All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 52
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NewsQatar Airways chief Al Baker to step down in November
Qatar Airways has confirmed that its long-standing group chief, Akbar Al Baker, is to step down next month. Al Baker is to leave the post on 5 November, and will be succeeded by Badr Mohammed Al-Meer. Badr Al-Meer is the chief operating officer of Qatar Airways’ hub airport, Hamad International. ...
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NewsRestructuring SAS to enter codeshare with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways
Scandinavian operator SAS is entering a codeshare agreement with Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways, following Etihad’s opening of a Copenhagen route. The codeshare will take full effect from the end of December. SAS is undergoing a corporate restructuring, known as ‘SAS Forward’, and is currently under US Chapter 11 bankruptcy ...
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NewsNepal Airlines seeks new-build STOL aircraft for regional services
Nepal Airlines is searching for a supplier to provide short-take-off aircraft, and has issued a formal request for proposals. The carrier is seeking three newly-built STOL aircraft with at least 18 seats. It states that they should be reconfigurable, such that the seats can be removed or folded in order ...
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NewsSaudia parent rolls out broad corporate rebranding after livery revamp
Saudi Arabian flag-carrier Saudia’s parent company is rebranding its various divisions as part of the transformation which has included developing a new livery for the airline. The parent will be known as Saudia Group and will comprise 12 business units, several of which will adopt new names. Its maintenance arm ...
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NewsHydraulic leak and undercarriage wiring probed after FedEx 757 gear-up landing
US investigators have disclosed that a hydraulic system failure just after take-off preceded the gear-up landing by a FedEx Boeing 757-200 freighter at Chattanooga earlier this month. Examination of the aircraft following the accident revealed that a left-hand landing-gear door retraction actuator hose was leaking hydraulic fluid. The National Transportation ...
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NewsSJ-100 pylon for PD-8 engine undergoes windtunnel testing
Russian aerospace researchers are conducting windtunnel testing of the engine pylon for the Yakovlev SJ-100 version to be powered by domestically-built engines. The new model will feature Aviadvigatel PD-8 powerplants instead of the PowerJet SaM146 used previously. Yakovlev carried out a maiden flight of the SJ-100 in August but the ...
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NewsInspection finds windows missing after Titan A321LR aborts climb out of London Stansted
Investigators are probing an incident in which a Titan Airways Airbus A321LR was found to have missing windows after departing London Stansted. The twinjet had taken off on a transatlantic service to Orlando, Florida, on 4 October. But during the climb, at around 10,000ft, the crew noticed “excessive cabin noise” ...
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NewsSAS agrees sale-and-lease of A320neo pair and looks to retain A330
Scandinavian operator SAS is intending to enter a sale-and-leaseback agreement covering a pair of Airbus A320neo twinjets. The airline is under US Chapter 11 protection as it implements a restructuring process, known as ‘SAS Forward’, of which the fleet re-organisation is a key part. It has set out details of ...
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NewsMis-set altitude selector preceded TAP A321LR ground-proximity alert at Madrid
Portuguese investigators have determined that a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A321LR’s descent to Madrid triggered a ground-proximity warning after the crew mis-set the selected altitude. The aircraft had departed Lisbon on 3 September but the descent was complicated by the presence of thunderstorm activity and the first officer’s having to ...
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NewsMoldovan minister meets with Munich airport operator to discuss Chisinau development
Moldovan infrastructure minister Andrei Spinu has met with representatives of Munich airport as the government looks for potential strategic partners to develop Chisinau airport. Spinu had highlighted modernisation of Chisinau airport in a mid-September speech outlining a sweeping infrastructure plan for the country. He stated that the airport’s capacity was ...
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NewsAeroflot settles foreign-aircraft claim with lessor CDB Aviation
Russian operator Aeroflot Group has reached another settlement over leased foreign aircraft, through a deal with CDB Aviation. The agreement with the Irish-based lessor covers four aircraft, but financial terms have not been revealed. Aeroflot says that, as a result of the settlement, the lessor has “ceased its claims” against ...
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NewsAirbus rejigs management after restoring dedicated commercial aircraft leadership
Airbus is rejigging its management teams following its decision to restore the role of a dedicated commercial aircraft chief and appoint Christian Scherer to the post. Scherer will oversee an initial team of eight including Sabine Klauke as head of engineering, Philippe Mhun as head of programmes and services, and ...
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NewsSaudi leisure developer sets up seaplane operator to serve Red Sea resorts
Saudi Arabian resort developer Red Sea Global has created a subsidiary airline which is using seaplanes to operate services to its island leisure destinations. The airline, Fly Red Sea, has newly commenced operations with an initial fleet of four Cessna Caravan 208s. Each aircraft is configured with “boutique, luxury interiors” ...
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NewsA220 stabiliser jams traced to actuator water intrusion
Canadian regulators have ordered Airbus A220 operators to carry out lubrication tasks on the horizontal stabiliser trim actuator, after occurrences of jamming at the end of cruise. Transport Canada states that investigation of the events has revealed water intrusion in the actuator’s ballscrew assembly. “Water intrusion and subsequent freezing has ...
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NewsMaldivian start-up Beond unveils initial A319 as it promises ‘premium leisure’ flights
Start-up carrier Beond has formally unveiled its first aircraft at an event in the Maldives, from where it aims to conduct initial services to European cities. Beond will commence services with an Airbus A319 (8Q-FBA) which was originally delivered to EasyJet in 2004. It aims to operate from Male, the ...
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NewsLuton airport operations suspended after severe fire tears through multi-storey car park
London Luton airport remains closed to all air traffic after an extensive fire which badly damaged a multi-storey car park. Up to 1,200 vehicles are estimated to have been in the car park when the blaze broke out at 20:47, and the escalating fire was declared a major incident by ...
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NewsEmirates to purchase two A380s leased from investment vehicle
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates is to purchase a pair of Airbus A380s owned by a Guernsey-based investment vehicle. Emirates is acquiring the two jets – MSN77 and MSN90 – which it leases from the vehicle, Doric Nimrod Air Two. The entity purchased the aircraft respectively in October and December 2011. ...
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NewsA321XLR test flight simulates in-service operations
Airbus has completed a test-flight of its A321XLR with a complement of 200 people on board, simulating real-life in-service conditions. The flight, lasting 6h 12min, took place on 5 October, starting and ending in Toulouse. Airbus says 167 employees of the airframer, as well as 33 other occupants – specialists, ...
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NewsSAS and financer Apollo clash over rescue consortium’s expense-repayment deadline
SAS has obtained a favourable court ruling to shorten a notice period for a hearing on repayment of expenses, in relation to its recent equity-solicitation process, despite objections from a key financial participant in the carrier’s restructuring.
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NewsOlder aircraft could be candidates as Finnair ponders eventual narrowbody renewal
Finnair is content with its current fleet structure but indicates that it is more likely to lean towards older engine technology for updating its narrowbodies given the long delivery lead times and recent technical snags with new powerplants.