The World of Aviation

L-3 Communications will modify an unspecified number of Gulfstream G550 aircraft for Australia under a US$93.6 million foreign military sales deal announced by the US Department of Defense on December 28. “L-3 Communications Mission Integration, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a $93,632,287 firm fixed-price undefinitised contract action task order (1648) for Australia Government G550 aircraft procurement

AgustaWestland and Alenia Aermacchi parent Finmeccanica has transformed from a holding company of separately controlled businesses into a single corporate entity with operating divisions. Under the Italian industrial group’s ‘One Company’ plan, announced on December 22, Finmeccanica now has a new governance and operating model, with the company organised into four sectors – Helicopters; Aeronautics; Electronics, Defence & Security

NEW ALLOCATIONS REGISTRATION/TYPE/SERIAL NUMBER/DATE/OPERATOR/PREVIOUS REGISTRATIONS CLK/5 Robinson R22 Beta II 4624 26/11/15 Heliflite, PO Box 121 Georges Hall NSW 2198 VH-JKX EHM/2 AgustaWestland AW109SP GrandNew 22294 12/11/15 Fox Helicopters, 493 Saint Kilda Rd Melbourne Vic 3004 VH-FOX FAT/2 Airbus EC130T2 8103 6/11/15 NM and AA Foley Contracting, 200 Rickertt Rd Ransome Qld 4154 FBT/3 Cirrus

The first of four Bombardier Challenger 604 special missions jets which Cobham Aviation will operate under a 12-year contract to provide search and rescue aircraft for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has arrived in Australia. The aircraft, currently registered to Canada’s Field Aviation as C-FIDT, arrived into Adelaide around midday on Wednesday after departing Vancouver on December 27

Darwin-based Airnorth will expand out of Northern Australia for the first time when it commences daily services from Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport to Melbourne from next March. The flights will be operated by Airnorth’s 76-seat Embraer E170 jets from March 14, with new three-times-weekly Wellcamp-Cairns services to begin at the same time. “This initiative provides a much-needed direct link for residents

Hainan Airlines has returned to Sydney for the first time since 2012 with the inaugural direct seasonal service from Xi’an touching down at Sydney Airport on Thursday morning. Hainan launched flights to Sydney in January 2011, when it served Sydney on a Hangzhou-Shenzhen-Sydney routing. However, it pulled off the route a year later. Its new twice-weekly flights from Xi’an will