Cobham has signed a contract to extend its current QantasLink contract for the provision of airline services through to the end of 2026. Cobham announced today that it has been awarded a 10 year, A$ 1.2 billion contract to continue provision of airline services to QantasLink, supporting their fleet of 20 Boeing 717 aircraft to the end of 2026. The Cobham-Qantas partnership commenced in 1991...
Australia has expressed interest in automatic refuelling and datalink relay technology Airbus Defence & Space is developing for the A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport. The RAAF operates five MRTTs as the KC-30A (with two more on order) and is watching closely the development of the automatic refuelling technology in particular, Airbus DS head of engineering Miguel Angel Mo...
Qantas is looking ahead to potentially returning further capital to shareholders after concluding a $500 million share buyback. In a regulatory filing to the Australian Securities Exchange on Tuesday, Qantas said its $500 million share buy back program bought back 143.6 million shares for a weighted average price of $3.4819 per share since the program began in March. The highest price paid w...
Avidyne’s innovative IFD-Series FMS systems approved for installation in European-registered aircraft; IFD-Series offers easy-to-use hybrid touch GPS navigation, powerful VHF communication and full color mapping. Avidyne Corporation announced today that they have received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval of their IFD540 and IFD440 GPS-based Flight Management Systems. &ld...
Qantas has announced that construction of a new multi-million dollar premium lounge at Brisbane Airport’s international terminal will begin within weeks. The new lounge will combine Qantas’s international first and business class lounges to create one large premium lounge. To facilitate the works, Qantas’s existing lounge facilities will close on June 29, with affected...
Tigerair Australia is celebrating carrying its 20 millionth passenger since the now Virgin Australia-owned low-cost carrier began flying in 2007. Passenger Sarah Del Medicio from Adelaide was presented with a $2,000 voucher for travel on the Tigerair network as the milestone passenger, when she flew aboard flight TT449 from Melbourne to Adelaide on Monday morning. To celebrate the milestone,...
Embraer Executive Jets began the production of its Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 in Melbourne, Florida, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony, today, at its recently expanded facility, where the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are already in production. At the ceremony, which included Florida Governor Rick Scott, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, U.S. Congressman Bill Posey, Florida, Brevard County and Melbou...
Around 350 delegates attended the Australian Helicopter Industry Association’s Rotortech 2016 conference and exposition at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast over May 27-29, despite the global downturn in the helicopter industry. More than 40 exhibitors displayed their wares at the three-day event which also attracted large numbers of general&nbs...
Finnair’s Australian boss Geoff Stone says stopping over in Asia on the way to Europe is coming back into favour amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Although Finnair does not serve this market with its own aircraft, the airline has codeshare arrangements with British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, as well as interline agreements with Japan Airlines, to take passengers from...
The FAA STC for Raisbeck Engineering’s Swept Blade Turbofan Propellers for the King Air 350 has been officially accepted by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The request for the Acceptance was submitted to the CASA February 9, 2016; the official Letter of Acceptance was signed March 11, 2016. “The Civilian Aviation Safety Authority’s acceptance of the F...
This cute little number is the DART 450, a training aircraft by Austrian company Diamond Aviation that just made its maiden flight. DART stands for Diamond Aircraft Reconnaissance Trainer, and the company says the little turboprop can fly eight hours without refueling and reach a top speed of about 290 mph. The sweeping cockpit views are good for pilots learning to fly and for goi...
The RAAF’s Pilatus PC-9/A turboprop trainer fleet is undergoing inspections after cracking was discovered in the folding strut of the aircraft’s nose landing gear, the Department of Defence said in a statement on Thursday. “Consequently, Air Force is assessing the implications of these cracks, so as to ensure the aircraft meet Air Force’s strict safety standard...
