All air transport news – Page 106
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NewsEl Al 787 cuts flight time to Thailand with Saudi-Omani transit
El Al has conducted its first flight through Saudi Arabian and Omani airspace since recent agreements lifted restrictions on transit by Israeli carriers. The airline operated its LY083 service from Tel Aviv to Bangkok on 26 February, using a Boeing 787-9 – a flight which took about 7h 30min. Its ...
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NewsPratt-powered A321XLR undergoes cold-weather testing in Canada
Airbus has carried out several days of cold-weather testing of the A321XLR, having flown one of the prototype twinjets to northern Canada. The test aircraft – MSN11058, also known as FTV2 – departed Toulouse on 20 February for the airport at Iqaluit. It undertook a number of flights, conducting circuits ...
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NewsPilot shortage will erode US discounters’ low-cost edge: United executive
A shortage of pilots will increasingly erode the cost advantages long enjoyed by US discount airlines while improving the competitive position of giants like United Airlines.
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NewsPentagon clears resumption of F-35 engine deliveries
The US government had paused delivery of the fighter’s Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, following the December crash of a Lockheed Martin F-35B in Texas during pre-delivery flight tests.
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NewsOliver Wyman slashes 10-year fleet forecast amid production and labour issues
Three years have passed since Covid-19 flattened air travel, and the global fleet of commercial jets has still not quite recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
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NewsSmartLynx lands Australian approval for A330 operations
Latvian wet-lease specialist SmartLynx has secured authorisation to conduct operations from Australia, where is intends initially to use Airbus A330s. The company says it has received an Australian foreign air transport operator certificate. SmartLynx says operating flights to Australia has been “integral” to its strategic effort to extend its network ...
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NewsRolls-Royce presents opportunity for cost-cutting through synergies: new chief
Rolls-Royce chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic argues that the company can still afford to undertake further cost-reduction measures despite the extensive restructuring carried out during the pandemic. Speaking during the company’s full-year briefing on 23 February, Erginbilgic said the previous cost-cutting efforts had focused primarily on civil aerospace and had been ...
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NewsBluebird 737 freighter destabilised by ballast shift during Paris approach
Investigators are probing an apparent ballast shift on board a Bluebird Nordic Boeing 737-400SF during its descent towards Paris Charles de Gaulle. The incident involving the Icelandic-registered freighter occurred on 10 February, according to French investigation authority BEA, which is citing preliminary information from its Icelandic counterpart. BEA says the ...
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NewsOptimistic SAS lifts long-term financial forecast over strong demand
Scandinavian carrier SAS is reviewing long-term financial projections for 2024-26, with preliminary indications that stronger-than-expected demand will generate higher revenues and earnings towards the end of this period. SAS had previously estimated revenues of SKr49 billion ($4.7 billion) for 2026 but believes this figure will be greater, while it is ...
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NewsBoeing once again halts 787 deliveries, this time due to ‘analysis error’
Boeing has once again halted deliveries of its 787 Dreamliners due to what it calls “an analysis error” by one of its suppliers.
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NewsSoon-to-be-acquired Atlas Air posts profitable Q4, but cargo demand slips from 2021
US air cargo company Atlas Air Worldwide made $126 million during its fourth quarter of 2022 and $356 million for the full year – “one of the best years in Atlas’ history”, chief executive John Dietrich said on 23 February. The freight hauler’s results were down from 2021, however.
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NewsNew Rolls-Royce chief tears into underperformance and strategic weakness
New Rolls-Royce chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic has given a withering assessment of the company’s strategic and financial performance as it unveiled its full-year results. Rolls-Royce has been “underperforming for an extended period”, he said during a presentation on 23 February. “Cash generation is unsatisfactory. Our debt is still too high. ...
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NewsRolls-Royce civil aerospace profits up but company 'capable of much more': CEO
Large engine flying hours for Rolls-Royce increased further last year, but remain 35% below the pre-crisis level of 2019, the manufacturer has disclosed. But it expects this gap to reduce to 10-20% this year following the easing of travel restrictions in China. Rolls-Royce large civil engine deliveries reached 190 – ...
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NewsFlyr administrator pessimistic over creditors’ claims
Collapsed Norwegian carrier Flyr’s administrator believes there will be no funds available for non-priority creditor claims, once it has addressed those with greater precedence such as wage arrears. Flyr was placed in bankruptcy by an Oslo court on 1 February. Law firm Kvale held an initial creditor meeting on 16 ...
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NewsTajikistan’s Somon Air considers possible L-410 acquisition
Tajik carrier Somon Air appears to be considering potential acquisition of Let Aircraft Industries L-410s for regional operations. Somon Air says a delegation from the airline has conducted a familiarisation visit to the Czech plant of the company. It says representatives aimed to become acquainted with the production process of ...
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NewsGE continues pushing F-35 engine replacement over upgrade
Calling its campaign to develop an adaptive-cycle engine for the fifth-generation stealth fighter a success, GE Aerospace is pushing for the US Air Force to adopt the technology, rather than opting to perform a core upgrade on the existing F-35 powerplant.
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In depthWill electric air taxis really soar over LA during the 2028 Olympics? Industry players bank on it
Some believers in emerging aviation technology have a futuristic vision of a highly connected fleet of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles in the sky above Southern California within five years. Type certification is the next big step.
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NewsFAA to publish airworthiness directive for Continental engines
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to publish an airworthiness directive (AD) for Continental Aerospace engines later this week.
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NewsPitch-up after tailwind shift led to SAS A320neo tail-strike at Split
Croatian investigators believe a late shift in tailwind preceded an SAS Airbus A320neo’s loss of lift just before touchdown in Split, leading to a tail-strike. The aircraft, arriving from Bergen, had been stabilised during an ILS approach to runway 05. But winds were varying from 170-245°, and a 10kt change ...
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NewsLeap engines still 'suffering' in harsh conditions, says Safran chief
Premature wear of turbine components in CFM International Leap engines operated in “harsh” environments is causing higher than anticipated workload for the manufacturer’s repair and overhaul network. First disclosed in late 2021, the problem relates to the cracking of first-stage rotor blades of Leap engines that are operated in challenging ...