sides have been discussing...
Veteran Formula 1 driver and aviation pioneer Niki Lauda is set to return to the airline industry following his acquisition of Amira Air (Vienna) late last year. Lauda told Die Presse newspaper that he had acquired the Austrian VIP/business charter operator from former owner Ronny Pecik but did not disclose either the terms or the value of the deal. Founded in 2004, Amira Air currently opera...
Responding to public interest, the AirlineRatings.com editors also identified their top ten safest low cost airlines. Unlike a number of low cost carriers, these airlines have all passed the stringent International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and have excellent safety records. They are in alphabetical order: Aer Lingus Flybe HK Express Jetblue Jets...
Ryanair has become the first scheduled airline in the world to carry more than 100m international passengers in a single year, after reporting that 101.4m chose the airline to travel in 2015. This follows the official release of the carrier’s December 2015 passenger numbers, showing that traffic grew by 25% to 7.5m customers, representing a 12-month rolling annual traffic result of 101.4m...
Aviation expert Samudra Sukardi said that he agrees with the ratings given by AirlineRatings.com that named eight of the country’s airlines as the least safe in the world. "It’s true. The fact is, we have accidents and others,” Samudra to Tempo on Saturday (9/1). Samudra considered that the low rating could not be separated from the government’s role, w...
Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked Viet Nam's aviation industry to create breakthroughs in building and upgrading airports in a bid to elevate it to a position among ASEAN's top four. Speaking at a ceremony in Ha Noi yesterday to evaluate the sector's development over the last 60 years, the Deputy PM said the industry made crucial contributions to national construction and...
