Emirates is offering special pre-launch fares for its Dubai to Panama route, which will start from February 1. The route, operated by a Boeing 777-200 LR, will take a whopping 17 hours and 35 minutes, making it the longest in the world. Emirates said that fares would start from Dh7,205 in economy class and Dh20,250 in business class when booked for travel between February 1 and March 23....
Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways said it raised 220 million pounds (EUR304 million) from Europe's first-ever bonds secured against airport operating slots. The issue, backed by scarce take-off and landing positions at London's Heathrow airport, will help finance long- term investments including the purchase of new aircraft Virgin said. The deal is the company...
A decline in aircraft orders this year shows the order cycle is peaking after five years of torrid growth, industry experts said on Thursday, raising speculation that Boeing Co and Airbus may be forced to scale back higher production rates planned for coming years. "Orders have a history of very high peaks and very low troughs," said Edmund Greenslet, an independent analyst who p...
Thailand's airlines have been spared a ban from European skies despite concerns over flight safety in the country. Last month the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates U.S. air safety, downgraded all Thai airlines to "category 2". While no Thai airlines currently fly to or from the States, the move prevents them from establishing new routes. In March Thai airli...
The three largest U.S. airlines are banning hoverboards because of the potential fire danger from the lithium-ion batteries that power the devices. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines said Thursday they are banning hoverboards in checked or carry-on luggage. JetBlue Airways has already prohibited them. Hoverboards are motorized, two-wheel, skateboard-sized scooters th...
Japan's revised civil aviation law that regulates the use of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles came into effect on Thursday. The new regulations require operators to get government approval to fly such aircraft in areas designated as densely populated, at events, and near airports, public broadcaster NHK reported. Permission is also required for flying out of the operator's s...
David Cameron delayed once again the decision he has been putting off for more than three years: whether to allow another runway at Heathrow Airport, and in so doing break a promise he made in 2010. The prime minister swerved the decision in 2012 by asking Howard Davies to investigate the options for expanding airport capacity in southeast England, and ordering him not to report back until afte...
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe's third largest low-cost carrier, flew its last Boeing 737-300 from Lasham in the UK to the small town of Bodo in Northern Norway. With all of Norwegian's Boeing 737-300s no longer in operation, the airline's fleet now has an average age of 3.6 years making it one of the most modern and environmentally friendly in Europe. Norwegian has given the reti...
As many as 284 foreign pilots were employed by domestic aviation companies at the end of September, with IndiGo having the highest number of overseas pilots at 94, according to the government. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma today informed the Lok Sabha there were 284 foreign pilots at various aviation companies as on September 30. Out of them, no-frills carrier IndiGo had...
An aviation firm has come forth to claim three Boeing 747s that local airport authorities warned would be auctioned off, and accused Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd of refusing to accept its ownership of the planes. Swift Air Cargo chief executive officer Captain Blue Peterson insisted that his firm was in contact with MAHB the entire time, but this did not stop the airport authority from publis...
South African aviation agency officials have started their investigation into Monday’s crash of an EclipseEA500. The accident, the first fatal mishap involving the very light jet, killed the owner-pilot, 57-year-old South African businessman Kobus Dicks. When he took ownership of the aircraft in 2013, it was the first Eclipse to be registered in the African continent. The aircra...
Pilots of an EasyJet Airbus A319 overflew a ridge at less than 500ft after losing awareness of their position while attempting a visual night landing at Bristol earlier this year. The aircraft was arriving from Glasgow and needed to perform a sharp right turn to line up with Bristol’s runway 27. But the captain executed the turn prematurely and did not realise that the aircraft was nor...
Most of the Boeing 787s delivered to date contain a software defect that, in at least five identified aircraft, have erroneously reported their location to controllers, prompting two air traffic management agencies to put the Dreamliner on a “blacklist” for certain services. Although it denies the software defect creates a safety hazard, Boeing says a service bulletin with instructi...
Russia's top aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi is exploring the possibility of investing in an Indian joint venture (JV) for the maintenance and spares production of its combat aircraft Su 30 in what could make India a hub for the fighter fleets operating in the region. Atop Sukhoi executive told ETthat the liberalised foreign direct investment (FDI) norms have opened the possibility of a JV and...
Low-cost airline "Pobeda" will start operating weekly flights from Moscow to Salzburg since January 2, 2016. The Austrian resort will be the fifth international destination (previously flights to Vienna, Bratislava, Bergamo and Milan were opened) for the airline. According to "Izvestia", departures will take place from the Moscow Vnukovo Airport every Saturday at 6:20. &n...
MedAire has expanded its long-standing partnership with Boeing Business Jets (BBJ). MedAire’s comprehensive travel risk management solution will now be part of the standard equipment on-board every aircraft built. Due to the changing mission profile and overall higher level of travel risks experienced in business aviation, there is the need for additional safety and security assistance...
Bombardier has delivered a Challenger 605 to the Hong Kong Government Flying Service. The special missions aircraft is the first to be delivered from an order of two that was placed in October 2011. The aircraft will be used for search and rescue, VIP transportation and medical airlift duties. “We put our trust in Bombardier and are satisfied with the relationship we built throughou...
MAC Air Group, based in Portland, Maine has added two business jets to their existing charter fleet: a Cessna Citation CJ3 and a Bombardier Learjet 60. Based in Teterboro, New Jersey, the seven passenger Cessna Citation CJ3 offers a white and black interior which was completely refurbished earlier this year, along with custom navy blue and white exterior paint. It is fully Wi-Fi equipped...
Emirates SkyCargo will expand its presence in Turkey when it begins daily, non-stop service to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport on December 15, 2015, increasing cargo capacity to and from the country by an additional 168 tonnes per week. The flight, which will be operated by an A330-200 aircraft with 24 tonnes of cargo capacity, will be the only daily wide-body passenger aircraft...
Air France has announced it will begin flying to Iran for the first time since 2008. The airline will serve Teheran from Paris-Charles de Gaulle three times a week (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) starting in April 2016. "Air France is showing that it is ready to seize all possible profitable development and growth opportunities", said Frédéric Gagey, chairman and CEO of...
Six new FAI World Air Games champions were crowned yesterday at the Skydive Dubai Palm Dropzone in Dubai. Brian de Chastel, from Australia, stepped up to accept the gold for the Aeromodelling F3T, or Semi Scale Pylon Racing, competition. "This is the peak," he said. "I didn't even dare to dream about this. It's too much." Latvian Aleksandrs Prokofjevs...
