The World of Aviation

A Jetstar Airbus A321 was forced to abort landing in Singapore in 2010 after both the crew forgot to extend the landing gear in time, according to an ATSB report. The report said the captain was distracted by his mobile phone during the aircraft’s descent while the first officer was likely suffering from fatigue. Jetstar

The Qantas Group has picked CFM International LEAP-1A engines to power Jetstar’s future fleet of 78 Airbus A320neos. Jetstar is scheduled to receive the first of updated single aisle jets in 2016. About half the aircraft will replace existing leased aircraft while the other half will support Jetstar growth. Featuring upgraded engines and wingtip “sharklets,”

Jetstar has made its first biofuel-powered commercial flight, an hour and 15 minute trip from Melbourne to Hobart on Thursday morning. The one-off flight came less than a week after Qantas made its own inaugural biofuel publicity flight. Both used the same 50:50 blend of conventional jet fuel and biofuel derived from cooking oil. Qantas

Qantas Freight Enterprises has announced plans for a weekly cargo flight from Sydney to Chongqing, China, with continuing service to Chicago. The service, which will make its maiden voyage tomorrow, will depart Sydney on Friday evenings as QF7583. It arrives in Chongqing early Saturday morning before departing for Chicago via Shanghai that afternoon. The flight

Hawker Beechcraft lost US$632.8 million in 2011 as aircraft sales fell by 13.2 per cent, pushing the beleaguered biz jet and GA aircraft manufacturer to the brink of bankruptcy. In its delayed 2011 annual report, released this week, Hawker-Beechcraft said it had stopped making interest payments on some of its existing debt as it worked

The final flight of the space shuttle Discovery around Washington DC yesterday provided a fitting send-off for the world’s most travelled spaceship. Riding atop a modified 747, the flight also provided one of the final glimpses of what is among the world’s most unusual jumbo jets. Though they don’t exactly look like standard 747s from