A court in Mumbai, India, has ordered that an impounded Airbus ACJ319 owned by former Kingfisher Airlines founder Vijay Mallya must be sold before March 1. The jet was seized three years ago by India’s tax authority after Kingfisher failed to remit $28 million in service taxes collected from passengers. The ACJ, manufactured in 2006, is on a finance lease from CJ Lea...
Embraer Executive Jets' recently released 10-year demand forecast for business jets predicts sales of 9,100 aircraft worldwide worth $259 billion. This represents a modest annual growth rate of 3 percent, as well as a slight increase in deliveries compared with the previous decade, at 8,190 business jet shipments worth $198 billion. Once again the North American market drives the deman...
The right cabin design can make passengers feel that they have more room onboard, even when they don’t, and make flying a more pleasant experience. So said Kent Craver, Director Cabin Experience & Revenue Analysis, Boeing, during the recent APEX Asia Conference in Singapore. Craver cited research by Boeing’s cabin development group, which found that passenger perception of th...
The hybrid European Aviation Network (EAN) connectivity system, which combines ground-based LTE technology from Deutsche Telekom and an S-band satellite from Inmarsat, could be a step change in the passenger experience for European flyers once the first Lufthansa test aircraft begins flying with the system in 2017, and when IAG member airlines start fitting their shorthaul fleets, as sug...
The Airports Company South Africa and Aviation Co-ordination Services (ACS) have renewed SITA, the global air transport IT company, as the common-use technology provider for Airports Company South Africa, extending the coverage to nine airports. Together the airports handle more than 90% of scheduled civil aviation traffic in South Africa. The new five-year contract will see SITA&rsquo...
An Airbus C295W aircraft belonging to the Mexican Navy (SEMAR) and operated by a mixed crew from Airbus Defence and Space and SEMAR flew from Río Gallegos Airport in Argentina to the Marambio Base, the first flight ever by a C295 to Antarctica. The C295W landed in Marambio at 11.45 on 27 November, returning to Río Gallegos nearly eight hours later. The Argentinian Marambio Ba...
Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has called on the British Government to review the Ministry of Defence’s refusal to give consideration to opening up RAF Northolt to a limited number of new Flybe domestic routes, linking underserved regions to London. RAF Northolt, currently used by private executive jets, VIP’s and RAF transports, is 15 miles from the centre of London a...
Finnair’s strategic objective is to double its Asian traffic by 2020 from the level of 2010. To enable its growth, Finnair has ordered 19 new Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, which also increase Finnair’s cargo capacity considerably. With a view to the growth of its cargo traffic, Finnair is constructing a new state-of-the-art cargo terminal to be completed in 2017. At the same time, Finavia,...
The no. 1 A380, which continues to serve as Airbus’ flight test aircraft, has been named after late company test pilot Jacques Rosay, who was the first to fly the 21st century flagship and also contributed to development and certification activities for the A318, A319, A330-200, A340-600, and A340-500 while with Airbus. During a naming ceremony for A380 MSN 001 (Manufacturer&rs...
The Port Authority posted for public review a proposed $3.0 billion Operating Budget that funds critical planning for future growth in a fiscally responsible manner. The agency also posted a $3.5 billion Capital Budget that funds critical state-of-good-repair to existing transportation facilities and new infrastructure that is needed to sustain and accelerate growth and enhance the overall custome...
After approximately one and a half years in development, the engineers at RUAG Defence and RUAG Aviation have been successful in their joint effort to get the modernised PC7 simulator off the ground and into the air. The PC7 IG upgrade project was approved by Armasuisse and the Swiss Air Force. The next hurdle for the simulator to overcome is to obtain FOCA (Federal Office of Civil Aviation) certi...
Dassault Aviation has joined the CleanSky program sponsored by the European Commission, in order to aid the improvement of the environmental impact of future generations of aircraft. Dassault stands as one of the pioneers of green aviation, and spends a large portion of its R&D budgets on reducing fuel consumption and improving its impact on the environment. Officials fro...
In March 2011, during Operation "Odyssey Dawn", two US Marine Corps Bell Boeing MV-22s were instrumental in the rescue of a Boeing F-15E pilot who had ejected from his aircraft deep within hostile territory in Libya after the Strike Eagle succumbed to mechanical failure. Stationed 133nm (246km) away on an amphibious assault ship, the MV-22s – backed up by two McDonnell Douglas A...
American Airlines has unveiled its AirCal heritage livery, the final aircraft in its fleet showcasing the liveries of its predecessors. American Airlines The Boeing 737-800 (registration N917NN, MSN 29572) wears a modified version of the livery AirCal introduced in 1981. The Newport Beach, California-based carrier merged with American in 1987. The livery joins the Reno Air&n...
Burt Rutan pledged to continue designing new aircraft after completing the first flight of the homebuilt SkiGull amphibian, his 47th design to fly. The first flight on 24 November from a runway in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, last 1.8h and checked-out the single-engined aircraft’s basic handling qualities, according to a Facebook page for a forthcoming documentary movie entitled, “Lo...
China will soon publish regulations for civilian unmanned aircraft that will help put an end to irregular flights, according to an industry insider. Ke Yubao, executive secretary-general of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China (AOPA-China), said on Monday that the Civil Aviation Administration of China has drafted a provisional regulation on the operation of light-duty civilian d...
Tianjin-based Okay Airways (BK) has recently been certified with an International Air Transport Association (IATA)'s Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate after successfully passing the program on Nov. 18. The IOSA certification audit is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. IO...
Indonesian investigators said on Tuesday that crew action caused a loss of control and the stalling of an AirAsia passenger jet that crashed into the Java Sea last year, killing all 162 aboard. The plane's flight control computer had a cracked solder joint that malfunctioned repeatedly, including four times during the flight, and 23 times the previous year. "Subsequent flight crew a...
Lufthansa Cargo (GEC, Frankfurt Int'l) will be implementing staff layoffs as part of a EUR40 million (US$44 million) cost-cutting drive dubbed 'C-40', CEO Peter Gerber has told German business paper Handelsblatt. While he did not confirm the exact number of employees that would be affected, Gerber said redundancies would be undertaken in a socially acceptable manner - partial retire...
Air New Zealand has been named world's best airline for the third consecutive year by AirlineRatings.com. The airline won for its "award winning in-flight innovations, record-breaking financial performance, operational safety, environmental leadership and motivation of its staff," according to the Airline Excellence Awards. AirlineRatings.com is an Australia-based safety a...
Dusty weather continued on Tuesday in the capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, disrupting flights and stranding more than 10,000 passengers. Around 120 domestic and international flights were canceled on Monday due to poor visibility and hundreds of flights were delayed in Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY), the airport said. More than 10,000 passengers have been...
