The French flag carrier is to get rid of around 20% to 50% of their “super jumbo” fleet. Two A380s (currently leased) will be returned to their lessor next year with the other three (also leased) returned later. The news was confirmed by Canadian Benjamin Smith, Air France’s newly appointed CEO. Air France finds the…
TAP Air Portugal has taken delivery of the world’s first new generation widebody A330neo. The Portuguese carrier will take delivery of a further 20 A330-900s in the coming years. TAP Air Portugal’s first A330-900 is leased from Avolon. It features 298 seats in a comfortable three-class lay-out with 34 full-flat business class, 96 economy plus…
An American-Israeli hacker has been jailed for 10 years by a Tel Aviv youth court in connection to hundreds of fake bomb threats to planes, including one that led to fighter jets being scrambled in Europe to intercept an airliner. Michael Kadar worked internationally. In June 2015, six people were injured at a Canadian airport…
In a major production milestone called ‘final body join,’ Boeing teams connected the airplane’s nose, mid and aft sections in the company’s factory in Everett, Wash. The jet now measures 252 feet long (77 meters) from nose to tail, making it the longest passenger jet the manufacturer has ever produced. The 777X builds on the…
Ultra-Orthodox passengers caused uproar on two flights from New York to Israel because they were worried they would still be in the air as Jewish Shabbat commenced. One El Al service from JFK diverted to Athens, Greece, amid angry scenes among those who feared they would be mid-flight at the start of the Jewish holy…
The company that owns British Airways is preparing for a possible no-deal Brexit as it looks to Madrid for help in holding onto its status as a European Union airline, according to a Spanish media report. IAG, the parent company of British Airways, has been in contact with Madrid since at least last month, El…
Virgin Orbit’s Boeing 747 flew for the first time with a LauncherOne space rocket attached on Sunday, just one week after the modified jumbo jet performed high-speed taxi tests. The 80-minute test over Victorville, California was “a picture-perfect flight, and a major step forward in our quest to bring a new capability to small satellite…
Boeing and Jeju Air announced the airline is ordering 40 737 MAX 8 airplanes with options for 10 additional jets. The deal, valued at up to $5.9 billion at list prices, is the largest order ever placed by a Korean low cost carrier and reflects rising demand for air travel in South Korea. Jeju Air,…
After a Boeing 787 hydraulic pump broke down, passengers on board LOT Polish Airlines flight #LO92 were asked to help pay the bill for repairs so they could take off. LOT Polish Airlines flight #LO91 from Warsaw Chopin Airport to Beijing on November 12, 2018 experienced hydraulic failure. The problem was noticed upon arriving in Beijing during…
Japan Airlines pilots have failed breathalyzer alcohol tests on 19 occasions since August 2017, causing 12 domestic flight delays due to pilot switches, JAL officials have revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun. The major airline introduced a new type of detector for in-house checks that month. The revelation comes on the heels of the arrest of…
Asia’s biggest carrier is abandoning the SkyTeam airline alliance. China Southern Airlines Co. will exit the partnership in 2019, nearly two years after selling a minority stake to American Airlines Inc., which is a member of the rival Oneworld group. The Guangzhou-based carrier, the continent’s largest as measured by passengers carried, said in a statement…
Pilots flying Boeing’s 737 MAX for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were not informed during training about a key change to an automatic system that’s been linked to the fatal crash of a Lion Air jet last month, according to pilot representatives at both airlines. Jon Weaks, president of the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, said Monday…