The World of Aviation

Assembly of the 100th Joint Strike Fighter is underway at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth facility. AF-41, a F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft, is one of 89 F-35s currently in production at Fort Worth and Marietta. AF-41 is destined for pilot training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

The 100 millionth international passenger passed through Melbourne Airport on January 31. The airport’s CEO Chris Woodruff said: “We’ve come a long way since we first opened for international flights in July, 1970. In our first year of operation, around 100,000 passengers travelled through the new airport. Last year, almost seven million international passengers used Melbourne

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is releasing 76 pilots on fixed-term contracts earlier than planned in response to excess capacity and slower than expected growth. Earlier expecting to release the pilots on expiry of their contracts, SIA will now prematurely terminate contracts by June 30.  The airline has said it will assist affected pilots with finding opportunities

Cairns’ first scheduled China Southern flight arrived on January 30, marking the start of a thrice-weekly seasonal service to cater for high season demand. In addition to the scheduled services, Chinese tour operators have chartered China Southern aircraft for seven direct flights between Cairns and Guangzhou during the Chinese New Year. Two charters will be

Boeing has increased the production rate of its 737 Next Generation family to 38 aircraft a month. Over the last two years 737 production has increased 20 per cent and in 2014 will increase again to 42 per month. The new production rate has been made possible by the automated assembly of wing spars, the

Sydney Airport CEO Kerrie Mather has called for more flexibility in the curfew to lift productivity and better manage delays in the event of unavoidable conditions. The comments were instigated by adverse weather in the aftermath of the tropical storm that caused widespread severe flooding in Queensland, with delayed flights unable to land or depart