Extra impressive formation flight to mark A350 certification
Airbus has marked receiving type certification for its A350 widebody twin with a formation flight involving the five A350 flight test aircraft. The largely composite construction airliner has been awarded European EASA type certification in its initial A350-900 form, with Airbus saying US FAA certification will follow “shortly”. Certification paves the way for first delivery
China Eastern to start summer seasonal services to Auckland
Air New Zealand will have a competitor between Auckland and Shanghai over summer with China Eastern set to start a seasonal service on the route from December. Shanghai-based China Eastern has announced a four times weekly Auckland-Shanghai service using Airbus A330 aircraft starting on December 9, which will increase to daily in January 2015. The
Security set to be a focus at RAAA convention
Security promises to be top of the agenda at the 2014 Regional Aviation Association of Australia national convention. Speakers at the conference will include Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, Chief of the Defence Force, as well as David Forsyth, chair of the Aviation Safety Regulatory Review. The three-day event also features a presentation from Australian
First flight for first RAAF F-35
The first F-35A Lightning II for the Royal Australian Air Force has made its first flight. The aircraft, designated AU-1 by manufacturer Lockheed Martin and A35-001 by the RAAF, took off from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, adjacent to Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth production facilities, at approximately 14:45 local time on September
Qantas A380 lands at Dallas/Fort Worth
The world’s longest flight with the world’s largest passenger aircraft has landed at Dallas/Fort Worth airport. Qantas flight QF7 landed at DFW at 1326 local time on Monday, September 29, following a 15-hour, 15-minute journey from Sydney. The flight, operated by VH-OQL with a special livery on the tail featuring a hat and neckerchief on
Air NZ CEO defends pricing on regional routes
Air New Zealand chief executive Christopher Luxon has defended the carrier’s pricing on regional routes and says fares on turboprop services will always be more expensive than jet-operated flights due to economies of scale. Luxon says Air NZ has the best regional network in the world, citing independent research which shows all towns with populations
