AVIONEWS - World Aeronautical Press Agency
101,325 news found

Press releaseBoeing CST-100 selected as next American spacecraft
Houston, Usa - NASA awards $4.2 billion to Boeing to proceed to next phase in Commercial Crew Program
Boeing will receive an award of $4.2 billion from NASA to build and fly the United States’ next passenger spacecraft. Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation (CST)-100 is being developed as part of NASA’s Comme... more

Finance and economyAircraft maker Airbus sells some "Defence and Space" division’s activities
Toulouse, France - The operation is part of the subsidiary’s reorganization plan
Airbus Group moves further in its Defence and Space business’s reorganization plan focusing on the subsidiary’s main activities: launchers, satellites, military aircraft and missiles. Part of this str... more

ConferencesItalian Space Agency (ASI): fundamental physics on Earth and Space symposium next Monday
Rome, Italy - In the occasion of the 450th anniversary of Galileo's birth
The Italian Space Agency (ASI) communicated that the symposium will take place next Monday from 9:00am at the Accademia dei Lincei (Via della Lungara 10 in Rome). It will be dedicated about the various... more

Military aviationUS Air Force postpones KC-46 aircraft first flight to April 2015
Washington, USA - Boeing will have to redesign part of the wiring to comply with military’s requirement
US Air Force delayed first flight of aerial refuelling tanker KC-46, modified version of civilian Boeing 767 airplane, to April 2015. After a wiring audit, the aircraft’s producer found that about 5% o... more

AerospaceNASA commits astronauts transport to two private industries
Washington, USA - Thanks to the contract with Boeing and SpaceX, the American space agency will no more be dependent on Russia for this service
NASA will transport crew on the International Space Station using American spacecraft once again from 2017. The agency’s sole reliance on Russia (that began with the Space Shuttle’s retirement in 2011) wil... more

AirlinesEmirates to launch second service to Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania
Rome, Italy - From 26th October
Emirates will be able to connect even more people and cargo with Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, with the start of a second service to the east African coastal city from 26th October. The new five times... more

AirlinesFrankfurt airport: union calls off Lufthansa pilot’s strike scheduled for today
Frankfurt, Germany - The workers return to table to negotiate on retirement scheme
German union Vereinigung Cockpit cancelled a strike scheduled for today. The walkout, announced on Monday morning, should have hit Frankfurt long-haul services from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The airline had... more

Fair and showsAirplanes and events. Indra to present its defense portfolio at "AAD2014" (September 17-21 in South Africa)
Rome, Italy - The offer on display will include the MRI surveillance light aircraft
Indra is going to attend the upcoming edition of the "Africa Aerospace & Defence" fair ("AAD 2014") to be held at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Centurion, South Africa, from September 17-21. The company's... more

ConferencesAirplanes and events. IATA: "WPS" to address needs of travelers in next century of air travel
Geneva, Switzerland - The fourth annual edition will take place from 15 to 17 October in San Diego
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will host the fourth annual "World Passenger Symposium" ("WPS 2014"), 15-17 October in San Diego, California. More than 700 high-level delegates from... more

AirlinesAirplanes and labour. Meridiana fires more than 1600 employees
Olbia, Italy - Redundancy schemes are part of the reorganization plan launched yesterday by the management
On September 15 in the afternoon, Meridiana decided to launch a reorganization plan that calls for the airplanes’ fleet renewal and redundancy schemes for more than 1600 employees. 1478 Meridiana Fly (... more

Press releaseAmnesty International: Mediterranean migrant boat shipwrecks highlight need for EU action
Rome, Italy - An its report on the perilous sea crossings between Libya and Italy is set to be released later this month
European leaders must do more to provide safe and legal ways for refugees and migrants to access international protection in the European Union, Amnesty International said yesterday after a boat bound... more

CuriositiesThe Queen of the United Kingdom is looking for a helicopter pilot
London, England - The job, advertised on the British monarchy website, will be paid up to 78,500 pounds
Helicopter pilot wanted. Employer: the Queen of the United Kingdom. The British monarchy advertised this job vacancy on its website, specyfing that the applicant “Must be willing to undertake regular t... more

AirlinesAirbus celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Beluga’s aircraft first flight
Toulouse, France - The airplane activities will be increased in the next five years
Beluga cargo aircraft, thus called because its frontal part reminds that of the famous white whale, did its first flight on September 13, 1994. Since then, this airplane has been used to transport Airbus... more

Helicopters"Grifone 2014": the exercise ended with the "Media day". 300 people and tens of helicopters engaged for a week (VIDEO)
Udine, Italy - Around a hundred of sorties made for almost 60 flight hours overall
The "Grifone 2014", the international SAR (Search and Rescue) drill, ended with the "Media Day" in Rivolto (Udine) last Friday, September 12. It lasted a week and employed over 300 military and civil people... more

DiscussionsMedia debate over EU sanctions against Russia
Moscow, Russia - Meanwhile, Moscow’s threat to close its airspace to western airlines is still pending
New EU sanctions against Moscow came into force on Friday. This measure hits some of the major Russian firms and banks, arms manufacturers, as well as the country’s leading oil company -Rosneft- and t... more

DefenseAirplane maker Airbus complains about German government rules on arms exports
Berlin, Germany - The Group interests are prejudiced by Berlin’s measures
Restricions imposed by Berlin on arms exports to security-sensitive areas caused a protest by Tom Enders, Airbus Group CEO. According to the firm’s head, the measures taken by the German government are h... more

SecurityFaa proposes civil penalty against British Airways Plc
Fort Worth, Usa - For USD 195,000
The US Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $195,000 civil penalty against British Airways, PLC, for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials Regulations. The... more

AirlinesAirplanes and carriers. Alitalia: over 2 million 360 thousand passengers carried by the Group in August
Rome, Italy - Brazil, Japan and New York the preferred intercontinental destinations
In August 2014, the Alitalia Group transported 2,360,724 passengers, an increase of 2.8% compared with the same month in 2013. During that period, the aircraft load factor reached 76.6%, an increase... more

SecurityFAA proposes civil penalties against three companies for alleged hazardous materials violations
Washington, Usa - From USD 54,000 to 65,000 towards FedEx Corp; Linvin and Allied Technology Group
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing civil penalties ranging from $54,000 to $65,000 against three companies for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials R... more

SecurityAirplanes and de-icing procedures. FAA proposed civil penalty against American Eagle Airlines
Fort Worth, Usa - For USD 60,000
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $60,000 civil penalty against American Eagle Airlines, Inc. for failing to follow approved aircraft de-icing p... more

AerospaceESA. "J" marks the spot for Rosetta's lander
Paris, France - The press conference at the European Space Agency took place in Paris
Rosetta's lander Philae will target Site J, an intriguing region on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko that offers unique scientific potential, with hints of activity nearby, and minimum risk to the lander... more

AirlinesAirplanes and airlines. Air France-KLM launches its new development plan Perform 2020
Paris, France - The project calls for important measures for short-medium haul and low-cost branch
Air France-KLM presented yesterday Perform 2020, the airline’s new development plan. The target, in the words of president Alexandre de Juniac, is to "Catch up with growth" and be on the same level as t... more

HelicoptersFinmeccanica-AgustaWestland: Life Flight Network takes delivery of 15th AW-119Kx helicopter
Cascina Costa, Italy - From the Philadelphia assembly line
Finmeccanica–AgustaWestland announced last Wednesday that it has built and delivered from the Philadelphia assembly line the 15th AW-119Kx for Life Flight Network, the latest addition to their Pacific N... more

IndustryThales Alenia Space signs new EGNOS framework contract with ESA
Rome, Italy - The industry is the prime-contractor for the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System
Thales Alenia Space announced today that it has signed a new framework contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) concerning the EGNOS navigation system. The contract will enable ESA, delegated by the... more

AirlinesAirplanes and airlines. James Hogan (Etihad) lands in Italy and promises to reintegrate part of the redundancies
Rome, Italy - It seems to have been confirmed a meeting with Montezemolo, who appears to be closer to becoming the new president of Alitalia
James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad, arrived in Rome yesterday morning. His first meeting was with the actual Alitalia CEO Gabriele Del Torchio. After that, they joined a group of managers. Hogan... more

Military aviationF-35 aircraft crash after fire onboard
Rome, Italy - The outcome of authorities' decision on the matter
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter), a military aircraft designed with state of the art technology in electronics, software, sensors, engines and airframe, will hopefully be back on its f... more

Finance and economyFinmeccanica in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the fifth consecutive year
Rome, Italy - Beside the Group, just four other A&DS companies admitted
Fifth consecutive endorsement on sustainability for Finmeccanica. Also for 2014-2015, in fact, Company has been admitted to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes World and Europe (DJSI), which reward the... more

SecurityAircraft and safety. Experts warn against "Knee Defender"’s risks
New York, USA - In case of injured passengers, airlines could also face high liability expenses
Controversies raised by "Knee Defender" (the device designed to protect passenger’s knees against reclining airplane seats) does not only concern human aggressiveness. Using this product (as already w... more

DiscussionsUS and EU airplane's ban could be a double-edged sword for Russia
Washington, USA - Western airlines have already faced similar restrictions from Moscow
After Medvedev threatened to close Russian aerospace to "Western companies" in an interview with the business newspaper "Vedomosti" (for more details, see AVIONEWS), it is natural to wonder: how much can... more

AerospaceArianespace: Ariane 5 delivers MEASAT-3b and Optus 10 into orbit (VIDEO)
Kourou, French Guyana - On its 61st consecutive successful mission
Arianespace’s Ariane 5 launcher logged another heavy-lift mission achievement, orbiting commercial telecommunications payloads yesterday for leading Asia-Pacific operators MEASAT and Optus on Flight V... more

DiscussionsSeptember 11 airplan attacks. 2001-2014: 13 years after the event that shocked the world (VIDEO of last night Obama’s speech)
Rome, Italy - On that day, islamic terrorism declared its crusade against the west. Isis is carrying it on today
2001. Four suicide attacks planned and carried out by a terrorist group linked with al-Qaeda, the sunnite movement leaded by Osama Bin Laden (who will be killed on may 2011). Their purpose: kill as many... more

Press releaseAirplanes. EC about transports: EUR 11.9 billion to improve European connections
Brussels, Belgium - The Commission has invited Member States to propose projects to use the funding
Today the European Commission has invited Member States to propose projects to use €11.9 billion of EU funding to improve European transport connections. This is the largest ever single amount of EU f... more

HelicoptersFinmeccanica-AgustaWestland: JNPA orders an AW-109 helicopter
Cascina Costa, Italy - The Power aircraft will replace an ageing B-206 model and will be delivered to the customer in December 2015
Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland and Kanematsu Corporation announced that the Japan National Police Agency (JNPA) has ordered one AW-109 Power light twin helicopter which will be operated by Kyoto Police. The... more

AirlinesAmerican Airlines Group reports August traffic results
Fort Worth, Usa - It recorded a RPMs equal to USD 20 billion
American Airlines Group reported August 2014 and year-to-date traffic results. American Airlines Group's total revenue passenger miles (RPMs) for the month were 20.0 billion, flat versus August 2013.... more

AirlinesAirplanes and carriers. Alitalia to host employee sessions to explain future strategy
Rome, Italy - In Rome and Milan over the next days
Alitalia, Italy’s leading carrier and partner of the SkyTeam alliance, will be running a series of employee events in Rome and Milan over the next days to explain the company’s future strategy and its... more

AirportsAeroporti di Puglia: results in August for the airports in the Region
Bari, Italy - Positive confirmations arrive from the traffic analysis on Bari and Brindisi
Positive confirmations coming from the traffic analysis on Bari and Brindisi airports in August and in the first eight months in 2014. The international scheduled traffic recorded increasing levels... more

PeopleIATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler speech at Riga University
Riga, Latvia - Four topics addressed in his speech included comments
IATA Director General and CEO Tony Tyler gave a speech at Latvia University on the benefits of aviation and European aviation competitiveness. His speech followed a day of discussions in Riga with Prime... more

AirlinesAirplanes and airlines. Transavia development plan: trade unions question inequalities in the treatment of pilots and threaten a strike
Paris, France - Air France-Klm CEO Alexandre de Juniac tries to prevent the protest
Troubles in Air France-Klm are developing between management and Trade unions. The cause is the low-cost subsidiary Transavia development plan. According to the workers’ representatives, it would bring i... more

Finance and economyFinmeccanica evaluates the acquisition offers for AnsaldoBreda and Ansaldo Sts
Milan, Italy - But the Group specifies that the proposals are “Non binding”
Finmeccanica stated yesterday that "At the moment (according to the schedule previously announced) the company’s correct department in charge are examining the non binding offers expressed by several s... more

PeopleAlitalia appoints new Chief Commercial Officer: Ariodante Valeri
Rome, Italy - He will take up the role on 1 October 2014
Alitalia, Italy’s leading carrier and partner of the SkyTeam alliance, today announced the appointment of Ariodante Valeri, an experienced sales and marketing leader, as Chief Commercial Officer. Ariodante V... more

ConferencesAircraft and transport. EASA: event in General Aviation in Rome in October
Cologne, Germany - Coinciding with the Italian Presidency of the EU
The European Aviation Safety Agency announced on 10 September the speaker line-up for what is set to be one of the biggest General Aviation events in Europe. Under the motto "Towards simpler, lighter,... more

AirportsNaples airport in Italy. Positive performance in August that confirms the growth trend, mainly on the international traffic
Naples, Italy - More tourists, due to the reinforcement of the network of flights
The passenger traffic trend incremented at the Naples' airport in August. It recorded 703,000 travelers in transit. The passenger traffic recorded a positive performance last month with the increase... more

Civil aviationFAA tests fuels in research and new avio lead-free fuels for general aviation airplanes
Washington, Usa - The first testing phase at its technical center
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it has selected four unleaded fuels for the first phase of testing at the FAA’s "William J. Hughes" Technical Center. The... more

AirlinesAirplanes and acquisitions. James Hogan (Etihad) tomorrow in Italy for a round of meetings
Rome, Italy - The designation of Montezemolo as president of Alitalia is becoming more probable
James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad, comes back to Italy one month after signing the contract for the acquisition of Alitalia’s shares. He will participate at the firm employee’s convention, to be... more

Military aviationItalian Air Force (AMI) at "Grifone 2014": the exercise began with the first flights
Rome, Italy - Planned daily and evening search activity
The "Grifone 2014" exercise began. It is the training event organized annually by the Italian Air Force (AMI) in the context of an international agreement on SAR (Search and Rescue). The flight crews,... more

IndustryThales Alenia Space: the Spacebus family is growing with Spacebus NEO
Rome, Italy - With 80 orders recorded to date and over 500 years of cumulated service in orbit
Thales Alenia Space is upgrading and expanding its range of Spacebus geostationary telecommunications satellites. With 80 orders recorded to date and over 500 years of cumulated service in orbit, Spacebus... more

SecurityTerrorism: Italy strengthens security measures in ports and airports
Rome, Italy - Minister Alfano: Italy is a possible target, but there are no concrete plans against our country
After Steven Sotloff’s beheading and the threats against “America’s allies” set forth by Isis in the video of the second of September, the Italian public security department issued two guidelines concern... more

AccidentsMalaysian airplane shot down in Ukraine (2): the preliminary report by the Dutch Safety Board (VIDEO)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands - The airplane hit from "A large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside"
The Dutch Safety Board (DSB), the Dutch authority which is conducting a series of investigations on the shot down of the Malaysian Airlines' B-777/200 airplane. It was disintegrating while flying over... more

AirlinesThe new head of Alitalia comes from the Emirates
Rome, Italy - Silvano Cassano, Italian from Ferrara, has already worked in the Emirates and was a colleague of James Hogan in Hertz
The next Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia Silvano Cassano has an international-scale curriculum, and a past work experience with the current president and CEO of Etihad. Looking at his cv, published... more

Finance and economyAirbus Group could sell part of their Dassault Aviation’s shares
Paris, France - The news, not confirmed by the corporation, matches a past statement by CEO Tom Enders
According to some analysts, Airbus Group is planning to sell 10% of Dassault Aviation, a French industry producing military planes and business jets. This could only be the first step towards the transfer... more