The World of Aviation

The Project Air 5376 Phase 3.2 program to replace fuselage centre barrel structural components on the RAAF’s fleet of F/A-18A/B Hornets has officially wrapped up following the handing back of the 10th Hornet to be rebuilt by BAE Systems Australia to the RAAF. Originally planned to encompass up to 49 Hornets, the centre barrel replacement

China’s Avicopter, part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) group, has completed the design of its two tonne AC311 while it continues design work on the one tonne AC310. The AC311 will soon enter the manufacturing phase with the first prototype expected to be ready in time for China’s Zhuhai airshow in November.

Qantas has lodged an application with the International Air Services Commission (IASC) seeking a two year extension to its codeshare arrangement with South African Airways (SAA) on the South Africa route. Under its arrangement, which started in 2000, SAA buys a ‘hard block’ of seats and codeshares on Qantas services from Sydney to Johannesburg, while

Virgin Blue has reportedly hired three Qantas executives to bolster its push into the lucrative corporate and government travel markets. According to Fairfax Media reports, Virgin has poached Qantas’s former head of government relations Jane McKeon, who will take on a similar role at Virgin based in Canberra in coming months. Virgin has also managed

Singapore Airlines Flying College (SAFC) has announced the arrival of its first of five new Cessna Citation Mustangs and new  simulators at its base at Sunshine Coast Airport. “Singapore Airlines has invested more than $40 million in a new fleet of five Cessna Mustang C510 aircraft and two state-of-the-art flight simulators,” SAFC chairman Mak Swee

Boeing has been awarded a five year contract to upgrade the USAF’s fleet of KC-10 Extender tankers with new communications, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management (CNS/ATM) equipment. The USAF operates 59 KC-10s, and the work is scheduled to be complete by 2015.