Honeywell And SmartSky Bring Unparalleled Connectivity To North American Airlines Using 5G Technologies

Honeywell has been selected as an authorized value-added reseller for SmartSky Networks' air-to-ground services leveraging 5G technologies for North American airline operators. By becoming an authorized reseller, Honeywell extends its inflight connectivity (IFC) services for airlines.

De Havilland Canada Discloses Order from TAAG Angola Airlines

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited announced today that TAAG Angola Airlines E.P. has purchased six Dash 8-400 aircraft. TAAG is the state-owned, national airline of Angola. This order was announced by Bombardier Commercial Aircraft on March 29, 2019 as an order from an unidentified customer.

The disclosure of the previously unidentified customer was done during a press conference today at the 53rd International Paris Air Show, and follows the recent completion of the transition of Bombardier's Dash 8/Q Series aircraft program from Bombardier to De Havilland Canada.

Korean Air agrees an 'intent' letter to 'acquire' 30 787 Dreamliners - yet holds secret talks with Airbus over A350 purchase

Boeing rushed out a press release advising that Korean Air and leasing firm Air Lease Corporation has agreed to add 30 new 787 Dreamliner aircraft to its fleet, with a commitment to purchase 10 new 787-10s and 10 additional 787-9 aeroplanes valued at $6.3 billion at current list prices. As part of this agreement, Korean Air will also lease 10 787-10s from ALC.

"As we continue to innovate our product offering, the 787 Dreamliner family will become the backbone of our long-haul fleet for many years to come," said Walter Cho, Chairman of Korean Air. 

Hainan Airlines Awarded the SKYTRAX 5-Star Airline Designation for the 9th Consecutive Year

On June 18, Paris local time, international air transport rating organization SKYTRAX announced the winners of the 2019 SKYTRAX World Airline Awards. Hainan Airlines was named a SKYTRAX 5-Star Airline for the 9th consecutive year and ranked 7 among the Top 10 SKYTRAX carriers. It also received top position in Best Business Class Comfort Amenities, Best Airlines in China and Best Airline Staff in China categories. 

Collins Aerospace receives additional C-130 NP2000 propeller upgrade and support awards from US Air National Guard, US Navy

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. has been awarded a contract by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to support NP2000 propeller upgrades for 24 Lockheed Martin C-130H aircraft for the U.S. Air National Guard (ANG). This is in addition to the 12 NP2000 propeller upgrades Collins Aerospace has already completed, bringing the total number of C-130H ANG upgrades the company has been awarded to 36. 

B-2 Bomber ejection seat upgrade: Collins Aerospace ACES seat kits on track for delivery this summer

Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. has conducted several major reviews on the upgraded version of its ACES II ejection seat for the U.S. Air Force's Safety and Sustainment Improvement Program (SSIP) for B-2 bombers. After closing out final action items, deliveries are on track to begin this summer.

Triumph Group And Air France-KLM Announce Strategic Alliance

Triumph Group and Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) announced today that they intend to create an aftermarket strategic partnership to give airlines and MRO customers global coverage for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services in the aftermarket.  The parties anticipate that the arrangement will benefit airline customers by providing seamless global support regardless of location while simplifying the airlines' supplier bases all in a manner that leverages the cost-effective solutions these leading third-party and operator/MROs are able to deliver to airlines.

Raytheon testing AI to improve CV-22 maintenance planning

The U.S. military's V-22 joint program office and Raytheon Company are testing a new artificial intelligence tool to help better determine when repairs are needed to the multi-mode radar installed on U.S. Air Force CV-22 Ospreys.

"Just like you get your car's oil changed every 5,000 miles, whether you need to or not, the military generally repairs parts on their planes on a set schedule," said Matt Gilligan, vice president for Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "By using the performance data we're already collecting on CV-22 radars, an AI tool can instead tell us exactly when the radar may need to be repaired or replaced, keeping the plane in service longer and saving money."

Delta named Best Airline Staff in North America at Paris Air Show and Expands A220 order

Delta’s consistent commitment to service excellence was recognized this week as the airline was named Best Airline Staff in North America at the SkyTrax World Airline Awards, held at the 53rd edition of the Paris Air Show.

Award winners were decided by the public, with Delta employees the favourite of customers travelling to North America. Beatrice de Rotalier, Delta’s Sales Manager for France, accepted the award.

Allison Ausband, Senior Vice President – In-Flight Service, congratulated employees. “Delta people are the best customer service professionals in the industry,” Allison said. “They elevate the experience for our customers and deliver unparalleled service on a global stage, taking time to listen, empathize and respond.”

RAF Typhoon fighter jets based at Amari Air Base in Estonia were scrambled twice to intercept Russian fighter aircraft...

RAF Typhoon fighter jets based at Amari Air Base in Estonia were scrambled twice, from Friday 14th June to Saturday 15th June to intercept Russian fighter aircraft. Working in partnership with the Estonian authorities, this was a routine NATO airspace policing mission for the Typhoon detachment providing continued reassurance in the region. 

This weekend’s activity means that the RAF have made eight intercepts of Russian aircraft since taking over the Baltic Air Policing mission on 3 May 2019.

De Havilland is back in the air.....

The iconic De Havilland aviation brand is continuing its return to global prominence at the Paris Air Show. In a ceremony at the event, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited formally received the Type Certificates for the entire Dash 8 aircraft program, including the 100, 200 and 300 series and the in-production 400.

Emergency landing at RAF Mildenhall for US B-52 bomber

Photo Jack Ellis 

An American B-52 bomber had to make an 'unscheduled' emergency landing following an incident during a flight early on Monday evening.

The aircraft was seen circling over RAF Mildenhall for some time before making ist landing around 1900 on Monday.  "supporting several exercises from a Stateside base".

The emergency services rushed to the aircraft as it came to a halt on the runway and hosed down part of the aircraft.

Photo Jack Ellis

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Heathrow reveals masterplan for expansion with launch of its largest consultation

Heathrow today unveils its preferred masterplan for expansion

Details of tough new measures to reduce emissions revealed, as well as our preferred plans for noise respite and

proposed ban on scheduled night flights  

This statutory consultation is the next major milestone for the expansion proposals, and Heathrow’s most innovative and largest consultation to date

It follows Heathrow’s Airspace and Future Operations Consultation held earlier this year and will inform the airport’s Development Consent Order (DCO) application, which is expected to be submitted next year.

Today, Heathrow launches its 12-week statutory consultation on expansion, the latest milestone in delivering this critical national infrastructure project, as the preferred masterplan for the project is unveiled.

Delta is expanding its A220 schedule

​​After its February debut, the A220 fleet is ramping up to 74 daily flights across the U.S., from Boston to Dallas to Seattle.

Delta's new Airbus A220 is expanding to more routes and new airports this summer, giving more customers than ever the opportunity to experience the aircraft's modern and spacious interior – and popular lavatory window! ​

The aircraft in April made its debut in the West at Salt Lake City International Airport and in May began operating from Mineta San Jose International Airport. This week, it launched from Delta's Seattle hub when it began operating on two of Delta's six daily flights to San Jose, with expansion to more Seattle routes planned later this year. The West Coast launch is part of a broader ramp-up of Delta's A220 schedule, which will grow to 74 daily flights to and from 10 airports this summer.

Air Lease Corporation to order 100 aircraft, including the new A321XLR

Air Lease Corporation, the Los Angeles-based aircraft leasing company, has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for 100 Airbus aircraft, including for the first time 50 A220-300s and 27 A321XLRs. The agreement also includes an incremental order for an additional 23 A321neos.

Founded in 2010, this latest order takes ALC’s cumulative orders to 387 Airbus aircraft, making it Airbus’ third largest lessor customer.

Middle East Airlines orders four Airbus A321XLRs

Middle East Airlines (MEA), the flag carrier of Lebanon, has signed a firm order for four A321XLRs, making it the launch airline customer of Airbus latest evolution of the winning A321neo family.

The agreement takes Middle East Airlines’ cumulative single aisle orders with Airbus to 15 A321neo family aircraft, including 11 A321neos and 4 A321XLRs with deliveries starting in 2020. MEA will use the A321XLR to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia.

Sichuan Airlines to get 10 Airbus A321-200neo's to

Air Lease Corporation announced this week long-term lease agreements for ten Airbus A321-200neo aircraft with Sichuan Airlines. Scheduled to deliver from ALC’s order book with Airbus starting in 2021 through 2022, the ten A321-200neos join one A350-900, one A321-200neo, one A320-200neo, four A321-200s, one A330-300 and one A330-200 aircraft currently on lease to the airline from ALC.

“This significant lease placement exhibits ALC’s strong relationship with Sichuan Airlines and signals yet another chapter in our partnership,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “We are extremely honoured to once again partner with the Sichuan team as the airline continues to excel as a leading carrier with a world-class fleet.”

Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. is a regional airline headquartered on the grounds of Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Chengdu, Sichuan in China. Sichuan Airlines serves 108 destinations in 16 countries across Asia, Europe and Australia, including long-haul overseas routes to Vancouver, Melbourne, and Los Angeles, but operates many scheduled domestic flights out of Chengdu Shuangliu Airport and Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport.

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Air Lease Corporation Announces Lease Placement of New Boeing 787-10 Aircraft with KLM

Air Lease Corporation announced this week, a long-term lease placement for one new Boeing 787-10 aircraft with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, scheduled for delivery in Spring 2021. The 787-10 aircraft will deliver from ALC’s order book with Boeing and join four 777-300ERs, one 777-200ER, three 737-800s and two Airbus A330-200s currently on lease to KLM from ALC.

Airbus launches the Xtra Long Range version of its A321neo

The best-selling A320neo Family will have an even longer “reach” in its latest version – the A321XLR (extra-long-range) – which was launched today by Airbus at the Paris Air Show with a total of 31 orders from Air Lease Corporation and Middle East Airlines.

The Air Lease Corporation acquisition of 27 A321XLRs was detailed at a standing-room-only press conference during the world’s largest aviation industry gathering’s opening day, with international journalists hearing Airbus’ confirmation of what had been widely anticipated within the air transport industry sector for the past several months.

It was followed by the announcement of Middle East Airlines’ firm order for four A321XLRs, which will be used by this carrier to strengthen its network in Africa and Asia.

Speaking at a morning press conference with Air Lease Corporation’s top executives, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer Christian Scherer said the leasing company’s A321XLR decision marked “another historical milestone in our relationship with ALC and for the industry at large.” 

ALC’s A321XLRs build on the A321LRs’ “tremendous success”