All air transport news – Page 438
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NewsBombardier expects minimal impact from Belfast plant fire
Bombardier Aerospace is confident of avoid any significant impact on customer deliveries following a fire at its Belfast facilities. The aircraft manufacturer says the fire, which broke out on 24 March, was contained within one area of the plant. “While there is damage to some machinery and a portion of ...
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NewsAir Astana converting 767s for new cargo division
Air Astana is establishing a freight division, Air Astana Cargo, which will use three Boeing 767-300ERs which are being retired from the airline’s fleet and modified for cargo transport. It will put the initial aircraft into service on 26 May – in a “semi-cargo” layout, following modification in Almaty – ...
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NewsMitsubishi Aircraft to close all non-Japan locations, shelve M100 development
Mitsubishi Aircraft is closing all non-Japan locations and moving all SpaceJet activities back to its headquarters in Nagoya, Japan, a move coming in response to cost pressure amid the coronavirus aerospace downturn.
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NewsTail and pylon assembly nears for initial Il-96-400M
United Aircraft is set to begin mating of the tail and engine pylons for the first Ilyushin Il-96-400M, which is undergoing assembly at the Voronezh-based VASO plant. The aircraft is a longer, modernised variant of the Il-96-300 incorporating a 9.35m (30.7ft) stretch of the fuselage. United Aircraft says the programme ...
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NewsCAE anticipates ‘year of two halves’ as pilot training takes hit
The Canadian company – market leader in full flight training devices and services – predicts a financial year of “two halves”, with “sharply lower demand and major disruptions to our operations” in the six months to September, followed by a “more positive” October to March 2021 as “markets potentially begin to reopen and travel restrictions ease”.
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OpinionSupersonic flight is the future, just as it was in the past
Although over 50 years have passed since Concorde proved commercial supersonic flight was possible, the industry is once again looking to ride a wave of interest in the concept
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OpinionWhy things are looking grim for the A380
Doubts about size and shape of many fleets as operators plan their coronavirus crisis recovery strategies
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NewsReturn-to-line training must be tailored for individual pilots: federation
Cockpit crew representatives are cautioning that resumption of flight operations as the coronavirus crisis recedes will require careful consideration of varying training levels for returning pilots. There will be a range of situations that operators will need to take into account, says international airline pilot federation IFALPA. Some pilots will ...
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NewsHigh-speed Islander spun and skidded backwards off wet runway
UK investigators have determined that a high-speed landing on a wet runway resulted in a Montserrat Airways Britten-Norman Islander overrunning, spinning through 180°, and sliding backwards down a steep incline. The aircraft (VP-MNI) came to rest when its tail snagged in the security fence at Montserrat airport. It had been ...
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NewsFinal assembly nears for initial MiG-built Il-114-300
United Aircraft is preparing to transfer primary structures for an initial Ilyushin Il-114-300 to the final assembly line at RSK MiG’s Lukhovistsy plant near Moscow. The manufacturer is describing the initial aircraft as a ”prototype” being built using serial-production technologies. Three fuselage sections for this aircraft have been completed at ...
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NewsEasyJet to start restoring flights in mid-June
UK budget carrier EasyJet is to restore flights from 15 June, on a limited number of routes on which the airline believes it can maintain profitable operations. These services will primarily comprise domestic flights in the UK and France, the airline states. “Further routes will be announced over the coming ...
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NewsLufthansa Group nears deal for €9bn financing package
Lufthansa Group is holding advanced talks with the German economic stabilisation fund WSF for conditional assistance of up to €9 billion. The company says €3 billion of this assistance would take the form of a loan from bank KfW. Lufthansa Group says an agreement “has not yet been finalised”. It ...
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NewsEASA flight-resumption protocol warns of increased risk from unruly passengers
Europe’s safety regulator is warning of the potential for increased unruly behaviour from passengers after it drew up a safety protocol of measures intended to ensure safety during restoration of airline services. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published the documentation jointly with the European Centre for Disease ...
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NewsGovernment puts R10bn aside for SAA in medium term
South Africa’s government has provisionally set aside R3.8 billion ($212 million) for troubled flag-carrier South African Airways and another R164 million for SA Express in the current fiscal year. Department of public enterprises deputy director general Kgathatso Tlhakudi gave the figure during a 20 May presentation before the parliamentary portfolio ...
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NewsAir France terminates A380 fleet with immediate effect
Air France has accelerated plans to phase out its Airbus A380 fleet and will retire the aircraft immediately rather than in 2022 as previously scheduled.
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NewsMajor lessors now hold substantial interests in Norwegian
Chinese-linked interests will hold significant shareholdings in Scandinavian budget carrier Norwegian following a debt-to-equity conversion scheme established to shore up the company’s financial position. Norwegian’s new share capital amounts to nearly 3.07 billion shares following the conversion scheme. Leasing firm BOC Aviation – which is Singapore-based, but ultimately controlled by ...
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Airline BusinessCoronavirus clouds outlook for iconic 777-200/200ER
While the Boeing 777-200 series has been an airline icon for the last 25 years, the coronavirus pandemic is likely to accelerate its disappearance from the skies.
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NewsRolls-Royce overhaul primarily to affect UK civil aerospace
Rolls-Royce has increased its civil aerospace workforce by about one-third over the last 10 years, but admits that deep cuts in the sector will be necessary during its newly-unveiled restructuring. The company employs 26,100 personnel in the civil aerospace sector – accounting for about half its global workforce – with ...
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NewsRolls-Royce to cut 9,000 jobs largely in civil aerospace
Rolls-Royce is expecting to have to axe around 9,000 personnel – about 17% of its global workforce – in the aftermath of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Its civil aerospace division will be “predominantly” affected, it says, following the severe deterioration of the air transport market. “We ...
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NewsAirbus opens dedicated A220 site in Mobile, starts JetBlue A220 assembly
Airbus has marked the opening of a new A220 final assembly site in Mobile, Alabama, a move the airframer says doubles its manufacturing presence in the city.