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Airbus Beluga XL production starts

China-Russia Heavy Lift Helicopter Contract Deferred To Mid-2016

A contract to develop the Advanced Heavy Lift (AHL) helicopter should be signed between China's Avicopter and Russia's Rostec in mid-2016 instead of end-2015, Dmitry Shugaev, Deputy CEO of Rostec has said. "We can say that both sides have a desire to come together and finalize their...

RAAF KC-30 completes F-16 refuelling trials

A RAAF KC-30A tanker transport has completed inflight refuelling trials with a US Air Force F-16. The seven flights from Edwards Air Force Base, between December 3 and 15, saw the KC-30A conduct 444 ‘contacts’ with the F-16, offloading over 25 tonnes of fuel, and are a...

Lockheed to reveal 'ultimate offering' for T-X next year

Lockheed Martin has yet to reveal its “ultimate offering” for the US Air Force's hotly contested advanced pilot training competition despite joining Korea Aerospace Industries in the unveiling of its possible T-50 Golden Eagle-based T-X proposal in South Korea this week. Earlier this year, the company disclosed that its Skunk Works advanced design and development division had al...

Boeing raises protest of ‘irreparably flawed’ bomber selection

Boeing protests ‘irreparably flawed’ bomber selection Boeing and Lockheed Martin have reaffirmed their objection to the US Air Force’s October award of the next-generation bomber development contract to Northrop Grumman, dismissing the lengthy source-selection process as “irreparably flawed”. The losing industry team on 17 December submitted a “133-page br...

Qatar initiates Rafale contract

The contract for the purchase of 24 Rafale aircraft by Qatar from Dassault Aviation came into force. © Dassault Aviation Signed in Doha on 4th May 2015, in the company of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and Mr. François Hollande, President of the French Republic, the contract represents a new milestone in the strategic partnership bet...

Royal Saudi Air Force to acquire 30 An-178 transports

Saudi Arabia has tentatively signed for 30 examples of the developmental Antonov An-178 tactical transport, in a deal that could eventually see the Kingdom producing the aircraft locally. Detailed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Antonov and Saudi company Taqnia Aeronautics, the deal will see the partners deliver the aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force. It further builds on t...

Second Bell 525 joins test campaign with three following in 2016

Bell Helicopter’s first 525 “Relentless” commercial helicopter now has a companion on the test and certification campaignwith Flight Test Vehicle-2 (FTV-2) joining the programme last week, the company confirms. The company says it remains on track to achieve certification of the 9.1t super-medium-class helicopter in 2017, with three more developmental 525s coming online i...

Boeing Delivers SF Airlines' First 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter

Boeing and SF Airlines yesterday celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF), which is also the first owned by an airline in China. The delivery took place at Boeing supplier ST Aerospace Services Co. in Singapore, where the conversion work was performed. It is the first of five 767BCFs the airline will receive during the next year. &ldq...

Turkish Airlines Signs Agreement for Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan™ Engines to Power 92 Firm A321neo Aircraft

Turkish Airlines has signed a Definitive Agreement for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its order of 92 firm A321neo aircraft, the largest engine order in Turkish Airlines’ history. The order was originally announced during the 2015 Paris Air Show as a Memorandum of Understanding with 72 firm and 20 option aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2018....

TAM Airlines’ first Airbus A350 XWB lands in Brazil

The first A350 XWB in the Americas, owned by TAM Airlines, landed in Brazil in the early hours of today (18). The aircraft left the headquarters of Airbus in Toulouse (France) yesterday (17) and flew directly to Belo Horizonte/Confins in Brazil to obtain its Brazilian registration. It is expected to arrive at the São Paulo/Guarulhos airport on December 19. The inaugur...

Pratt & Whitney Celebrates Bombardier’s Aircraft Certification

Transport Canada has announced the aircraft certification for Bombardier’s C Series, marking a significant milestone for the company and for Pratt & Whitney. “As the sole source engine provider for their C Series aircraft, Pratt & Whitney sends its congratulations to Bombardier on this historic milestone,” said Greg Gernhardt, president, Pratt & Whitney Commercial...

Bombardier C Series Wins Transport Canada Certification

The Bombardier C Series CS100 won type certification from Transport Canada on Friday, clearing the way for its entry into service with Swiss International Airlines during the second quarter of next year. The approval comes more than two years after first flight and follows more than 3,000 hours of flight testing, validation of thousands of test results and authentication of design and pe...

Bell Helicopter Announces Chongqing General Aviation Group as New Bell Authorized Customer Service Facility in China

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, yesterday announced Chongqing General Aviation (CQGA), located in China’s Chongqing Provence, as Bell Helicopter’s newest authorized Customer Service Facility (CSF). CQGA has a 43,700 sq. ft. Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) part 145 certified maintenance facility and offers non-specialized maintenance capabilities for Bell...

France orders third Reaper system

France has ordered the third General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9 Reaper unmanned air system to bolster its growing fleet of the type, which is operating in the Sahel-Saharan strip in Africa. Ordered through the USA’s Foreign Military Sales programme, the third system – consisting of three aircraft – will be delivered in 2019, following the transfer of the second system d...

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Essential news

Airbus Global Services Forecast 2026-2045: a long-term industry outlook

Airbus forecasts that demand for aviation services will more than double between 2026 and 2045, exceeding US$420 billion in value. Driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8%, the sector wi...

Air Tahiti debuts exclusive all-business class experience with ATR 72-600 HighLine

Air Tahiti has received a new ATR 72-600 equipped with ATR’s HighLine All-Business Class cabin, becoming only the second airline worldwide to introduce this premium configuration on an ATR aircr...

From flagship aircraft to best-in-class support: Bombardier's NBAA-BACE 2026 experience

Bombardier will return to the 2026 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition with a showcase that highlights the company's flagship aircraft, award-winning customer support network and di...

Avolon places landmark order for 110 Airbus A320neo and A330neo aircraft

Avolon, one of the world’s leading aviation finance companies, has reinforced its long-term growth strategy with a firm order for 110 Airbus aircraft, including 35 A330-900 widebodies and 75 A32...

iOS Apps development in Riga, Latvia

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HondaJet APMG S upgrade package earns EASA validation

HondaJet Classic and APMG operators across the European Union can now access the latest enhancements developed for the HondaJet family following the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s valid...

Strategic alliance formed between AEE and Horizon Aircraft

  AEE Aircraft Electronic Engineering GmbH and Horizon Aircraft have joined forces to integrate advanced avionics capabilities into the Cavorite X7 hybrid-electric eVTOL programme. Throug...

Airbus Global Services Forecast 2026-2045: a long-term industry outlook

Airbus forecasts that demand for aviation services will more than double between 2026 and 2045, exceeding US$420 billion in value. Driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8%, the sector wi...

Garmin hits 1,000 King Air G1000 retrofits following landmark U.S. Army delivery

Marking a significant industry milestone, Garmin has delivered its 1,000th G1000 integrated flight deck retrofit for a King Air aircraft. The program has helped redefine cockpit modernizatio...

TECNAM unveils leadership transition as Giovanni Pascale Langer becomes CEO and Paolo Pascale Langer assumes Presidency

The Board of Directors of Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam S.p.A. has unanimously appointed Giovanni Pascale Langer as Chief Executive Officer, while Paolo Pascale Langer, who...

Air Tahiti debuts exclusive all-business class experience with ATR 72-600 HighLine

Air Tahiti has received a new ATR 72-600 equipped with ATR’s HighLine All-Business Class cabin, becoming only the second airline worldwide to introduce this premium configuration on an ATR aircr...

Airbus secures CASA design approval, expanding its Australian capabilities

Airbus has secured 21.J Civil Design Organisation Approval from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), marking a significant milestone for its local operations and enhancing its abi...