All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow
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NewsDeutsche Aircraft begins fuselage-cutting work to create D328eco test airframe
Germany’s Deutsche Aircraft has started construction of its first D328eco test aircraft, with cutting work to extend a D328 fuselage. The D328eco is an upgraded version of the turboprop, intended to accommodate 40 passengers. It will feature more efficient engines – the Pratt & Whitney PW127XT-S – and modernised avionics, ...
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NewsAirbus A321XLR programme chief outlines path to highest weight variant
Airbus is looking to obtain higher-weight certifications for its A321XLR over the next three months, as it works on the individual enhancements required by early operators of the long-range twinjet. The airframer secured European Union Aviation Safety Agency approval for the basic version – with a 97t maximum take-off weight ...
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NewsIsraeli start-up AirHaifa takes first ordered ATR 72-600
Israeli start-up carrier AirHaifa has taken delivery of its initial ATR 72-600s, one of a pair ordered from the airframer last year. AirHaifa is looking to start commercial services from Haifa to destinations in the Mediterranean and Red Sea regions. The aircraft will be powered by the Pratt & Whitney ...
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NewsAir Belgium rejigs A330 fleet as it looks towards exiting restructuring process
Air Belgium is expecting to exit a judicial restructuring process in September, and is claiming to have achieved profitability over the first four months of this year. The carrier axed its scheduled passenger operations in October last year – describing them as “chronically unprofitable” – and opted for restructuring to ...
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NewsSaudi carrier Flynas modernises widebodies with A330neo agreement
Saudi Arabian budget carrier Flynas is modernising its widebody operations, with a preliminary agreement for 15 Airbus A330-900s while expanding its single-aisle fleet with another 75 A320neo-family jets. Flynas will use the A330neos in a two-class configuration, seating up to 400 passengers. The twinjets are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 ...
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NewsUK-based One Air seeks to reinforce freighter fleet
UK cargo carrier One Air is aiming to double its fleet to four aircraft by the end of next year, as it prepares to introduce another Boeing 747 freighter before September. The airline, which has two 747-400Fs, has been operating for a year, having conducted its initial flight – from ...
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NewsNepalese CRJ200 crash probe will seek to understand excessive roll after rotation
Investigators probing the fatal Bombardier CRJ200 crash at Kathmandu will inevitably focus on the extraordinary attitude the aircraft developed as it lifted off from runway 02. Nepal’s civil aviation regulator states that the captain survived the 24 July accident but the first officer, and the 17 other occupants, did not. ...
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NewsAirbus recruits Avolon to explore leasing aspects of hydrogen-powered fleets
Lessor Avolon is entering a partnership with Airbus to examine the commercialisation and financing perspective for future hydrogen-powered aircraft, and how a leasing model will support fleet development. Avolon is the first leasing partner for Airbus’s ZEROe hydrogen-propulsion project, under which the airframer aims to develop a zero-emission aircraft by ...
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NewsAirbus and Quebec extend A220 shareholder partnership after new $1.2bn funding agreement
Airbus and the Quebec government are extending their partnership in the A220 programme, following a commitment by the two sides to inject up to $1.2 billion in financial support. The airframer will contribute $900 million with the government, through its Investissement Quebec arm, will supply the $300 million balance. This ...
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NewsQatar Airways hikes 777-9 agreement to include another 20 jets
Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways is expanding its Boeing 777-9 commitment to include a further 20 aircraft. The agreement gives the Doha-based airline a total of 94 777X airframes, of which 60 are 777-9s. Its 20 extra aircraft were previously attributed to an unidentified customer in Boeing’s order backlog. Qatar ...
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NewsMacquarie unveils follow-on 737 Max order after absorbing previous ALAFCO deal
Lessor Macquarie AirFinance has doubled its commitment to the Boeing 737 Max by placing its first direct order with the airframer, having already absorbed a previous Max order from Kuwaiti lessor ALAFCO.
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NewsLessor Nordic Aviation Capital places first direct engine order with CFM
Lessor Nordic Aviation Capital has selected CFM International Leap-1A engines for a batch of Airbus A321neo twinjets. The company states that it is taking 10 engines for the aircraft, adding that the agreement covers options for another two Leap-powered A321neos. Chief executive Norman Liu says the deal is the lessor’s ...
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NewsJAL firms remaining 20 A350s after replacing twinjet lost at Haneda
Japan Airlines is set to put the Airbus A350-900 on international routes, senior vice-president of procurement Yukio Nakagawa has confirmed as the carrier firmed orders for 20 of the type along with 11 A321neos. JAL had previously indicated in March that it would add 21 A350-900s to its fleet. The ...
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NewsBritten-Norman flight-tests 5G array for future high-altitude connectivity platform
Britten-Norman has demonstrated the performance of a BN2T-4S Islander fitted with a 5G antenna array, as part of project to develop a high-altitude connectivity platform. The platform is intended for applications such as natural disaster management, to restore connectivity quickly if mobile network infrastructure has been destroyed or disrupted by ...
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NewsGazpromavia crash crew briefly arrested descent before Superjet entered fatal dive
Russian investigators have disclosed that the crashed Gazpromavia Yakovlev Superjet 100 crew switched to manual control after the aircraft started to pitch down, briefly arresting the descent, before it entered a steep fatal dive. The aircraft took off from Lukhovitsy airport, bound for Moscow Vnukovo, on 12 July following “periodic ...
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NewsBoeing contrite over delivery delays as Flydubai gripes about 737 Max hold-ups
Boeing believes it is making progress with improving its aircraft delivery situation, even as Middle Eastern carrier Flydubai expressed dismay over continuing hold-ups which are forcing the airline to rejig its network. Flydubai operates an all-Boeing 737 fleet comprising 88 aircraft – among them 59 Max jets and 29 737-800s. ...
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NewsWeak fares drag down Ryanair first-quarter profits
Ryanair’s net profit nearly halved over the first quarter, which the carrier blames on weak fares and the earlier Easter holiday. The carrier turned in a net profit of €360 million ($372 million) – down by 46% – on slightly lower revenues of €3.63 billion. Chief executive Michael O’Leary says ...
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NewsUK facility starts ex-Delta 777 freighter conversion work for Mammoth
Boeing 777 cargo conversion firm Mammoth Freighters has delivered a -200LR for modification to the UK-based specialist STS Aviation Services. Mammoth had reached an agreement for conversion work with STS, located in Manchester, two years ago. The pact covers cargo modification for both 777-200LRs and -300ERs. STS states that US-based ...
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NewsIberia prepares for A321XLR introduction following certification
Spanish flag-carrier Iberia has shown off its first Airbus A321XLR carrying the airline’s colours, as the long-range model receives European type certification. Iberia will be the first operator of the XLR. It is to take delivery of eight aircraft, part of a batch of 14 XLRs ordered in June 2019 ...
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NewsInitial A321XLR certification is for 97t version with higher weights to follow
Airbus’s A321XLR has initially been certified with a maximum take-off weight of 97t, but the airframer is working on approval for higher weights for the twinjet. This 97t figure is the same MTOW as the XLR’s immediate predecessor, the A321LR. The airframer had originally stated – when its unveiled the ...