Must read – Page 2
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News
Why Boeing needs to work quickly on NMA decision
Boeing needs to begin work on a design for a planned new mid-market aircraft (NMA) if it is to remain competitive against Airbus, says an aviation analyst at the annual Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference, being held virtually this year.
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Interview
Rex chairman ups the ante in tough Australian market
With its expansion into narrowbody operations, Australia’s Regional Express (Rex) offers a rare story of growth and ambition in a global airline industry reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
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Analysis
Boeing turns page on troubled 2020 but strategy ill defined
Some analysts view Boeing’s fourth quarter 2020 results as a case of a company clearing the decks – dumping a barrel of bad news at the end of a terrible year so as to focus on rebuilding in 2021.
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In depth
Airline coronavirus recovery tracker: February 2021 update
Our regular examination of the latest global data for several key airline market indicators, including international and domestic travel restrictions, traffic and capacity in passenger and cargo markets, in-service and stored fleets, jet fuel costs, and share price trends for the world’s largest groups.
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News
Sriwijaya 737-500 'slowly' turned left before entering fatal descent
Components of the crashed Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 including the flight-control computer, autothrottle computer, and autothrottle actuator assembly are undergoing examination, a Indonesian parliamentary commission has heard. The commission held a session on 3 February during which various representatives involved in the inquiry provided preliminary information on the flight ...
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News
IATA outlines scenario where Covid variants pummel 2021 traffic
The global airline industry might only see traffic growth of around 13% from 2020 levels this year amid the impact of new variants of Covid-19, according to a potential scenarios presented by IATA.
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News
How the appeal of vintage flight helped solve the Alps crash puzzle
With its unusual historic triple engine sound and vintage appearance, the Junkers Ju 52 would have been as anachronistic as it was distinctive and engaging to those capturing its passage through the Alps with high-resolution mobile-phone cameras. But the appeal of the pre-war aircraft to onlookers combined with a ...
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Analysis
How did airline safety rank in extraordinary 2020?
With a dozen fatal airline accidents reported during 12 months of operations that were severely disrupted by Covid-19, how did aviation’s safety record for 2020 stack up against previous years?
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In depth
Passenger to cargo conversions boom, but can it last?
The P2F market has been a rare growth area of aviation in the past 12 months as demand for cargo flights outstrips capacity. But as passenger flights, able to carry belly freight, resume in earnest, some fear the many new entrants may face a saturated market.
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News
Ryanair summer fleet plans rest on 737-8200 certification
Ryanair is hoping that, following restoration of the Boeing 737 Max in Europe, certification of the specific high-density 737-8200 variant will shortly follow, allowing it to build a fleet of the jets ahead of summer. The US FAA’s flight standardisation board conducted an analysis of changes introduced for the ...
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News
Crashed Ju 52 was poorly-maintained and not airworthy: inquiry
Swiss investigators have determined that a Junkers Ju 52 was not fit to fly, having been poorly maintained, before it spiralled into the ground after stalling during a sightseeing flight in the Alps. But the inquiry believes that – despite being “not airworthy in a physical or formal sense” ...
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News
Ju 52 fatal crash probe uncovers atrocious catalogue of safety violations
Swiss investigators have concluded, in a damning inquiry, that a Junkers Ju 52 on a pleasure flight stalled after the crew flew it into a narrow valley at low altitude, at a dangerously low airspeed and with its centre-of-gravity out of limits. The crew intended to exit the valley ...
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News
Boeing making design modifications to 777X
Boeing’s latest 777X delay results partly from modifications Boeing is making to the jet’s design, including to actuator controls, so as to meet regulators’ “expectations”.
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News
EASA formally clears 737 Max to resume operations
Europe’s air safety authority has formally cleared the Boeing 737 Max to return to service with the publishing of a finalised airworthiness directive. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency published the document on 27 January, following a consultation period which closed on 22 December last year. EASA executive ...
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News
Haste appears pivotal to E-11A crash pilots’ engine misidentification
Military investigators have signalled that haste was a contributing element to a Bombardier E-11A crew’s incorrectly identifying a failed engine and, in response, mistakenly shutting down the functioning one. The E-11A, a US Air Force (USAF) version of the Global 6000 executive jet, crashed some 21nm (39km) short of ...
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News
US Army touts new rotorcraft in ocean fight with China
China poses several awkward challenges for the US Army. First, the US Army is a land-based military service and China is an ocean away. Second, the wide-open spaces of the Pacific Ocean would seem to make it more difficult to hide in-bound helicopters and tiltrotors from radar.
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Analysis
How trust strained by the DC-10 fractured with the 737 Max
As the domino-chain grounding of the Boeing 737 Max and its gradual patchwork rehabilitation have revealed, unanimous agreement that air safety is paramount does not necessarily translate into a harmonised approach to delivering it. When the European Union Aviation Safety Agency grounded the Max in March 2019, the US ...
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News
Sikorsky-Boeing unveil Defiant X for US Army’s FLRAA programme
A Sikorsky-Boeing team has unveiled Defiant X, its design proposal for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme.
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Analysis
Stage set for battle royale among Australia’s domestic carriers
With international borders likely to be shut for most of the year, Australia’s airlines are focusing their energies on capturing domestic market share. This year, new entrant Rex enters the domestic trunk network, while a rebooted Virgin Australia takes flight after exiting administration. How will this battle shape out, and will there be casualties?
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News
Boeing commits by 2030 to produce jets that can burn 100% sustainable fuel
Boeing has committed that its new commercial aircraft will be able to burn 100% “sustainable” fuel by 2030, an achievement Boeing describes as essential to meeting industrywide carbon reduction goals by 2050.