All air transport news – Page 17
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NewsAirbus formally inaugurates new Toulouse A320neo-family assembly line
Airbus has formally inaugurated a new A320neo-family final assembly line at its Toulouse manufacturing facility, which will support the airframer’s single-aisle ramp-up strategy. The assembly line will be capable of producing variants including the A321neo, which has recently become the most-ordered aircraft variant in Airbus’s range. It has already commenced ...
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NewsLOT optimistic over prospects as it eases back to profitability
Polish flag-carrier LOT’s new chief executive, Michal Fijol, says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the airline’s prospects following its return to profitability last year. The carrier turned in a net profit of zl113.7 million ($28 million) for 2022 – compared with the previous full-year loss of nearly zl1.33 billion – ...
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NewsA350 orders edge into four figures a decade after maiden flight
Orders for Airbus A350s have passed 1,000 for the first time, after nearly 60 of the twinjets were added to the backlog during the Paris air show. Airbus unveiled the aircraft as the A350 XWB in July 2006, and formally launched the programme in December, replacing an earlier concept which ...
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NewsA321neo overtakes original A320 as Airbus’s most-ordered model
Thirty years after the Airbus A321’s maiden flight, the A321neo has just taken over as the airframer’s most popular individual model across its aircraft range. Airbus’s half-year backlog figures show the A321neo has accumulated orders for 5,163 aircraft – overtaking the 4,763 for the original A320. The A321neo had already ...
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NewsHuge Indian orders take Airbus half-year net total into four digits
Airbus’s large orders from Indian carriers have taken the airframer’s net orders into four figures for the first half of this year. IndiGo’s agreement for 500 aircraft – unveiled at the Paris air show – currently comprises 375 A321neos and 125 A320neos, according to Airbus’s backlog data to the end ...
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NewsIcelandair seals Airbus shift with A321XLR order
Icelandair has firmed its April preliminary commitment for up to 25 Airbus A321XLRs, while separately leasing four A321LRs SMBC Aviation Capital.
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NewsLufthansa plans early adoption of trajectory-based downlink on new A320neos
Lufthansa Group is aiming to become an early adopter of trajectory-based information capability with the delivery of new Airbus A320neo-family aircraft from next year. The group is to receive more than 65 jets equipped with the ‘extended projected profile’ technology which is based on enhanced ADS-C surveillance transmissions between the ...
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NewsJet2’s veteran chair Meeson to step down
UK leisure operator Jet2’s veteran executive chair, Philip Meeson, is stepping down from the company’s board after four decades. Meeson acquired the company in its previous guise, Channel Express, in 1983, a few years after the carrier began operating. Channel Express specialised in cargo and mail flights out of Bournemouth ...
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NewsJet2’s full-year performance surges past pre-crisis level
UK leisure operator Jet2 has turned in a full-year operating profit of £394 million ($500 million) and a net profit of £291 million, far exceeding its pre-crisis performance. Jet2 says the “significantly improved” financial achievements follow a “rebound in consumer confidence to travel”. It adds that the operating profit was ...
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NewsViva Aerobus provisionally signs for 90 more A321neos
Mexican low-cost carrier Viva Aerobus has tentatively signed for another 90 Airbus single-aisle jets, potentially taking its order total to 170. The additional 90 aircraft are A321neos which will be configured with 240 seats. Deliveries will commence in 2027. Airbus says the twinjets are the subject of a memorandum of ...
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NewsSwedish consortium to ground test Heart ES-30
Sweden’s Vinnova innovation agency has awarded a consortium led by Heart Aerospace almost SKr20 million ($1.8 million) to build and ground test a full-scale demonstrator of the developer’s hybrid-electric ES-30 regional aircraft.
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NewsSabena Engineering acquires UK airworthiness and engine maintenance firm
Maintenance firm Sabena Engineering has taken control of a UK aircraft technical management company, Aircamo Group, to expand its capabilities. Aircamo Group includes the Manchester-based Aircamo Aviation which specialises in airworthiness and asset management, as well as Aircamo Engines which handles off-wing maintenance and storage. The company’s engines division is ...
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NewsIsrair pays deposit to advance Smartwings acquisition talks
Israir Group has paid a €500,000 ($544,000) deposit in favour of Chinese firm CITIC Group, as part of the Israeli operator’s negotiations to take over Czech airline Smartwings. CITIC is linked to the Chinese economics ministry and holds just over 49.9% of Smartwings. Israir Group has been negotiating with Smartwings’ ...
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NewsSAS’s pandemic aid to undergo renewed European Commission scrutiny
Scandinavian operator SAS’s recapitalisation by the Swedish and Danish governments, carried out during the pandemic, is to be scrutinised under an in-depth European Commission investigation. Although the measure – worth around SKr11 billion ($1 billion) – was previously approved by the Commission in August 2020, this approval was annulled by ...
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NewsAirbus's second 'Wing of Tomorrow' to undergo structural tests at new Filton facility
Airbus is preparing to conduct a destructive test of an experimental wing as part of a technologies initiative, as it opens a new facility at its UK site in Filton dedicated to future wing research. The facility – known as the Wing Technology Development Centre – will focus on constructing ...
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NewsAir Inuit to replace 737-200s with combi-configured 737-800s
Canadian operator Air Inuit is to introduce three Boeing 737-800s to modernise its fleet, which includes 737-200 variants. The carrier says it has ratified an agreement to take the aircraft which will be configured in a combi passenger and freight layout. “Addition of these aircraft to our fleet enhances our ...
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NewsLuxair starts 737 Max introduction with ex-Air Italy jet
Luxembourg’s flag-carrier, Luxair, has introduced its first Boeing 737 Max, as it embarks on further fleet modernisation. The aircraft (LX-LBL), powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines, was originally delivered in 2018 to Air Italy. Air Italy was a short-lived joint-venture between Qatar Airways and Alisarda, which used a 737 ...
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NewsAirbus rolls out sixth and final BelugaXL transport
Airbus has rolled out the sixth and final example of its BelugaXL high-capacity transport, designed to fly aerostructures between the airframer’s manufacturing facilities. The BelugaXL – formally designated the A330-700L – is a heavily-modified A330, developed to replace the older A300-600ST Beluga fleet. Airbus operated five Belugas and originally intended ...
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NewsUS airlines predict minimal impact as 5G restrictions take effect on 1 July
Even as US airlines work to recover from days of a disrupted operations, another risk looms on the horizon – that posed by new 5G-related aircraft-operating restrictions.
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NewsIAG firms more options on Airbus single-aisle jets
British Airways and Iberia parent IAG is converting options on another 10 Airbus A320neos into firm orders. The company states that the aircraft will be delivered in 2028. IAG says they will replace older A320-family jets, adding that it has the option to take some of the additional aircraft as ...