Oman Air will fit 'First Class Mini Suites' to a new tranche of Boeing 787-9 jets, joining the handful of airlines with the confidence to bring a first class travel experience to the Dreamliner. Many airlines – including Qantas – have chosen to cap their Boeing 787-9s with business class, but Oman Air is going all the way with fully-enclosed suites featuring sliding privacy doors some 1.4 metres high. The 23-inch wide seat becomes 30 inches once you drop the armrests and converts into fully flat… (www.ausbt.com.au) More...
A USAF F-16 crashed at Lake Havasu Airport on Tuesday morning. According to the United States Air Force, an F-16C aircraft assigned to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base diverted and attempted to land at the Lake Havasu Airport around 10:30 a.m. Officials say the aircraft departed the prepared surface and the pilot ejected. The pilot is in good condition and expected to be OK. (www.airlive.net) More...
A redraw of Qantas' international network sees the ageing Boeing 747 move closer to retirement with all jumbo jets pulled from flights to Los Angeles as of December 2018, in favour of the Airbus A380 superjumbo and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. From 4 December, Tuesday's Sydney-Los Angeles Boeing 747 service (QF11/QF12) will be replaced by an Airbus A380, which will complete the roster of daily superjumbos to Los Angeles from both Sydney and Melbourne The seasonal twice-weekly Sydney-Los Angeles… (www.ausbt.com.au) More...
On Sep 21st 2016 the CIAIAC reported both aircraft were found at 5000 feet intercepting radial 065 (not mentioned which navigation aid was referenced) in the sequence that ATC had determined, both aircraft were about 18nm before the runway 07L threshold, one aircraft turned onto the radial from the left, the other from the right. TCAS resolution advisories were triggered on board of both aircraft, both crews complied with the advisories. Both aircraft completed a normal landing afterwards. (avherald.com) More...
For travel starting May 1, 2018, JetBlue will place its "B6" airline code on JetSuiteX Air-operated flights between West Coast destinations, offering new point-to-point routes for JetBlue customers. This includes flights between Burbank, Calif. (BUR); Concord, Calif. (CCR); Oakland, Calif. (OAK); and Las Vegas (LAS), and marks the first codeshare between a semi-private public charter operator (JetSuiteX) and a major national carrier. (www.prnewswire.com) More...
London - According to the rumors, British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce will partner with Chinese engine manufacturer Aero Engine Corporation of China to deliver jet engines for the CR929 widebody aircraft that China and Russia jointly develop. (airlinerwatch.com) More...
It's one of the world's most-loved airlines but it's about to vanish forever. Consistently credited as being one of the US's favourite airlines, Virgin America is set to take its final flight today before it is taken over by Alaska Air as part of a US$2.6 billion ($3.6b) deal. (www.nzherald.co.nz) More...
All Nippon Airways (ANA) will equip its three on order Airbus A380s with 520 seats, the second highest seat density deployed on the type. (www.flightglobal.com) More...
Bombardier has delivered the first of three Challenger 650-turned-air ambulances to Swiss Air-Rescue Rega. The remaining two Challenger 650 aircraft will be delivered later this year, replacing the air ambulance service’s earlier-generation Challenger 604 fleet. (www.aviationtoday.com) More...
Bombardier’s Singapore service center used Honeywell Aerospace’s JetWave hardware to install its first Ka-band system on an in-service Global 6000 aircraft. (www.aviationtoday.com) More...
Second-tier and third-tier vendors to the Airbus and Boeing narrowbody manufacturing programs will struggle to maintain a smooth flow of their products to the two major OEMs’ assembly lines if the two companies decide to accelerate A320neo and 737 monthly production rates in sudden large increments, according to United Technologies CEO Greg Hayes. (www.ainonline.com) More...
Russian carrier Azur Air has given stronger signals that it is looking to acquire Boeing 777s for its operaitons. The airline has newly increased its fleet to include a sixth 737-800, a 189-seat jet which it put into service on 25 April on the Moscow-Heraklion route. (www.flightglobal.com) More...
Southwest Airlines canceled about 40 flights Sunday to perform fan blade inspections days after a passenger was partially sucked out of a window and killed. The cancellations were voluntary and part of an accelerated engine fan blade inspection program announced Tuesday, the airline said in a written statement. (www.dallasnews.com) More...
Toulouse - The first of four Airbus A330-900s of the WOW Air was photographed by a spotter outside the FAL in Toulouse. The A330-900 should be delivered to WOW Air by the end of the year. (airlinerwatch.com) More...
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has warned UK authorities for some time that they need to clarify as soon as possible their civil aviation safety regulatory regime post-Brexit, but now the European Commission has increased pressure and spelled out that once the country leaves the EU in March 2019 its airlines will no longer operate under the auspices of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the related certifications will lapse. (www.ainonline.com) More...
The Ultra Long Range version of the A350 XWB, MSN 216, has successfully completed its first flight. The latest variant of the best-selling A350 XWB Family will be able to fly further than any other commercial airliner and will enter service with launch operator Singapore Airlines in second half 2018. (www.airlive.net) More...
