The World of Aviation

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has approved a purchase of 20 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSFs) in a deal valued at approximately US$2.75bn (A$3.08bn). “The F-35 is the fighter plane of the future that will allow Israel to maintain its aerial superiority and its technological advantage in the region,” Barak was quoted as

Two of South America’s largest airlines, TAM and LAN, have agreed signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to combine their operations under a single parent company. Under the proposed merger, the two airlines and their affiliates would retain their separate branding but come under a new parent company called LATAM Airlines Group through an

Melbourne Airport has announced that passenger traffic through the airport during July set a new record as total arrivals increased by 13.4 per cent. The growth was driven by both higher numbers of both domestic and international passengers. Compared to the same time last year, there was an increase of 12.7 per cent in domestic

Emirates has announced that it will increase capacity on its services to Brisbane and Perth, although it will cut one of its services to Sydney from November. From November 1, one of the twice daily Dubai-Perth services will be upgraded from an Airbus A340-300 to a Boeing 777-300ER. One of the Dubai-Brisbane services will also

The US Navy has approved the start of low rate production of the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The approval came after a review by the Defense Acquisition Board. “The airplane is performing very well in testing which should result in an on-time and on-budget delivery to the war fighters,” program manager Capt Mike Moran

An Army S-70 Black Hawk helicopter operating in East Timor as part of the International Stabilisation Force (ISF) which experienced problems during a training exercise on August 12 successfully made a safe landing after the pilots made a Mayday call. According to the Department of Defence, the flightcrew made a Mayday call after experiencing an