Air Transport World

New satellite images from over the search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 have identified 122 potential objects of interest in the ocean.

China Aviation Supplies Holding Co. (CAS) has signed a general terms agreement to purchase 70 Airbus aircraft, comprising 43 A320 family aircraft and 27 A330s as part of a deal to extend the A320 assembly at its Tianjin final assembly line (FAL) for 10 years.

Seven major German airports—including Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hanover—will be affected by German public services trade union Verdi strike over wages on Thursday.

Virgin America posted a net income of $10.1 million for the full year 2013, reversed from a net loss of $145.4 million in 2012, its first full year of profitability.

Lufthansa Group subsidiary Lufthansa Technik (LHT)—currently the largest independent MRO provider—is eyeing future growth.

Singapore’s Changi Airport is stepping up passenger security in light of possible lapses revealed in the aftermath of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200, flight MH370.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published its final decision on future economic regulation of Stansted Airport, and confirmed the airport will not require an economic regulation license for any of its passenger and cargo services from April.

GE Aviation announced it will break ground in 2014 on a new $100 million jet engine assembly facility in Lafayette, Indiana.

Russia’s Transaero has signed a leasing deal with China’s ICBC Leasing for six new Airbus A321s.

Turkmenistan Airlines has taken delivery of the first out of two ordered Boeing 777-200LRs.

C&L Aerospace and Rockton, through a joint venture, have purchased 14 Saab 340Bs from Endeavor Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

C&L Aerospace and Rockton, through a joint venture, have purchased 14 Saab 340Bs from Endeavor Airlines, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

Airline Routes

Briefs from the March 26, 2014 issue of ATW’s MRO Digest

AAR is acquiring inventory and customer contracts from Sabena Technics Brussels in the first week of April.

Lufthansa Technik Group (LHT) reported a 2013 operating profit €404 million ($562 million), up 23.2% from €318 million the previous year.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has entrusted its entire spare-part logistics to Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services (LTLS) as part of a three-year agreement.

Gogo has received a supplemental type certificate (STC) from FAA to install Ku-band satellite equipment on Airbus A330s.

DAC International has received parts manufacturer approval (PMA) from FAA its electronic flight bag system, which includes RPU, display and tray assemblies.

Fokker Technologies had revenue of €762 million ($1.05 billion) in 2013, down 1% from the prior year.

Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) has acquired full control of Barfield from Sabena Technics.

Thai Airways International has signed a letter of intent with Airbus for development of Airbus Smarter Fuel Efficiency and Smarter Mobility solutions.

Source: ATW Research

Equipment and technology from all over the world, and on an unprecedented scale, are being brought to bear in the southern Indian Ocean in the effort to locate and retrieve the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200.

FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) mandating the removal of “defective software” on GE Aviation GEnx-powered Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 freighter aircraft.