Safety, Ops & Regulation

Russian airlines have carried 306,000 passengers since spring on routes between the Russian Far East and other parts of the country under a government subsidy program, according to Russian figures released this week.

The Boeing 737-300—on wet lease from Brussels Airlines—was damaged by “loose tarmac slabs on the runway” at Bipemba Airport on Aug. 19, Korongo Airlines said.

"From a Qantas perspective, we won't be investing any more funds in this airline," Joyce said.

Etihad Airways is offering pilots seconded from its partner airlines the opportunity to transfer to permanent contracts. The pilot secondment program is part of Etihad´s strategy for international expansion, the carrier said in a statement.

Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has dropped its previous opposition against China Eastern’s planned alliance with Qantas, giving the carriers the green light to coordinate pricing and scheduling.

FAA’s report of “possible encounters” with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provides a comprehensive view of a growing—and difficult to fix—aviation safety problem.

UK aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will push Hungary-based LCC Wizz Air to extend its time limit for paying compensation to passengers affected by flight delays to six years, from the current two-year deadline.

German tour-operator TUI Group has disposed of its remaining shares in Germany’s second largest carrier and oneworld member airberlin.

FAA has released a list of all reports by pilots, air traffic and the public of possible encounters with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) that were submitted between Nov. 2014 and August 20.

FedEx will formally launch its €4.4 billion ($4.9 billion) takeover bid for TNT Express on Aug. 24, offering €8.00 per share for the freight specialist, with the aim of completing the acquisition in the first half of 2016.

Delta Air Lines pilots’ labor leadership is in “reset mode” following the pilots’ rejection of a tentative agreement, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) president Tim Canoll said.

Russian airlines carried more than 125,000 passengers on Kaliningrad-Moscow and Kaliningrad-Saint Petersburg routes within the framework of Kaliningrad subsidy program for the first four months.

Myanmar domestic carrier Air Bagan has stopped operations following the off-runway excursion of one of its two ATR 72-500 aircraft at Yangon Airport last month.

There’s an irony to the fact that the newest threat to airliner safety was created by man but operates unmanned.

FedEx Express pilots have reached a tentative agreement with FedEx Corp. management on a new labor contract that would extend to 2021.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is calling for a multipronged approach to address safety issues posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The US should engage Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in consultations over Open Skies agreements, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) president Tim Canoll said.

UK-based aviation services group Air Partner has bought Baines Simmons, an aviation safety consulting business, for £6 million ($9.4 million).

IT & Distribution

Swiss Aviation Training (SAT) has converted the first Airbus full-flight simulator (FFS) to the latest version of the Boeing 777-300ER.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating an Aug. 15 incident in which an American Airlines Airbus A321’s tail struck a runway.

The aviation infrastructure in Asia is just keeping up with demand, according to Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) DG Andrew Herdman.

UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has confirmed the cause of a 2013 fire on a parked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787-8 at London Heathrow Airport.

Global aviation services group, Air Partner has entered the aviation safety market with the acquisition of Baines Simmons.

US airlines more than doubled their collective net profit for the first half of 2015 to approximately $8.7 billion, according to Airlines for America (A4A).