Airbus announced it has begun A330-800 production in preparation for final assembly in late 2017 and first flight in early 2018. It is also preparing for the first flight of the A330-900.
Boeing, JetBlue startup Zunum Aero to launch 12-seat regional aricraft
Zunum Aero
US startup Zunum Aero plans to launch a 12-passenger regional airliner with hybrid-electric propulsion with venture-capital backing from Boeing and New York-based JetBlue Airways.
Boeing to acquire Aurora Flight Services
Boeing
Boeing will acquire Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., a northern Virginia-based advanced aerospace platforms manufacturer, to further the development of autonomous systems technologies behind future robotic aircraft and aerospace vehicles. Pictured: Aurora CEO John Langford & Boeing CTO Greg Hyslop
MH370 final report
ATSB
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), which coordinated and led the huge underwater search for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER that went missing in 2014, has issued its final report, saying it is “almost inconceivable and certainly societally unacceptable” that what happened to the aircraft and those onboard remains unknown.
Boeing has rolled out the first 787-10 built for Singapore Airlines at its final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Gulf Air, Turkish to codeshare
Gulf Air
Bahrain-based Gulf Air and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines are to codeshare on their services between Bahrain and Istanbul. Pictured: Gulf Air deputy CEO Waleed Abdul Hameed Al Alawi and Turkish Airlines deputy chairman Bilal Ekşi.
Linda Blachly is Senior Associate Editor for Air Transport World and Aviation Week. She joined the company in July 2010 and is responsible for producing features for Air Transport World’s monthly magazine and engaging content for the aviationweek.com. She is based in the Washington DC office.
