Category: Recent Posts

Larry Page’s flying taxis approach regulatory approval in New Zealand

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New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern is set to announce a new agreement with a company financed by Google co-Founder Larry Page to test autonomous air taxis for official certification in the country, reports The New York Times. Kitty Hawk, the company building the autonomous planes, has aspirations the partnership will lead to a commercial network of taxis in the country in the next three years. Kitty Hawk is already reportedly working on an Uber-like app that will allow customers to hail one of its air taxis. In an email to the NYT,…

TSA tightens screening on cargo from six Middle East airlines

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Six Middle East-based airlines must now participate in additional cargo screening for flights entering the United States, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The carriers are Egypt Air, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad. They operate flights to the U.S. from seven points-of-departure airports in five countries: Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the U.A.E. “These countries were chosen because of a demonstrated intent by terrorist groups to attack aviation from them,” the TSA said in a statement. “While there is no current specific terrorist threat to U.S.-bound…

Bombardier: Middle East To Take 450 New Regional Aircraft by 2036

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The Middle East will take delivery of an expected 450 new 60- to 150-seat aircraft over the next 20 years, according to Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s Market Forecast 2017-2036, released at the Dubai Airshow 2017. The large regional aircraft category (60-100 seats) will account for 200 deliveries, while the small single-aisle category (100-150 seats) will take 250 aircraft, according to the outlook, expanding the region’s fleet of these models some 340 percent, from 170 in 2016, to an expected 570 in 2036. During this span, 150 aircraft in the segment are…

ICAO Calls for Global UAS Regulatory Framework

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Opening the ICAO Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Symposium in Abuja yesterday, ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu stressed the importance of a globally coherent regulatory framework for the management of unmanned air traffic. “If you consider a company envisaging a global drone fleet to enhance its deliveries, the value of having a myriad of domestic national regulations aligned via globally harmonised international standards becomes clearly apparent,” President Aliu remarked. He also stressed the complexity of this task, notably in terms of the tremendous diversity of types and applications of Unmanned…

NYC Tour Helicopter Crash Kills Five

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An Airbus Helicopters AS350B2 on a twilight photo charter flight crashed into New York City’s East River last night, killing all five passengers aboard, though the pilot survived. It was being operated by Liberty Helicopters and originated from the HHI Heliport in Kearny, New Jersey. The helicopter was owned by Meridian Consulting I Corp., also of Kearny. The pilot of the 2013 model, FAA registration N350LH (S/N 7454), identified by media reports as Rick Vance, 33, radioed a mayday to LaGuardia Tower and reported engine failure before deploying pop-out floats and autorotating…

EASA To Tighten Product Certification Rule

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Possible safety risks linked to “too much room” for interpretation of the EASA Part 21 product and parts certification regulation has prompted EASA to issue a notice of proposed amendment (NPA) to tighten the rule. It proposes to amend Part 21 to clarify that instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) are part of the type certificate, and to develop the related acceptable means of compliance and guidance material. The NPA also merges the requirements related to record keeping, manuals, and ICA now in various subparts into a single requirement for each. “Experience has…

Turkish Airlines to buy 60 Airbus 350-900, Boeing 787-9 jets

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Turkish Airlines has confirmed plans to buy 50 firm and 10 optional wide-body aircraft from Airbus and Boeing for its ever-growing fleet ahead of a move to a new Istanbul airport. The Airbus aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. In a statement on March 9, 2018, Turkish Airlines said it had agreed to buy 25 Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners, and 25 Airbus A350-900s from the A350 XWB Family. In addition, the company has the option to buy five more of each aircraft from both manufacturers, bringing the eventual purchase…