All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 48
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NewsAvia Solutions to build UK charter carrier after acquiring business jet operator
Irish-based Avia Solutions Group has purchased a UK operator, Synergy Aviation, as it continues its expansion strategy of investing in carriers. Synergy Aviation – which has a base at Fairoaks airport, some 15km southwest of London Heathrow – is to be rebranded as Ascend Airways. According to the UK Civil ...
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NewsNigerian regulator urges tighter refuelling procedures after water-contamination incidents
Nigerian regulators are urging tighter adherence to refuelling procedures, over concerns centred on water contamination incidents. The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority states that it has been receiving mandatory occurrence reports from carriers relating to water being found in fuel tanks. These include a “recent” event in which a “significant amount” ...
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NewsCleared-to-land Ryanair 737 crew warned tower about occupied Porto runway
Portuguese investigators have disclosed that a Ryanair Boeing 737-800 crew on approach to Porto warned air traffic control that the runway was still occupied despite having received landing clearance. The incident on 26 June occurred after an Azores Airlines Airbus A321neo was authorised to line up, behind landing traffic on ...
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NewsTurkey’s Pegasus agrees to take another 36 A321neos
Turkish budget carrier Pegasus Airlines has disclosed an agreement to take another 36 firm Airbus A321neo twinjets. The airline says it is amending an agreement originally reached in 2012 and subsequently updated three times to cover 114 aircraft. These aircraft comprised 72 A321neos – of which 30 had been delivered ...
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NewsCologne research centre analyses hydrogen combustion under realistic engine conditions
German aerospace laboratory DLR has carried out trials of hydrogen combustion under realistic aircraft engine operating conditions, through a European Union research programme. DLR has been co-operating with US powerplant manufacturer General Electric on the combustion of 100% hydrogen in engines. GE Aerospace supplied a new system designed for direct ...
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NewsNigeria’s Max Air forced to suspend 737 operations pending safety audit
Nigerian authorities have suspended the Boeing 737 operations of Max Air over safety concerns with the carrier. The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority says the suspension takes “immediate effect”. Max Air’s fleet includes six 737s – a mix of -300s and -400s – alongside Boeing 747-400s and a 777-200, according to ...
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NewsEASA highlights importance of operator data to check crew response assumptions
Europe’s safety regulator is stressing the need to strengthen operators’ systematic reporting to aircraft manufacturers, or other design approval holders, regarding occurrences involving human intervention. Airframers make assumptions about expected crew behaviour in order to demonstrate compliance with certification criteria, says the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. But in order ...
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NewsThunderstorms and heavy rain present during LATAM A321 excursion in Brazil
Brazilian investigators are probing a runway excursion involving a LATAM Airlines Airbus A321 during landing at Florianopolis on 12 July. The aircraft, operated by LATAM’s Brazilian division, had been conducting the LA3300 service from Sao Paulo but suffered a “lateral deviation” after landing on runway 32, according to the airline. ...
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NewsEl Al faces potential $40m claim over pricing of group bookings
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has disclosed that it is facing potential legal action centred on claims that its ticketing system unfairly charged higher fares for multiple purchases. El Al says the class action – which features a damage calculation of 147 million shekels ($40 million) – has been filed with ...
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NewsUnresolved Citation jet’s air-data fault preceded serious airprox with E170
French investigators have revealed that a Cessna Citation 525 crew’s uncertainty over the jet’s altitude, owing to an air data problem, preceded a serious airprox incident involving a Hop Embraer 170 early last year. The inquiry found that a fault in the captain’s air-data system had occurred three times over ...
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NewsGreen Africa gradually expands fleet with European ATR lease
Fledgling operator Green Africa is expanding its turboprop fleet with an ATR 72-500 damp-leased from specialist Jump Air. Green Africa, based in the Nigerian city of Lagos, commenced services on local routes just under two years ago. It says it has agreed a partnership with Lithuanian charter carrier Jump Air, ...
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NewsThales expands avionics line by acquiring Cobham radio and satcom arm
French aerospace firm Thales has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire cockpit radio and satcom specialist Cobham Aerospace Communications for around $1.1 billion. Cobham Aerospace Communications – also known as AeroComms – is based in Paris, and has 690 personnel with annual revenues of $200 million. Thales says it aims to ...
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NewsEmirates offers VIP charter flights with Phenom from Dubai
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is introducing a regional charter service with Embraer Phenom 100 business jets out of Dubai’s Al-Maktoum airport. The airline is offering the Phenom for on-demand flights to destinations within the Gulf region, including those outside of the Emirates network. Emirates says the four-seat aircraft provides privacy, ...
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NewsHalla EMB-120 occupants survive landing accident at Mogadishu
All the occupants of an Embraer EMB-120 turboprop have survived after the aircraft crashed during landing at Mogadishu. The Somali civil aviation authority states that the Halla Airlines aircraft “crash landed” on runway 05 at the capital’s Aden Adde international airport on 11 July. Video images circulating on social media, ...
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NewsMaldivian seeks lease arrangements for additional ATR 42s
Indian Ocean carrier Maldivian is seeking to acquire a pair of new ATR 42-600 turboprops under a finance lease as part of a fleet upgrade. The acquisition is being undertaken through Island Aviation Services which has invited interested parties to submit proposals by the end of 22 July. Island Aviation ...
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NewsBangladesh’s Bismillah recruiting for A321 freighter operation
Bangladeshi cargo carrier Bismillah Airlines appears to be moving to Airbus A321 freighter operations, with a recruitment call for crews. The operator, based in Dhaka, serves domestic and international routes and has used various aircraft types. Bismillah Airlines is recruiting for captains and first officers on A321s, as well as ...
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NewsAirbus formally inaugurates new Toulouse A320neo-family assembly line
Airbus has formally inaugurated a new A320neo-family final assembly line at its Toulouse manufacturing facility, which will support the airframer’s single-aisle ramp-up strategy. The assembly line will be capable of producing variants including the A321neo, which has recently become the most-ordered aircraft variant in Airbus’s range. It has already commenced ...
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NewsLOT optimistic over prospects as it eases back to profitability
Polish flag-carrier LOT’s new chief executive, Michal Fijol, says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the airline’s prospects following its return to profitability last year. The carrier turned in a net profit of zl113.7 million ($28 million) for 2022 – compared with the previous full-year loss of nearly zl1.33 billion – ...
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NewsA350 orders edge into four figures a decade after maiden flight
Orders for Airbus A350s have passed 1,000 for the first time, after nearly 60 of the twinjets were added to the backlog during the Paris air show. Airbus unveiled the aircraft as the A350 XWB in July 2006, and formally launched the programme in December, replacing an earlier concept which ...
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NewsA321neo overtakes original A320 as Airbus’s most-ordered model
Thirty years after the Airbus A321’s maiden flight, the A321neo has just taken over as the airframer’s most popular individual model across its aircraft range. Airbus’s half-year backlog figures show the A321neo has accumulated orders for 5,163 aircraft – overtaking the 4,763 for the original A320. The A321neo had already ...