The World of Aviation

Cracks inside A380 wings has led Airbus to acknowledge manufacturing and design flaws but insist that the world’s largest jetliner remains safe to fly. The planemaker confirmed that more cracks had been discovered during compulsory inspections ordered this week by the European Aviation Safety Agency, Reuters reported. The inspections were ordered after cracks were found

Norwegian Air Shuttle has ordered 100 737 MAX aircraft, giving Boeing its first European customer for its re-engined single aisle jetliner. The deal, valued at US$11.4 billion at list prices, also includes 22 737-800s. The Norwegian currently operates an all Boeing fleet of 68 737-300s and 737-800s. The order brings the budget carrier’s backlog to

Virgin Australia has announced a series of extra flights across popular corporate, resource sector and leisure routes to meet what the airline describes as rising demand. The additional flights, commencing service next month, include the following: Adelaide-Melbourne: An additional return flight Mondays through Fridays; taking total flights between the two cities up to 10 per

Driven by growth in its support and services business, Eurocopter posted a 12.5 per cent rise in revenues in 2011 to 5.4 billion euros (AUD$6.7). The growth came despite a slight decrease in deliveries from 527 helicopter in 2010 to 503 last year. Net orders, however, bounced back from 346 to 457, reflecting modest market

Australian company TAE has bolstered its maintenance capabilities by purchasing the NAS Services APU, starter generator and electrical component maintenance system from Cobham Aviation Services in Adelaide. Terms of the purchase were not released. In a statement, TAE said existing NAS operational staff and equipment would be retained, with operations transferred from NAS Services’ Parafield

A precautionary suspension placed on the Australian Army’s fleet of Black Hawk helicopters has been lifted, with the 34 machines returning to full flying operations. The fleet was grounded on January 19 following the identification of a number of fractured bolts during a routine maintenance check. An engineering investigation indicated that the defective bolts were