The proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways will no doubt undergo close scrutiny by antitrust regulators and face particularly vigorous opposition from consumer advocacy groups. Even supporters concede that the effort toward creating the largest airline in the world will face obstacles.
Air Transport and Cargo
News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.
February 15, 2013 - 9:44am
Airbus has decided against using a lithium-ion main ship battery for the A350 XWB following the findings by the U.S. National Transportation Board of short-circuiting and “thermal runaway” in the APU battery that caught fire on January 7 in a Jap
February 14, 2013 - 9:41am
The boards of AMR Corporation and US Airways Group have unanimously agreed to move forward with the long-anticipated merger of their American Airlines and US Airways subsidiaries, the companies announced Thursday morning.
February 11, 2013 - 4:10pm
Boeing 787 prototype ZA005 on Monday took to the air for the second time since the FAA cleared the company to fly the airplane on test missions over unpopulated areas.
February 11, 2013 - 2:05pm
Two days after the FAA cleared Boeing to fly 787 test missions over unpopulated areas, the company took prototype ZA005 on an “uneventful” flight over Washington state on Saturday. During the two-hour, 19-minute flight, 13 Boeing pilots and flight-test personnel used special equipment to observe and record details of the performance of the main and APU batteries during normal flight conditions.
February 11, 2013 - 1:55pm
Controllers at Memphis International Airport started sending text messages to FedEx Express pilots in mid-January under the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Data Communications (data comm) effort to replace voice communications for routine ATC instructions. Testers plan to expand the data comm trial to include United Airlines, FedEx and UPS aircraft at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey this summer.
February 11, 2013 - 1:50pm
Embraer expects to reveal its choice of several major systems contractors for its new second-generation E-Jets over the next three or four months, Embraer Commercial Aviation COO Luis Carlos Affonso told AIN last week as the company announced it is retaining Honeywell as the supplier for the series’ avionics suite and flight management computer. Further contract awards over the next few months will likely go to suppliers of the airplanes’ fly-by-wire system, APU electric system and air management system.
February 11, 2013 - 1:40pm
Frontier Airlines became the first Airbus operator in the U.S. approved to fly public-use precision approaches into airports surrounded by challenging terrain, Airbus subsidiary Quovadis said last week. Frontier should see operational benefits with its Airbus A320s, including a reduction in diversions caused by bad weather, as well as lower fuel burn and lower emissions.
February 11, 2013 - 12:26pm
As the first Sukhoi Superjet SSJ100 destined for Western launch customer Interjet of Mexico rolled out of its paint hangar in Venice, Italy, on February 11, industry observers digested a seemingly unprompted statement from Sukhoi Civil Aircraft’s Moscow headquarters summarizing design problems uncovered during the airplane’s 23 months of service history.
February 8, 2013 - 4:22am
The Federal Aviation Administration has given Boeing permission to conduct test flights of its 787 airliner to gather data about the performance of its lithium-ion battery and electrical system in flight.
