All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 192
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NewsVirgin Atlantic to cut over 3,000 jobs and cull 747-400 fleet
UK long-haul carrier Virgin Atlantic is to cut over 3,100 jobs and retire its Boeing 747-400s in an effort to address the financial pressure of the coronavirus crisis. The airline says it will “immediately suspend” the use of all seven of its 747-400s and is still intending to retire four ...
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NewsExcessive derotation on landing buckled Delta 757’s fuselage
Portuguese investigators believe a failure to control the derotation of a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-200 resulted in a heavy nose-gear impact severe enough to buckle the fuselage. The aircraft (N543US), arriving in the Azores from New York JFK on 18 August last year, had touched down normally with its ...
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NewsAeroflot Superjet crash probe awaits fire and structural analyses
Russian investigators probing the Aeroflot Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash at Moscow Sheremetyevo a year ago are still awaiting results of specific fire and structural analyses before releasing their final findings about the accident. But the Interstate Aviation Committee says some of the work – including US manufacturer Curtiss-Wright’s assessment of ...
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NewsFlybe administrators work to sell aircraft support operations
Administrators of collapsed UK regional carrier Flybe are finalising the sale of its aircraft support operation, Flybe Aviation Services, which has continued to trade. The EY administrators, in a statement of proposals, say they are aiming to complete the transaction “in the coming days” after receiving offers for the division. ...
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NewsIcelandair Group reduces cash drain as it faces $200m first-quarter loss
Icelandair Group is expecting employee cuts to reduce its cash outflow by $12 million per month over the next three months, taking into account measures by the government to pay partial salaries. The company is expecting to reveal a first-quarter loss of $208 million when it details its performance for ...
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NewsWarren Buffett’s investment firm sells out of four major US carriers
Renowned investor Warren Buffett has dumped his stakes in four major US carriers, four years after joking that his firm Berkshire Hathaway was set to benefit from airlines’ tendency to increase fares ahead of its shareholder events. Buffett disclosed the decision to shareholders during Berkshire Hathaway’s 2020 event on 2 ...
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NewsOpposition heaps scorn on detail-light plan for SAA transformation
South Africa’s political opposition is insisting the government detail an agreement with South African Airways unions setting out plans to establish a successor to the crumbling flag-carrier. In a response accusing the department of public enterprises of undermining SAA’s business rescue practitioners, the Democratic Alliance says it will seek a ...
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NewsFlybe administrators fight to retain carrier’s operating licence
UK regional carrier Flybe’s administrators intend to appeal to the government in a bid to retain the airline’s operating licence, warning that a sale of the business would become improbable if the licence is revoked. Flybe ceased operations on 5 March and voluntarily suspended its operating and maintenance licences. The ...
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NewsFastjet negotiates loan as liquidity squeeze continues
African budget operator Fastjet Group has negotiated a $600,000 loan and is holding discussions to obtain creditor discounts to reduce its liabilities. The loan – initially for a six-month term – has been obtained from shareholder Solenta Aviation Holdings to provide working capital and liquidity while Fastjet’s operations are suspended ...
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NewsQatar 787 drifts into A350 after being spun by Doha gale
Qatar Airways states that a Boeing 787-8 and Airbus A350-900 belonging to the carrier suffered only minor damage after the 787 was spun by strong winds and drifted into contact with the adjacent parked A350. Surveillance video indicates the stationary 787 initially weathercocked some 90° to the left as a ...
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NewsIcelandair Group seeks to raise $200m through new shares
Icelandair Group is planning to issue up 30 billion new shares to support its financial position, with the aim of raising up to $200 million in equity. The company has about 5.4 billion shares in issue, giving it a market capitalisation of around IcKr12.9 billion ($88.6 million). Icelandair Group has ...
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NewsRyanair signals 3,000 job cuts as it discusses fleet deferrals
Ryanair is expecting to cut up to 3,000 jobs from July and shut a number of European bases, as it projects that a post-crisis recovery will take at least two years. The airline is negotiating with Boeing to reduce planned deliveries of new 737s for the next 24 months, and ...
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NewsA220 operators advised to monitor compressor over stall risk
Carriers using Airbus A220s are being advised to monitor the operating performance of low-pressure compressors, to warn of stalls, following measures to address engine failures on the type. A220s are fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW1500G powerplants, which have been the subject of scrutiny following a series of engine failures ...
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NewsA350s become freighters through Airbus pallet-for-seat swap
Airbus is offering carriers a modification and regulatory support scheme to convert passenger A350s, A330s and A340s temporarily into main-deck freighters by swapping out seats and fitting pallets onto their floor tracks. Modification is provided to operators under an Airbus service bulletin which sets out not just the engineering work ...
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NewsStick-shaker ambiguity led to unnecessary 747 stall-recovery action
Boeing is amending Boeing 747-400 flight manuals to clarify unreliable airspeed procedures after a British Airways crew erroneously believed a stall warning was genuine and repeatedly attempted a stall recovery manoeuvre. The aircraft (G-BNLN) had reached top-of-climb at 33,000ft, during a transatlantic service to Phoenix from London Heathrow on 9 ...
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NewsSafran expects to build 1,000 CFM Leap engines this year
French aerospace specialist Safran is expecting to manufacture around 1,000 CFM International Leap engines this year, having delivered 40% fewer civil powerplants over the first quarter. It says it handed over 326 engines from the CFM56 and Leap range in the three-month period. These included 272 Leap engines, down 35%. ...
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NewsEU eases airline licensing and ground-handling rules
European authorities are putting forward proposals to ease airline licensing rules and ground-handling firms’ regulatory burdens, with the intention of reducing costs during the coronavirus crisis. Airlines which are unable to meet financial obligations over the next 12 months would normally have their operating licences revoked, or be issued with ...
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NewsAirbus rekindles support from export credit agencies
Airbus believes the support of export credit agencies will be important to assist the funding of deliveries to customers during the air transport crisis. But the airframer is not intending to extend financing itself, unless particular circumstances warrant such a measure. Airbus chief financial officer Domink Asam, speaking on 29 ...
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NewsAirbus staying prepared for aggressive single-aisle rebound
Airbus is expecting the single-aisle market to recover faster than the long-haul sector, but the airframer is stressing that the pattern of deliveries is the most difficult part of its business to forecast. It has not offered any guidance in its newly-issued first-quarter financial statement. Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, ...
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NewsAirbus not expecting to review production levels before mid-year
Airbus is not expecting to review the cuts to its aircraft production rates until around mid-year, when the second-quarter impact of the air transport crisis becomes clearer. The manufacturer has made deep cuts to the output from its A320, A330 and A350 lines. Chief executive Guillaume Faury, speaking during a ...