Japan’s Skymark Airlines’ first Airbus A380 has performed its maiden flight, following completion of the airframe assembly and system tests in Toulouse.
Worldwide passenger traffic grew 5.4% year-over-year in February, down 2.8 points from January’s 8.2% growth, according to IATA’s Air Passenger Market Analysis.
Aircraft deliveries year-to-date, sorted by delivery date. Note: AIRBUS orders are in CAPS for differentiation purposes. Sources: Airbus, Boeing, ATW research.
Malaysian authorities said Monday that investigators are working to verify that signals detected over the weekend by Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 and Australia’s HMS Ocean Shield could be from the flight recorders of the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 in the southern Indian Ocean waters.
Lufthansa Group has placed an order worth more than €1 billion ($1.37 billion) at list prices for CFM International LEAP-1A engines for 40 Airbus A320neo aircraft it ordered last year.
The European Commission has released further detail about non-European Union (EU) investments in European airlines that it is examining to see if they comply with the region’s ownership and control rules.
KLM Cityhopper will end its 2X-daily Fokker 70 services between Amsterdam and Manston Airport from April 10, as the Southeast UK airport braces for possible closure.
Irish regional CityJet, which is in the process of being sold to German investor Intro Aviation, is hoping its newfound ownership stability will accelerate the renewal of its RJ fleet.
Russia’s S7 Airlines is evaluating a future narrowbody fleet as the carrier continues to grow in its home market, with passenger boardings up 13% year-over-year.
Turkish Airlines is struggling to keep pace with its own fleet expansion, as it battles to harmonize 12 different inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, 12 economy seat designs and another 15 variations in business class.
Cathay Pacific Airways is anxious to offer gate-to-gate use of personal electronic devices (PED), although it is unlikely to be cleared until mid-year.
A Chinese patrol ship, searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 in the southern Indian Ocean waters, has detected what it called “a pulse signal” after it deployed a flight recorder—also known as a black box—detector, Xinhua News Agency reported Saturday morning.
Boeing is outpacing rival Airbus in orders for 2014, logging 275 gross aircraft orders in contrast to Airbus’ 158 during the first three months of the year.
High fuel prices and entry into the international market via its acquisition of AirTran Airways have led Southwest Airlines to fundamentally change its business model from short haul to longer flights.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said the company isn’t looking to spin off affiliate American Eagle even after the regional airline’s pilots voted to reject an amended labor contract that would have allowed Eagle to operate Embraer E-175 aircraft.
A delegation from the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) will meet with the US Regional Airline Association in early May in St. Louis, Missouri, to explore potential areas for cooperation.
