Norwegian took delivery of its first 787-9 Dreamliner. “This marks our continued commitment to the company’s global expansion ensuring travellers across that world access to high quality flights at a low fare,” Norwegian’s CEO Bjørn Kjos said. Norwegian already operates eight 787-8s and will use its 787-9s to launch new routes across North America, South...
Diamond Aircraft has secured US Federal Aviation Administration certification for its DA62 piston twin, paving the way for the airframer to begin deliveries of its flagship aircraft into the world’s largest business and general aviation market. The approval comes 10 months after the diesel-fuelled aircraft received European approval following a three-and-a-half-year development effort....
Dubai International Airport today opened its new Concourse D, which it said will boost the airport’s capacity to 90 million passengers per year from 75 million. The concourse, part of a US$1.2 billion investment to enhance service and capacity, is linked to the newly-renovated Terminal 1 by an airport train that can transport 300 passengers per trip. The opening comes after months of i...
Airbus has said it will increase production of its new A350 aircraft as it reveals a 15% increase in net profits for 2015 and a record order book. The firm, which employs around 15,000 in the UK, said it would boost production of its long-range widebody A330 to seven a month. This is in line with growing air traffic forecasts this year. It said its A380 superjumbo had broken even for the...
The union representing Qantas pilots believes the airline’s decision to start hiring pilots again is just the “tip of the iceberg”, given the improved performance of the Flying Kangaroo. Qantas on Tuesday said it planned to hire 170 new pilots over the next three years, as it prepared to introduce the Boeing 787-9 to the fleet from the 2017/18 financial year. The Australian...
Air Serbia, the national airline of the Republic of Serbia, has announced that tickets for its historic new service to New York are now on sale. The announcement was made by Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of Serbia, during this morning’s opening of the 38th International Tourism Fair in Belgrade, the largest annual tourism event in the Balkans. The Prime Minister was accompanied by S...
German certification company 328 Design (328DO), has secured supplemental type certification (STC) for a Dassault Falcon 50EX cabin upgrade. The STC is the first to be issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration under the FAA/EASA bilateral agreement and was awarded on the back of an extensive refurbishment project on a privately-owned, 2001-build 50EX “This project was driven by the...
US air taxi company JetSuite is planning a major revamp of its business jet fleet to exploit the growing appetite in the USA for its branded, low-cost charter service. The operator’s will add with 10 Embraer Phenom 300s over the coming year and will also add up to 10 large-cabin jets over the same period, “to accommodate those customers looking to fly further and/or with more p...
A turboprop aircraft carrying 23 people and operated by Nepalese carrier Tara Air has failed to arrive in the town of Jomsom after departing Pokhara. A company spokesperson confirms that the aircraft is missing, with 20 passengers and three crew aboard for the 20-minute flight. She was unable to specify the aircraft registration, but said the aircraft was a Twin Otter. Flightglo...
The Embraer Phenom 300 was the most-delivered business jet in the world in 2015 for the third consecutive year, with 70 aircraft received by customers around the globe. "We would like to thank our customers for their confidence and continuing relationship, which has enabled the Phenom 300 to enjoy successful acceptance worldwide since its launch," said Marco Tulio Pellegrini, Pre...
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced that the Gulfstream G600 iron bird recently completed its “first flight,” demonstrating the company’s continued commitment to research and development and the growing maturity of the G600 aircraft program. A spatially correct, dimensionally accurate structure that includes a flight deck, the iron bird allows engineers to test the fligh...
easyJet has announced it has added 12 weekly summer flights from London Luton Airport to Amsterdam and Barcelona and an extra daily flight to Zurich next winter. easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has today announced it has added 12 weekly summer flights from London Luton Airport to Amsterdam and Barcelona and an extra daily flight to Zurich next winter. An extra 85,000 seats between L...
Air New Zealand is embracing the future of aircraft interiors by successfully producing 3D printed components for its Business Premier cabins. The airline has been working with Auckland University of Technology to manufacture the fold down cocktail trays that form part of its award-winning Business Premier seat using innovative 3D printing – also known as additive layer manufacturing tech...
Boeing today launched the Next-Generation 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) with orders and commitments for up to 55 conversions from seven customers. "The Next-Generation 737 provides exceptional value to express freight carriers through its superior payload, range, reliability and efficiency," said Stan Deal, senior vice president, Commercial Aviation Services,...
More than 160 passengers and crew slid down emergency chutes in swirling snow Tuesday after engine smoke forced a Japan Airlines domestic flight to abort takeoff and smoke entered the cabin, Japanese media reported. National broadcaster NHK showed video of the passengers evacuating and then gathering on the snow-covered tarmac at New Chitose Airport, which serves the city of Sapporo in Hokkaido...
Ryanair has announced a number of new international destinations from Scotland in its 2016 winter schedule. The budget airline will launch six new twice-weekly services from Edinburgh later this year. Destinations from the capital will include Bologna, Bordeaux, Bratislava, Gran Canaria, Palma and Poznan. There will also be more flights in the winter schedule to Alicante, Barcelona, Copen...
Regional Express (Rex) has swung to a rare first half loss due to impairment charges relating to the end of a Defence contract. The company reported a statutory net loss of $11.4 million for the six months to December 31 2015, compared with net profit of $3.9 million in the prior corresponding period. Rex said in a statement on Wednesday it was the airline group’s first statutory net loss...
Emirates Airline's first non-stop service between Auckland and Dubai will be one of the longest air routes in the world by distance, but with the assistance of clever technology and good planning, passengers will get to their destination in the shortest possible time. According to a press release issued today, Emirates said it will be using flexible routes, which can vary by day, taking adv...
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a popular book in the ’70s, and though I’ve tried several times, I’ve never been able to penetrate more than a few dozen pages. That said, I’ve always been a proponent of keeping my rolling stock (on the ground and in the air) in good working order. Maybe it is the Zen part I had trouble with. Maintenance has been u...
The FAA says it’s receiving more than 100 reports a month from pilots and others who spot unmanned aircraft flying close to airports or airplanes. The agency has partnered with CACI International to explore how the company’s prototype detection technology could help detect UAS in the vicinity of airports. CACI’s proof-of-concept system uses radio frequency sensors at strategic...
FlightSimCon, an annual flight simulation and aviation conference for pilots and aviation enthusiasts, will take off June 11-12 at the New England Air Museum, which is on the grounds of Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Conn. In 2015, the conference welcomed more than 320 people, with organizers saying they expect many more this year. Registration for the 2016 event is now availab...
