This week marked the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3, considered to be the first airliner capable of turning a profit by transporting passengers alone. The Design work of the DC-3 began in 1934, upon request of C.R. Smith, president of American Airlines, who wanted a longer DC-2 that would carry more passengers, and another with railroad-type sleeping berths, to car...
Etihad Airways will add three new weekly services between Abu Dhabi and Manila from 1 May 2016, offering a total of 17 return flights per week. Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said the new services would enable Etihad Airways to offer guests more choice when travelling between the Philippines and the UAE. “The Abu Dhabi-Manila route is on...
Finnair has announced this plan to add extra seats to its Airbus narrow body fleet: Due to a growing need for feeder traffic capacity, Finnair has decided to improve the space efficiency of its current Airbus narrow-body fleet, operating mainly on its European routes. According to the plan, seats will be added to the aircraft primarily without changing the leg space available to the passenger,...
The Russian government is stepping in to support UTair Airline with Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev signing a resolution guaranteeing RUB9.5 billion ($138.6 million) to help secure loans. UTair faced financial difficulties in 2014 due to economic changes and a decrease in passenger demand. It reported a 2014 net loss of RUB61.66 billion ($1.09 billion). In February 2015, it was announced...
This is an Amazon Prime Air delivery vehicle, it has a range of fifteen miles: (Photo Credits: Amazon) But, because it has Jeremy Clarkson as its spokesman, I don’t care. I use Amazon all the time. After all, I lead an esoteric life of hermitage, I hate brick and mortar stores, I order incredibly hard-to-find books on Russian aviation and local traffic terrifies me. ...
Saudi Arabia has tentatively signed for 30 examples of the developmental Antonov An-178 tactical transport, in a deal that could eventually see the Kingdom producing the aircraft locally. Detailed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Antonov and Saudi company Taqnia Aeronautics, the deal will see the partners deliver the aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force. It further builds on t...
Lufthansa has flight-tested an unmanned air vehicle at Frankfurt airport as the airline plans to employ the technology for aerial surveillance purposes for third-party customers. Together with airport operator Fraport and German air navigation service provider DFS, Lufthansa has tested a remote-controlled, camera-equipped UAV around runway 07L/25R, northwest of the...
Bell Helicopter’s first 525 “Relentless” commercial helicopter now has a companion on the test and certification campaignwith Flight Test Vehicle-2 (FTV-2) joining the programme last week, the company confirms. The company says it remains on track to achieve certification of the 9.1t super-medium-class helicopter in 2017, with three more developmental 525s coming online i...
easyJet has appointed Jacky Simmonds as Group People Director and that she will join the airline on 4 January 2016. Prior to this appointment Jacky was TUI Group’s Global Human Resources Director, having worked for TUI for fifteen years. She is also a non-Executive Director of Wolseley PLC where she is Chair of the Remuneration Committee. Jacky will succeed Alita Benson who has been the a...
AirCorps Aviation is redefining WWII Aircraft Restoration & Maintenance to allow aircraft built in the 20th Century to fly through the 21st Century. The renowned Bemidji, MN based vintage aviation company, has introduced a new service for its clients called AirCorps Aviation Reverse Engineering which uses state-of-the-art technology that allows for accurate scans of parts, both big...
The United States and Cuba have struck a deal to allow as many as 110 regular airline flights a day, allowing a surge of American travel to Cuba that could eventually flood the island with hundreds of thousands more U.S. visitors a year, officials said Thursday on the anniversary of detente between the Cold War foes. The deal reached Wednesday night after three days of talks in Washington opens...
Aviation trade groups are applauding Congress for passing a $2 trillion package of tax policy changes and funding for 2016 that will aid the aviation industry. The legislation includes key funding for general-aviation manufacturers in safety, certification and alternative fuels for piston-engine aircraft and other measures. The bill also makes an R&D tax credit permanent, and it extends...
Irish aviation services provider ASL Aviation has reached an agreement to access $110m (€101.5m) in funding to help fuel its expansion plans. Two banks are providing the credit facility. French financial services company BNP Paribas will make $60m available, while Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking are pledging $50m. ASL chief financial officer Mark O'Kelly said that the agreement is a...
Qantas is a major taxpayer and contributor to the Australian economy. We comply fully with all our tax obligations and we believe in playing our role in a strong, transparent Australian tax system. In 2013/14 – the year covered by the ATO’s tax transparency report – we paid, collected or generated more than $2 billion in tax revenue for the Government, including the GST,...
Boeing and SF Airlines yesterday celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), which is also the first owned by an airline in China. The delivery took place at Boeing supplier ST Aerospace Services Co. in Singapore, where the conversion work was performed. It is the first of five 767BCFs the airline will receive during the next year. &ldq...
Heading north to Glasgow, at the heart of Scotland As from 27 March 2016 and for the entire 2016 summer season, Air France will be offering a new daily flight between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Glasgow international airport in Scotland. Flights will be operated by Airbus A318 with a capacity of 131 seats. “The launch of flights to Glasgow next summer highlights our desire to serve gro...
Silver Airways, Florida’s largest intrastate airline, today announced its intention to resume nonstop service to Cuba in 2016. The company has a long history of providing charter flights to Cuba, and given the announcement of a new bilateral agreement between Cuba and the U.S., Silver plans to bring much needed commercial service to many Cuban destinations in the near future. The airline wil...
Malindo Air, recent winners of Airline of the Year 2014 and Top Performing Airline 2015 awards, continues its expansion plans by launching daily services today from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo. The daily services to Sri Lanka mark the airline’s ninth country in its international network expansion. Introductory fares for the new route from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo start at RM339 for Economy...
Air Canada and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) today announced they have reached a new agreement, subject to ratification, on collective agreement terms for ten years. The IAMAW represents 7,500 Air Canada employees who work in technical maintenance and as operational support employees at airports handling baggage and in Air Canada Cargo. &ldq...
Global on-demand private jet charter service Victor has released its first-ever industry report, The Victor Private Jet Travel Report 2015, which identifies new industry trends and forecasts for key British, European and Russian/Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) business aviation markets. The report reveals new growth trends in business aviation, with signs of recovery despite challenges...
Turkish Airlines has signed a Definitive Agreement for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its order of 92 firm A321neo aircraft, the largest engine order in Turkish Airlines’ history. The order was originally announced during the 2015 Paris Air Show as a Memorandum of Understanding with 72 firm and 20 option aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2018....
