The World of Aviation

Qantas has announced a new joint venture with US based renewable energy company Solazyme, as it aims to investigate opportunities for algae-based biofuels. The arrangement will see Qantas and Solazyme work closely together over the next 12 months to develop a business case for the introduction of Solazyme’s algal-derived ‘Solajet’ biofuel technology in Australia. The

Boeing and EADS North America have both submitted their final bids for the US Air Force’s KC-X tanker competition. The Boeing proposal offers the 767 based NewGen tankers, which it asserted burns 24 per cent less fuel than EADS’s KC-45/A330 MRTT competitor. Boeing claims this will equate to “savings in tens of billions of dollars

Qantas has rejected claims being made by the Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) about shaky pilot job security as “completely unfounded”. AIPA has threatened industrial action amid heated negotiations with Qantas management over a new enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) for the airline’s international pilots. In a statement, Qantas said that the threat of industrial

Gulfstream has conducted a transcontinental test flight with one of its five new G650 prototypes, demonstrating the aircraft’s high speed capabilities. Aircraft S/N 6004 conducted a 1900nm (3545 km) test flight from Los Angeles to Savannah, taking off from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California, and landing at Savannah/Hilton Head International airport after 3 hours

Jetstar launched its direct Darwin to Manila service on February 9. The launch of the new tri-weekly A320 service bolsters the airline’s expanding pan Asian network, with Jetstar already flying up to 18 times a week between Singapore and Manila and Qantas four times a week between Sydney and Manila. Flights to the Philippine capital

Garuda Indonesia has appointed Ibu Yanty Siregar as its new airport station manager for Sydney. In a 19 year career with Garuda Siregar has worked as airport station and service manager in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, and has also been Jakarta airport’s station domestic service manager. Siregar’s appointment has been effective since  January 7 2011.