Cargo carrier FedEx Express will become the first U.S. airline to begin operational trials of data communications between pilots and air traffic controllers in continental airspace under the FAA’s Data Comm program, a key component of the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The carrier expects to start operations using data communications on November 12 at its Memphis International Airport hub.
Air Transport and Cargo » Air Transport and Cargo Aircraft
News and issues relating to air transport and cargo aircraft.
September 10, 2012 - 10:25am
Last week Airbus issued the latest installment of its future vision for aviation in 2050 and beyond, describing new ways of operating across all phases of flight. The company’s “Smarter Skies” vision centers on a “sustainable” aviation system that saves time, conserves fuel and reduces emissions. For the first time, the vision looks beyond smarter aircraft design to the efficiencies potentially derived from airspace optimization, or making the best use of the environment in which an aircraft operates, Airbus said.
September 6, 2012 - 11:36am
Air India plans to finally take off with its first Boeing 787 tomorrow on a flight to Delhi from Charleston, South Carolina, following an impromptu delivery ceremony today and months of bureaucratic wrangling over program delay compensation.
September 3, 2012 - 8:30pm
With leasing companies taking positions on Boeing’s new 737 Max, the Asia-Pacific region holds the key to large narrowbody orders, according to Boeing’s senior vice president of sales for Asia Pacific and India, Dinesh Keskar. “We have three potential customers in India and more in Asia [that can take the Max] on lease or direct buy: Jet Airways, SpiceJet and even Air India Express,” he told AIN. “[The Max] can go 500 additional miles, which will be a big boon for the Asian market.”
September 3, 2012 - 8:20pm
Acknowledging the pervasiveness of personal electronic devices (PEDs) such as tablet computers and electronic readers, the U.S. FAA will form an aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) to study airline procedures governing their use in flight and to issue recommendations on the potential for relaxing the restrictions. Scheduled to convene this autumn, the ARC will consist of representatives from the “mobile technology” and aviation manufacturing industries and groups representing airlines, pilots, flight attendants and passengers.
August 28, 2012 - 9:35am
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has placed a firm order for 34 current-generation Airbus A321s, 10 A321neos and 10 A330-300s, Airbus announced today. A plan by the flag carrier to embark on a fleet renewal program calls for deliveries to start next year.
August 27, 2012 - 12:44pm
Bombardier Aerospace has started conducting so-called virtual flights with CSeries “Aircraft 0”—the on-the-ground Integrated Systems Test and Certification Rig (ISTCR) based in Mirabel, Quebec, the company announced today.
August 27, 2012 - 10:25am
Qantas Airways’ August 23 cancellation of “firm commitments” covering 35 Boeing 787-9s previously slated for delivery beginning in 2014 demonstrates the need for an airframer to remain flexible in the face of changing industry demand. The sudden change, prompted by after-tax losses in the current financial year, also demonstrates the continued vulnerability of the airline sector to rising costs and uncertain demand.
August 27, 2012 - 10:20am
United Airlines has announced the first international routes for its soon-to-arrive Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The Chicago-based carrier, which is the North American launch customer for the 787, has said that it expects to place five 787s into service this year. It will take delivery of its first Dreamliner in late September.
August 27, 2012 - 10:05am
Undaunted by the dominance of its Dubai and Abu Dhabi “big brothers” in the United Arab Emirates, Ras Al Khaimah is pressing ahead with plans to put itself on the air transport map. After a badly timed false start at the peak of the recent financial crisis, RAK Airways will have been back in business for two years by the end of 2012, and the emirate’s airport is drawing attention for its wide-open capacity and widebodies-welcome 12,332-foot runway.
