All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 7
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NewsWestJet 737-800 gear-collapse probe analyses fractured trunnion pin
Investigators probing the WestJet Boeing 737-800 landing-gear collapse at St Maarten in the Caribbean believe the aircraft did not make a hard landing. Transportation Safety Board of Canada states that this finding is based on flight-data recorder evidence. The twinjet’s right main-gear collapsed, and its engine nacelle contacted the ground, ...
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NewsFully-substituted MC-21 prototype flown to Zhukovsky for certification tests
United Aircraft has flown the latest, fully import-substituted Yakovlev MC-21 prototype to the test centre at Moscow Zhukovsky from Irkutsk, to join the certification fleet. The twinjet – which carried out its maiden flight towards the end of October – flew nonstop to Moscow, a sortie of 6h 15min. Operated ...
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NewsVirgin Atlantic secures Heathrow slot-based financing for fleet investment
Virgin Atlantic is to support investment in its fleet through a $745 million financing against the UK carrier’s valuable slot portfolio at London Heathrow. The proceeds from the financing will be put towards improvements such as the refurbishment of its Boeing 787-9s – with new interiors from 2028 – and ...
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NewsJazeera Airways founders plan to acquire entirety of budget carrier’s share capital
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways is the subject of a full takeover by its founding shareholders, through the Boodai Reliance Real Estate Company. Boodai Reliance is equally co-owned by entrepreneurs Marwan and Jassim Boodai. It holds a direct 6.84% stake in Jazeera Airways – just over 15 million shares – ...
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NewsWizz Air to have all-A321neo fleet from 2033 under revised expansion plan
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air’s revised Airbus delivery schedule means it will have an all-A321neo fleet from fiscal 2033. The airline states in a half-year briefing that, at this point, it will have a total of 379 aircraft, comprising 368 standard A321neos plus 11 long-range A321XLRs. Its fleet plan ...
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NewsPremium leisure carrier Beond unveils ambitious multi-AOC fleet-expansion strategy
Premium leisure carrier Beond is aiming to build a fleet of 56 aircraft, spread between multiple air operator’s certificates, by the end of the decade. Beond emerged towards the end of 2023, and uses a pair of Airbus A320-family jets mainly to connect the Maldives with such destinations as Dubai, ...
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NewsJet2 to set up London Gatwick base and open nearly 30 leisure routes
UK budget carrier Jet2 is establishing a base at London Gatwick, aiming to use six aircraft from the station and open nearly 30 routes from summer next year. Jet2’s network from Gatwick will focus on Mediterranean leisure destinations, although its first service – from 26 March – will operate to ...
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NewsGradual return of foreign carriers begins to curb El Al profit performance
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has acknowledged the increasing return of foreign airlines to Tel Aviv over the third quarter, following the cessation of Gaza hostilities, but points out that they are still operating at “relatively low” volumes. El Al adds that this return is remaining “gradual” during the fourth quarter, ...
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NewsPeak-season fleet groundings frustrate Kazakhstan’s Air Astana
Kazakhstan’s Air Astana is irritated by the impact of unscheduled engine removals on its fleet during the peak season, which affected the differential between unit revenues and unit costs and more than halved net profit for the third quarter. Air Astana says 14 of the 19 unscheduled removals so far ...
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NewsPIA A320 crew failed to notice wrong runway selected during Lahore diversion
Investigators have determined that the first officer of a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A320 selected the wrong ILS frequency before a wrong-runway landing at Lahore. The twinjet had been operating flight PK150 from Dammam, in Saudi Arabia, to Multan on 17 January. But Pakistani investigation authority BASIP, in findings released ...
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NewsWizz A321XLR's descent rate increased just before hard landing and tail-strike
Czech investigators have disclosed that a Wizz Air UK Airbus A321XLR’s descent rate increased by 60% in the last few seconds before a hard touchdown and tail-strike at Prague. It had been conducting an ILS approach to runway 24 following a service from London Gatwick on 11 September. Weather conditions ...
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NewsSJ-100’s domestic engines tested for resilience to water ingestion
United Aircraft has carried out water-ingestion tests on its initial import-substituted Yakovlev SJ-100, equipped with Aviadvigatel PD-8 powerplants. The aircraft, number 97023, carried out the runway pooled-water test at the Gromov institute at Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. It was accelerated through the standing pool – about 70m long and 12m wide ...
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NewsThai commercial chief highlights cabin comfort as A321neo arrival nears
Thai Airways International is expecting to introduce its first pair of Airbus A321neos before the end of this year, with the first scheduled to arrive in November. Chief commercial officer Kittiphong Sansomboon, speaking during an event in London on 7 November, said the twinjets would enhance the single-aisle fleet which ...
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NewsUS FAA grounds MD-11F fleets pending inspections in wake of Louisville crash
US regulators have ordered Boeing MD-11F operators to ground the aircraft in the wake of the UPS freighter crash at Louisville. The FAA has issued an emergency directive which “prohibits further flight” until the aircraft are inspected and any necessary corrective actions are carried out. It has taken the action ...
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In depthUPS MD-11F crash evokes spectre of American 191 but the depth of parallels is unclear
Confirmation that the UPS Boeing MD-11F which crashed in Louisville suffered a separation of its left-hand engine during take-off is likely to draw comparisons to the watershed McDonnell Douglas DC-10 accident in Chicago more than 45 years ago.
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NewsWizz Air pushes back 88 Airbus deliveries and cuts A321XLR commitment to just 11
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air is slashing its Airbus A321XLR commitment to just 11 aircraft, and pushing back the delivery schedule for 88 jets by three years.
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NewsVietjet firms 100 A321neos as MNG signs for A350F
Vietjet has firmed orders for 100 Airbus A321neos while Turkish operator MNG Airlines Cargo has signed for its pair of Airbus A350 freighters. The two agreements were the outstanding orders listed by the airframer during October. Airbus’s updated backlog for the month also shows Korean Air’s agreement for seven A350Fs ...
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NewsTurkish Airlines picks GEnx to power latest batch of Boeing 787s
Turkish Airlines has selected GE Aerospace GEnx engines to power a new batch of Boeing 787s the company has chosen to purchase. The carrier had been in negotiations with GE and Rolls-Royce after disclosing its decision to purchase 50 firm and 25 optioned 787s. Turkish has split the firm part ...
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NewsTurkish expects to have 25-27% share of Air Europa after signing investment deal
Turkish Airlines has started the regulatory process for its acquisition of a stake in Spanish carrier Air Europa, expecting it to take six to 12 months. It states that it has signed the partnership transaction agreement covering the €300 million ($346 million) investment. Turkish Airlines expects its minority stake to ...
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NewsAirbus nears completion of first Qantas A350-1000 for long-range Project Sunrise routes
Airbus has rolled out the first ultra-long-range A350-1000 for Australian carrier Qantas’s Project Sunrise initiative. Project Sunrise envisions nonstop services to Australia’s east coast from London and New York. Airbus secured an agreement to supply Qantas with a version of the A350-1000 modified to carry out these specific long-range flights. ...