AVIONEWS - World Aeronautical Press Agency
101,312 news found

AirlinesGermanwings: the new flight Rome-Düsseldorf will take off next Sunday
Milan, Italy - With five connections per week, then daily
Newness by Germanwings from the Rome-Fiumicino airport. The low-fare airline of the Lufthansa Group reinforces its own presence at the Italian capital city with the new route, for the Winter schedule 2014-2015. The... more

IndustryIndra develops the new Iberia Express e-Commerce portal
Madrid, Spain - The industry has pioneered the design and development for some of the main airlines in Europe and Latin America
Indra has teamed up with Birchman Group to develop the new e-Commerce portal for Iberia Express (www.iberiaexpress.com), in keeping with both the Spanish airline's new brand design and passengers’ needs. T... more

Science and technologyAirbus and UNESCO partner on global student challenge "Fly Your Ideas", now in its fourth edition
Toulouse, France - The final in June 2015 and the winning team will receive EUR 30,000 (USD 40,000)
The aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have signed a formal partnership supporting the industry’s global student challenge, "... more

IndustryIndustry. Thales appoints interim CEO
Paris, France - Contrasts between Dassault Aviation and the French government appear to impede the choice of Levy’s successor after old CEO was transferred to Électricité de France
Thales, a corporation specialized in the aerospace and defence sectors, is going through a difficult period. Jean-Bernard Levy has recently resigned his charge as Chief Executive Officer because he was... more

ReportAgustaWestland’s helicopters bribe: money was laundered through a Tunisian company
New Delhi, India - New Delhi Court held today the first hearing of the trial against the suspected kickback’s middlemen
The New Delhi’s tribunal following the case on alleged kickbacks paid by the Italian holding Finmeccanica for the supply of 12 AgustaWestland AW-101 helicopters examined today the first charges expressed b... more

AerospaceIndustry. EU: joint-venture between Airbus and Safran is in line with antitrust regulations
Brussels, Belgium - The two companies want to put together their space launch activities
The European Union approved the constitution of a joint-venture between Airbus Group and Safran, for space launcher activities, satellite subsystems and missile propulsion. EU verified that the merger... more

Press releaseFinmeccanica: progress of the disposal process in the railway transport sector of the Group
Rome, Italy - The BoD has been informed by the CEO
Finmeccanica communicated to the media the following errata to its press release. We receive and publish the right version. "The Board of Directors of Finmeccanica, in its meeting held yesterday,... more

SecurityJapan and Germany equip anti-Ebola airplanes
Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo will send a Boeing KC-767 to deliver hazmat suits; Berlin presented an Airbus A-340 for the evacuation of patients
Tokyo pledged to send protective suits to Ebola-affected countries with a military aircraft. The government announced it today, November 28. According to Japanese press reports, the airplane is a Boeing... more

AirlinesAirplanes and airlines. Meridiana could be entrusted to a judicial commissioner
Olbia, Italy - The attorney general found “Serious irregularities” in the relation with the subsidiary Air Italy
Tempio Pausania’s attorney general Domenico Fiordalisi requested the civil tribunal to send an administrative inspection to Meridiana Fly. The prosecutor suspects “Serious irregularities” in the carri... more

Weather forecastsAirplanes and forecast. Bad weather in Italy: thunderstorm alert on Liguria and Piemonte
Rome, Italy - A red criticality on central and east of Liguria
The Italian Civil Defense Department, on the basis of the available forecasts, issued a bulletin for adverse weather conditions. A red criticality for hydrogeological-hydraulic risk evaluated for today... more

HelicoptersFirst flight of Airbus Helicopters’ EC-645T2
Donauwörth, Germany - Bundeswehr to receive the first aircraft in this series in late 2015
Airbus Helicopters’ newest lightweight military multi-role helicopter, the EC-645T2 (LUH SOF), has successfully completed its first flight. In the presence of representatives of the German Armed Forces (... more

Military aviationThe United States send A-10 airplanes against Isis
Washington, USA - But choosing targets poses serious problems to the American raids
Washington is strengthening its air forces deployed in the war against ISIS. Army officials announced that 12 A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack airplanes have been recently moved from Afghanistan to Kuwait.... more

AirlinesAirplanes and labour. Air France: 210 volunteers for Transavia
Paris, France - But its low-cost subsidiary development is suspended until December 3, when the referendum among pilots is concluded
210 Air France pilots asked to be voluntarily transferred to the low-cost subsidiary Transavia for the summer season 2015. The news was given by the general director Frédéric Gagey during a press conference f... more

UAS-DronesFirst squadron entirely made of drones for the UK Royal Navy
London, United Kingdom - The naval air unit, made by Boeing ScanEagle drones, has its base Cornwall
The Royal Navy established the 700X Naval Air Squadron, the first made of unmanned aircrafts for this military force. It is composed by Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones and is based in the Culdrose airfield... more

Press releaseFinmeccanica: progress of the disposal process in the railway transport sector of the Group
Rome, Italy - The BoD has been informed by the CEO
We receive and publish: "The Board of Directors of Finmeccanica, in its meeting held today, has been informed by the CEO about the progress of the disposal process in the Railway Transport sector of the... more

AirportsAirplanes fly back to Mitiga airport
Tripoli, Libya - Meanwhile the Italian minister of Foreign Affairs Gentiloni says Italy is likely to be involved in a new international mission in Libya
After last days airplane raids, Mitiga airport, the only one active in Tripoli, have been reopened this morning (see also AVIONEWS). As reported by Libyan media, operations began again with two flights,... more

IndustryFinmeccanica: contract signed between ATR and Indonesia’s Lion Air for 40 aircraft
Rome, Italy - Agreement signed at the Cabinet Office, before Prime Minister Matteo Renzi
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Finmeccanica’s CEO and General Manager, Mauro Moretti, attended the signing in Rome today, of a 1 billion US$ contract by ATR, the joint-venture between Finmeccanica-Alenia A... more

Military aviationF-35 airplanes say farewell to nickel
Washington, USA - A small business from Massachussets will supply non-toxic components for the fighters
The “Joint Strike Fighter” program for the replacement of a number of military airplanes with Lockheed Martin F-35 fifth-generation multirole fighters will use nickel-free components developed by Triton Sys... more

PeopleAirplanes and papal journeys. Alitalia will accompany His Holiness Pope Francis in Turkey
Rome, Italy - The visit will last three days (from Friday to Sunday) with two stages (Ankara and Istanbul)
Alitalia to welcome His Holiness Pope Francis on board its flights and to accompany him on his “Holy Trip” in Turkey that will take place from 28 to 30 November. The flight will be carried out with an... more

Industry"Finmeccanica Innovation Prize 2014": the awards were assigned to Alenia Aermacchi, Selex ES and Telespazio
Rome, Italy - In these ten years, the number of proposals submitted have trebled: almost 25,000 Group employees throughout the world have worked on roughly 8,500 technological projects
Finmeccanica celebrated yesterday the tenth edition of the "Finmeccanica Innovation Prize Award" in its Auditorium. Gianni De Gennaro, Finmeccanica’s Chairman and Mauro Moretti, Chief Executive Officer a... more

Military aviationTokyo: towards the development of Japanese aircraft carrier?
Tokyo, Japan - American ships will be absent from East Asian waters for four months
Japan might develop its own fleet of aircraft carriers to compensate for a future temporary absence of American warships from East Asian waters. Since the end of World War II the United States have kept... more

Press releaseAirplanes and carriers. The new Alitalia Board of Directors announced, company from next Junuary 1, 2015
Rome, Italy - The appointments confirmed among the others of Montezemolo, Hogan, Cassano, Colaninno and Bisignani
New Alitalia yesterday announced the composition of the Board of Directors of the company that will become the new Alitalia airline entity from 1 January 2015, and in which Etihad Airways will take a minority... more

AirlinesAircraft and airlines. Meridiana closes office in Rome
Rome, Italy - Meanwhile redundant workers prepare their long trip towards Aga Khan home in France and to the European parliament in Brussels
Meridiana will close its office in Rome as of December 1. It is the first move made by the new “Executive vice-chairman” Richard W. Creagh, who replaced the resigning CEO Roberto Scaramella (for details see... more

IndustryAirbus: VietJetAir receives first A-320 aircraft
Toulouse, France - During a special ceremony took place in Toulouse
Vietnam’s VietJetAir has celebrated the delivery of its first A-320 ordered directly from Airbus at a special ceremony in Toulouse today. The event was attended by top management from the airline, including V... more

DefenseMoscow deploys 14 fighter airplanes in Crimea, causing NATO concerns
Moscow, Russia - Russia aims at controlling the whole Black Sea, warns the Treaty’s top military commander
Moscow sent 14 fighter airplanes to Crimea. The news was given today, Wednesday November 26, by the Russian defence ministry. They are 10 Sukhoi Su-27/SM and 4 Su-30/M2 took off from the Krasnodar region... more

AerospaceThe Russian space agency postpones Astra 2G satellite launch
Moscow, Russia - There were technical problems on the carrier rocket Proton-M. The missile was removed fro the launch pad
The Russian space agency Roscosmos postponed the Proton-M missile launch scheduled for November 28 from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It had to carry the European commercial satellite Astra 2G. The... more

IndustryATR: Bangkok Airways receives first of nine -72/600 aircraft on order
Toulouse, France - Thailand's carrier strengthens its network
Bangkok Airways, ATR's long-term customer, today took delivery of its first -72/600 airplane at a special ceremony in Toulouse, France. The handover marked a key milestone in the carrier's development... more

Civil aviationSukhoi and Alenia get VNAV certification for Superjet 100 airplane
Moscow, Russia - The certification has been obtained only for the basic version at the moment
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) airplane got the VNAV certification by the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), the official civil aviation authority in Russia, recognized as a certification body by... more

DefenseParis towards a close cooperation with Ankara in the defence sector
Paris, France - France tries to follow the path traced by Italy during the last decade
Since the beginning of 2014 France is working to restore bilateral relations with Turkey including a close cooperation in the defence sector. Until a few years ago, French industry was boycotted by Ankara,... more

AirlinesAirplanes and airlines. Alitalia designations: the banks’ role in CAI and in the Midco
Rome, Italy - The shareholders meeting to ratify today the appointments in Alitalia-SAI, in the Midco and in the old CAI
Alitalia’s shareholders meet today to ratify the designations in the new airline. Besides the board of directors of the new company Alitalia-SAI (Società Aerea Italiana), reported yesterday by AVIONEWS, to... more

Military aviationIndia: 30 airplanes and helicopters lost in three years
New Delhi, India - Accidents mainly caused by human errors and technical defects
India Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar informed the Parliament that IAF (Indian Air Force) lost 30 aircraft (airplanes and helicopters) in three years. Crashes killed seven people and costed over 193... more

IndustryFinmeccanica, AnsaldoBreda’s sale: the Chinese likely to get back in the competition
Rome, Italy - Insigma found a new partner and would make a binding offer
The Chinese company Insigma found a new partner and asked Finmeccanica to be admitted back in the competition for the purchase of AnsaldoBreda and Ansaldo Sts. So far, the only proposal made by November... more

IndustryEmbraer: SkyWest confirms firm order for seven E-175 aircraft
São José dos Campos, Brazil - The value is estimated at USD 301 million
Embraer SA and SkyWest, Inc. (SkyWest), have confirmed a firm order for seven E-175 jets. The aircraft will be flown by SkyWest Airlines under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA) with Alaska Airlines.... more

Press releaseAircraft and transport in Italy. Authority suspends strike of next December 15
Rome, Italy - The staff will regularly adhere to the protest at general level of Friday 12
"The Uil Trasporti communicated to the guarantee Authority the cancellation of the strike for next December 15, regarding the staff by ENAV (Italian Flight Assistance Company) in Rome-Fiumicino. As... more

IndustryFinmeccanica-Selex Es and Airbus DS team-up for UK MoD Mode 5 IFF study
Luton, UK - A 12 month platform integration study contract
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to a Finmeccanica-Selex ES-led team which will enable the introduction of a new Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) standard across a range of UK... more

HelicoptersIndia hands over Drhuv multi-role helicopter to Nepal Army
Katmandu, Nepal - New Delhi will provide its neighbour technical and logistic support
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered today a Drhuv multi-role helicopter made by the State-owned company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to Nepal. The aircraft will be used by Katmandu forces... more

IndustryBoeing begins final assembly of its first B-787/9 airplane
North Charleston, USA - North Charleston site joins Everett, Wash., team in building newest Dreamliner
Boeing has started final assembly of the 787/9 Dreamliner airplane at its South Carolina facility. The team began joining large fuselage sections of the newest 787 Nov. 22 on schedule, a proud milestone... more

AirportsMichael Brown’s case. Riots in Ferguson (Missouri): airplanes redirected from St Louis airport
St Louis, USA - The decision was taken following the unrest that burst after a grand jury declined to indict the police officer who shot the young man
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is diverting flights scheduled to land at St Louis to other airports as of 11:30 local time Monday November 24. The decision was taken after gunshots were fired... more

HelicoptersHollande suspends Mistral helicopter carrier delivery to Russia
Paris, France - Moscow could demand France to pay the penalties called for in the contract
French president François Hollande suspended the delivery of Mistral helicopter carrier ship to Russia “Until further notice”. The announcement comes after months of pressure by allied governments aski... more

AirlinesAircraft and bankruptcy. A voluntary agreement IATA member airlines to protect passengers
Brussels, Belgium - No one left behind or forgotten in the airports
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a new arrangement to help passengers impacted by airline bankruptcy. A voluntary agreement on behalf of its members flying to, from and within... more

ReportAirplane raids against Mitiga airport in Tripoli
Tripoli, Libya - Forces loyal to the government elected in June claimed responsible for the air strike
Mitiga airport, the second in importance in for Libya’s capital Tripoli, was hit by two airplane strikes between Monday 25 and Tuesday 25. General Khalifa Haftar’s forces claimed responsible for the act... more

AirlinesAlitalia: new board of directors to be confirmed tomorrow
Rome, Italy - Three members of the board of governors have been chosen by Etihad, which appears to have played an important role in the designation of president Montezemolo and CEO Cassano
Alitalia’s shareholders will meet tomorrow to ratify the designations of the nine members of the new company’s board. Three members have been chosen by Etihad: as reported by AVIONEWS, CEO James Hogan wil... more

IndustryATR, certified as AEO for customs activity
Toulouse, France - Given the rapid increase in logistics activities due to the growth in sales of products and services, ATR gets its import-export processes certified by customs authorities
The French Ministry of Finance has just granted the turboprop aircraft manufacturer, ATR, its Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status. Having obtained this label, ATR will benefit from a streamlined... more

ReportAgustaWestland’s helicopters bribe: New Delhi’s court sets hearing for November 28
New Delhi, India - Meanwhile the Government may lift its ban from foreign companies accused of corruption
The New Delhi’s tribunal following the case on alleged kickbacks paid by the Italian holding Finmeccanica for the supply of 12 AgustaWestland AW-101 helicopters, set a hearing for November 28 to examine t... more

SecurityFAA 30 day review of Chicago Center Fire ("Specials" by AVIONEWS)
Chicago, USA - It underscores need for funding, flexibility and NextGen
After reviewing contingency plans and security protocols in the wake of a fire at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center, the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) i... more

IndustryEurofighter and Netma welcome ministerial talks
Edinburgh, Scotland - During the meeting, a €1 billion contract for the development of a new electronic radar system was signed
Representatives of the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium have welcomed multi-national ministerial talks about the future of the Programme. The talks took place in Edinburgh/Scotland for over two days. Discussions... more

ReportMalaysia Airlines airplane: recovery operations concluded
Donetsk, Ukraine - Investigation will go on in the Netherlands with the analysis of the aircraft wreckage
After one week of work, the Dutch mission in Ukraine finished on Sunday 24 the recovery operations of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing B-777/220 shot down in the Donetsk region last July 17. Pieces of the... more

PeopleAirplanes and industry. Giovanni Contento (Uilm): the sale of Finmeccanica’s transport sector is “Hurried and untimely” (VIDEO AVIONEWS)
Rome, Italy - The unionist called on Renzi’s Government to take a more active role in the deal and expressed concerns about the future of the aerospace sector in Italy
Giovanni Contento, national secretary responsible for the aerospace sector of the metalworkers’ Italian union UILM, was interviewed today, November 24, by AVIONEWS about the sale of Finmeccanica’s rai... more

AirlinesUnited Airlines adds Venice from New York
Venice, Italy - In addition Chicago-Dublin and Washington-Paris
United Airlines today announced new trans-Atlantic summer-season service between New York and Venice, Italy, along with new service between Chicago and Dublin, both subject to government approval. In... more

UAS-DronesUnmanned airplanes. USA Senator urges FAA to release rules for the use of drones
Washington, USA - Recent detections close to airliners raised concerns about the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)
Recent episodes concerning drones flying too close to commercial airplanes close to New York “JFK” International Airport caused strong concerns by American authorities. On Sunday 23 the USA Senator Cha... more