AVIONEWS - World Aeronautical Press Agency
101,165 news found

IndustryNEXST: Australian test to be forgotten
Woomera, Australia - The scale model crashed on ground
NEXST, the futuristic supersonic jet made in Japan, need some improvement. Test carried out Saturday in the savage outback of Australia has in fact ended with the 1:10 scale of the aircraft crashing on... more

AirlinesRyanair pilots called for European Commission's intervention
London, Uk - To investigate on labour conditions at the no "frills" airline
Some pilots at the low-cost airline Ryanair called for European Commission to set up an inquiry to investigate on labour conditions at the Irish low-fare air carrier. According to allegations, Ryanair... more

AccidentsA Japanese woman died on board a Paris-Tokyo flight
Moscow, Russia - The aircraft made an emergency landing at a Far East Russian airport
A Boeing flying from Paris to Tokyo landed in emergency at Khabarovsk airport, in the Far East of Russia, after a Japanese woman on board was taken ill all of a sudden. Later on, the woman died due to... more

AirlinesAir One and Air Littoral signed a code-share agreement
Rome, Italy - Its Air One's début in France
The European airlines Air One and Air Littoral signed a double agreement according to which on one side the carriers will operate in code-share on their links between Italy and France, and on the other... more

IndustryNorthrop Grumman awarded of a near 36 USDm contract
USA
Northrop Grumman Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $35,900,000 modification to definitize a previously awarded letter contract (N00019-99-C-1685) to a firm-fixed-price contract. This modification... more

IndustryRaytheon awarded of a near 74 USDm contract
USA
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $73,799,437 contract that exercises an option as a separately issued contract. This effort provides for 225 AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles... more

AirlinesJAS-JAL merger: their holding will generate profits of USD 188m
Tokyo, Japan - Full integration is planned for 2004
"Empire of the rising sun'"s air carriers Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) and Japan Air System Co Ltd (JAS) forecast that their holding, Japan Airlines Group, will generate profits of USD 188m in the year... more

IndustryKing Aerospace awarded of a over 465 USDm contract
USA
King Aerospace Inc., Addison, Texas, is being a $465,505,389 contract to provide for fiscal year 2003-2012 (phase from Aug. 2 through Sept. 30, 2002) contractor logistic support for 23 C-20 aircraft.... more

CuriositiesCrocodiles found at Heathrow
London, Uk - Destined for a private buyer
Ten rare crocodiles of an endangered species have been found at Heathrow airport in the hold of a plane which was heading to Korea. Hidden in sacks, these reptiles banned from international trade were... more

AerospaceNasa: no more launches for next 2 months
Washington, Usa - To carry out maintenance works
The Us space agency Nasa announced that none of the 4 shuttles (Atlantis, Columbia, Discovery and Endeavour) will take off for next two months. Nasa's decision has been taken after technical troubles at... more

IndustryAlenia Spazio will not purchase Fairchild Dornier
Rome, Italy - After a technical evaluation
Last Friday the Italian aerospace industry Alenia Spazio announced it would not pursue with the acquisition of the loss making Fairchild Dornier. Alenia in fact stated that an evaluation "by an expert... more

AirlinesBritish Airways to confirm Lord Marshall until 2004
London, Uk - As non executive chairman
British Airways, Uk's flag airline, will ask tomorrow its shareholders to confirm Lord Marshall as carrier's non-executive chairman until 2004. 69 year old Marshall joined British Airways in 1983 as chief... more

AirlinesThree ex Aeroflot executives could face up to 10 years imprisonment
Moscow, Russia - Accused of defrauding the airline of millions of dollars
Three former executives at the Russian airline Aeroflot, commercial director Alexander Krasnenker, deputy director Nikolai Glushkov and senior vice president Lydia Kryzhevskaya, all of them charged of... more

Civil aviationWoman forced to remove her artificial legs publicly at airport security checkpoint
Baltimore, Usa - She had permission to accompany her sons to the departure gate
A 44-year-old woman was at Baltimore-Washington international airport not to board a flight but to accompany her sons to the departure gate. She had to pass through security checkpoints anyway and set... more

HelicoptersStill missing Mi-6 helicopter vanished in northern Russia
Norilsk, Russia - The 21 people on board are provided with food at least for 10 days
Searches for Mi-6 helicopter lost in Taimyr peninsula have brought no results yet. There is no information about the fate of its crew and passengers. However, the rescuers express suppositions, that the... more

HelicoptersStill missing Mi-6 helicopter vanished in northern Russia
Norilsk, Russia - The 21 people on board are provided with food at least for 10 days
Searches for Mi-6 helicopter lost in Taimyr peninsula have brought no results yet. There is no information about the fate of its crew and passengers. However, the rescuers express suppositions, that the... more

AccidentsA German hang glider flyer crashed 2 days ago eventually died in hospital
Terni, Italy - In central Italy
After two days of agony, the German hang glider flyer who crashed in the surroundings of Castelluccio di Norcia, central Italy, eventually died in the hospital where he has been taken after the incident.... more

Press releaseGoodrich adds two more contracts to A380 wins
Charlotte, Usa - Goodrich to supply rear secondary structures and exterior lighting to Airbus for the super-jumbo aircraft
"Airbus has selected Goodrich Corporation to supply the Rear Secondary Structure for the Airbus A380 super-jumbo aircraft. Composed of Goodrich's graphite epoxy honeycomb sandwich materials, the A380 Rear... more

AirlinesA woman was forced to leave the aircraft because of asking whether the pilot is drunk
San Francisco, Usa - She had just boarded an America West plane bound to Phoenix
A woman had just boarded an America West aircraft bound to Phoenix, when she asked the pilot if he has drunk. A hot discussion rose from this simple question and successively she was forced to get off... more

Press releaseDOD, Turkey sign Joint Strike Fighter agreement
Washington, Usa - For USD 175m investment
"Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge met today with Under Secretary for Defense Industries Ali Ercan of the Turkish Ministry of Defense to sign... more

AccidentsUS commander ordered a Scottish aircraft to change course
Edimburgh, Uk - Authorities opened an investigation
A Highland Airways aircraft, in service from Stornoway to Benbecula, has been forced to change course by the order of a US warship commander. According to Us military officials the pilot of the Jetstream... more

AccidentsBomb alarm forced a United flight to divert to Glasgow
London, Uk - Taken off from London it was heading to Washington
A United Airlines passenger airliner in service between London and Washington, has been forced to divert its route and to head to Glasgow after a suspicious package was found on board. Once the Boeing... more

AerospaceRussian submarine launched in orbit a space vehicle
Moscow, Russia - From the Barents Sea
Ryazan, a Russian Navy nuclear submarine, launched in orbit the space vehicle Demonstrator-2. The space craft, lifted off from the Barents Sea, will be employed for the transportation of supplies from... more

AerospaceNasa to explore Pluto in 2003
Washington, Usa - The farthest planet of the Solar System
Nasa, the Us aerospace agency, announced that, as of next year, it will launch a space probe to explore the 9th and last planet of the Solar System, Pluto. The exploration mission, which is supposed to... more

PeopleIsraeli firm wants its employees to boycott Air France's flights
Jerusalem, Israel - After a pilot announced the final destination to be Israel-Palestina
Because a pilot of an Air France flight between Paris and Tel Aviv, by mistake, announced the plane was heading to Israel-Palestina, the Israeli communications firm, Bezek, asked its thousands employees... more

HelicoptersNew Chinese military helicopter obtained a model certification
Beijing, China - Civil Aviation Administration of China okayed H410A
The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) certified H410H helicopter, the improved version of Zhi-9 manufactured by Hafei Aviation Industry Co Ltd. "This was a major event for China's... more

IndustryThai boxe fighting for Airbus and Boeing
Bangkok, Thailand - To renew Thai International's fleet
Thai International is to renew its fleet and Airbus and Boeing are yet ready to "fight" each other to win the contract. As other Asian air carriers, Thai, which is going to launch 21 new international... more

IndustryMcDonnell Douglas awarded of a 11 USDm contract
USA
McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $11,000,000 modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for War Reserve Secondary Items IV spare parts for the aircraft. Work will be performed... more

Defense"No cut for Eurofighters"
London, UK - British Defence Ministry's denial
A British Defence Ministry's spokesman denied any change in their orders for the Eurofighters. In the previous days, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to cut... more

IndustryNorthrop Grumman awarded of a 35 USDm contract
USA
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Ill., is being a $35,000,000 indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract to provide for multi-function electro-optics for Defense of U.S. Aircraft... more

AirlinesSN Brussels to launch 12 new routes
Brussels, Belgium - Including Athens, Lisbon, Tel Aviv and Istanbul
SN Brussels Airlines, the Belgian air carrier that yesterday announced the signment of a code-share agreement with British Airways to fly its passengers to London airports, could expand its network by... more

Latest newsPentagon: JSF better than Eurofighter
Washington, Usa - Under secretary of Defense for acquisition said
"Our JSF will easily defeat your Eurofighter: there's no competition in the air markets". With these words, E.C. Aldridge, US under secretary of Defense for acquisition, commented Turkey's decision to... more

AirlinesLufthansa cancelled its order for 60 regional jets Fairchild Dornier 728
Frankfurt, Germany - "We did it to avoid financial and legal complications"
The German airline Lufthansa decided to cancel its order for 60 regional jets 728 manufactured by Fairchild Dornier. "I can confirm it", said Lufthansa spokesperson Tom Tripp. "We did it to avoid financial... more

AerospaceShuttle "Endeavour": fuel-line cracks found
Cape Canaveral - Launch dates of all shuttle flights this year are in question
Nasa discovered a fuel-line crack in its newest space shuttle "Endeavour", the same potentially dangerous problem affecting the rest of the fleet. The small crack was found in the metal liner of a hydrogen-fuel... more

AirlinesAir Dolomiti to launch its third weekly flight Bari-Corfù
Bari, Italy - Starting from next July 25
As of July 25, Air Dolomiti, the Italian air carrier partner of Lufthansa, will add its third weekly flight on the Bari (southern Italy)-Corfù (Greece) route. The new service, which is going to be operated... more

IndustryA Japanese team to test a scale model of NEXST
Woomera, Australia - The futuristic aircraft able to fly at twice the speed of sound
Today, in the deserted and inhabited lands of Australian outback, a team of Japanese researchers will test a 36-foot model of NEXST, the futuristic aircraft funded by Japan government which should be able... more

PeopleChina to toughen air safety measures
Beijing, China - By clamping down aircraft not equipped with collision avoidance systems
Chinese authorities, after recent air tragedies, decided to toughen air safety measures, by preventing aircraft not equipped with collision avoidance systems to fly in a certain time band. People's Republic... more

PeopleBAA says bye to its GBP 8,1bn investment blueprint
London, Uk - As it must continue to subsidise airline charges
British Competion Commission, in practice, obliged British Airport Authority (BAA), the handling agent of seven major Uk's airports, to say bye to its GBP 8,1bn investment plan as in fact, according to... more

HelicoptersNew helicopter R44 Raven II: correction of estimated performance data
Torrance, Usa - We apologize for any inconvenience
The helicopter manufacturer Robinson announced that its press release concerning its new R44 Rave II contained errors in the estimated performance data. We apologize for any inconvenience. The correct... more

Civil aviationFAA AD on de Havilland models DHC-2 Mk. I, DHC-2 Mk. II, and DHC-2 Mk. III Airplanes
Washington, Usa - To detect and correct corrosion in the mass balance weights at the elevator tip ribs
Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness Directives; de Havilland Inc. Models DHC-2 Mk. I, DHC-2 Mk. II, and DHC-2 Mk. III Airplanes 2002-13-08 de Havilland Inc.:... more

Press releaseBoeing realigns defense, intelligence and space businesses
Chicago, Usa - A USD 23bn unit
"Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced the creation of Integrated Defense Systems, a $23 billion business merging the company's total space, defense, government, intelligence and communications capabilities into... more

AirlinesIberia joined Qualiflyer frequent-flier program
Madrid, Spain - Thus bringing the number of participating airlines to 18
The Spanish airline Iberia by joining Qualiflyer frequent-flier program, became the 18th air carrier to partecipate to the loyalty program launched in 1992 by Swissair,Crossair and Swissotel. For Roland... more

AirlinesAir New Zealand threats to appeal to court to stop pilots' strike
Wellington, New Zealand - Yesterday pilots rejected airline's offer to continue discussions
Air New Zealand will apply to the Employment Court to prevent a strike by its pilots that is set for July 19-21. The pilots, represented by the New Zealand Airline Pilots' Association, claim ANZ is outsourcing... more

Civil aviationFAA AD on Pratt & Whitney (PW) JT8D-200 series turbofan engines
Washington, Usa - To prevent critical life-limited rotating engine part failure
Airworthiness Directives DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 [Docket No. 98-ANE-43-AD; Amendment 39-12797; AD 2002-13-09] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness... more

AirlinesFederal government will guarantee USD 900m in loans to US Airways
Washington, Usa - If the carrier agrees to some conditions
Us federal government decided to guarantee USD 900m in loans to the country's airline US Airways, provided that it will agree on several conditions among which the offering of take off and landing slots... more

Civil aviationFAA AD on McDonnell Douglas DC-10s, MD-10s and MD-11s
Washington, Usa - To prevent arcing of connectors of the fuel boost/transfer pump, which could result in a fire or explosion of the fuel tank
Airworthiness Directives DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 [Docket No. 2001-NM-46-AD; Amendment 39-12798; AD 2002-13-10] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness... more

Civil aviationFAA AD on Eurocopter EC120B helicopters
Washington, Usa - To prevent an object from sliding between the canopy and the cabin floor, loss of yaw control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter
Airworthiness Directives DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 [Docket No. 2001-SW-68-AD; Amendment 39-12799; AD 2002-13-11] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness... more

Civil aviationFAA AD on Eurocopter AS332L and AS332L1 helicopters
Washington, Usa - To prevent structural failure of a ski and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter
Airworthiness Directives DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 [Docket No. 2001-SW-46-AD; Amendment 39-12801; AD 2002-14-01] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness... more

AerospaceArianespace and Alenia signed agreement to launch a communications satellite
Rome, Italy - Atlantic Bird 1 in orbit by the end of summer 2002
Thanks to the agreement signed by the French aerospace industry Arianespace and the Italian firm Alenia Spazio, the communications satellite Atlantic Bird 1 will be taken to orbit by the end of this summer.... more

IndustryBoeing's BWB: a super-efficient bat jet
Seattle, Usa - It could take off in 2006
Boeing's engineers have designed a super-efficient aircraft that would look like a giant bat and slash the cost of air transport. The "Blended Wing Body" concept, outlined more than 10 years ago but now... more