News
Malaysia is latest airline to ditch the A380 super-jumbo
Malaysia Airlines (MH/MAS) has become the latest airline to remove the Airbus A380 super jumbo from its fleet after CEO Izham Ismail said it was working on the “ways and means to dispose the aircraft” as it will not return to service. Whilst some airlines, such as Emirates, thrived pre-pandemic [read more]
News
Air travel ‘Green List’ expected this week
The UK Government is expected to announce which countries will feature under which colour on the COVID traffic light system later this week. The system will allow travel without the need to self-isolate for 14 days on return to countries that appear on the green list but this list could [read more]
Military
F-35 jets take part in HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden deployment
F-35 fighter jets from RAF Marham have been deployed as part of the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) which will see them take part in Exercise Strike Warrior in Scotland before deploying on operational duties around the world. They will be based on the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS [read more]
Air Safety
Impact of stress on flight safety downplayed by pilots according to new study
A new study suggests that General Aviation (GA) pilots downplay the impact of stress on flight safety compared to factors such as inclement weather. The research, conducted by the University of Aberdeen, presented 101 pilots with a series of 12 take-off scenarios across four categories – compromised performance (pilot stressed, [read more]
Civil Aviation
London City becomes first major airport to have fully remote ATC
London City Airport (LCY/EGLC) has become the first major airport to have its air traffic control systems fully remote controlled via a digital tower. This summer will see all flights guided on take-off and landing by controllers located at the Swanwick ATC centre in Hampshire, some 70 miles from the [read more]
Civil Aviation
Aer Lingus set to return to Cardiff Airport
Aer Lingus, which last flew a scheduled flight from Cardiff Airport in 2016, is set to make a tentative return to Wales’ national airport. According to ‘UK Aviation Schedule Analyst’ Sean M on twitter, Aer Lingus Regional will restart flights between Cardiff Airport and Dublin from 30th August 2021 operating [read more]
News
Ryanair loses high court battle with CAA over strike compensation
The High Court of England and Wales has ruled that Irish budget airline Ryanair (FR/RYR) should compensate passengers whose flights were disrupted as a result of the 2018 strike by Ryanair pilots. The airline had argued that the strikes were exceptional circumstances and beyond their control so it shouldn’t have [read more]
Civil Aviation
Bristol Airport hosts Jet Zero event and joins pledge
Aviation and Aerospace leaders from across the South West met at Bristol Airport (BRS/EGGD) today to discuss working together to help the region meet Net Zero for the aviation industry. Representatives from Rolls Royce, Airbus, easyJet, GKN, Atkins, Vertical Aerospace, Universal Hydrogen and Wood joined the airport to discuss projects [read more]
Civil Aviation
Ryanair launches UK Summer 2022 schedule and new price checker tools
Ryanair has launched its summer 2022 schedule earlier than normal in a bid to boost passenger confidence and encourage forward booking. The budget airline plans to operate around 1,800 weekly flights across 160 routes from the UK. Keeping with this summers plans, Greece features heavily including Santorini, Rhodes and Chania [read more]
Air Travel
Civil Aviation
Ryanair adds 175,000 extra seats to Portugal this summer
Irish budget airline Ryanair (FR/RYR) has moved quickly to boost seats to Portugal after it was announced as being on the green travel list from 17th May. The popular holiday destination is one of the few viable summer holiday spots for Britons looking to get away without the need to [read more]
News
Portugal, Israel and Gibraltar on green list as government unveils travel information
The Government has revealed which 12 countries will be listed as green under its traffic light system for travel during the COVID pandemic. Portugal, Gibraltar and Israel were confirmed as green but popular destinations Spain and Greece were not. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says that we must ensure that where [read more]
Civil Aviation
Air France to launch direct London to Nice flight
French flag carrier Air France is launching a direct flight from London Heathrow (LHR/EGLL) to Nice in the south of France from the end of June. Air France will operate the service four times per week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 28th June. The route will put [read more]
Engineering & MRO
Engineering, Leasing & Finance
Fly by wire pioneer Bernard Ziegler dies at 88
One of the Airbus’ engineering pioneers who was instrumental in the introduction of the world’s first digital Fly-By-Wire (FBW) and side stick controls in a commercial passenger aircraft has died aged 88. Bernard Ziegler was born in 1933 in Boulogne sur Seine and graduated from the French “Ecole Polytechnique” in [read more]
Civil Aviation
London City becomes first major airport to have fully remote ATC
London City Airport (LCY/EGLC) has become the first major airport to have its air traffic control systems fully remote controlled via a digital tower. This summer will see all flights guided on take-off and landing by controllers located at the Swanwick ATC centre in Hampshire, some 70 miles from the [read more]
Engineering, Leasing & Finance
Airbus introduces sustainable fuel for Broughton Belugas
Airbus has started to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) at its Broughton, North Wales site in a bid to reduce the companies carbon footprint for logistics. The site at Broughton produces wings for Airbus airliners which are flown by the Beluga fleet to the finally assembly lines at Toulouse, Hamburg [read more]
Military Aviation
Military
F-35 jets take part in HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden deployment
F-35 fighter jets from RAF Marham have been deployed as part of the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) which will see them take part in Exercise Strike Warrior in Scotland before deploying on operational duties around the world. They will be based on the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS [read more]
Helicopters
VIDEO: A400M hits helicopter air-to-air refuelling milestone
Airbus’ military airlift aircraft the A400M has successfully conducted a campaign to certify it for air-to-air refuelling of helicopters. The flight tests were conducted in association with the French Armament General Directorate (DGA) and were carried out using two French Air Force H225M helicopters. The campaign included day and night [read more]
Military
Nova Systems helps MOD delivery UK – Qatari Fast Jet training
UK Based aerospace service provider, Nova Systems, has been instrumental in delivering the joint Hawk-Typhoon training which has been carried out between the UK and Qatari armed forces. The training including members of the Royal Air Force and Qatari Air Force operating as a join squadron for exercises including Epic [read more]
General Aviation
Air Safety
Impact of stress on flight safety downplayed by pilots according to new study
A new study suggests that General Aviation (GA) pilots downplay the impact of stress on flight safety compared to factors such as inclement weather. The research, conducted by the University of Aberdeen, presented 101 pilots with a series of 12 take-off scenarios across four categories – compromised performance (pilot stressed, [read more]
General Aviation
East Anglian Air Ambulance appoints new CEO
East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has announced that it has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to replace Patrick Peal who is retiring from the role. The charities current Director of Operations, Matthew Jones, will head the charity from the end of June 2021. Mr Peal has led the [read more]
General Aviation
Old Sarum owners get apology over comments made by councillor
The owners of Old Sarum airfield have today received a public apology from Wiltshire Councillor Ian McLennan of Laverstock, Ford & Old Sarum ward after he made a number of innacurate comments and statements online about the intentions of the owners. Mr McLennan said “Over the course of last year (2020), [read more]
Air Sports
Air Sports
WCAR selects Aurora Media as its broadcast partner for air races
The World Championship Air Race (WCAR) has announced it has selected Aurora Media Worldwide as its Broadcast and Digital Format partner for the upcoming seasons. Already world leaders in live sports productions, Aurora will be responsible for broadcasting the events worldwide on conventional and digital platforms and attracting new audiences. [read more]
Air Sports
Former Red Arrow appointed to Air Racing panel
Former Red Arrows pilot, Kirsty Murphy has been appointed to the newly formed World Championship Air Race (WCAR) board’s advisory panel. Kirsty, who is still the only female to have been selected for and flown for the RAF Red Arrows, will advise the board on programmes designed to educate, inspire [read more]
Air Safety
AAIB sending team to Cumbria glider crash
The Air Accident Investigations Branch (AAIB) is sending a team to the site of a glider accident in Cumbria. The aircraft crashed yesterday (7th August) near Kirkland Cumbria and is understood to have suffered substantial damage. The pilot is believed to have been the sole occupant.
Air Safety
Air Safety
Impact of stress on flight safety downplayed by pilots according to new study
A new study suggests that General Aviation (GA) pilots downplay the impact of stress on flight safety compared to factors such as inclement weather. The research, conducted by the University of Aberdeen, presented 101 pilots with a series of 12 take-off scenarios across four categories – compromised performance (pilot stressed, [read more]
Air Safety
MOD halts BAe Hawk T1 flying after crash
The UK Ministry of Defence has halted all Bae Hawk T1 flying after a Royal Navy Hawk crashed in Helston, Cornwall earlier today after it suffered an engine failure. All services which operate the Hawk T1 including the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy (RN) are now pausing flights [read more]
Air Safety
Navy Hawk crashes in Cornwall
A Royal Navy fast jet training aircraft has crashed near Helston, Cornwall after reportedly suffering an engine failure. The single engined BAe Hawk T1 crashed after the crew ejected. The aircraft was from 736 squadron based at RNAS Culdrose. In a statement the Ministry of Defence said two pilots were [read more]
Space
News
First Human Space Flight – In the Beginning;
Today marks the anniversary of a significant leap in development in the “Space Race”.Sixty years ago today a human left the surface of earth and climbed beyond our atmosphere in an event that would change history and, in doing so, generate a global excitement that set our species on a [read more]
Military
Ex-RAF Lossiemouth Commander to head UK Space Command
Air Commodore Paul Godfrey OBE has been announced as the inaugural commander of the newly formed UK Space Command. [read more]
Features
Interview: Thales Alenia Space Team
The number of off-world projects currently in development is staggering.Earlier this month China’s Chang-E 5 landed on the moon to collect up to 2kg of regolith samples and return them to Earth. This is a short mission – Get up, Get rocks, Get home – but even this takes years [read more]
Wales
Cardiff Airport News
Aer Lingus return to Cardiff Airport with two routes
Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, is returning to Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) for the first time since 2016 reviving two routes to Northern Ireland and Eire. The new route to Belfast City will commence on 28th June and will operate four times per week on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and [read more]
Cardiff Airport News
Welsh First Minister accused of double standards over Spain flights
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford has been accused of double standards after allowing flights between Cardiff Airport and Spain to operate despite Wales still being in full lockdown under his authority. Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies led the calls saying it cannot be right that peoplee can “fly from [read more]
Cardiff Airport News
Your Pictures: The last flight of a British Airways Boeing 747
British Airways Boeing 747-400 G-BYGC left Cardiff Airport today for the short flight to St Athan marking the end of the Boeing 747 in service with British Airways. The aircraft will now be preserved at St Athan by eCube Solutions and is due to be opened to the public in [read more]
Scotland
Military
F-35 jets take part in HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden deployment
F-35 fighter jets from RAF Marham have been deployed as part of the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) which will see them take part in Exercise Strike Warrior in Scotland before deploying on operational duties around the world. They will be based on the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS [read more]
Civil Aviation
Engine fault forces Loganair’s North Sea flight to turn around
An Aberdeen to Shetland flight was forced to return to Aberdeen International Airport following a potential engine fault Thursday morning. The 06.50 am Loganair flight LM901 (18 February), was travelling to Shetland’s Sumburgh Airport when the crew received an alert of a fault with the right-hand engine. Following the alert, [read more]
Air Safety
Man dies in Scottish gyrocopter crash
Police Scotland has confirmed that the pilot of a gyrocopter has died after his aircraft went down near Avoch at 12:55pm. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. He was the sole occupant of the gyrocopter. A spokesperson from the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has [read more]
Northern Ireland
News
Manchester to Belfast City route takes off
The new Manchester (MAN/EGCC) to Belfast City Airport (BHD/EGAC) t route has got underway today when the first of four daily return services took off The Aer Lingus Regional service is operated by Stobart Air using an ATR72-600. Julian Carr, Aviation Director at Manchester Airport, said: “It’s great to see [read more]
Civil Aviation
Loganair increases Belfast City routes
Loganair (LM/LOG) is re-establishing the Belfast City to Glasgow Airport route. The service, which starts on 4th September, will operate twice-daily Monday to Friday and a single flight on a Saturday using an Embraer EMB145 Regional Jet. The routes from Belfast City to Aberdeen and Inverness are due to restart [read more]
Air Safety
Aer Lingus under fire over packed flights
Irish carrier Aer Lingus (EI/EIN) has come under fire after images appeared on social media showing a packed flight from London to Belfast. The images posted on twitter by BBC NI journalist Kelly Bonner show a packed flight with most of the seats taken in breach of social distancing guidelines. [read more]
Channel Islands
Channel Islands
Aurigny Airlines joins the Jerusalema Challenge
Aurigny Airlines is the latest airline to join the Jersulema dance challenge which is sweeping across airlines around the world. You may have seen the video with some of the worlds biggest airlines that we featured recently but now Aurigny has raised the bar for the UK with this brilliant [read more]
Channel Islands
Aurigny to stay grounded until September
Guernsey-based airline Aurigny (GR/AUR) has confirmed its flights will remain grounded until the end of August. The airline says that the disruption to flights is as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and that its grounding until the end of summer is in line with the Coronavirus Exit Strategy produced [read more]
Airshow News
BEA Airbus A319 to fly at Jersey airshow
British Airways has announced that its baby retro jet, the BEA Airbus A319, will fly at the Jersey Airshow this September. The specially painted Airbus A319 G-EUPJ has been painted in the British European Airways (BEA) livery as part of the airlines 100 year anniversary, BA100. BEA was was one [read more]
