In The News

First Bell 412EPXs Sold In Europe AVwebView the full article

The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments & Aviation Hosts Back-to-Back Tourism Focused Events in New York Tri-State Area PR NewswireView the full article

SA govt on International Civil Aviation Council re-election: Big win for Africa EWNView the full article

Air Canada adds 2 new routes to United hubs, with more likely to come The Points GuyView the full article

DALLAS – If you are a professional designer, an amateur artist, or a student, Airbus is inviting creative talents from all around the world to design the livery of its new-generation freighter, the A350F. The winner will receive a limited-edition scale model of the aircraft in June 2023 at the Le Bourget Paris Airshow, where the winning design will be revealed. Then, in 2024, the winner will get a private factory tour and see the winning design come to life as it embarks on its first flight. The competition opens today, with submissions closing on November 28, 2022. The winner will be announced on March 15, 2023. A350F blank aircraft design. Image: Airbus Design Brief The A350F is a large freighter plane with nearly 1000m2 (622mi2) for competitors to design. The design should take into account how this “new generation, advanced, modern aircraft can benefit air freight operators and airlines from around the globe.” The design can be straightforward or intricate, hand-drawn or painted, or made using any medium of choice, according to Airbus. It may even be entirely realistic or fully abstract, and it may use one or several colors. If a submission is approved, Airbus’ design professionals will collaborate with the winner to create the final livery design, which will be precisely adapted for the A350F. The livery design will be introduced to operators and airlines all across the world when it makes its first flight in 2024. Render: Airbus The A350F Airbus announced the introduction of a brand-new, large freighter, the A350F, in November of last year in keeping with its aim to pioneer sustainable aircraft for a safe and united world. Compared to other freighters now in the air, this one has been engineered to consume up to 40% less fuel and emit 40% less carbon. The A350F accomplishes this through the enormous weight savings made possible by the use of cutting-edge materials, modern, efficient engines, and cutting-edge technology. The A350F will provide a significantly more user-friendly and productive aircraft to the sizable air freight sector. In addition, compared to current freighters in service, it will cost less to operate and require less maintenance. Needless to say, these are aspects of the aircraft to keep in mind when designing its new livery. A350F zoning areas. Image: Airbus Design Guidelines Include only original artworkUse only fully licensed photo images. Please avoid “for editorial use only” imagesDo not use images or artwork without copyrightDesigns must be projected onto aircraft side views provided by AirbusThe company logo (Airbus) and product logo (A350F) provided must be clearly visibleDo not modify any corporate artwork providedKeep designated areas on the aircraft blank from any artworkAny areas designated as non-adhesive compatible cannot have very detailed artwork or photos Artwork and brand elements are available on Airbus’ competition page. You can submit your proposal here. Will you submit your A350F livery design? Featured image: Airbus A350F livery competition. Image: Airbus View the full article

SA Govt on International Civil Aviation Counci re-election: A big win for Africa EWNView the full article

Saudi Arabia Re-elected Member to ICAO Council Aviation ProsView the full article

Saudi Arabia Re-elected Member to ICAO Council Aviation ProsView the full article

DALLAS – Due to the delayed arrival of jet fuel supplies, Cape Town International Airport (CPT) has been forced to ration available fuel. The move has had an impact on flight schedules, risking further complications should emergency stocks deplete before the next fuel shipment arrives. In response to sluggish delivery times from its supplier, CPT began to experience additional delays in acquiring jet fuel, according to a statement from Airports Company South Africa (ACSA). The statement says that choppy seas have delayed the shipment of fuel by maritime vessels. According to Mark Mclean, a regional general manager at the airport, the left-over jet fuel utilized at CPT is being rationed to keep the airport’s supply steady until the next shipment arrives. In order to keep operating while waiting for the maritime ship to arrive, CPT also acquired around two million liters of emergency jet fuel supplies last week. The airport handles flights to several destinations in Africa, Europe, and Asia and has also direct flights to Johannesburg and Durban, among other destinations around South Africa. It is a hub FlySafair (FA) and a focus city for South African Airways (SA). CPT airport, which handled 10,979,946 passengers in 2019, is the main international gateway to Cape Town metropolitan area in South Africa, being the second-busiest airport in the country and the third one in Africa. United Airlines N25982 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Photo: Luke Ayers/Airways Impacted Flights While ACSA said on Saturday that there was no impact on scheduled flights, United Airlines (UA) and Emirates (EK) both sent out letters on Sunday morning, October 2, detailing the specific changes made to their itineraries. According to News 24, UA informed passengers of at least two flights, warning them that the flights from Newark (EWR) to CPT would be canceled due to the CPT fuel situation. Flight UA1122 from EWR to CPT was originally scheduled to depart at 20:25 Sunday, UA told passengers that the flight was canceled because it was unable to fuel the aircraft. Today’s flight UA1123 from CPT to EWR was also canceled. The status of the next flights is unknown. On its part, EK sent out a release to the South African retail trade, warning agents that due to the non-availability of fuel at Cape Town from October 2 to October 4, certain flights from CPT will be rerouted/rescheduled via JNB for the uplift of fuel. The affected EK flights are: EK771 Departing CPT 14h50-17h10 (arrival JNB) EK771 Departing JNB 18h10-02h201 (arrival DXB)NB – (EK772 DXB-CPT is not impacted and will operate as per the published schedule) The EK trade release states, “The situation in Cape Town continues to be monitored & an update will be communicated as we get more information from the relevant authorities. All affected bookings have been rebooked and sent to the contact address in the booking but we suggest that you check your GDS to ensure all affected are informed.” This is a developing story. Featured image: View the full article

DALLAS – Air Canada (AC) continues its growth in the North American market with the announcement of two new transborder routes between Canada and the United States. The move was announced in an AC press release of the airline today, October 3, choosing Newark (EWR) and Houston (IAH) as the two new daily destinations of its hubs in Vancouver (YVR) and Halifax (YHZ), respectively. Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada, stated that “These routes will give customers in Atlantic and Western Canada more convenient options for flying to the U.S.” Galardo added that the new routes “will reinforce the already strong links between Atlantic Canada and New York, while for customers in Western Canada they will provide more options for reaching destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean through United Airlines’ Houston hub.” We are pleased to announce new non-stop services between Halifax-Newark @HfxStanfield–@EWRairport and Vancouver-Houston @yvrairport–@iah beginning on December 16. More: https://t.co/uP8gGcdYMY pic.twitter.com/3q29Es8yIm — Air Canada (@AirCanada) October 3, 2022 Flight Schedules The schedules of the two new daily flights are as follows: Air Canada’s flight AC8670 will depart every day from Halifax at 11:45, arriving in New York at 13:04. The return flight will fly back from Newark at 13:45, arriving at Halifax at 16:35 as AC8669. It will be operated by a full-economy configurated De Havilland Canada Q-400 from December 16th, 2022. The other daily flight from Vancouver to Houston has a scheduled departure at 08:45, arriving at its destination at 15:08 as AC1300, while the return flight will depart at 16:30 from Houston, arriving in Vancouver at 19:15 as AC1301. It will be operated by AC’s brand new Airbus A220 aircraft from December 16th as well, offering both business and economy class cabins on this route. The Airbus A220’s stunning fuel efficiency and range have led Air Canada to open new longer routes in the United States, such as Montreal-San Francisco or Vancouver-Houston. Photo: Michal Mendyk/Airways A Global Network Reinforcement This announcement by AC has two clear objectives: to bring in some road and rail passenger traffic from across the US-Canada border by creating a new air travel alternative. The airline also aims to reinforce its existing network within the US to increase the number of potential travelers looking for a quicker connection between Canada and Latin America or the Caribbean. This will be achieved by transferring passengers from these two new routes through the two busiest United Airlines (UA) Star Alliance hubs in America, which offer an extensive route offer to South and Central America. On the other hand, passengers who wish to fly from Houston will have a more direct route to Asia via Vancouver, while passengers flying from Newark will find new alternatives to connect through Canada onto flights to Europe. Featured Photograph: Brandon Farris/Airways View the full article

DALLAS – Swiss aviation services company Swissport took over Milan Linate Airport’s (LIN) ground handling operations this weekend. From October 1, 2022, the Opfikon-based company, which provides airport ground, lounge hospitality and cargo handling services, started performing services like check-in, gate and boarding, hospitality in airport lounges, and lost and found services as part of its deal with the Italian airport. We can recall that Swissport started offering airport ground handling services at Rome-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on July 14, 2022. Due to high passenger volumes during the summer travel season, the company served over 900,000 people and managed 7,225 flights for 42 airlines at FCO until the end of August 2022. Marina Bottelli, general manager of Swissport Italy, said, “We are honored to be serving ITA Airways at their national hub in Milan as well. This is a further step in our expansion strategy in Italy and we are very pleased to welcome 104 former Alitalia employees. Their professionalism will be the key to success for a reliable operation at Milan Linate.” Swissport will support ITA Airways (AZ) with its services at LIN, which is the third international airport of Milan, the second-largest city and largest urban area of Italy, behind Malpensa Airport (MXP) and Orio al Serio Airport (BGY). With LIN, Swissport now operates at 288 airports in 45 countries on six continents. Featured image: Alfredo Falcone / LaPresse 14/07/2022 Roma, Italia Inizio attività SwissSport Italia Nella foto: un momento dell’evento View the full article

DALLAS – Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) and Airbus have drawn up an agreement for twenty brand new Airbus A320neo family jets that are to replace the older generation of A320ceos. However, there’s no word on whether the new aircraft are going to be purchased directly by the carrier or leased. The A320neos are to replace the older generation of A320ceo flying for the carrier for over a decade – a mix of the A319-100, A320-200, and A321-200. The move is part of the airline’s plan to increase its total fleet size from 24 to over 40 aircraft in the coming 3-5 years, stated CEO Samer Majali. The aircraft will be equipped with the latest ergonomically designed seats, wireless communication, and internet access as well as in-seat inflight entertainment throughout the cabin, and some of the aircraft on longer-range routes will have lie-flat business class seats, as stated on Zwaya. As for regional flights, “Starting in the second half of next year, Royal Jordanian plans to introduce new regional aircraft to give the airline the flexibility and advantage to grow its flight frequencies to all primary and secondary destinations in the region” the CEO added. What aircraft? An announcement will follow soon. Photo: Kochan Kleps/Airways The Need for a Longer Boeing 787 Negotiations are also underway with Boeing on increasing the number of 787s in the fleet from 7 to 11 in the coming several years, said Majali. The airline is also evaluating the new Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 jets to add to the current fleet, he said. At present, the carrier has an active fleet of seven Boeing 787-8 seating 24 in Business and 246 in Economy; that is, a potential new order for a stretched version of the type would be for four aircraft. Featured image: Alberto Cucini/Airways View the full article

When Air Canada IFC came through—mostly—on a must-be-online day Runway Girl NetworkView the full article

Sabrewing's Rhaegal Cargo UAV Shatters World Record Payload on First Flight sUAS NewsView the full article

DALLAS – Today in Aviation, Iraqi Airways (IA) recommenced scheduled international operations with a flight between Baghdad and Amman in 2004. This followed the grounding of the airline following the Iraq war. A new company was established to build the new airline and distance itself away from Saddam Hussein’s regime. Today, the carrier operates an extensive network across Europe and the Middle East. Its fleet includes the Airbus A320/A321/A330 and there are outstanding orders for 16 Boeing 737-8s and four Airbus A220-300s. Iraqi Airways YI-ASV Boeing 737-800. Photo: Pablo Gonzalez/Airways History Iraqi Airways was founded in 1945 and is one of the oldest airlines in the Middle East. Operations commenced on January 28, 1946. Five Dragon Rapides were later supplemented by Vickers Viscounts from 1955. The airline entered the jet age in the 1960s with the arrival of the Tupolev TU-124 and Hawker Siddeley Trident. The 1970s were a boom time for IA. New York (JFK) was added to the network operated by a recently purchased Boeing 707. The service proved so popular that a larger aircraft was required and the Boeing 747 was added. Iraqi Airways Vickers Viscount 735 at East Midlands Airport in 1978. Photo: Uli Elch – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 First Grounding However, the rise of Saddam Hussein saw the downfall of the airline. In 1991 sanctions were imposed by the United Nations against Iraq which led to the carriers grounding. Limited domestic flights restarted in January 1992 from Baghdad to Basra using the Russian-built Antonov An-24. Because of the no-fly zone imposed by the US and UK over Iraqi airspace, even these became a rarity. Featured image: Iraki Airways Boeing 737 at MUC. Photo: Iraqi Airways YI-ARA Airbus A320. Photo; Alberto Cucini/Airways View the full article