All articles by Alfred Chua – Page 123
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NewsAVIC’s AR500C unmanned helicopter completes maiden sortie
AVIC’s unmanned helicopter prototype has completed its first test flight in Jiangxi province in eastern China. The AR500C took off on its 20min test flight on 20 May, and performed a series of low-level manoeuvres, such as front-to-back, left-to-right, as well as hovering rotations. Source: AVIC ...
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NewsHainan reduces shareholding in MRO arm, divests training unit
Hainan Airlnes will reduce its stake in its MRO unit and divest its training unit to other HNA Group companies as it seeks to intensify its focus on the core passenger and cargo business. Hainan will reduce its stake in MRO unit HNA Technic to about 68%, with the ...
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NewsFedEx MD-11F, Hong Kong Airlines A330 in airprox incident
The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) is investigating a loss of separation incident at Hong Kong International airport, involving a FedEx Boeing MD-11 freighter and a Hong Kong Airlines (HKA) Airbus A330-300.
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News‘Anomaly’ scuppers Virgin Orbit maiden rocket launch
Virgin Orbit failed in its first attempt at launching a rocket into orbit from the wing of a modified Boeing 747-400 owing to an “anomaly”, but the company says it is pressing ahead with further tests. The California-based company, part of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, conducted the maiden ...
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NewsMalaysia Airlines details maintenance plan amid pandemic grounding
As Malaysia Airlines parks nearly half of its fleet in long-term storage amid the coronavirus outbreak, its engineering unit has switched up its usual operations. For instance, various representatives from divisions within the unit — such as technical services, quality assurance, and maintenance control — have come together to ...
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NewsGAMECO begins 737 freighter conversions
Chinese MRO provider GAMECO has begun work on Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversions, and is mulling plans to open a second production line. The Guangzhou-based company inducted the first aircraft - a 737-800 registered as N520AM and painted in AeroMexico’s colours - on 18 May. Source: GAMECO ...
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NewsGAMECO, China Southern open base maintenance line at Beijing Daxing
Chinese MRO GAMECO opened a base maintenance line at Beijing Daxing international airport, aimed at supporting parent company China Southern Airlines’ growing operations at the capital’s newest airport. The base maintenance line is situated inside China Southern’s hangar 1, purported to be Asia’s largest. It can accommodate up to two ...
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NewsChinese carriers see mixed domestic traffic recovery in April
After being hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak at the start of the year, China’s three largest carriers saw some degree of recovery in domestic traffic for April — even while their international networks continue to suffer steep declines.
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NewsCathay posts $580m loss for January to April on coronavirus impact
Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Cathay Dragon made a HK$4.5 billion ($580 million) loss for the first four months of the year, according to unaudited financial results, amid depressed travel demand during the coronavirus outbreak. Releasing its traffic figures for April, Cathay adds that the financial outlook in the next ...
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NewsSIA coy on accelerated retirements amid pandemic hit
Singapore Airlines will fully phase out the older aircraft types in its fleet - such as the Boeing 777-200ER and Airbus A330-300 - within a year, but declines to say whether the retirement of the widebodies has been accelrated by the coronavirus outbreak.
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AnalysisDelays, budget cuts, and then some: SpaceJet confronts new realities
Nearly a year after a high-profile rebranding, Mitsubishi’s SpaceJet programme faces an existential crisis of sorts. It has suffered a major budget cut, and development of a 76-seat variant has been put on the backburner. What does this mean for Japan’s flagship regional aircraft programme?
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NewsChina lifts restrictions on all-cargo operations in Beijing
China’s civil aviation regulator will now allow carriers to operate all-cargo flights at Beijing’s two airports, lifting restrictions that only allowed them to pick one of the two. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) states that effective immediately, carriers can operate such flights at both Beijing Capital and Beijing ...
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NewsMitsubishi to halve SpaceJet budget, review M100 development
Mitsubishi Aircraft’s parent company will review the development of a 76-seater variant of its regional jet programme nearly a year after its launch, as full-year losses related to the programme widened. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) will also halve the budget allocated for the SpaceJet regional aircraft programme to Y60 ...
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NewsPost-pandemic MRO recovery ‘unclear’: SIAEC
Singapore Airlines’ MRO unit has warned that the pace of recovery from the coronavirus outbreak is “unclear” and will be slow, with base, engine and component maintenance likely to be impacted in the coming months.
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NewsMan killed in Austin runway incident involving Southwest 737
A man has died in an incident involving a Southwest Airlines aircraft landing at Austin-Bergstrom international airport. The incident occurred around 20:12 local time when the Boeing 737, operating flight 1392, landed at Runway 17R, says the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). AUS is aware of an ...
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NewsSIA Group flags ‘material’ final-quarter loss; renegotiates deliveries
The Singapore Airlines Group expects a “material” quarterly operating loss from the “severe impact” of the coronavirus outbreak, as it seeks to readjust aircraft deliveries and defer payments to its suppliers. However, it will still be in the black for the full financial year ended 31 March, thanks to “the ...
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AnalysisThe lessors exposed to Hainan Airlines’ financial woes
In April HSBC contended that the Chinese airline market was ripe for another round of consolidation, nearly 20 years after it saw a massive shake-up.
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NewsHainan optimistic of rebound amid steep Q1 loss
Hainan Airlines swung back into the red for its first-quarter results for 2020, joining other Chinese carriers who reported losses amid the coronavirus outbreak. However, the carrier, China’s fourth largest, is optimistic its financial results will improve in the second quarter, as it “adjusts its business strategy” and cuts ...
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AnalysisIs Embraer-China tie-up an inevitable marriage or case of strange bedfellows?
The Brazilian government was quick to suggest Embraer cosy up to China, after a proposed partnership with Boeing fell through. Would such a relationship work, and what is at stake?
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NewsAirAsia to take no new aircraft this year
The AirAsia Group is “relooking” its orders for Airbus aircraft, as it gears up for return to service across its various networks. The airline group also confirmed that it will not be taking delivery of any new aircraft for the rest of the year, and targets a fleet size ...