Category: Aerospace
Aerospace
U.S. announces $138 million in military sales of Hawk missile systems support for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has greenlighted an emergency $138 million in foreign military sales for Ukraine to provide critical repairs and spare parts for Kyiv’s Hawk missile systems. The U.S. announced the move Tuesday saying that Ukraine has an urgent need for the maintenance support to keep the missile system running. The announcement follows a similar, small-sized round of $300 million in munitions support the Pentagon announced last month after it was able to convert contract savings to…
Serbia says it’s close to a deal to buy French-made fighter jets. That would be a shift from Russia
Serbia is close to signing a deal on the purchase of 12 French Rafale multi-purpose fighter jets, the Serbian president announced Tuesday, in what would mark a shift from its traditional military supplier Russia. President Aleksandar Vucic spoke during his two-day visit to Paris and talks with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as French defense officials including Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Vucic said that he had a very good conversation with Macron on Monday night, which lasted more than…
Qantas adds millions of loyalty seats to soothe angry flyers
SYDNEY – Qantas Airways will make millions more seats available for frequent flyers, but passengers will need to use more loyalty points to secure their tickets, as chief executive officer Vanessa Hudson overhauls a model that had increasingly frustrated customers. Frequent flyer members will have access to 20 million new seats for travel over a 12-month booking window, the airline said on April 8. They will be available for booking immediately on all international and domestic routes and in…
Airlines desperate for planes are paying more for older models
Boeing’s latest 737 Max crisis has worsened an airline shortage of popular narrowbody aircraft, sending the cost of used-jet rentals to the highest level in years. The US planemaker has slowed production of its bestselling model to address quality lapses tied to a near-disaster on a 737 Max 9 in January. With Airbus also struggling to lift output, available planes remain scarce. As a result, airlines are searching out leased ones – especially the largest single-aisle jets that carry more…
Boeing may turn to outsider CEO to tackle spiralling crisis
MONTREAL – Boeing’s board has begun the search for a big hitter to take the helm of the troubled plane maker following the turbulent tenure of chief executive Dave Calhoun, with many industry executives and analysts predicting it will seek an outside remedy. Facing mounting pressure from airlines, regulators and investors, Boeing on March 25 announced a broader than expected shake-up with Mr Calhoun, 66, stepping down by the end of 2024 on the heels of the company’s commercial…
US stocks pull back as tech giants hit by EU probe
NEW YORK – Wall Street stocks retreated March 25 as a market rally showed signs of fatigue and tech heavyweights faced stepped-up regulatory scrutiny in Europe. Maris Ogg of Fiduciary Trust said the reticent start was unsurprising given the relatively light schedule this week as far as economic news. “It certainly wouldn’t be unusual” to have some kind of consolidation after last week’s highs,” Ogg said. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 per cent to 39,313.64. The broad-based…
As Boeing turbulence persists: A look at past crashes and safety issues involving the plane maker
The American plane maker has been under intense pressure since early January, when a panel blew off a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max midflight. That’s spotlighted a lengthy series of safety and manufacturing problems that have piled up for Boeing over the years — including two devastating crashes that also involved Max jets. Leadership shakeups have arrived amid this turmoil, too. On Monday, Boeing announced that CEO David Calhoun would be stepping down from his post at the end of…
Russian Soyuz spacecraft with 3 astronauts docks at the International Space Station
The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus reached the space outpost after Saturday’s blastoff from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan that followed an aborted launch attempt two days earlier. Thursday’s attempted launch was halted by an automatic safety system about 20 seconds before the scheduled liftoff. Roscosmos and NASA said the crew wasn’t in danger during the aborted launch. The head of the Russian space agency, Yuri Borisov,…
Boeing CEO to step down as plane maker faces pressure over safety issues
NEW YORK – Boeing announced on March 25 that CEO Dave Calhoun will leave his post as the aviation giant faces increased scrutiny after a series of safety incidents and manufacturing issues. The company has been hit by problems including a near-catastrophic incident in January when a fuselage panel on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 Alaska Airlines jet blew off mid-flight. No one was seriously injured, but the plane was forced to make an emergency landing with a gaping hole…
Major airlines want to hear how Boeing plans to fix problems in the manufacturing of its planes
The heads of leading U.S. airlines want to meet with Boeing and hear the aircraft manufacturer’s strategy for fixing quality-control problems that have gained attention since a panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines jetliner in January, people familiar with the situation said Thursday. The meeting is likely to take place next week, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private discussions between Boeing and the airlines. The request by airline leaders was reported first…
An Amsterdam court has ruled KLM’s sustainable aviation advertising misled consumers
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In a decision hailed by an environmental group as a historic victory, an Amsterdam court ruled Wednesday that Dutch national airline KLM misled consumers in statements about sustainable aviation in a case that accused the carrier of “greenwashing.” Amsterdam District Court said in a statement that in some advertisements, that are no longer in use, KLM “makes environmental claims based on vague and general statements about environmental benefits, thereby misleading consumers.” The court said that…
Boeing faces criminal investigation by DOJ for Alaska Airlines plane blowout
As you read through the details of the DOJ investigation, ask yourself why Boeing was permitted to regulte itself. Deregulation is a choice made by government. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a criminal investigation into the Boeing jetliner incident that occurred on an Alaska Airlines plane earlier this year, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. According to the newspaper, the DOJ has reached out to passengers and crew members, including pilots and flight attendants, who were on…
Boeing 747-9 mid-air malfunction: Inability to locate records for door panel maintenance
In a letter addressed to Congress, Boeing has admitted the inability to locate records for maintenance performed on a door panel that malfunctioned during an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon two months ago. “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation,” Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen.Maria Cantwell on Friday. Alaska Airlines suspended operations of its entire Boeing 737-9 fleet on January 5, following an alarming incident where a window…
United Airlines Boeing jet rolls off runway with 166 aboard
A United Airlines jet with 166 passengers aboard rolled off the runway into a grassy area in Houston on Friday morning, making it the third such mishap involving a Boeing plane this week. No casualties were reported, the Airlines said in a statement. Video footage taken after the landing showed the plane leaning to one side, with one of its wings quite close to the ground. United Flight 2477 from Memphis, Tennessee, had arrived at Bush Intercontinental Airport at 8am…
East Coast Marine F-35 squadron reaches initial operational status
The Marine Corps now has its first F-35B squadron on the East Coast that has achieved initial operational capability. That is one of many steps in the Corps’ pursuit of a fully fielded and operational F-35 fleet of aircraft by 2030. Initial operational capability means that Marine Fighter Attack Squadron, VMFA 542, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, has enough operational F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, pilots, maintainers and equipment to…
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base begins retiring A-10 fleet
The first set of A-10 Warthogs from the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, have moved to the boneyard after nearly a half-century of flight. Both of the aircraft, which belonged to the 354th Fighter Squadron, didn’t have to go far to retire, according to an announcement Thursday. The second of the two aircraft taxied to its final resting place on Tuesday at the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group, otherwise known as the boneyard. Davis-Monthan retired its…