High-speed internet access via smartphones could become a feature on European airline flights following a deal involving the German carrier Lufthansa - but voice calls will be blocked at first. Lufthansa will offer Wi-Fi on its short- and medium-haul flights from 2017, provided by the satellite firm Inmarsat and Deutsche Telekom. The companies claim their venture, which combin...
Airlines Cebu Pacific and Tigerair have received the green light for a collaboration on flight routes, following changes to their proposed alliance, said the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) on Tuesday (Sep. 22). In the revised agreement, the budget carriers will coordinate connecting times in their booking systems for interline journeys, where passengers need to travel on multipl...
The head of Boeing Co's largest union said on Tuesday that his members fear a Boeing factory in China will cause job losses in the Seattle area, and he said the union would use legal and legislative means to try to stem losses. Boeing said Tuesday it is negotiating to put a 737 finishing factory in China, to gain airplane orders. Chinese state media reported earlier in the day that Boeing h...
The United States and Cuba plan to hold talks in Havana next week on normalizing airline service, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, a step that could benefit U.S. carriers if the island becomes open to American tourism. The talks will take place Sep. 28-29, the official said, as Washington and Havana inch toward normal relations after more than half a century of hostility that followed...
An airberlin Airbus A321-200, registration D-ABCK performing flight AB-3156 from Dusseldorf (Germany) to Kos (Greece) with 171 passengers and 7 crew, departed Dusseldorf's runway 23L and was climbing out of Dusseldorf when tyre debris was found on the runway. The crew of D-ABCK was informed about the debris, stopped the climb at FL270, descended the aircraft to FL100 and diverted to Munich (Ge...
Greenland Express (Iceland) is going to purchase five Sukhoi SuperJet 100 aircraft. It was stated by the carrier’s CEO Gert Brask. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company (SCAC, manufacturer of SSJ100 liners) confirmed that it negotiated with the Icelandic carrier, but declined to unveil any details, Izvestiya reports. «We have been negotiating with SCAC for several months, Brask sa...
An order for production of parts placed by Kazan Helicopters with Ulyanovsk-based AeroComposite enterprise will not hinder MS-21 project, President of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yuri Slusar told TASS at Aviation Expo China 2015. “We are pleased to see some kind of diversification of the order backlog. There are no risks; a synergistic effect connected with the fact that the enterpr...
A deal for selling Sukhoi SuperJet 100 (SSJ 100) aircraft to Europe will likely be closed in 2015, RIA Novosti reports with reference to VEB Head of Export Finance Department Daniil Agulyan. “A memorandum was signed at MAKS airshow and we hope that we will be able to close the deal this year,” he said. The name of an airline or a country will be announced later, probably in a month,...
Irkut Corporation is interested in starting deliveries of the latest MS-21 airliners to Brazil as well as launching production of the jet’s components in this country, RIA Novosti reports with reference to press-services of VEB and Irkut Corporation. “Irkut Corporation is entering Latin American market … a memorandum of understanding and cooperation agreement between Parana s...
Diamond Aircraft is preparing to deliver the first DA62 piston-twins in October, to two unnamed German owners. The first four customer aircraft – serial numbers 5 to 9 – are destined for European operators, says Christian Dries, chief executive of the Austrianairframer. Serial number 10, now under construction at Diamond's Wiener Neustadt headquarters, is the first DA62 bui...
The aviation community is bracing for the prospect of another government shutdown as Congress remains deadlocked over Planned Parenthood funding. The U.S. government is funded through September 30, leaving Congress little time to clear appropriations for Fiscal Year 2016, which begins on October 1. House and Senate lawmakers have drafted a stopgap measure that would temporarily fund the...
A recent FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) emphasizes the need for flight crews to take a conservative approach when landing on water-slickened surfaces, going beyond the manufacturer's published landing distances and advisory data, and even the agency's own prior guidance on the matter. Last year, the FAA published Advisory Circular 91-79A, which offered information to assist p...
Tunisia’s Tunis-Carthage International Airport will close Oct. 14-16 for maintenance work on both runways. Tunisia’s National flag carrier Tunisair reported that all its flights to and from Tunis during this time period will be rescheduled to Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport, 175 km south of Tunis. According to several media reports, many foreign carriers...
Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, suspended the air operator’s certificate (AOC) for Center-South Airlines, effective Oct. 1, due to multiple violations. The decision was made after an unscheduled inspection on Sept. 15. Rosaviatsia said in a statement the Belgorod-based carrier operated scheduled flights without the required number of aircraft. Russian law...
Craig Hanlon, chief pilot of Dupont Aviation and the new chairman of NBAA’s International Operations Committee, recently outlined his priorities for the committee during his two-year term as chair, and spoke about international business aviation trends. What have you identified as priorities for the committee for the next two years? The International Operations Committee’s to...
The welcoming entrance to the new SWISS B777-300 ER, engineered and manufactured by AIM Altitude, is already a recognisable image, despite the fact that the first of the nine new aircraft is not due to be delivered until January 2016. The composite, backlit panels are controlled by AIM Altitude Autonomous-Lighting-Dimmer (ALD) and are among the first airline applications of the new Sabic Lexan...
Eastern Aviation Fuels is pleased to announce the addition of Stein’s Aircraft Services of Kenosha, Wisconsin to the Shell FBO network. Stein’s Aircraft Services recently opened its doors at the Kenosha Regional Airport. The airport is located about halfway between Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL. Stein’s Aircraft Services is a multi-service aviation company that is not only a f...
Carbon fiber supplier Hexcel Composites is preparing for a predicted increase in composites demand, as current programs see production accelerate and as future commercial aircraft require more parts made of the material. Plans call for Hexcel’s new $174 million factory in Péage-de-Roussillon, France, to begin supplying material to Airbus and Safran early in 2018. The company m...
Boeing is proposing an “F-15 2040C” series of upgrades that would extend the life of the fourth-generation F-15C air superiority fighter to complement the fifth-generation F-22 Raptor. The 2040 version would double to 16 the number of air-to-air missiles the fighter carries, extend its range and improve its lethality and survivability with upgraded electronics. An F-15 2040C wo...
The long and stealthy shadow of the U.S. Air Force Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) program hung over last week’s AFA Conference. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Dr. William Laplante said, “Everything is going well, and source selection will be soon.” But he declined to repeat a briefing on the almost-entirely-classified program th...
Experts from the aviation industry, governments and environmental groups are in Geneva next week for a series of meetings on sustainable aviation development. The headline event is the Global Sustainable Aviation Summit, hosted by the industry-wide body, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), from 29-30 September. Climate change, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, sustainable alternative...
