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France aviation news

Comlux orders three Airbus ACJ320neo aircraft

Comlux The Aviation Group has announced a firm order for three Airbus ACJ320neo aircraft, becoming the largest customer for Airbus’ new corporate jet family. The order also consolidates Comlux’s leadership in Airbus corporate jet deals, with more to its credit than any other client. Deliveries of the aircraft begin at the end of 2018. Comlux has chosen CFM International&nb...

ATR signs a major agreement with Iran Air for 40 ATR 72-600s

World’s leading turboprop manufacturer ATR and Iran’s national flag carrier Iran Air today signed in Teheran a deal for the introduction of 40 newest generation ATR 72-600s. The agreement includes firm orders for 20 aircraft plus 20 options, and is valued at one billion euro. The signature of the deal follows the commercial discussions held in the last days in Ro...

Aviation on Mars? Airbus Perlan 2 Glider To Help Test Its Limits

By pushing the atmospheric envelope at the edge of Earth’s stratosphere, the Airbus Perlan 2 glider’s next tests should pave the way for both future aviation on Mars and Earth-based commercial hypersonic aircraft, Allan McArtor, the Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group, Inc.. told me. The Perlan 2 sailplane/glider, which had its first test flight last September in Oregon, will attempt t...

ANA, Iran Air end A380 order drought

Airbus’s flagship A380 has ended a three-year drought for new orders with confirmation Japan’s ANA and Iran Air will be new operators of the world’s largest airliner. On Friday, ANA Holdings (ANA HD) confirmed it would take three A380s that were earmarked for Skymark Airlines, with first delivery is due in 2019. ANA said the A380, which will be powered with Rolls-Royce Tren...

Airbus says chief tech officer to leave in April

Airbus said on Friday it had accepted the resignation of chief technical officer Jean Botti who will leave the planemaker in April after almost 10 years in the company. The planemaker said that Botti's succession is "subject to the outcome of a comprehensive review on the future set-up and structure for innovation and research and technology at Airbus Group". Botti joined Airbu...

Aigle Azur launches 2 new destinations from Lyon: Porto and Dakar

After 10 years of presence in Portugal (Aigle Azur’s second most important destination after Algeria), as well as an increasing number of flights to Lisbon and direct services to Porto, Faro and Funchal all year-round from Paris-Orly, the company is now proposing a new airlink between Lyons and Porto on a thrice-weekly basis, every Thursday, Friday and Sunday, from 27 March. The company a...

France considers accelerating light helicopter acquisition

France will decide next year whether to advance the timeline for a wide-ranging procurement that seeks to replace hundreds of light and medium helicopters operated by all three branches of its armed forces. Under the nascent hélicoptère interarmées léger (HIL) programme, Paris intends to begin the acquisition process in 2020. However, with a number of aged types r...

Airbus just struck a $25 billion deal with Iran

Airbus announced that Iran Air has agreed to purchase 118 jets from manufacturer valued as much as $25 billion. According to Airbus, the agreement was signed at the Élysée Palace in Paris during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit with French PresidentFrançois Hollande. The deal signed by Iran Air CEO Farhad Parvaresh includes 73 widebody and 45...

Airbus Helicopters delivers the first of three H145s to Pacific Helicopters in Papua New Guinea

Marking a milestone for both Pacific Helicopters and aviation operations in Papua New Guinea, the company has taken delivery of the first of three H145 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters. The first H145, leased from international lessor, Waypoint Leasing, has arrived in the Eastern Highlands Provincial capital of Goroka, following final reassembly at Airbus Group Australia Pacific’s Sydney...

Airbus Helicopters’ second H160 prototype takes off

The H160’s second prototype took off today in Marignane, kicking off a busy 2016 for the H160 as it pursues its flight test program with two prototypes. The second prototype is the first H160 to fly with the Turbomeca Arrano engines. PT1 had accumulated more than 75 hours of flight testing by the end of 2015, allowing the aircraft to open the flight envelope and validating some of the helic...

Airbus Corporate Jet Centre delivers an elegant refurbished governmental ACJ319 with high technology systems onboard

Airbus Corporate Jet Centre, the innovative provider of customized nose-to-tail solutions toVIP and airline customers under Airbus standards, has delivered a refurbished Airbus ACJ319 for an undisclosed government, after a successful C-Check (10 years) and heavy work on the fuselage. This project presented a double challenge by requiring high-level communication and in-flight entertainment (I...

Air France and Air Tahiti sign a new special prorate agreement

On 26 January 2016, Air France and Air Tahiti signed a new special prorate agreement offering the two airlines’ customers increased services to the islands of French Polynesia. With this agreement, customers will be able to more easily book their flights to 19 islands of French Polynesia* on departure from Paris, Los Angeles as well as the entire global network served by Air France and its...