All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 248
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NewsRussian state helps Aeroflot Group obtain Rb70bn in loans
Aeroflot Group has obtained state guarantees to enable it to secure two loans totalling Rb70 billion ($940 million), and has also received a subsidy worth Rb7.9 billion. The Russian operator has turned in a net loss of Rb58.3 billion for the first six months of the year, under international accounting ...
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NewsEl Al 737 arrives in Abu Dhabi after landmark flight
El Al’s landmark United Arab Emirates service from Tel Aviv has arrived at Abu Dhabi, having conducted the flight through Saudi Arabian airspace. The Boeing 737-900ER touched down on Abu Dhabi’s runway 13R at about 15:38, having departed Tel Aviv at about 11:22 – a flight time of some 3h ...
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NewsCreditors to take over Swissport under debt-for-equity restructuring
Ground-handling firm Swissport is set to be taken over by a group of creditors under a €1.9 billion ($2.3 billion) debt-for-equity swap as part of an extensive financial restructuring. Once the process is completed, seven institutions – a group collectively known as AHG – will control more than 75% of ...
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NewsEl Al plans to cross Saudi airspace with 737 to reach UAE
El Al’s planned inaugural flight to the United Arab Emirates is being flightplanned to transit Saudi Arabian airspace, a route which would normally be off-limits to Israeli aircraft. The intended flightpath for the Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi flight on 31 August would cross Jordanian airspace and then enter Saudi airspace at ...
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NewsComair receives binding offer as it finalises business plan
South African carrier Comair’s rescue practitioners have received a binding offer from the preferred investors for the company. As a result, the practitioners are seeking creditors’ consent for a further extension to the deadline to publish the business rescue plan for the operator. Comair, which operates as a British Airways ...
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NewsOmni 767 suffers gear collapse on landing at Bucharest
Investigators in Romania are set to probe the partial collapse of a Boeing 767-300ER’s main landing-gear shortly after the twinjet touched down at Bucharest Baneasa airport. Video images captured of the landing indicate a normal touchdown – some 700m from the threshold – as the aircraft arrived on runway 07 ...
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NewsIsraeli airport operator lists landmark El Al service to UAE
Israeli carrier El Al appears set to operate an initial service to the United Arab Emirates on 31 August, following the diplomatic agreement reached between the two sides. The Israeli and UAE governments disclosed the normalisation of diplomatic relations on 13 August, and stated that direct flights would be among ...
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NewsEl Al granted delivery deferral for final 787
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has been granted a deferral to the end of November for delivery of its final Boeing 787, after the air transport crisis interrupted its fleet renewal schedule. It has signed agreements for a $122 million financing of the 787-8 in February – based on a JOLCO ...
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NewsGatwick seeks easing of financing terms after £321m first-half loss
London Gatwick airport’s operator is asking creditors for short-term amendments to financing terms as part of its efforts to restructure the business to cope with the air transport crisis. The operator says its reduced earnings for 2020 are expected to have a “significant impact” on relevant financial ratios, and it ...
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NewsEASA sets date to begin flight-testing 737 Max
European validation testing of the Boeing 737 Max is set to commence in early September, with flights conducted in Canada. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency states that it will begin simulator testing from 1 September at a facility in London Gatwick. Flight-testing of the aircraft under EASA oversight will ...
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NewsCrisis forces Rolls-Royce to rethink ITP Aero retention
Such has been the sweeping impact of the air transport crisis that Rolls-Royce is floating the divestment of its Spanish-based turbine business ITP Aero just three years after its acquisition – having previously insisted the business was not for sale. Rolls-Royce, which had long held 47% of ITP Aero, turned ...
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NewsColombian investigators probe DC-3 landing excursion
Colombian investigators are probing a runway excursion during landing involving a Douglas DC-3 operated by the local carrier Aerolineas Andinas Aliansa. The aircraft (HK-2006) had been arriving at San Jose del Guaviare airport, which has a single runway around 1,400m in length, having flown from Pacua some 320km to the ...
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NewsMC-21 developers refine unusual-attitude protection criteria
Russian analysts have been refining the flight-control system of the Irkut MC-21-300 to establish protection criteria for avoiding unusual attitudes. The twinjet has a limiter subsystem within its integrated control system which is responsible for preventing the aircraft from entering “difficult situations”, says the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute. It says the ...
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NewsRolls-Royce considers contingencies in case crisis deteriorates
Rolls-Royce is drawing up contingency plans for a worst-case scenario which envisions a second wave of restrictions emerging from an upsurge in the pandemic, resulting in further travel limitations this year or early in 2021. It has outlined the impact of this “severe but plausible” scenario in its half-year briefing, ...
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NewsEl Al loss quadruples over first half
Israeli flag-carrier El Al’s first-half pre-tax loss has nearly quadrupled, to $270 million, compared with last year’s interim figure. El Al also posted a net loss of $244 million in contrast with the previous half-year deficit of $55 million. Its revenues for the six months to 30 June halved to ...
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NewsRolls-Royce weighs ITP Aero disposal as civil aerospace activity buckles
Rolls-Royce is weighing the disposal of its ITP Aero division as a halving of flying hours, depressed deliveries, and heavy exceptional charges sent its civil aerospace division into an underlying gross loss of more than £1.5 billion ($2 billion). It says it is reviewing its portfolio to identify assets “no ...
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NewsCzech carriers apply for protection to stabilise finances
Czech operator Smartwings Group has formally sought temporary creditor protection to buy time to achieve financial stability during the air transport downturn. Smartwings Group, which includes both Smartwings and Czech Airlines, says it has filed with a Prague court for an extraordinary moratorium. The temporary measure provides space to negotiate ...
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NewsLondon Gatwick operator plans to cut a quarter of workforce
London Gatwick airport’s operator is proposing to axe 600 jobs across its business, about a quarter of its employees, as a result of the air transport downturn. It will enter a formal consultation process with employees to discuss the restructuring. Gatwick is managed by a venture between Vinci Airports, which ...
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NewsAviastar tests new robotic line to accelerate Il-76 assembly
Russia’s United Aircraft has introduced a new automated production line for Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A heavy transports which is intended to enhance substantially the assembly process. The technological processes are being tested at the Aviastar manufacturing facility in Ulyanovsk. Compared with the previous traditional process, the automated line will reduce by four ...
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NewsCrisis interrupts Croatia Airlines talks to cancel A320neo order
Croatia Airlines has disclosed that it has been discussing the cancellation of its Airbus A320neo order, the latest twist in a single-aisle situation dating back 12 years. Its order for four of the re-engined jets was placed in September 2015 – four months before the type entered service – with ...