POLICY COULD LEAD TO BA QANTAS MERGER
TIE-UP An Australian government aviation policy review may result in relaxed ownership restrictions on flag carrier Qantas, potentially smoothing the path to a merger with British Airways. The carriers are in tentative merger talks. Other possible policy changes could see the Australian Transport Safety Bureau become an independent statutory authority rather than being part of the Department of Transport. A formal white paper is due for release next year.
FIRST PRODUCTION VH-71 ARRIVES IN USA
DELIVERY The first of five pilot production versions of the Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland VH-71 presidential helicopter has arrived at NAS Patuxtent River, Maryland. It joins four test aircraft already delivered to the USA. A second pilot production aircraft also has achieved its first flight at AgustaWestland's Yeovil manufacturing facility in the UK. All five pilot production aircraft will go to Lockheed's Owego site in New York for the installation of sensitive mission equipment.
CAR GIANTS TO CLOSE FLIGHT DEPARTMENTS
CREDIT CRUNCH US car giants General Motors and Ford are shutting their flight departments. Ford plans to sell the five aircraft in its fleet and GM will sell four of its seven jets. Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association ,says these companies are in a "unique situation in that they are requesting federal funding to address their acute liquidity crisis".
EMBRAER BREAKS GROUND ON US ASSEMBLY PLANT
PRODUCTION Embraer on 4 December broke ground on its first US aircraft assembly plant, at Melbourne International airport, Florida. From 2010 the plant will assemble up to eight Phenom 100 very light jets and Phenom 300 light jets a month and help US customers design interiors for their Phenom, Legacy and Lineage executive jets.
VIRGIN GALACTIC COULD FLY THIS MONTH
PERSONAL SPACEFLIGHT Virgin Galactic looks set to roll out its SpaceShipTwo sub-orbital craft in April 2009 and WhiteKnightTwo, (Spaceship Two profile) the carrier aircraft that will lift it to 50,000ft (15,150m) before its rocket motor takes it to the edge of space, could make its first flight by 15 December. WK2, powered by four Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308A engines, was originally to have flown in mid-2008.
INDONESIA'S KARTIKA TO ACQUIRE 30 SUPERJETS
LAUNCH CUSTOMER Indonesian carrier Kartika Airlines has tentatively agreed to become the Asian launch customer for the Sukhoi Superjet 100, with a potential order for up to 30 of the PowerJet SaM146-powered regional aircraft, for delivery from 2011. Kartika operates a small fleet of Boeing 737-200s.
SPACEX PLAN FOR TWO DRAGONLAB FLIGHTS
SPACE SERVICES Space Exploration Technologies' Dragonlab, an unmanned science research version of its recoverable Dragon spacecraft designed to carry experiments in orbit for up to two years, has attracted enough customer demand to fly in 2010 and 2011, says SpaceX.
INVESTOR MEETS CONDITIONS FOR ALITALIA SALE
PRIVATISATION Italian investor group Compagnia Aerea Italiana has met the conditions for its planned acquisition of flag carrier Alitalia. A deed of sale is to be stipulated on 12 December and the deal must be completed by 12 January.
Source: Flight International
