The World of Aviation

Boeing’s 787-9 test aircraft N789FT (ZB002) has transited Cairns on its return to the US after hot weather testing in Alice Springs last week. N789FT touched down in Cairns shortly before 3.30pm on Monday and after clearing customs and taking on more fuel, departed 90 minutes later bound for Honolulu, arriving there nine hours later. The accompanying

Australian companies Lovitt Technologies and Marand Precision Engineering have won work on Boeing’s F-15 Eagle program. Under the auspices of the Defence Material Organisation’s Global Supply Chain program, Boeing’s Office of Australian Industry Capability has been able to secure work for Lovitt to produce F-15 trailing edge fairings and for Marand to supply fuel tank

Qantas’s move to shift flights to Hobart from Qantas mainline 737s to QantasLink operated 717s, with the attendant decision to cut 35 jobs at Hobart airport, has sparked an outcry, even as the move means increased flight frequencies and dropping Q400 turboprop services to the Tasmanian capital. From April Qantas will transition its Melbourne and

Airline product and safety review website AirlineRatings.com has announced Air New Zealand as its ‘Airline of the Year’. Air New Zealand won the top spot in AirlineRatngs.com’s first annual awards, with Singapore Airlines’ SilkAir subsidiary named the Regional Airline of the Year. Other award winners included Emirates for best first class, Cathay Pacific for best

Airbus says its A350 static test airframe successfully completed ultimate load wing testing in December, where the wing was subjected to loads 1.5 times greater than those it could expect in service, and where the wintip deflection exceeded five metres. Airbus says ultimate loading testing on the A350 fueselage was completed earlier in December. On

The RAAF has completed its last airlift flight in support of United Nations relief efforts in South Sudan. A January 12 C-130J flight was the last of the RAAF’s eight C-17 and two C-130J flights that delivered approximately 200 tonnes of equipment to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan since January 3. “Our first