All articles by David Kaminski-Morrow – Page 79
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NewsAegean reinforces spare-aircraft capacity to protect against supply issues
Greek carrier Aegean is to double its spare aircraft capacity this year in order to protect its network against supply-chain issues. Speaking during a full-year briefing, chairman Eftichios Vassilakis disclosed the plan to retain “a very large number of aircraft” as back-up as it aimed to conduct “significantly higher” activity ...
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NewsCabin comfort and cold-weather tests beckon for A321XLR prototype
Airbus is looking ahead to the final maturity stages of A321XLR development, as it details the in-flight validation effort for the cabin-equipped flight-test airframe. The aircraft – a CFM International Leap-1A-powered twinjet, MSN11080 – is one of three prototypes participating in the XLR certification campaign. While intended for passenger cabin ...
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NewsSpecial training proposed to reduce Global Express runway wing-strike risk
Bombardier has been discussing with Canadian regulators proposed special training to mitigate the risk of runway wing-strike on Global Express business jets, after a number of incidents. UK investigators have referred to the proposal following an occurrence at London Luton on 7 April last year which damaged a Luxembourg-registered Global ...
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NewsTransavia-backed zero-emission start-up Lucy recruits former IndiGo chief
Transavia-backed start-up operator Lucy is aiming to offer scheduled electric flights by 2030, as it reinforces its management team with former IndiGo chief Rono Dutta. The company says it has established a base of operations at Eindhoven airport, and that it intends to commence services “as early as” 2025. It ...
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NewsBluebird Nordic seeks new routes by setting up Central European operator
Icelandic wet-lease cargo carrier Bluebird Nordic is seeking to establish a Central European operation, and is proceeding to obtain a Slovakian air operator’s certificate. Bluebird Nordic says the measure is a “strategic move” to enter “new and prominent” markets. It says the new authorisation will enable it to expand its ...
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NewsA380 first to carry Emirates’ revised livery design
Middle Eastern carrier Emirates has unveiled a new standard livery for its fleet, which primarily features a modified version of the United Arab Emirates flag design on the fin. The latest livery is the third iteration of the Dubai-based airline’s colour scheme, and includes changes to the wing fences and ...
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NewsBoeing sees shift in delivery finance mix as air transport market recovers
Boeing is expecting expanding use of export credit and debt to finance aircraft deliveries, as it predicts that recovering production and travel will drive the need for financing almost back to pre-crisis levels this year. It is forecasting industry delivery funding, covering the main commercial aircraft types, at $94 billion ...
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NewsResurgent Aegean turns in full-year profit
Greek operator Aegean is expecting to introduce another nine Airbus A320neo-family jets this year, and take its fleet to 76 aircraft. Aegean says the initial booking indications for the year are “particularly encouraging”, with international traffic and summer sales trends exceeding pre-crisis levels. Its network will cover 161 destinations with ...
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NewsFinnair avoids long-haul cabin crew outsourcing after savings pact
Finnair has reached a cost-saving agreement with cabin crew, averting implementation of a potential plan to subcontract in-flight services on certain long-haul routes. The airline had been looking to outsource cabin service on North American and Thai routes, according to the transportation workers’ union AKT, which had engaged in industrial ...
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NewsSaudi Arabian aviation focus includes optimising air traffic management
Saudi Arabia’s government is complementing its ambitious air transport expansion programmes with an effort to increase airspace efficiency. The Saudi air navigation service SANS oversees some 2 million km² of airspace, controlling traffic primarily through two area centres. SANS has reached a provisional agreement on collaborating with UK counterpart NATS ...
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NewsJazeera to create new Saudi low-cost airline
Kuwaiti budget carrier Jazeera Airways is taking preliminary steps to establish a new operator in Saudi Arabia. Jazeera’s board held a meeting on 12 March at which it approved the plan. “The financial impact will be determined once the establishment and operating licensing procedures [are] finalised,” it states. Jazeera says ...
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NewsFrankfurt yet to restore passenger numbers to pre-crisis level
Frankfurt Main airport’s passenger traffic is likely to reach 80-90% of pre-crisis levels this year, the hub’s operator is forecasting. The operator, Fraport Group, expects passenger numbers of 57-63 million over the course of 2023. It disclosed the forecast during a full-year briefing, as it unveiled a group net profit ...
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NewsAir Greenland’s retired A330-200 ferried to Arizona for spares supply
Air Greenland’s long-serving Airbus A330-200, one of the first of the variant to be delivered, has left the fleet and been flown to Arizona for parts supply. The aircraft – which carried out its final scheduled service on 16 February – conducted a ferry flight from Copenhagen to the US ...
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NewsA321neo conducts emission-data test flights using wholly-sustainable fuel
Airbus has been conducting in-flight emission measurements using an A321neo powered by wholly-sustainable aviation fuel. The airframer is collecting data on emissions from the twinjet’s CFM International Leap-1A engines, using a Dassault Falcon 20 chase aircraft from the German aerospace laboratory DLR. Airbus says the Falcon aimed to gather information ...
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NewsGlideslope fluctuation preceded Icelandair 737 Max’s hard landing
Canadian investigators have disclosed that an Icelandair Boeing 737 Max 9 sustained tail-skid damage during a hard landing at Toronto in early March. The aircraft had been conducting an approach to runway 33R when it experienced glideslope fluctuation, says Transportation Safety Board of Canada, and the autopilot disconnected. Although the ...
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NewsGlobal Knafaim caught up in dispute after A330-200 buyer pulls out
Israeli lessor Global Knafaim Leasing is embroiled in a dispute over the sale of an Airbus A330-200, after the prospective buyer pulled out of the deal. Global Knafaim says the purchaser notified the lessor on 9 March that it was cancelling the deal, claiming that the aircraft does not meet ...
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NewsSaudi government unveils new national airline Riyadh Air
Saudi Arabia’s government has unveiled its new national airline, branding it Riyadh Air, headed by former Etihad Aviation Group chief Tony Douglas. Riyadh Air will operate from a hub in the Saudi capital with a network expanding to more than 100 destinations by 2030. It has not detailed its planned ...
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NewsAir Baltic revisits ‘Latvia’ colour scheme for latest A220
Air Baltic has taken its fleet of Airbus A220-300s to 40 aircraft, receiving the latest twinjet in a colour scheme reflecting the Latvian national flag. The airline unveiled the livery on the aircraft (YL-ABN) during a ceremony at Montreal Mirabel. It will join another A220 (YL-CSL) which already carries a ...
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NewsPlay shifting from rapid expansion to ‘surgical’ network tightening: CEO
Icelandic low-cost airline Play’s chief executive, Birgir Jonsson, appears prepared to turn off the seat-belt sign nearly two years after the carrier embarked on its rapid ascent through an uncertain and tempestuous air transport sector.
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NewsCockpit oxygen system suspected in Hangzhou Tu-204 fire
Russian investigators believe the fire on a Tupolev Tu-204 freighter which broke out in Hangzhou in January last year started in the aircraft’s cockpit. The aircraft, operated by Russian carrier Aviastar-Tu, was being prepared for a service to Novosibirsk with 22t of freight. Eight personnel were on board the twinjet ...