The World of Aviation

Repairing a flaw in the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner could take up to two weeks per plane, Boeing said on Thursday in a development that could hamper plans to ramp up production of the long delayed airliner. Boeing disclosed the problem earlier this month, saying incorrect shimming had led to de-lamination of a section

Lockheed Martin says it is preparing to dramatically increase flight testing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter this year, with plans including the first firing of live weapons. In a progress report released today, Lockheed said the F-35 had conducted 114 flight tests for the year through to February 20, with plans for at least

Air New Zealand will cut 441 jobs after profits fell 61 per cent over the first half of the financial year. The carrier today reported net profits of NZ$38 million (A$29.9m) for the six months ending December 31, down from NZ$98 million for the same period the previous year. Revenues were up 2.5 per cent

Defence Minister Stephen Smith’s comments at a conference in Canberra this week have reinforced this writer’s perception that Mr Smith either isn’t being properly briefed by his advisers on some of the major defence programs currently underway – specifically the Air 6000 New Air Combat Capability (NACC) project – or that he is ‘target fixated’

Virgin Australia has proposed splitting its business into distinct international and domestic holding companies in a move that would open the way for greater foreign investment in its domestic operations. Under the Air Navigation Act, Australian airlines with international services are capped at 49 per cent foreign ownership, but purely domestic airlines face no such

Virgin Australia will begin rolling out its new tablet based inflight entertainment system across most of its Boeing 737 and Embraer E-190 aircraft from April. Based around Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1, the system will be provided free to business class travellers and be available for rent to economy passengers on flights over three hours. The