Qatar Airways said it’s seeking to renegotiate a $7.8 billion order for Airbus Group SE narrow-body jets and could switch to bigger planes powered by alternative engines as part of a revised agreement. The Gulf carrier wants to keep the deal for 80 A320neos after refusing to take the first four aircraft because of glitches with their Pratt & Whitney turbines, Chief Executive Offi...
Airplane seats are going to keep shrinking and the thought of cramming into smaller seats over the course of more than a few hours can put off most travelers. So will Australian airline Qantas’ new route from Perth to London be a game changer? The 14,498 km flight will take roughly 17 hours and is expected to begin operating in March 2018, according to a press release by Qantas. Just t...
Pakistan’s national carrier Monday grounded all of its 10 ATR turboprop planes after a crash last week killed 47 people and a second aircraft reported technical issues shortly before it was supposed to take off overnight. Pakistan International Airlines flight 661 smashed into a hillside in the country’s north while travelling from the city of Chitral to the capital Islamabad last W...
The countdown to the delivery of the most modern long-haul aircraft and the newest addition to the Lufthansa fleet has now started. On 19 December 2016, Lufthansa will receive its first A350-900 and two days later, on 21 December, the Airbus will be transferred from Toulouse to Munich. It is expected to arrive sometime in the afternoon. Subsequently, the A350-900 will be making guest appearances a...
The newest competitor in London’s business aviation market has demonstrated it is already a major player by posting a 25% year on year increase in traffic. New figures confirm that London Southend Airport is increasingly the airport of choice for business jet travellers. London Southend Airport’s Head of Business Aviation, Hannah Lo Bao, said: “We offer private jet pas...
Heliteam is a French helicopter startup born of its founder's love of flying – he is also a pilot – and with promising beginnings. Established less than two years ago, the company currently operates two helicopters for a variety of transport and aerial work missions around the Montpellier-Méditerranée airport, one of which is an H125 from Airbus Helicopters, purchased...
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation founder, former Astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn passed away on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at the age of 95. Glenn was the last remaining member of the Mercury Seven – the iconic group of astronauts known for their charismatic charm and adventurous spirit. As the last of the original space pioneers, Glenn’s death increases the expansive...
Iran is close to finalizing a deal to buy dozens of passenger jets from Europe's Airbus, having signed a $16.6 billion deal with Boeing earlier on Sunday, an Iranian official told Reuters. The Airbus deal, seen likely to involve a first batch of about half the 118 jets provisionally ordered in January, should be completed in "the next couple of days," the official said....
Fly Comlux, which is included in the Comlux Group, will put into operation its new business jet SBJ (Sukhoi Business Jet) until the end of the year. After customization on Comlux America capacities this plane has a new interior and extra fuel tanks, Andrea Zanetti CEO, Fly Comlux, told BizavNews. “We plan to operate a flight from Indianapolisto Alta-Ata before the end of 2016,...
$16 billion milestone agreement includes widebody, single-aisle aircraft Contract reached within terms of U.S. Government license New orders will support nearly 100,000 U.S. jobs Boeing and Iran Air announced an agreement today for 80 aircraft that includes 50 737 MAX 8s, 15 777-300ERs and 15 777-9s, valued at $16.6 billion at list prices. Based on its Memorandum of Agr...
The world’s fastest long-range civil aircraft quietly taxied into Dubai’s Maktoum International airport last week for the Middle East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (Mebaa) show. Gulfstream’s G650 ER can already claim about 25 owners in the region since its launch in 2012, including Qatar Airways with three and three more on order, out of about 215 aircraft s...
Half of airline pilots have reported that fatigue is not taken seriously by airlines, in the first large-scale survey of pilots’ perceptions of safety within the European aviation industry. The survey was conducted by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and EUROCONTROL, an intergovernmental organisation committed to delivering safe and efficient air traffic manageme...
Financing industry to provide approximately $126 billion in aircraft funding in 2017, up $4 billion from 2016 Healthy leasing market, variety of financiers and investors poised to meet most demand Financing environment has helped absorb impact of lack of export credit in the short-term -- history shows this is not sustainable Boeing says strength in the capital markets and innovative...
THE longest non-stop commercial airline passenger route in the world between Perth in Western Australia and London in the UK is reportedly expected to be cleared for take off next week. Flights could start by Christmas 2017 once Qantas takes delivery of its first long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The 14,466-kilometre flight from Perth to London would take 17 and a half hours, making it the...
Swiss aircraft manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft is considering listing its shares in an initial public offering next year which could value the firm at around 3 billion Swiss francs ($2.95 billion), according to two sources familiar with the matter. Plans are at an early stage with Pilatus talking to bankers, although no institutions have yet been appointed to work on the flotation which...
CMIG Leasing received a brand new H125 helicopter from Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France, making it the 100th Ecureuil family helicopter to operate in China’s skies. This helicopter will be operated by the Shanghai Skyway General Aviation Company (Skyway GAC), one of the pioneers in China general aviation, with a fleet of seven H125. Skyway GAC will deploy this new helicopter...
In the first six months of 2017, KLM intends to take on 400 new cabin attendants (incl. 100 for KLMCityhopper) and 100 new pilots. KLM has managed to achieve a great deal in recent years in terms of cutting costs. Simultaneously, the network has been expanded to include new destinations and older aircraft have been replaced by newer types in a rigorous programme of fleet r...
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it expects the global airline industry to make a net profit in 2017 of $29.8 billion. On forecast total revenues of $736 billion, that represents a 4.1% net profit margin. This will be the third consecutive year (and the third year in the industry’s history) in which airlines will make a return on invested capital (7.9%) which...
Order confirms airline as launch customer of two-class, 86-seat Q400 aircraft Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced that it has finalized a firm purchase agreement with Philippine Airlines, Inc., flag carrier of the Philippines, consistent with the Letter of Intent announced on October 14, 2016. The purchase agreement includes a firm order for five Q400 aircraft and purchas...
Boeing teammates in North Charleston, S.C., started final assembly of the first 787-10 Dreamliner, marking yet another on-time milestone for the development program. The first 787-10 will cycle through Boeing South Carolina's Final Assembly facility as all major sections are joined, interior and exterior components completed, power turned on and production tests begin. "As we e...
New research from Global Jet Capital, a global provider of financing solutions for corporate aircraft, reveals there are around 73 aircraft of this size for sale in the Middle East, with a combined value of around $939 million. Some 26 of these aircraft are registered in the United Arab Emirates, and 23 are in Saudi Arabia. The remainder is spread out across the Middle East. The findings...