In a development that could have significant benefits for aviation, a US laboratory is now printing high-temperature, high-strength 3D ceramic parts. Californian company HRL Laboratories utilises a resin that is 3D printed in the size and shape required, and then fired in order to convert it into a ceramic that can withstand temperatures up to 1700 degrees Celsius while retaining crucial stre...
On 30 December 2015, Urban Aeronautics’ AirMule completed its first autonomous, untethered flight at Megiddo airfield in northern Israel. UrbanAero Rafi Yoeli – chief executive of UrbanAero, the parent company of Tactical Robotics, which developed the vertical take-off and landing aircraft – says the test schedule in Megiddo includes plans to demonstrate the AirMule&rsq...
Emirates is to launch a new daily circular service from Dubai to Cebu and Clark in the Philippines as it looks to strengthen tourism and trade links. The new service, which will feature a Boeing 777-300ER, will start from March 30 and will provide more options for Filipino workers living overseas - of which there are nearly 900,000 living in Dubai. “This new service will help to enhanc...
A Turkish Airlines flight scheduled to fly to Istanbul was called back from a runway at the Mumbai airport on Monday after an unclaimed mobile phone was spotted in the aircraft before take-off. Around 250 passengers on board the aircraft were evacuated and were frisked again after being allowed back into the jet. “The flight was about to take off when it was called back due to security...
The leading cause of aviation deaths in 2015 was "unlawful interference," not technical failures, for the second year running, said Dutch safety consultancy firm To70, the Independent reported Sunday. With more than 900 airline deaths in the past two years, attacks have outweighed any other cause of plane accidents. “Unlawful interference on board by passengers is reasonably wel...
US aerospace giant Boeing has announced a $14 billion share buyback and 20 percent increase in its regular quarterly dividend starting 2016 to $1.09 per share. Boeing said the new buyback plan will replace the $12 billion plan that was previously in place of which $5.25 billion remained. "Once again, we are demonstrating our commitment to a balanced cash deployment strategy that fuels i...
An aircraft full of passengers bound for Spain was forced to turn around when a bird damaged one of its engines. The Flybe flight from Southampton Airport to Alicante had just taken off at 10:00 GMT when it suffered a bird strike. The pilot made an emergency landing shortly after 10:30. An airport spokeswoman said the engine continued to function while the plane returned and none of the 7...
In time with the release of Taylor Swift’s most recent video, Out Of the Woods, filmed in New Zealand, Air New Zealand has challenged its fans to write new lyrics for the song—with a safety theme. “We have a blank space we need you to fill, as we’ve got a special Safety Mission for you,” the airline states on its US-Facebook page. “In honor...
Carol Andrews, a United Airlines flight attendant for 52 years with more than 10 million miles under her belt, was showing no signs of slowing down on a recent afternoon as she addressed a lady’s group while dressed in her 1960s United uniform. While the Pinewood Springs resident persisted in offering to show some magic tricks to the century-old Country Club, the lady’s group that m...
Mehair (MW, Mumbai Int'l) has signed a contract with the government of Goa to provide helicopter and seaplane services to remote locations within the western Indian state. The contract, which comes into being from January 6, will see Mehair deploying its seaplanes on scheduled flights to tourist locales on the Mandovi and Chapora rivers. This will be followed by helicopter operations on Jan...
Aviation policies or “open skies” was the main theme in the airlines business last year. First, American carriers got tangled with their Arabian Gulf rivals in a long, dismal tale with both sides portraying the other as a beneficiary of protectionism. In March, three American airlines – Delta, United, and American – disclosed what they called a detailed piece of inves...
AgustaWestland and Alenia Aermacchi parent Finmeccanica has transformed from a holding company of separately controlled businesses into a single corporate entity with operating divisions. Under the Italian industrial group’s ‘One Company’ plan, announced on December 22, Finmeccanica now has a new governance and operating model, with the company organised into four sectors...
