All air transport news
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NewsAir China becomes latest carrier to reveal A320neo top-up agreement
Air China has become the latest Chinese operator to disclose a purchase agreement for additional Airbus aircraft, with a deal for 60 A320neo-family jets. The flag-carrier states that it entered the agreement on 30 December. Air China will start receiving the aircraft in 2028 and the deliveries are scheduled to ...
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NewsChinese lessor CALC firms order for 30 more A320neo-family jets
Chinese aircraft leasing firm CALC has ordered 30 additional Airbus A320neo-family jets, taking its overall commitment to the type to more than 200. CALC says the aircraft will be delivered in batches up to 2033, and that its agreement includes conversion options between A320neo variants. It states that the additional ...
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NewsIraqi start-up Basra Airlines secures air operator’s certificate
Iraqi start-up carrier Basra Airlines has been granted an air operator’s certificate by the country’s civil aviation regulator. Basra Airlines says the approval by the Iraqi civil aviation authority means it becomes a “fully authorised and certified” operator. “This achievement marks the culmination of years of continuous effort and dedicated ...
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NewsHonda seeks FAA approval to fly eVTOL named ‘F1’
Honda has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration for an exemption to operate an unmanned electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designated F1, as the Japanese manufacturer advances development of its hybrid-electric air taxi.
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NewsChinese airlines Spring and Juneyao disclose A320neo purchase agreements
Chinese carriers Spring Airlines and Juneyao Air have each disclosed agreements to purchase Airbus A320neo-family aircraft. Both operators are based in Shanghai. Spring Airlines states that it signed an agreement to acquire 30 aircraft, deliveries of which will take place over the course of 2028-32, subject to approval. Juneyao says ...
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NewsApproval of substituted Tu-214 clears path to serial production
Russia’s United Aircraft has secured regulatory approval of its modified Tupolev Tu-214, enabling the ramp-up of production for the revived twinjet. The company plans to build up to 20 Tu-214s per year by the end of 2027. Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia has issued a certificate of approval for “major ...
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NewsKazakh wealth fund discloses sale price of controlling stake in Qazaq Air
Kazakhstan’s sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna, has disclosed that it sold a majority share in regional operator Qazaq Air for 1.02 billion tenge ($2 million). The fund revealed the figure in financial results for the third quarter ending 30 September. Samruk-Kazyna states that it completed the sale of a 49% share ...
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NewsSpirit wins new maintenance terms and $140m IAE credit
International Aero Engines will provide Spirit Airlines with up to $140 million in credits as compensation for the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G recall that severely disrupted the ultra-low-cost carrier’s operations, following approval by a US bankruptcy judge.
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NewsAzerbaijan E190 crash probe still hazy over precise origin of missile damage
Kazakh investigators are still analysing the Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 crash at Aktau a year ago, stating that the exact origin of suspected missile fragments has not been determined. The aircraft aborted an attempt to land at Grozny on 25 December last year, but was crippled by two explosions and ...
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NewsKing Air pilots were not incapacitated while Garmin’s Autoland system took over
Pilots of a Beechcraft King Air B200 consciously elected to allow Garmin’s Autoland system to complete their flight after experiencing rapid cabin depressurisation, according to the charter operator involved in the 20 December incident.
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NewsWheels Up secures $105m sale-and-leaseback deal in bid to raise cash amid steep losses
Private aviation operator Wheels Up Experience has agreed a $105 million sale-leaseback transaction covering 10 business jets, which will enable the loss-making company to reduce debt and acquire additional aircraft as part of its ongoing transformation strategy.
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NewsNumber of stored jets with Pratt geared turbofans climbed after mid-year
Number of grounded jets rises nearly 90 aircraft between mid-year and end-October, with storage rates holding steady at one-third of total GTF-powered fleet as manufacturer works to expand maintenance capacity and introduce durability upgrades
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NewsArif Habib consortium emerges as successful bidder in long-running PIA privatisation
Diverse Pakistani investment firm Arif Habib Group has emerged as the successful bidder for flag-carrier Pakistan International Airlines. Its bid of Rs135 billion ($480 million) for a 75% share of the carrier follows a drawn-out privatisation programme. Pakistan’s ministry of privatisation confirms Arif Habib and its partners – which were ...
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NewsRyanair vows to appeal Italian regulator’s $300m fine over travel agency ‘obstruction’
Budget carrier Ryanair has vowed to appeal after Italian competition regulators imposed a fine of €256 million ($302 million) on the airline, accusing it of exploiting a dominant market position. The regulator, AGCM, states that the carrier implemented an “abusive strategy” to hamper travel agencies relying on Ryanair flights. It ...
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NewsCivil aviation design needed rethink from Soviet-era military influence: Putin
Russian president Vladimir Putin says building a modern civil aircraft industry has required a strategic rethink from the Soviet era, when civil aircraft design was largely influenced by military considerations. Speaking during a year-end review on 19 December, in response to questions over the future of the 50-year old Aviastar ...
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NewsRise Air takes delivery of Canada’s first ATR 72-600 turboprop
The Saskatchewan-based passenger and cargo operator signed for three new ATR aircraft in November 2024.
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NewsHowmet Aerospace acquires Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing for $1.8bn
The $1.8 billion cash acquisition of California-based precision component supplier Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing by turbofan component specialist Howmet Aerospace is expected to close during first-half 2026.
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NewsMunicipal government entity to take 20% of Shenzhen Airlines under equity financing plan
China’s Shenzhen Airlines is to receive an initial capital injection for a proposed equity financing, following the selection of a candidate investor identified as Shenzhen Kunhang Investment Partnership. Kunhang Investment is a Chinese enterprise controlled by the state-owned assets supervision commission of the Shenzhen municipal government. Air China already holds ...
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NewsA319 aborted low approach to Paris Orly after ILS signal ‘not switched on’: inquiry
French investigators have indicated that an absent ILS signal for a Paris Orly runway preceded a Volotea Airbus A319’s aborting its approach after triggering a low-altitude warning. The aircraft had been operating a domestic service from Rodez to Orly on 4 December. Provisional findings from investigation authority BEA state that, ...
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NewsSJ-100’s PD-8 engine passes blade-out containment tests
Blade-failure tests have been carried out on the Aviadvigatel PD-8 engine for Russia’s import-substituted Yakovlev SJ-100. United Engine says the PD-8 passed the test “successfully” on a rig at its Saturn facility in Rybinsk. This brings the engine for the twinjet closer to certification, it adds. The test involves fitting ...