Air Transport
News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.
Aircraft
Silkair Takes First Boeing 737 Max 8
Singapore Airlines subsidiary turns focus to new markets while solidifying wider regional network
Engines
Safran Inaugurates Open-rotor Test Program
Unshrouded engine technology could save up to 15 percent in fuel consumption.
Aircraft
Boeing Rolls Out Singapore Airlines’ First 787-10
Launch customer expects delivery of the airplane during the first half of 2018
Airlines
Indian Airlines Facing Major Slot Constraints
Growing pains intensify from continuing infrastructure shortcomings
Airlines
UK’s Monarch Airlines Ends Operations
Company enters administration under weight of cost and competitive pressures
Accidents
Probe into Air France A380 Engine Failure Fully Under Way
Front of engine sheared off as superjumbo flew over the Atlantic
Airlines
Qatar Completes Purchase of Equity Stake in Meridiana
Doha-based carrier now owns 49-percent of the ailing Italian airline
Aircraft
UAC, Comac Name New Widebody CR 929
Companies finally agree to designation following several months of ambiguity
Aircraft
Bombardier Seals Q400 Deal with SpiceJet
Agreement covers firm order for 25 of the big turboprops and purchase rights on 25 more
Aircraft
WTO Creates Panel To Examine C Series at Behest of Brazil
Trade body to weigh the propriety of some $3 billion worth of government support
Aircraft
U.S. Proposes Massive Import Duties on Bombardier C Series
Commerce Department calculates value of subsidies at 219.63 percent of airplane’s cost
Airlines
Lufthansa Commits to Adding 61 Airplanes to Eurowings Fleet
Supervisory board approves €1 billion investment
Aircraft
Boeing Opens New Office for NMA Study
Company appoints 787 executive Mark Jenks to lead development efforts
Aircraft
Airbus’s ‘Blade’ Laminar Flow Wing Demonstrator Takes Flight
Tests aim to achieve a 50-percent reduction in wing friction and up to 5 percent lower CO2 emissions
Airlines
Analysis Spotlights Middle East’s Risky Capacity Assumptions
Region adding 8 percent more seats per year, mostly in widebodies
Aircraft
Al Baker Defiant as Qatar Takes First Boeing 747-8
Airline’s cargo business grows by 160-percent following institution of travel bans by four neighboring countries
Aircraft
Boeing Boosts Market Outlook for Southeast Asia
Latest forecast reflects expected requirement for $650 billion worth of airliners over the next two decades
Aircraft
Boeing Turns Focus to Turkey’s Vision 2023 with Dreamliner Deal
Turkish Airlines signs MOU for forty 787-9s as Boeing agrees to participate in national aerospace initiative
Airlines
Ryanair’s O’Leary Apologizes For Mass Cancellations
Pilot scheduling snafu forces airline to scrap 2,100 flights over six weeks
Engines
Russia and China to Partner on Engine for New Widebody
MOU signed during Aviation Expo China outlines collaboration on new engine to generate 75,000 pounds of thrust
Aircraft
Airbus Inaugurates A330 Delivery Center in China
European airframer plans to outfit two airplanes per month for Chinese customers by 2019
Airlines
JetBlue’s Hayes Rails against Legacy Airline Power Grab
During speech at Aero Club of Washington, the JetBlue CEO sides with Persian Gulf airlines
Aircraft
Comac Inks Big C919 Deals at Beijing Aviation Expo
Order tally now reaches 730 for the Chinese narrowbody
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Nokia Fielding European Air-to-ground Data Network
The Nokia air-to-ground network starts operating later this year and will require 300 ground stations to cover 30 countries in Europe.
Aircraft
ATR Makes Case for Maintaining Output at 80 Airplanes
Order involving Silver Airways boosts prospects in U.S.
Aircraft
Traffic, Widebody Demand Back Boeing’s 787 Rate Bump
OEM confirms production rate increase from 12 to 14 in 2019
Aircraft
A320neo Engine Woes, Slot Shortage Hamper HK Express
Hong-Kong-based LCC forced to apply brakes to expansion plans
Aircraft
Airbus Installs First Printed Titanium Part on Production A350
3-D printed bracket forms part of widebody’s engine pylon
Aircraft
Bombardier Bullish on C Series Delivery Target
Delivering all-new airplanes with reworked PW1500G combustors, Canadian airframer confident it can produce another 19 examples by year-end
