The Department of Defence says a component failure in the fuel system caused the engine failure which led to the May 18 crash of a RAAF PC-9/A. “Air Force will now work with its contracted maintenance organisations, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, to establish the cause of the component failure,” Defence said in a
Hawker Beechcraft has announced that the final preproduction Hawker 200 has successfully completed its first flight. “The aircraft performed exceptionally well during its two hour, three minute flight. Development testing is more than 50 per cent complete and the aircraft is meeting or exceeding all performance targets,” HBC executive vice president Shawn Vick said in
The Airbus-led consortium developing the A320/A321 Passenger to Freighter (P2F) conversion has decided to cancel the project, citing “economic reasons”. “Recent market developments, including the success of the upcoming A320neo, have resulted in more demand for A320 passenger aircraft and less for freighter versions in this aircraft category,” Airbus said in a statement. “In addition,
Tiger cuts four routes
Tiger Airways has announced it is suspending four routes – Melbourne-Mackay and Melbourne-Rockhampton and Brisbane-Sydney and Sydney-Sunshine Coast – from August 1 to “simplify its Australian flying program” so that it can “focus on restoring the punctuality of its operation”. Tiger says its Melborne to Mackay and Rockhampton flights have been hit by rising oil
New Qantas baggage limits come into effect
Qantas’s new, more restrictive domestic checked baggage policy came into effect on June 1. The changes for allowances on Qantas and QantasLink domestic services are now as follows (excluding QantasLink flights to/from Lord Howe Island, Olympic Dam and Mount Hotham): Economy: 1 piece (maximum 23kg) Business: 1 piece (maximum 32kg) Qantas Club members 1 piece
BA takes delivery of 100th Airbus
An A320 delivered on June 1 was British Airways’s 100th single-aisle Airbus aircraft. BA has taken delivery of two A318s, 33 A319s, 48 A320s and 16 A321s since it first became an Airbus operator (via predecessor airline British Caledonian) in 1988.
