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CFM delivers first production LEAP-1A engines to Airbus

CFM International delivered the first two production engines (a shipset) for Airbus on April 2, two days ahead of schedule. This delivery paves the way for installation on the first customer aircraft and for entry into service by mid-year. The name of the initial LEAP/A320neo delivery cust...

Airbus Helicopters offers 240 new apprenticeship positions in France

Airbus Helicopters is launching a drive to offer 240 new apprenticeship positions at its headquarters in Marignane, France as well as other regional offices. The positions are in various fields and for all educational levels. The chosen apprentices will study the production lines at close quarter...


Boeing’s new 737 economy seats are inspired by office furniture

In a move that could foresee big changes in aircraft seat manufacturing, Boeing is purchasing seats for the 737 direct from a new supplier. LIFT by EnCore, the new seat manufacturer Boeing has picked to deliver better economy seats to the 737 Boeing Sky Interior, is on a mission to give a big comfort boost to passengers in the cheap seats. "It's the forgotten class, I think," s...

Good week for very large aircraft as both A380 and 747-8 win new orders

Airbus’s A380 program has received a boost with its largest customer Emirates adding an extra two aircraft to its already hefty order book, while Boeing has also confirmed a fresh order for four 747-8s. The Dubai-based carrier says the extra two A380s, which will be configured in a two-class format featuring business and economy and powered by Rolls-Royce engines, will be delivered in the...

Finmeccanica shows strength in key Brazilian market at LAAD Security 2016

Finmeccanica will be showcasing the company’s expertise in aerospace and security sectors and its footprint in the key Brazilian market through this week’s LAAD Security exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Poised for growth in the region, the company will display solutions from the sectors of security, helicopters, airborne, space, and naval defence electronics that will imp...

Cessna Caravan powers ahead in China

Textron Aviation is enjoying success with its Shijiazhuang factory for the Cessna Caravan 208 single-engined turboprop, with the type attaining acceptance in the Chinese market. Bill Schultz, country manager of Textron Aviation in China, says there are about 77 Caravans operating in China, of which 30 were produced in Shijiazhuang. The factory is run as a joint venture between Cessna and sta...

Sikorsky CH-53K programme puts gearbox issues behind it

US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) appears to be confident that the Sikorsky CH-53K programme has put the gearbox failures and parts delays experienced prior to first flight in October 2015 behind it, but the Lockheed Martin-owned helicopter manufacturer won’t receive bonus cheques for lateness. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently stated that the King Stallion’...

This Naked Airplane Was Inspired by Custom Motorcycles

If you’ve been following recent trends in the custom motorcycle world, then you’ll know that minimalism is the new chrome plating. Bodywork is passé, colors are muted, and honest function is the end result. Apply that treatment to a cruiser, and you end up with a bobber. So it makes sense that renowned bush plane maker Zlin Aviation is calling this new, minimalist airplane the s...

Garmin Adds GTN650/750 Helicopter Features

Garmin has announced that eight new features are now available for select helicopters with GTN650/750 panel-mounted navigators. By contacting an authorized Garmin dealer, operators can now add WireAware (for locating dangerous power lines); FastFind (with predictive logic to make it easier to enter waypoint and airport data); simple frequency enter and ID (removing the need to type...

Seat certification bites as luxury-rebranded Stelia pauses Comet

The rebrand of Airbus’ premium seatmaker Stelia, which was created from the merger of Aerolia and Sogerma in January 2015, is well under way, with the new positioning for Stelia at last week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo redolent of the best of elegant French design. But behind the bottles of Chanel No. 5, Hermès scarves and beautiful monochrome photos of Paris, Stelia’s rebra...

Rockwell Collins to provide fleet-wide international trip support services for Hong Kong based Metrojet

Metrojet, a Hong Kong based six-star business aviation services company, has engaged Rockwell Collins’ ARINCDirectSM to provide international trip support services for its fleet business aircraft. The new contract expands Metrojet’s relationship with Rockwell Collins, which is currently using a number of ARINCDirect’s integrated services. “Metrojet is dedicated to u...

Dassault’s Falcon 8X to Make First Appearance in China

Dassault Aviation’s new flagship, the Falcon 8X, will be on hand at the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE) in Shanghai, the ultra-long range trijet’s first appearance in China. The exhibit, which opens at Shanghai’s Hongqiao Airport on April 12, will feature aircraft s/n 03, the first 8X fitted with a fully equipped interior. S/n 03 is in the midst of...

Latvia’s airBaltic Increases its Firm C Series Order to 20 Bombardier CS300 Aircraft

CS300 aircraft’s first operator airBaltic and Bombardier enter into a firm agreement to convert seven option aircraft to firm as Riga-based airline transitions to all-Bombardier fleet. Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that Latvian flag carrier Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic) has converted its remaining seven option aircraft to firm. This latest orde...

Kawasaki delivers first two EC145s to Japanese National Police

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has delivered two EC145 helicopters to the National Police Agency in its native Japan. These will be the first EC145s to be used by the National Police Agency, and are replacements of existing helicopters deployed by the police in the provinces of Kanagawa and Chiba. The EC145 is a modification of the BK117 which Kawasaki started to develop with MBB before the German m...

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Essential news

SkyDrive signs Australia’s first eVTOL agreement with Gold Coast Helitours

SkyDrive signed a Letter of Intent with Gold Coast Helitours, a premier helicopter operator based in the Gold Coast, Australia. This milestone agreement represents SkyDrive's first LOI w...

Textron Aviation celebrates 500th Cessna Citation CJ4 delivery as Gen3 era advances

Textron Aviation delivered the 500th delivery of a Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet, underscoring more than a decade of customer confidence in the company’s largest light jet an...

New high-tech composite center for 300 employees in central Switzerland begins operations

With its striking new “Schwarzhorn” building, Pilatus has officially opened an ultra-modern center of advanced composite competence in canton Nidwalden: effective immediately, the developm...

Heart Aerospace completes first flight off World's largest electric aircraft

Heart Aerospace announced the successful first flight of the company's X1 demonstrator aircraft. Spanning 106 feet, measuring 76 feet nose to tail, and weighing more than 25,000 pounds at takeoff,...

NOEMI Aerospace and Pawan Hans sign strategic MoU to explore electric seaplane operations in India

NOEMI Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pawan Hans, India's leading helicopter operator, to explore the introduction of electric amphibious aircraft for regional air tra...

Archer to shape physical AI future of aerospace & defense with acquisition of Boeing’s Wisk Aero, Insitu and SkyGrid subsidiaries

Boeing and Archer Aviation have signed definitive agreements in which Archer will acquire Boeing’s Wisk Aero, SkyGrid and Insitu subsidiaries. The deal will combine complementary capabilities de...

EH216-S completes Central Asia’s first pilotless human-carrying eVTOL flight in the heart of Kazakhstan’s capital

EHang flagship EH216-S successfully completed Central Asia’s first pilotless human-carrying flight of an eVTOL aircraft in Astana, Kazakhstan. During the Games of the Future 2026, the...

iOS Apps development in Riga, Latvia

Top of the week

EHang launches Global Fast Track Program to accelerate international commercialization of pilotless eVTOL; Sri Lanka first to adopt

EHang launches its Global Fast Track Program — a structured and accelerated pathway for the assessment and introduction of pilotless eVTOL operations in international markets. Sri Lanka is...

ATR identifies demand for 209 new domestic air routes in Indonesia

ATR identified 209 new domestic air routes in Indonesia that would be economically viable if served by regional turboprop aircraft. Total demand for these routes is 16 million passengers per...

Do228 NXT makes its African debut at El Alamein Airshow in Egypt and AAD 2026 in South Africa

In September 2026, General Atomics AeroTec Systems will put a major focus on Africa. With two trade show appearances, the German aircraft manufacturer is highlighting the strategic importance of...

Horizon Airways doubles down on fleet modernization with order for second Tecnam P2012 STOL

Queensland-based Horizon Airways has signed an order for a second Tecnam P2012 STOL aircraft. Slated to join the Australian fleet by the end of 2026, this subsequent order rapidly...

SkyDrive signs Australia’s first eVTOL agreement with Gold Coast Helitours

SkyDrive signed a Letter of Intent with Gold Coast Helitours, a premier helicopter operator based in the Gold Coast, Australia. This milestone agreement represents SkyDrive's first LOI w...

Textron Aviation celebrates 500th Cessna Citation CJ4 delivery as Gen3 era advances

Textron Aviation delivered the 500th delivery of a Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet, underscoring more than a decade of customer confidence in the company’s largest light jet an...

Eve Air Mobility and RV Connex sign MOU to advance urban air mobility regulatory framework in Thailand

Eve Air Mobility and RV Connex Co., Ltd., a leading Thai engineering and aerospace company, are signing a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on regulatory development that will hel...