NEWS
Boeing delivers first 737 Max 9 to Thai Lion Air
Ten months after handing over the first 737 Max 8, Boeing has now delivered the second major variant in re-engined single-aisle family with Thai Lion Air taking the first 737-9 in a 21 March ceremony in Renton, Washington. The stretched single-aisle powered by CFM International Leap-1B engines completed a 10-month certification effort in January, clearing
Read MoreSuper Star Lockheed Constellation Project Moving to Germany
Lufthansa Technik will jump start major restoration effort after settling class action lawsuit. About 70 mechanics at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine, will soon be out of a job. The mechanics were hired to work on a major restoration project of a Lockheed L-1649A Constellation Starliner named Super Star, which has been in
Read More‘No big technology push’ required for NMA: Boeing
Boeing intends to employ “proven and understood” technologies, rather than radical new ones, on its proposed New Mid-market Airplane (NMA). Randy Tinseth, marketing vice-president for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Industrials Conference in London today that the airframer envisioned, at present, an aircraft that would be “a little
Read MoreUnited reviewing pet travel following incidents
United Airlines is reviewing its policies for pet travel in aircraft cargo holds following a series of incidents in recent days. The Chicago-based carrier will not take any new reservations for pets travelling in cargo holds as part of its PetSafe programme until the review is complete, which is expected by 1 May, it says
Read MoreFacebook, Airbus team up on high-altitude UAVs
Facebook and Airbus have teamed up to lobby the International Telecommunication Union allocate more capacity on the spectrum of radio signals for high-altitude pseudo-satelliltes (HAPS) and work together on development. The social media platform and aerospace manufacturer may seem an unlikely pairing, but both are developing separate, solar-powered unmanned air systems that are designed to
Read MoreProblems emerge in Leonardo’s aerostructures business
Leonardo’s bottom line was hit by poor “industrial performance” at its aerostructures unit last year, the Italian company has reported. The division made revenue of around €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in 2017, but it was “slightly negative” in profitability, chief executive Alessandro Profumo said during a full-year earnings call on 15 March. In previous years,
Read MoreThai Technical hopes to win 20% of regional MRO work
Thai Airways’ MRO arm, Thai Technical, hopes to incorporate its U-Tapao-based joint venture MRO with Airbus by the first quarter of 2020, for launch in 2022. Speaking to FlightGlobal, Thai Technical’s director of MRO strategy and business development Wilarp Thonglaxsanawong adds that feasibility studies with Airbus are “around 80% complete” and that the joint venture
Read MoreAltimeter oversight caused Nauru 737 to go below safe altitude
Nauru Airlines has enhanced pilot training in a range of navigation and approach areas after a serious incident involving a Boeing 737-300 that flew below the minimum descent altitude on a night approach to Kosrae on 12 June 2015. Due to several delays, the aircraft (VH-NLK), operating the carrier’s inaugural scheduled service from the Marshall
Read MoreFlight Safety Foundation Calls for Sweeping Changes to Pilot Training
Despite strides in 2017, the safety problem has not been solved. The pilot training system in the United States has remained essentially unchanged for the past 50 or 60 years, with just a few notable exceptions. New technologies have added complexity to the training process, while loss of control accidents have focused everyone on how
Read MoreKitty Hawk Tests VTOL Drone in New Zealand
The startup formed by Google cofounder Larry Page hopes to introduce a commercial version of the Cora autonomous air taxi within three years. A startup endeavor backed by Google cofounder Larry Page has tested an electric-powered vertical takeoff and landing drone in New Zealand. The company, Silicon Valley based Kitty Hawk, revealed released a video
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