All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 3
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NewsAir France A350 crippled by collapsed radome after bird-strike damage undetected
French investigators believe inadequate maintenance checks on an Air France Airbus A350-900’s radome led to its collapsing during a turnback to Osaka. The inquiry found that a bird-strike a month earlier had probably debonded the inner surface of the radome. But French investigation authority BEA says this surface had not ...
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NewsUS investors acquire Safran in-flight entertainment specialist
US investors have agreed to acquire the in-flight entertainment specialist Safran Passenger Innovations, whose products include the IFE system RAVE. Los Angeles-based Kingswood Capital Management says it has entered a “definitive agreement” to acquire the division from French aerospace firm Safran. The transaction, subject to normal regulatory requirements, is set ...
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NewsAzul E195 landed on wrong Rio runway after parallel’s lights were switched off
Brazilian investigators have been unable to determine precisely why runway lights at Rio de Janeiro’s Santos Dumont airport were switched off for several minutes, during which time an Azul Embraer 195 inadvertently landed on the illuminated parallel runway. The incident occurred at night as the twinjet, inbound from Sao Paulo ...
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NewsIndiGo chief claims carrier ‘back on its feet’ after extensive disruption
Indian carrier IndiGo’s chief executive, Pieter Elbers, is claiming that the airline’s operations are “stable” and the carrier is “back on its feet” after days of widespread disruption. It has returned to all 138 destinations, he says, with flights scheduled to operate on “an adjusted network”. Elbers says the restoration ...
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NewsTurkey’s Pegasus Airlines emerges as buyer of Czech budget carrier Smartwings
Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines is set to acquire Czech Airlines and its low-cost operator Smartwings in a €154 million ($180 million) transaction. Smartwings’ shareholders have been holding partnership talks for several years, notably with Israeli leisure carrier Israir. But Israir withdrew from the process earlier this year having engaged ...
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NewsIndian ministry caps fares and warns carriers not to exploit IndiGo chaos
India’s civil aviation ministry has imposed fare regulations to prevent carriers taking advantage of the widespread disruption to budget carrier IndiGo’s operations.
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NewsQatar Airways leadership suddenly changes as Hamad airport executive named new chief
Qatar Airways Group has named a new chief executive, appointing Hamad Ali Al-Khater who succeeds Badr Mohammed Al-Meer with immediate effect. The Gulf carrier has not elaborated on the sudden change in leadership, just two years after Al-Meer replaced the long-serving Akbar Al Baker who, in turn, had held the ...
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NewsLow-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan to expand as board approves A321neo acquisition
Budget carrier Tigerair Taiwan is to acquire at least 15 Airbus A321neo twinjets for its route-development plan. Its board has approved the lease of 11 aircraft, to arrive by 2031, and purchase of four more by 2035. Tigerair Taiwan has not identified the proposed lessor, stating that a potential transaction ...
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NewsGovernment to open IndiGo probe as it eases new rules to resolve flight chaos
India’s civil aviation ministry has suspended the country’s new flight-duty time limit directive in a bid to ease the severe disruption to budget carrier IndiGo’s services. The airline has been experiencing particularly serious problems with flight operations as a result of new criteria, and the government intends to carry out ...
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NewsQantas 737 took off with wrong weight data after passengers listed as offloaded
Australian investigators have determined that a Qantas Boeing 737-800 departed Canberra with incorrect take-off performance data, after more than 50 passengers were erroneously listed as no longer on board. While the airline’s load-control personnel were suspicious about the data while compiling the aircraft’s loadsheet, it was nevertheless handed to the ...
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NewsUnidentified A350-1000 deal in November takes Airbus net orders to 700
Orders for eight Airbus A350-1000s from an undisclosed customer during November helped push the airframer’s net total for the year to 700. Airbus’s figures for the month formally list an additional 30 A350-900s for IndiGo – taking its total to 60 of the type – and six A330-900s for Etihad ...
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NewsRoyal Air Maroc to open new US destination ahead of World Cup tournament
Oneworld alliance member Royal Air Maroc is opening a new transatlantic service to Los Angeles next year. The airline says the flight will operate from Casablanca three-times weekly from 7 June. Royal Air Maroc says the new route is a “major step forward” for the development of its long-haul network. ...
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NewsInquiry traces ANZ A320neo shutdown and similar incidents to fire-button pin flaw
New Zealand investigators probing an in-flight engine shutdown involving an Airbus A320neo believe the event is linked to overhead fire-control panel damage which could result in uncommanded activation of an engine-fire switch. The inquiry into the Air New Zealand incident, on 1 December last year, has highlighted five other similar ...
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NewsIsrair in talks to acquire A330s and seeks block-seat deal with tour operator
Israeli leisure carrier Israir is holding talks with a view to purchasing two Airbus A330s for long-haul operations. The airline states that it is “conducting advanced negotiations” with a third party for the acquisition, and estimates the cost at around $80 million. Israir says the talks relate to its previously-disclosed ...
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NewsHi Fly claims Antarctic first with A330 follow-up to A340 landing
Portuguese wet-lease specialist Hi Fly has flown an Airbus A330-300 to Antarctica, claiming a first for the twinjet type. The carrier’s operated the aircraft – registered to its Maltese division – from Cape Town to the 3,000m blue-ice runway at Wolf’s Fang on 1 December. Hi Fly had previously flown ...
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NewsDeep-sea hunt for wreckage of MH370 to restart at year-end: ministry
Malaysia’s government has disclosed that the search for a missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER will resume at the end of this year. The ministry of transport states that US specialist Ocean Infinity has “confirmed” it will “recommence seabed search operations” on 30 December. This latest effort will last a total ...
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NewsAirbus cuts full-year delivery target by 30 aircraft
Airbus has cut its full-year delivery target to 790 commercial aircraft, down from the original figure of 820. The airframer – which had already been dealing with substantial backloading – acknowledges that a “supplier quality issue” on A320neo fuselage panels is “impacting” the delivery flow. Airbus has not detailed the ...
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NewsAeroflot Group discloses acquisition of 747 and 737 freighters
Aeroflot Group has disclosed that eight aircraft – including freighters – have been introduced to the company’s fleet over the third quarter. The Russian operator says the fleet expanded with two Boeing 747-400ERFs and two 737-800BCFs, all of which were placed with Rossiya. Aeroflot Group has not specified the source ...
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NewsArgentina’s Flybondi plans expansion with A220s and 737 Max 10s
Argentinean low-cost operator Flybondi is to acquire up to 35 single-aisle aircraft, a mix of Airbus A220s and Boeing 737 Max jets. The carrier states that it plans to order 15 A220-300s and 10 737 Max 10s, with options for another five of each model. Initial deliveries of the A220s ...
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NewsSafran tasks new UK centre with electric and composite research for future single-aisle
French aerospace firm Safran is internationalising its technology research operation by setting up a centre in the UK – its first outside of France – with a view to supporting next-generation single-aisle aircraft development.