Australian Aerospace has become the first civil helicopter maintenance training organisation to receive approval under CASA’s revamped safety regulations. The new Part 147 regulations are meant to more closely align Australia’s airworthiness standards with those of other leading aviation nations. The regulations came into force in June 2011. A wholly owned subsidiary of Eurocopter, Australian
Air New Zealand has expanded a trial program that allows economy and premium economy long haul passengers to bid on upgraded seats. The ‘OneUp’ program has already been tried with Air New Zealand passengers who purchased tickets in North America, the UK and Australia, and the carrier said it will now be expanded to include
Tanzanian carrier Precision Air Services has ordered four ATR 42-600s and one ATR 72-600 in a deal valued at US$98 million. Deliveries of the 50 seat 42-600s will begin late this year, with the 74 seat 72-600 scheduled for delivery in 2014. With the order, Precision Air Services will become the largest operator of ATR
Airbus has delivered a front fuselage section for its A350 XWB to the aircraft’s Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France, the first major airframe section to reach that milestone. The 21 metre long section was delivered on December 23 via Beluga aircraft from Airbus’s facility in Saint-Nazaire. The fuselage is destined for the A350
Embraer rolled out its first Legacy 500 test aircraft at its headquarters in São José dos Campos, Brazil, on December 23. First flight of the midsize executive jet is scheduled for the third quarter 2012. Embraer plans to produce three test aircraft. Powered by twin Honeywell HTF 7500E turbofan engines, the Legacy 500 will accommodate up
The US has confirmed the sale of $30 billion worth of top line fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in an announcement coinciding with escalating tensions with Iran. The deal, announced Dec. 29, will see the US send 84 new Boeing F-15s to the oil rich kingdom while upgrading Saudi Arabia’s existing fleet of 70 F-15s.
