André Turcat, who has died aged 94, was the chief test pilot for the Concorde programme and was at the controls of the supersonic airliner on its first flight; a few weeks later he took the jet through the sound barrier for the first time. The idea of a supersonic transport (SST) was first conceived in the late 1950s and led to an Anglo-French agreement to develop an airliner – Con...
Dassault Falcon sales declined by 72 percent last year compared with 2014, according to preliminary numbers released today by the French aircraft manufacturer. In 2015, Dassault reported 45 gross Falcon sales, but a NetJets cancellation of 20 Falcon 2000s brought the net tally to just 25 aircraft. The previous year totaled 90 net Falcon orders. For 2015, Dassault cited “the economic...
Air France salutes with emotion the departure of its Boeing 747 from its long-haul fleet, after more than forty years of idyllic travel by Jumbo Jet. On this occasion, the Company is inviting its customers to share in several different celebrations. Special open days at the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget Air France and the Air and Space Museum at Le Bourget are organizing special visits...
Air France Industries will soon upgrade four Airbus A330 aircraft for one of its customers with Rockwell Collins’ PAVES™ Passenger Services System (PSS). The standalone, cost-effective reading light and cabin crew call system with USB charging port brings several benefits, including a significant reduction in aircraft weight. Depending on the system it replaces, PAVES PSS can bring...
Polish emergency medical services (EMS) operator Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR) has taken delivery of four additional Airbus Helicopters H135 light twins, taking its fleet of the type to 27 units. The latest examples are all powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206BB engines and delivery to Warsaw-headquartered LPR took place following an acceptance procedure at the manufacturer's Do...
The Consolidated PBY "Catalina" is a military aircraft designed in the 1930s (First flight March 28, 1935) in the United States. It is widely used during World War II, as the US military than that of other allied countries, performing a wide variety of missions (anti-submarine warfare, convoy escort, sea rescue, etc.). Very reliable and able to fly great distances, there were about...
Airbus Helicopters intends to perform a maiden sortie of the second flight-test prototype of its H160 medium twin-engined rotorcraft in the coming days, having missed a self-imposed end-2015 deadline for the milestone. The manufacturer says the minor slippage in the schedule was to ensure the helicopter can move straight into the certification test programme as soon as it has completed its init...
The French MRO provider, Sabena technics, has recently welcomed its first Boeing 777 for airframe modifications since obtaining its rating approval. According to the agreement, Sabena technics will perform cabin & systems modifications on two Boeing 777 aircraft from Air France in their dedicated maintenance facilities in Bordeaux (France). Modifications will include the integrati...
UGICT-CGT, the largest of the two unions, has called for a strike on January 28 to protest the job cuts as well as the legal action taken against five employees involved in an October 5 attack on Air France officials after the airline presented its restructuring plan. The union is also protesting the airline’s plans to spin off some of its operations. “In 2016 we’re lett...
Airbus Group SE managed to beat a company target for deliveries last year by churning out almost twice the average monthly number in December, people familiar with the achievement said. The European plane maker reached a total of about 635 and handed over 79 units in the last month of the year alone, said the people. Airbus shipped 629 planes in 2014. Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath decli...
Airbus Group SE won an agreement from ANA Holdings Inc, Japan’s largest airline, to buy three of its A380 superjumbos, said a person familiar with the plan, giving the European plane maker a welcome vote of confidence for an aircraft that hadn’t won a new airline customer in three years. The parent of All Nippon Airways Co will take delivery of the planes from 2018, with plans to us...
Airbus has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of the Navtech group of companies, a leading global provider of flight operations solutions. Closing of the acquisition is subject to customary regulatory approvals for such type of transactions. Navtech serves more than 400 aircraft operators and aviation services customers worldwide with a suite of flight ops products, i...
