Israel's Flying Production has unveiled an upgraded version of its Da Vinci vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle. Dubbed the "Gen B", the development features a Controp electro-optical/infrared sensor and a micro data link. "The result is a game-changer – we have the only true multi-rotor system that can conduct a real mission in long ranges of 5...
A man's body was found at Paris’ Orly airport in the landing gear of an Air France plane that had flown in from Brazil, police and airport sources said. The corpse was discovered during maintenance operations on the Boeing 777 at Orly after flying in to Paris’ main international Charles de Gaulle airport from Sao Paulo two days earlier, a police source said. The body is...
Following the recent introduction of a robust regulatory framework concerning helideck and helipads by the GCAA (General Civil Aviation Authority) in the United Arab Emirates, a new locally based company Oryx Aviation Consulting (OAC) has been founded in order to assist major Oil and Gas, Government and Private clients achieve the approval or certification of their helicopter landing facilities, a...
Highest number of Airbus airliners ever delivered – 635 · Net orders achieved totaling 1,036 aircraft – increasing backlog by 401 aircraft · Overall result: industry year-end record backlog of 6,787 aircraft Airbus has exceeded its targets for 2015, achieving a new record of 635 aircraft deliveries for 85 customers of which 10 are new. These deliveries compris...
Saudia Private Aviation (SVA, Jeddah) is set to take delivery of two A319-100s on wet-lease from PrivatAir (Germany) (PTG, Dusseldorf). The aircraft - D-ASPA (cn 1598) and D-ASPB (cn 1625) - are currently at Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel where they are believed to be undergoing reconfiguration into a VIP lay-out. As previously reported, SPA has partnered Saudia (SV, Jeddah) in launching a VIP Jeddah...
Daher’s Airplane Business Unit delivered a total of 55 TBM 900s in 2015 – a 10 percent increase compared to 2014, and the second best year since the first TBM single-engine very fast turboprop aircraft was provided to a customer in 1991. The 2015 geographic distribution reflected global economic trends last year, as TBM 900 deliveries were led by the United States – with...
Scheme Designers and ONE Aviation have entered into an agreement to provide concierge level design consultation for each customer buying a new Eclipse 550 aircraft. As part of this arrangement, Scheme Designers will design the factory standard paint scheme for the Eclipse 550 and will provide personal color selection consultations with each customer, at no extra charge to the customer. &l...
China will allocate about 77 billion yuan ($11.7 billion) for investment in civil aviation this year, beginning with 11 key projects, as the country looks to improve infrastructure to cope with surging air-travel demand and bolster economic growth. The country also will begin 52 aviation-related expansion or upgrading projects this year, and a blueprint for new airports to be built by 2030 will...
The Middle East air freight market grew by less than half its average year-to-date growth rate in November 2015 as low oil prices weigh on regional economies, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Monday. The market expanded by 5.4 per cent in November last year compared to the same month in 2014. This compares to the 11.9 per cent average growth rate the region has recorded y...
Ever wondered how you can be stranded somewhere due to weather when that somewhere has perfectly blue skies? Ever thought about how often turbulence causes crashes? Ever wanted to take a look at the cockpit but figured you’d somehow wind up on a no-fly list? Well, now you can learn the answers to your curiosities straight from the source. Last week, a user on Reddit posed the question &ldquo...
Dassault delivered eight Rafales in 2015, the French manufacturer has announced, with its annual output having for the first time included aircraft delivered to an export customer. Outlining its business activities for last year, Dassault on 5 January said: “Eight Rafale (five to France and three to Egypt) were delivered in 2015, in accordance with our forecasts.” The latter receive...
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has signed a memorandum of understanding to buy a minority stake in Vietnam Airlines. The MoU calls for the Japanese carrier to acquire 8.8% of Vietnam Airlinesfor VND2.4 billion ($108 million), says ANA in a one page statement. The agreement will help the two carriers take “maximum advantage” of air traffic growth between Japan and the Vie...
Singapore Airlines seems set to start Canberra’s first long-haul international services with a four times weekly service from its hub at Changi Airport, which will continue as a tag flight to the New Zealand capital Wellington. The SQ service, expected to be announced by Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong next week in Canberra, according to the Australian Financial Review, wi...
Hong Kong Airlines operated its inaugural Hong-Kong-Gold Coast-Cairns-Hong Kong service on the weekend. The new thrice-weekly extended season of charter flights will operate through until March including the Chinese New Year period, the peak travel season for the Chinese market. The flights depart Hong Kong for the Gold Coast on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, returning to Hong Kong via...
There's a new way to fly Australia's busiest air routes without standing in long lines to check in. A company called Airly is offering unlimited private flights between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney for members who pay a monthly fee. But aviation experts say the start-up is doomed to fail because it's never been a better time to fly regular commercial domestic jets around...
The government is falling short in ensuring airline pilots keep up their flying skills and get full training on how to monitor sophisticated automated control systems in cockpits, according to the Transportation Department's internal watchdog. Most modern airline flying is done through automated systems that pilots closely monitor. Pilots typically use manual flying skills only briefly duri...
Who hasn’t wished at one time or another for a jetpack? Ever since James Bond used one in Thunderball in 1965, they have been a talisman of the hi-tech future. In every decade since, jetpacks have threatened to lift off. The world watched during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, when a pilot used a jetpack to zip from one side of the stadium to the other. But limited...
It was a nearly perfect day at Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla: seals at rest in the sand, tourists gathered along the cliffs, sea gulls wheeling above. And in the middle of it all, a hovering drone. "Wouldn't it be great if the gulls attacked?" one bystander asked. "Who is flying that drone?!" demanded another, voicing worries that the drone could endanger...
Alcoa Inc said on Monday it had signed a $1.5 billion long-term contract with General Electric Co's aviation unit to supply components used in aircraft engines. The aluminum producer will provide advanced nickel-based superalloy, titanium and aluminum components for engines and parts made by GE. The company did not specify the period covered by the contract, which was first reported by t...
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is boosting Romania’s fast-growing manufacturing sector with a US$ 8.5 million loan to Sonaca as the aerospace company expands its operations in Romania. With the EBRD funding, the firm will build a plant in north-western Romania to produce wing components for leading aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Embraer. The new p...
Premier Aviation Overhaul Centre Inc. (“Premier”) and Discovery Air Technical Services Inc. (“DATS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air Inc. (TSXDA.A), announced that Premier has now completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of DATS on January 8, 2016. The parties previously announced Premier’s offer to purchaseDATS on June 2...
