All Must Read articles – Page 9
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Analysis
What awaits the aviation sector in 2022?
Our special package of forecast articles looks at a dozen topics which are likely to be in the headlines during the coming 12 months.
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In depth
How far through the crisis are Asia-Pacific’s biggest airlines?
Airlines in Asia-Pacific paradoxically, are both among the hardest hit yet also the most profitable since the crisis hit. No region’s international passenger business has been harder by the pandemic than Asia-Pacific’s airlines, as international borders have remained all but shut and only started reopening in the last quarter of ...
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In depth
How far through the crisis are Europe’s biggest airlines?
For European airlines, momentum had been growing across the year, in line with the successful roll-out of vaccination programmes. European short-haul travel began opening up in the summer with the lifting of quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated travellers. That notably stepped up in the second half of the summer and into an extended shoulder season for leisure travel.
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Analysis
Loss of Qantas and Air France-KLM deals to Airbus highlights Boeing’s competitive gaps
Defections of two long-time narrowbody customers – Air France-KLM and Qantas – to Boeing’s arch-rival in Toulouse does not mean the 737 Max is a worse aircraft than the A320neo, but the comparative strength of Airbus’s single-aisle strategy appears to be a winning formula.
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News
SIA orders seven A350 freighters, as 747s exit fleet from 2025
Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to operate the Airbus A350 freighter, after it committed to seven examples, with a further five options
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News
First business jet A220-100 carries out maiden flight
Airbus has conducted the first flight of a business jet variant of its A220-100, which the airframer has branded as the ACJ TwoTwenty. The aircraft, MSN50062, took off from Montreal’s Mirabel airport on 14 December with two test pilots and a flight-test engineer on board. Airbus is intending to deliver ...
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News
De Havilland and ZeroAvia to develop hydrogen-electric Dash 8-400
Turboprop manufacturer De Havilland Canada and UK propulsion company ZeroAvia intend to develop hydrogen-electric propulsion systems for integration into a Dash 8-400 turboprop, with certification targeted as soon as 2026.
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Analysis
Airlines wait for more visibility as Omicron clouds recovery track
The emergence of a new Covid variant of concern and of its spread beyond southern Africa where it was first identified is the news airlines have feared since vaccination programmes began emboldening governments to reopen their borders for travel.
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News
UAE signs record export deal for 80 Rafale fighters
Dassault has scored a record export order for the Rafale, with the United Arab Emirates signing for 80 examples of the multi-role fighter.
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News
China approves changes to Boeing 737 Max and clears way for jet’s return
China’s civil aviation regulator has issued an airworthiness directive that clears the way for Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft to return to flight operations in that country after almost three years.
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News
Pilots’ lack of flying explored after serious 737 go-around incident at Aberdeen
UK investigators are examining whether lack of line flying, as a consequence of the pandemic, is directly linked to a serious go-around incident involving a TUI Airways Boeing 737-800 at Aberdeen. Neither pilot had flown for significant periods during the 18 months prior to the 11 September incident, and the ...
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In depth
Airline Business Index shows industry nearing three-quarters of pre-Covid size
The latest Airline Business Index shows the global airline industry is nearing three-quarters of its pre-Covid size, driven by rapidly returning passengers and revenue in the third quarter. The overall score of 72 (2019 = 100) represents an increase of six from the score on 30 June 2021, 12 ...
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News
Hi Fly details pioneering A340 flight to Antarctic runway
Wet-lease operator Hi Fly has detailed its landing of an Airbus A340-300 on an Antarctic ice runway, the first time the four-engined type has carried out such an operation. The Maltese-registered aircraft (9H-SOL) conducted the flight from Cape Town to the runway at Wolf’s Fang – a distance of some ...
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Analysis
Indigo, Air Lease and Akasa drive Dubai air show order commitments past 500
Major commitments for Airbus aircraft from airline investor Indigo Partners for its low-cost carriers and Air Lease, as well as from Indian start-up Akasa Air for Boeing Max 8s drove the bulk of the more than 500 aircraft order and option commitments announced during the first three days of the Dubai air show.
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News
A350F timeline in ‘right place’ for single-pilot operations: Faury
Airbus is not specifically linking its new A350F to single-pilot operations, but it acknowledges that the entry-into-service schedule coincides with the timeline for testing initial concepts – and that it could serve as a platform. US lessor Air Lease has become the launch customer for the freighter, a five-frame shrink ...
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News
Wizz signals plans to commit to further A321neo expansion
Central European budget carrier Wizz Air could further increase its Airbus A321neo commitment next year, having taken options and rights on a further 94 jets, on top of the 102 ordered as part of the Indigo Partners deal. Wizz Air is to take delivery of most of the newly-ordered 75 ...
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News
Airbus to pitch A350 freighter against 777F and 747F
Airbus’s proposed A350 freighter will be slightly shorter than the A350-1000, with five frames being removed from the basic structure, and the twinjet will be fitted with an aft main cargo door. Chief commercial officer Christian Scherer disclosed the basic configuration to FlightGlobal during a 13 November forecast briefing. The ...
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Interview
How Guillaume Faury is readying Airbus for better times
Although the indusry has yet to fully emerge from the Covid-19 downturn, Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury explains why he thinks higher production rates are justified, and how the A350 freighter will capture demand. Meanwhile, he outlines why the company’s helicopter and defence businesses are still vital parts of the group, while planning for a low-carbon future.
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News
US Army teams autonomous Black Hawk with drones in air assault experiments
The service is exploring how automated flight technologies, developed by DARPA, might allow its utility helicopters to fly faster, further and lower to the ground – or even without any human pilots in the cockpit at all.
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News
A350s operate transatlantic formation flight to test potential for cutting fuel-burn
Airbus has carried out a transatlantic test flight with an A350-900 and A350-1000 in a bid to demonstrate the potential fuel savings achievable when aircraft operate in formation. Performed on 9 November the Toulouse-Montreal flights involved the A350-900 operating as the lead, and the -1000 following, with a separation of ...