Following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad Airport in Iraq on 3 January 2020 the security of the city and the airport remains in question. As a result some commercial airlines made the decision to halt flights. The impact thus far is limited, but could shift as other airlines assess the implications.
Airplanes and Airports
When good planes have to die: Scrapping an A380 and Lineage 1000E
Why scrap a perfectly good airplane? Whether an extremely large or reasonably small aircraft, the reasoning often is the same: Money. Images from the past couple weeks showing an A380 and Embraer Legacy 1000 headed to die raised questions and emotions about just how well the process works.
Qatar Airways takes delivery of new 787-9 Dreamliners in the most ridiculous way possible
The aviation industry is under a microscope when it comes to emissions and fuel efficiency. This weekend’s delivery of a bunch of Qatar Airways 787s is most definitely not going to help the situation.
Airbus, Thales bring touch screens to the A350 flight deck
Pinch-and-zoom and panning gesture controls familiar to smartphone and tablet users the world over are now availalbe to the flight deck for the first time in a commercial aircraft. Airbus and Thales delivered the first certified and equipped plane to China Eastern, kicking off a new generation of interactive experiences for pilots.
Nigeria reported to cut off Turkish Airlines
Delayed baggage is a fact of life in the airline world. But forr Turkish Airlines it also may mean getting cut off from Nigeria as passengers, and now the national regulator, are not too happy with recent performance.
An electrified experience: PaxEx Update – 13 Dec 2019
Electric aircraft are really real and the Embraer E2 family is complete. Plus a ton of good news for Airbus and an incremental eventual win for inflight connectivity.
Qantas selects A350-1000 for Project Sunrise
A slightlyy modified version of the Airbus A350-1000(ULR) is the aircraft of choice for Qantas as it inches closer to its “Project Sunrise” plans for nonstop flights between Sydney and London or New York City. But neither the business plan nor aircraft order are finalized yet. Negotiations with pilots over work rules are the sticking point now.
Wizz Air plans Abu Dhabi expansion
Abu Dhabi is suddenly a hot market for low cost carriers. Wizz Air is the latest player, announcing plans to establish a Middle East-based outpost of its operations in the UAE captial. It expects to launch service in the second half of 2020.
Air France to swap A380, A340 fleets for A350 with expanded order
Air France will add ten more A350-900 aircraft to its fleet in the coming years, supporting the retirement of its A380s and A340s. The deal will help the carrier to simplify its operations and deliver a more consistent passenger experience across its long-haul operations.
JetBlue boosts Boston-LaGuardia Shuttle to 10x daily
More thant three years after launching a “Shuttle” service between Boston and LaGuardia JetBlue is finally getting serious about the operation, increasing to 10x daily flights each way starting in Spring 2020.