The World of Aviation

Eagle Copters Australasia has launched helicopter leasing and sales operations from its Coffs Harbour Airport base, the company announced on Wednesday. Privately-owned Eagle Copters Australasia has been set up as a sister company to Calgary, Canada-based Eagle Copters Ltd, which offers helicopter leasing, sales, completions, maintenance, repair and overhaul and support services, and has developed its

Qantas will upgrade the cabin interiors of 30 Airbus A330s at its Brisbane heavy maintenance base, CEO Alan Joyce has announced. Joyce, in Brisbane on Wednesday to open a $30 million hangar upgrade, said the A330 interior refit program will run from late 2014 through to mid 2016. “From late 2014, we will be upgrading

Virgin Australia has announced a sponsorship agreement with the Melbourne Fashion Festival, the latest in a number of sponsorship and partnering arrangements the airline has entered into which are designed to continue the upmarket repositioning of its brand image. Under the agreement the event will be branded as the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival for

Emirates is establishing its own Flight Academy to help address the projected demand for 40,000 pilots in the Middle East region over the next 20 years. The facility, being developed at the new Dubai World Central in Jebel Ali, will simultaneously accommodate 400 students participating in Emirates’ National Cadet Pilot Program, with around 160 graduates a

Alenia Aermacchi has completed assembly of the RAAF’s first C-27J. With the aircraft structurally complete, the aircraft is currently undergoing equipment installation and functional tests. Alenia said roll-out and test flights will occur during December with customer acceptance tests planned to follow soon thereafter. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered to in the first

Tigerair is to withdraw from the Sydney-Mackay market and will instead introduce thrice-weekly services to Proserpine from Sydney. The changes will take effect on February 1. “Our decision to introduce the new Sydney-Whitsunday Coast route, whilst removing the Sydney-Mackay service, is based on consumer demand,” Tigerair’s commercial director Carly Brear explained, adding that the back-packer market