News

After 14 years of service, a Royal Air Force Sentinel R1 aircraft has carried out the last operational flight of the aircraft type. The Sentinel R1 from RAF Waddington, part of V (Army Cooperation) Squadron, was one of five aircraft commissioned through engineering firm Raytheon to provide an Airborne Stand-off [read more]

International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways, has called for the creation and use of Digital Health Passes in order to reopen the skies. The boss of IAG, Luis Gallego said that there needed to be a clear roadmap for easing travel restrictions and that included “international common testing [read more]

Lufthansa is targeting late June for its second attempt launching flights between Bristol and Frankfurt. The German flag carrier had previously planned to launch the daily service in Summer 2020 but this was cancelled due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Lufthansa now aims to start the service on 28th June 2021. [read more]

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD #2021-05-51) ordering US operators of Boeing 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 engines to carry out thermal checks on compressor blades before allowing them to return to service. The directive comes after initial findings by the [read more]

Initial inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 engine that caught fire on flight UA328 on Saturday have found that Turbine Blade No11 sheared off at the root “likely caused by metal fatigue”. Turbine Blade 10 was also sheared mid-way along its length, probably after being hit by Blade 11. [read more]

The sales of summer holidays have surged in the last 24 hours according to the UK’s biggest tour operator thanks to Boris Johnson outlining the Coronaviurus lockdown exit strategy. TUI reported a 500% increase in holiday sales in the last 24 hours prompted by the plans to ease restrictions and [read more]

Aerospace engineering firm RHH Franks has announced it has expanded its manufacturing facility in Hampshire, increasing its capacity by 25%. Funded by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, RHH was able to equip an additional 6,600 sq ft of unit space at its site in New Milton. RHH Franks’ has been [read more]

Boeing has recommended that any airline flying the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 powered Boeing 777 should ground them pending an investigation into the United Airlines flight which suffered an uncontained engine failure on Saturday. United Airlines,  Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines all operate the type of [read more]