All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 247
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NewsRolls-Royce clears parked 787 backlog after Trent 1000 blade progress
Rolls-Royce has eliminated the backlog of Boeing 787s grounded while they await maintenance in relation to Trent 1000 blade-durability issues. The powerplant manufacturer had expected to reduce the number of 787s awaiting work to single digits by the end of the second quarter of this year. Rolls-Royce says the clearance ...
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NewsRolls-Royce lays out expectations for ‘subdued’ long-haul market
Rolls-Royce is expecting widebody engine flying hours to recover to around 70% of last year’s levels during 2021, while engine deliveries will remain depressed. It forecasts a 55% overall decline in engine flying hours for widebody aircraft over the course of this year, after a 50% drop in the first ...
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NewsAirbus deliveries halve in the first six months
Airbus delivered 196 aircraft over the first six months of the year, half the figure of 389 it had achieved at the same point in 2019. The figure means the airframer managed to hand over 36 aircraft during the month. These included four A350-900s for Iberia, Air France and SAS, ...
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NewsSuperjet starts flight tests with domestic inertial navigation system
Irkut has commenced testing of a domestically-built inertial navigation system which will feature on a modified version of the Superjet 100. The system – known as the BINS-2015 – is intended to replace the foreign-supplied equipment used on serial Superjet aircraft. Irkut, which has absorbed the Sukhoi civil aviation division ...
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NewsSAA pilots isolated as other unions gradually back severance scheme
South African Airways unions have largely indicated acceptance of voluntary severance packages as part of the airline’s rescue, after the government warned that workers’ representatives that it cannot improve on the severance offers. Cockpit union SAAPA has not followed other unions’ gradual shift into accepting the proposals, but it appears ...
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NewsEl Al to slash workforce as part of rescue package agreements
Israeli flag-carrier El Al is set to shed 1,700 positions across three divisions as part of a restructuring programme. The airline says it has reached new collective agreements with its maintenance and administrative sectors. Chief executive Gonen Usishkin says the arrangement is “another step on the road to El Al’s ...
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NewsAeroflot chief sets out expectations for restoration of international network
Russia’s Aeroflot Group is hoping to restore 80% of its international services by the end of this year, and restore the network fully by the end of the winter season in March 2021. Chief executive Vitaly Saveliev has outlined the ambition during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. Saveliev ...
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NewsTrent-powered 787 operators to check for disc fin cracks
Operators of Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 787s are set to be instructed to conduct inspections of certain Trent 1000 low-pressure turbine discs, over a possible cracking risk. Assessment of certain discs in service has revealed that rubbing contact with interstage static seals can lead to cracks in the front seal fins – ...
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NewsATR 42-600 commences Chinese certification testing
ATR has embarked on flight testing to obtain Chinese certification for its ATR 42-600 turboprop. The airframer says the initial 3h test was conducted from Toulouse’s Francazal airport, which is located some 10km south of the city’s main Blagnac airport. China’s civil aviation administration CAAC co-operated with the European Union ...
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NewsEl Al could be renationalised as it opts for share issue
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has given up pursuing a $400 million state-backed loan and opted for an alternative fundraising package which could result in the airline being renationalised. El Al’s board has chosen a $250 million bank loan, which would have a state guarantee, alongside a $150 million share issue, ...
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NewsAir Arabia Abu Dhabi to open flights with Egyptian routes
Middle Eastern budget carrier Air Arabia’s new Abu Dhabi-based spin-off is to open services in mid-July with initial operations to two Egyptian cities. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi is to operate to Alexandria, from 14 July, and Sohag from the following day. It will commence services with a pair of Airbus ...
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NewsInitial expressions of interest sought for SA Express jets
Assets of South African regional carrier SA Express, including Bombardier CRJ200 jets, are being advertised online as part of an initial process to obtain expressions of interest, as the airline edges towards liquidation. The airline was placed in provisional liquidation on 28 April but a final liquidation order has been ...
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NewsTaiwanese probe A330 computer failure after wet runway landing incident
Taiwanese regulators are advising Airbus A330 operators to consider the effects of wet runways on aircraft deceleration after a near-overrun incident at Taipei’s Songshan airport. As the aircraft landed on the wet runway and the thrust reversers were activated, says the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration, the crew “noticed the loss” ...
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NewsEthiopian 787 hit lighting mast after being sent to wrong de-icing stand
Norwegian investigators have revealed that a de-icing vehicle driver vainly attempted to stop an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-9 from taxiing onto the wrong de-icing stand, before the jet’s right wing struck and felled a lighting mast at Oslo Gardermoen. The aircraft (ET-AUP), which was preparing for departure to Stockholm and ...
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NewsPilot stand-off piles more pressure on El Al
Israeli carrier El Al is putting another 400 personnel on furlough after the carrier’s pilots chose not to operate a number of the airline’s services. The airline had been operating a limited number of passenger and cargo services from Israel, although its scheduled passenger flights had been suspended until 31 ...
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NewsControl-check ‘routine’ led E190 upset crew to miss reversed ailerons
Investigators have suggested that familiarity with routine, combined with expectation bias, led the crew of an Embraer 190 to miss clues that the jet’s aileron cables had been cross-rigged during maintenance. The Air Astana aircraft had emerged from maintenance at Portuguese firm OGMA during which the aileron cables were inadvertently ...
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NewsFinnair raises €501m from oversubscribed share offering
Finnair has disclosed that investor have oversubscribed by nearly 11% to a new share issue intended to reinforce the Nordic company’s liquidity. The company says it will receive net proceeds of around €501 million. Finnair received subscriptions for more than 1.416 billion shares against the 1.279 billion on offer. The ...
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NewsSAA rescue remains uncertain as treasury highlights funding pressures
South Africa’s government is urging creditors and unions to support South African Airways’ proposed rescue, warning that the airline’s liquidation is the worse of the options available. But the opposition Democratic Alliance believes the country’s treasury, which is having to cope with funding pressures from the coronavirus crisis, is reluctant ...
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NewsCarbon monoxide poisoning clue emerges in fatal DHC-2 crash probe
Australian investigators have urged operators of piston-engined aircraft to carry out inspection and repair of exhaust systems, after finding that the pilot of a crashed De Havilland Canada DHC-2 floatplane had elevated levels of carbon monoxide in his blood. The Sydney Seaplanes aircraft, with six occupants, had departed Cottage Point, ...
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NewsFastjet counts on flight restoration as cash reserves dwindle
African budget operator Fastjet Group believes it has sufficient funds to last through August but is warning that it needs flight operations to resume to sustainable levels in September. Its services have effectively been shut down since 7 April, bar a limited number of repatriation flights, following government lockdowns in ...