Indonesia’s Wings Air takes first ATR 72-500s
The first three of up to 30 ATR 72-500 turboprops have been delivered to Indonesian regional carrier Wings Air. Wings Air, a subsidiary of fast growing Lion Air, has ordered 15 ATR 72-500s and holds options on a further 15 72-600s.
First Phenom 300 delivered
Embraer delivered the first Phenom 300 light jet to a customer on December 29. The aircraft was delivered to Executive Flight Services on behalf of an undisclosed customer. “As the first FAA Part 135 operator to take delivery of the Phenom 300, Executive Flight Services will be managing an aircraft that has met all design
Dutch take first NFH 90
The Dutch armed forces took delivery of the first customer NFH 90 helicopter shortly before Christmas. The aircraft, the first of 12 NFH 90s The Netherlands has on order, was handed over on December 23 at the AgustaWestland facility in Italy were it was built, and has been delivered in a ‘Meaningful Operational Capable (MOC)’
Indian Finance ministry cancels A330 MRTT deal
The Indian Finance ministry has instructed the Indian Air Force to cancel a contract for six Airbus A330 MRTT tankers after raising objections over the cost of the order. The concerns are reported to centre around increasing costs of the program and the higher acquisition costs of the MRTT compared to Russian Ilyushin Il-78 tankers
Lockheed Martin to merge business units
Lockheed Martin says it plans to merge its Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) and its Systems Integration business units this year, with the resultant loss of 1200 jobs. The new business unit will be called Mission Systems & Sensors and will retain facilities at the former MS2 sites in Washington and Virginia amongst others, and
Mesa Air files for Chapter 11
US regional airline Mesa Air Group has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while it undergoes a financial restructure. Chapter 11 will allow the airline to continue to trade while it restructures. Mesa operates 130 aircraft, most on regional or thinner routes on behalf of or on codeshare agreements with United, US Air and Delta,
