All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 18
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NewsAnalysis of recorder data commences after Vilnius 737 freighter crash
Lithuanian investigators have commenced analysis of flight-recorder information following the Swiftair Boeing 737 freighter crash outside Vilnius on 25 November. German authorities extracted the data from the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders, according to the Lithuanian prosecutor general’s office. The office is leading a pre-trial investigation – conducted by the criminal ...
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NewsUK and Dutch investors await approval to pick up Air Belgium’s freight operations
UK long-haul freight specialist Air One Holdings International and a Dutch firm, Peso Aviation Management, are looking to take over the cargo operations of struggling carrier Air Belgium. The two investors have submitted an offer to a business court which, according to Air Belgium, is set to issue a decision ...
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NewsRussian autopilot and autothrust system for SJ-100 nears flight-testing
Russia’s Yakovlev and electronic systems specialist KRET have completed development of the autopilot and autothrust algorithms for the SJ-100 twinjet. The SJ-100 is the latest version of the Superjet 100, and features an increased proportion of systems produced domestically rather than by foreign suppliers. Preliminary testing on the ‘electronic bird’ ...
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NewsDutch government plan for Schiphol flight cap is ‘incomprehensible’: KLM
KLM has described as “incomprehensible” a Dutch government intention to limit Amsterdam Schiphol flight movements to 478,000 next year. The government says it wants to reduce by 15% the number of people seriously affected by noise in the hub’s vicinity – part of an overall 20% noise-protection target. It states ...
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NewsSAA pilots start returning to work after suspending industrial action
Pilots at South African Airways have suspended their industrial action which has disrupted the carrier’s services since 5 December. The airline says the suspension took effect from 02:00 on 7 December, and it expects to reinstate its flying schedule fully on 8 December. SAA says this follows “successful negotiations” between ...
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NewsTwenty A330neos and A350s ordered by unidentified customers
Airbus secured orders for 30 aircraft in November, including 15 A330-900s and five A350-900s, but it has identified none of the three customers involved. The airframer lists the 20 widebodies in its latest backlog figures, along with an order for 10 A321neos. These agreements accounted for Airbus’s entire order activity ...
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NewsFraport prepares to divest St Petersburg airport stake to Middle Eastern firm
German airports operator Fraport is expecting to finalise within days a transaction cementing its withdrawal from St Petersburg Pulkovo airport. Fraport was part of the Northern Capital Gateway consortium – owned by Cypriot-based Thalita Trading – which had a 30-year concession to run the Russian hub from 2010. But Russia’s ...
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NewsSwiss doubles its A350 commitment
Lufthansa Group carrier Swiss is bringing five more Airbus A350-900s into its fleet, doubling its commitment to the long-haul twinjet.
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NewsRolls-Royce finally secures certification for A350-900’s enhanced-performance engine
Rolls-Royce is finally expecting to put an enhanced-performance Trent XWB engine into service on the Airbus A350-900 next year, after securing European certification.
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NewsPilot deliberately crashed Cessna 208 while returning from parachute drop
French investigators believe a Cessna 208 pilot, under psychological pressure, deliberately flew the aircraft into a mountain ridge while returning to Gap-Tallard airport after a parachute drop. The pilot, the only occupant, did not survive the October 2023 collision with the ridge, which rises to some 1,400m in the French ...
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NewsSouth African Airways rejigs schedule ahead of pilot strike
South African Airways has amended its schedule following the decision by cockpit crews to embark on industrial action from 5 December. It has published timetable changes for services between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth, as well as the Namibian capital Windhoek and Port Louis in Mauritius. SAA ...
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NewsTAP to open new US routes from Lisbon and Porto
Portuguese Star Alliance carrier TAP is to open two new transatlantic services next year, operating to Los Angeles and Boston. It also intends to connect the Azores archipelago with San Francisco. TAP will serve Los Angeles from Lisbon using 298-seat Airbus A330-900s, initially flying the route three-times weekly from 16 ...
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NewsSaudia and Air France-KLM to explore 787 engine MRO venture under co-operation pact
Middle Eastern carrier Saudia is entering a maintenance partnership with Air France-KLM which will focus on engine work. The two sides will explore a joint venture for GE Aerospace GEnx engines which power Boeing 787s. Under the pact Saudia envisions awarding at least 50% of GE Aerospace GE90 work to ...
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NewsTUI Airways seals lease of additional 737 Max 8s
TUI Airways is continuing to replenish its single-aisle fleet through a lease agreement for 14 Boeing 737 Max 8s. The lease has been disclosed by Singapore-based lessor BOC Aviation. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to run over the course of 2025-26. UK-based TUI Airways already has some 20 737 ...
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NewsSAA pilots threaten strike over salary demands despite carrier’s fragile finances
South African Airways is warning that it is not financially strong enough to support a salary demand from pilots, who have threatened to strike from 5 December. The carrier has been negotiating with the SAA Pilots Association, but claims the association’s initial request for a 30% wage increase – subsequently ...
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NewsSpanish IAG long-haul carrier Level secures air operator’s certificate
IAG’s Spanish long-haul carrier Level has secured its own air operator’s certificate, enabling it to embark on developing its network from Barcelona. It will fly under the designator code ‘LL’ and the callsign ‘Dali’ – a cultural reference to Catalonian artist Salvador Dali. Level states that granting of the AOC ...
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NewsUS and French specialists to develop A319 as aerial firefighting tanker
US-based aerial firefighting specialist Neptune Aviation is looking to the Airbus A319 as a complement to its British Aerospace 146 tanker fleet. The company – located at Missoula airport in Montana – has commenced the process to modify the twinjet type and expects to introduce it in 2027. Neptune is ...
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NewsIcelandair takes first Airbus with delivery of A321LR
Icelandair has taken delivery of a long-range Airbus A321LR, the first model from the airframer in the carrier’s fleet. The twinjet – powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines – is one of several to be leased from SMBC Aviation Capital. Three will arrive before summer next year. Icelandair is ...
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NewsEasyJet placing eight aircraft at Italian hubs as part of Lufthansa-ITA remedy
UK budget carrier EasyJet plans to station eight aircraft in Italian hubs as part of the remedy measures for the Lufthansa-ITA Airways tie-up. Lufthansa Group’s plan to take a shareholding in ITA has been cleared by European Commission regulators after remedial proposals were accepted. EasyJet has been confirmed – along ...
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NewsDanish government to take controlling share of Copenhagen airport operator
Denmark’s government is to take a controlling share of the Kobenhavns Lufthavne, the operator of Copenhagen airport. The Danish finance ministry says it has entered a “political agreement” with several political parties regarding the acquisition. It has entered a conditional purchase deal with Danish pensions firm ATP to purchase just ...
