Lockheed plans F-35 ramp up; Ankara talks turkey
Lockheed Martin says it is preparing to dramatically increase flight testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter this year, with plans including the first firing of live weapons. In a progress report released today, Lockheed said the F-35 had conducted 114 flight tests for the year through to February 20, with plans for at least
Air NZ to cut jobs on profit plunge
Air New Zealand will cut 441 jobs after profits fell 61 per cent over the first half of the financial year. The carrier today reported net profits of NZ$38 million (A$29.9m) for the six months ending December 31, down from NZ$98 million for the same period the previous year. Revenues were up 2.5 per cent
Virgin plans to split business in bid for foreign investment
Virgin Australia has proposed splitting its business into distinct international and domestic holding companies in a move that would open the way for greater foreign investment in its domestic operations. Under the Air Navigation Act, Australian airlines with international services are capped at 49 per cent foreign ownership, but purely domestic airlines face no such
Virgin floats a raft of IFE, aircraft and airport upgrades
Virgin Australia will begin rolling out its new tablet based inflight entertainment system across most of its Boeing 737 and Embraer E-190 aircraft from April. Based around Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, the system will be provided free to business class travellers and be available for rent to economy passengers on flights over three hours. The
Air New Zealand to launch Sunshine Coast service
Air New Zealand will launch twice weekly flights to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast this winter as part of its trans Tasman alliance with Virgin Australia. The A320 flights will operate between Auckland and the Sunshine Coast on Tuesdays and Sundays between July 1 and September 18 and will offer connections to the respective domestic and international
Airnorth crash highlights importance of simulators — ATSB
The training crash that killed two experienced pilots in Darwin in 2010 highlights the importance of using flight simulators to practice for dangerous situations, the ATSB has said in a report on the accident. The Airnorth Embraer EMB-120 turboprop, VH-ANB, crashed moments after takeoff on March 29 2010 during a simulated engine failure. The flight
