Tue.Apr 30, 2024

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Australia’s Bonza suspends all operations, Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet repossessed  

Aerotime

On the morning of April 30, 2024, Australian low-cost carrier Bonza announced that it would be suspending all operations with immediate effect. The official reason provided by the company regarding the suspension of flights cited “discussions currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business”. “We apologize to our customers who are impacted by this and we’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian dome

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Southwest is in a Funk, But It Has a Plan

Cranky Flier

Southwest did not have a good first quarter, and that’s putting it mildly. The airline that used to crow like clockwork every three months about how many consecutive profitable quarters it posted… posted another loss. It really had nothing good to report this quarter at all, BUT… it has a plan to fix things. They say the first step is admitting you have a problem… I’m not going to detail all the numbers.

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The Bold, Bulbous Douglas 1015 Cloudster II

Flying Magazine

For a few years in the mid-1940s, the Douglas Aircraft Company pursued a decidedly unconventional design concept. It would entail multiple powerplants, long drive shafts, and pusher propellers mounted on the extreme aft end of an aircraft. Well-stocked from the war effort with a robust team of engineers and faced with a dwindling number of military contracts, the company tasked a team to investigate and develop the concept.

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The Last Puzzle Piece In Place: COMACs C919 Now Has Orders From All Of Chinas Big 3 Airlines

Simple Flying

Just three days after Air China announced its order for 100 C919 aircraft, on April 29th, China Southern Airlines issued a statement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange announcing the signing of a contract with Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China ( COMAC ) for 100 C919 aircraft on the same day. The catalog price of the order amounts to US$9.9 billion.

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Dark Days for Australia’s Budget Carrier Bonza

Airline Geeks

Australian low-cost regional carrier Bonza has canceled all flights after having its aircraft repossessed, stranding thousands of passengers across Australia.

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Xi'an H-20 Vs B-21: Which New Bomber Is Stealthier?

Simple Flying

With the great power competition heating up, the United States and China are developing their next-generation stealth strategic bombers. The American B-21 Raider is developing under budget and is now entering low-rate production. At the same time, there are rumblings about China's new Xi'an H-20 stealth bomber about to be unveiled. With these new stealth bombers, the Chinese are hoping to challenge the dominance of the US.

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Lilium to Debut Full-Scale eVTOL Jet at EBACE

Flying Magazine

Lilium, the manufacturer of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) jet for six passengers plus a pilot, will debut its flagship aircraft to the public for the first time in May. The German firm announced the first public unveiling of its full-scale Lilium Jet will take place at the annual European Aviation Business Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), which runs from May 28-30 in Geneva.

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‘I Would Do It Again a Hundred Times:’ A Delta Captain’s Ultimate Send-Off

Airline Geeks

Captain Rosenkranz returned to LA, where he commanded a specially chartered Airbus A330-900neo for his final flight at Delta.

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Qantas Moves On Bonza Crisis Recruiting Crew & Offering Customers Flights

Simple Flying

Qantas has moved swiftly to plug the hole left by Bonza's recent voluntary administration, offering employment opportunities for its staff and free travel arrangements for passengers left in the lurch. Virgin Australia has also offered to fly Bonza passengers for free on select routes.

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Lufthansa Boeing 747-8s Getting New Allegris Cabins… Eventually

One Mile at a Time

Lufthansa is in the process of introducing its new Allegris cabin concept, which includes an all-new first class and all-new business class. While these cabins are debuting on newly delivered Airbus A350-900s (and eventually Boeing 787-9s), Lufthansa has limited plans to retrofit existing aircraft. We’ve known that Lufthansa intends to introduce its new Allegris concept on Boeing 747-8s, and there’s now a positive update regarding that.

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Wizz Air Responds To UK Governments January 2025 SAF Mandate

Simple Flying

The United Kingdom's government recently instituted new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandates in legislation, which are set to take effect by the start of next year. These extensive restrictions aim to both develop the nation's biofuel footprint and force carriers to adjust their business models to support the increased use of SAF.

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Australia’s Bonza Cancels Flights As Planes Repossessed

One Mile at a Time

Australian ultra low cost carrier Bonza has “temporarily” suspended flights, a little over a year after launching operations. Bonza suspends operations “temporarily” Bonza has announced that it has suspended operations effective immediately: Bonza has temporarily suspended services due to be operated today (Tuesday 30th April), as discussions are currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business.

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Not A New Phenomenon: The 1950s Transatlantic Narrowbody Flight That Changed The Airline Industry Forever

Simple Flying

The dawn of the Jet Age is often heralded by the iconic image of a Boeing 707 soaring across the Atlantic for the first time. This narrative, however, omits the pioneering flights that transformed the airline industry much earlier. In fact, the significant yet often overlooked story of transatlantic narrowbody flights was a phenomenon that reshaped air travel at the time.

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Oops: Boeing 747 Attempts Taxiway Takeoff At Riyadh Airport

One Mile at a Time

Here’s a shocking incident that ended up being a very close call, as flagged by The Aviation Herald … Boeing 747’s Riyadh Airport taxiway attempt This happened on Monday, April 22, 2024, and involves a 29-year-old Boeing 747-400 with the registration code 9H-AKF. This was a freighter flight that was scheduled to operate from Riyadh (RUH) to Nairobi (NBO).

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Asia Pacifc Airlines Add 26.4 Million Passengers In 1Q 2024

Simple Flying

The full impacts of open borders and no travel restrictions throughout Asia-Pacific are now flowing through to airline passenger numbers, which is moving the region's international traffic closer to full recovery from the pandemic. The region's recovery has been characterized by disciplined capacity management and careful route expansion, leading to profitable returns and high passenger load factors.

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We Fly: Cirrus SR G7

Flying Magazine

The big reveal of the latest in the SR series reflects a return to a beginner’s mind—in the best kind of way. The complexity of the instrument panel has served either to intrigue or intimidate potential pilots. Having been the former kind, I’ve had trouble putting myself in the latter’s point of view. But with ever-advancing avionics and capabilities, I admit it can be tough even for the seasoned ones among us to keep up.

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$560m Losses: Air France-KLM Group Reports On Challenging 1st Quarter

Simple Flying

While its Q1 losses deepened Year-on-Year (YoY), the Air France-KLM group, consisting of Air France, KLM, Transavia, Transavia France, and the cargo airlines, remains optimistic about its financial performance during the three-month period.

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SWISS New First & Business Class: Debuting 2025

One Mile at a Time

In March 2023, SWISS officially unveiled its new first and business class, which will be debuting in 2025. The airline is marketing this product as “SWISS Senses.” I wanted to take an updated look at these plans, as we now have a better sense of exactly when this will be introduced, and also how long it’ll take to reconfigure existing aircraft. SWISS’ plans for new premium cabins SWISS will launch its new first and business class product in 2025.

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The Top 5 Fastest Very-Light Business Jets In The World

Simple Flying

Corporate jets in the "very light" category can generally accommodate 4-5 passengers and a crew of up to two people. While these jets can only fly distances of approximately 1,200 NM, they are pretty fast in what they do.

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Amex Platinum Card Airport Lounge Access Guide

One Mile at a Time

Link: Apply now for The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express The Amex Platinum offers a variety of useful perks. I’d argue that the single best perk of the card is airport lounge access , so in this post I wanted to go over everything you need to know about accessing lounges with the US-issued version of the Amex Platinum.

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The Bombardier CRJ900: A Brief History

Simple Flying

The Bombardier CRJ900 can be traced back to the Canadair Challenger business jet. In 1974, American inventor Bill Lear developed the LearStar 600, a low-wing business jet designed to fly long distances. Lear, however, needed more resources to manufacture the plane and sought the help of Canadian aerospace manufacturer Canadair.

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The Residence, Etihad’s A380 Three-Room Suite

One Mile at a Time

There are a lot of amazing first class products in the world, though arguably nothing in commercial aviation is quite to the level of The Residence, which is Etihad’s private three-room suite, exclusively on the Airbus A380. In this post I wanted to take a closer look at this. What exactly is The Residence like, how much does it cost, and what’s included with it?

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Do Beechcraft Starships Still Fly Today?

Simple Flying

The Beechcraft Starship was a twin-turboprop pressurized business aircraft designed by Beech Aircraft Corporation. It was an innovation of its time, using composite materials for its airframe, and had an unusual design. However, it didn't sell well, and production ceased in 1995, just six years after its first flight. Only 53 of the aircraft were built, but are there any still flying today?

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Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Opens Early 2025, Now Bookable

One Mile at a Time

There’s an exciting new Waldorf Astoria slated to open in early 2025, which will no doubt prove to be a popular getaway for Hilton Honors members from the United States. This property is now bookable, and points redemptions are an especially good value, if you can find availability. Basics of the Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Cacique The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Cacique is now accepting reservations for stays as of February 1, 2024.

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Study: Here's How UK Passengers Occupy Themselves on Long-Haul Flights

Simple Flying

Cathay Pacific s service from London (LHR) to Hong Kong (HGK) is popular for travelers seeking a premium experience on its Boeing 777-300ERs and Airbus A350s. With an average flight time of over 12 hours, passengers have plenty of time to dowell, what exactly?

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Scaring Yourself into Additional Dual Instruction

Flying Magazine

The student pilot was signed off for solo flight, and his next two flights were supposed to be short hops out to the practice area to work on learned maneuvers. He was known for his attention to detail, use of checklists, and meticulous preflight planning. So imagine my surprise when after his second solo flight he asked for additional dual instruction.

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Did You Know Boeing Also Used To Operate A Passenger Airline?

Simple Flying

The early days of aviation were a period of great innovation. After World War I, the postal service drove the aviation industry and helped to develop the passenger airline market. The Boeing Model 40 was built to be a pioneering interwar mail plane , but it was also the first aircraft built by Boeing able to carry passengers. For a time, Boeing operated its own airliner business.

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This 2019 Cessna T206H Is an Ultra-Utilitarian ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Flying Magazine

Each day, the team at Aircraft For Sale picks an airplane that catches our attention because it is unique, represents a good deal, or has other interesting qualities. You can read Aircraft For Sale: Today’s Top Pick at FLYINGMag.com daily. Today’s Top Pick is a 2019 Cessna T206H. When Cessna resumed production of certain single-engine piston aircraft during the 1990s, it was no surprise that the 206 was one of the models the company brought back.

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Asia Pacific Airlines Add 26.4 Million Passengers In 1Q 2024

Simple Flying

The full impacts of open borders and no travel restrictions throughout Asia-Pacific are now flowing through to airline passenger numbers, which is moving the region's international traffic closer to full recovery from the pandemic. The region's recovery has been characterized by disciplined capacity management and careful route expansion, leading to profitable returns and high passenger load factors.

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Home away from home

AOPA

Three members of the Louisiana Army National Guard have been putting their downtime and Army benefits to use by earning pilot certificates and ratings while on an extended deployment in the Washington, D.C., area.

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Textron Aviation Records Over $1 Billion In Revenue During The First Quarter Of 2024

Simple Flying

On Thursday, April 25, Textron, the parent company of Textron Aviation, which owns famous aviation brands Cessna , Beechcraft , and Hawker, posted its financial results for the first quarter of 2024. Overall, the Providence, Rhode Island-based company recorded a net income of $1.03 per share. This averaged out to adjusted earnings of $1.20 per share.

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Koppert will use Embraer’s Ipanema aircraft to certify aerial applications of bio-control methods in Brazil

Aviation News

Embraer’s EMB-203 Ipanema agricultural aircraft will conduct a series of tests to certify the first methodology for aerial application of bio-control agents in Brazil. The.

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SAS CEO Plans To Add More Airbus A321LR Routes To The US

Simple Flying

Star Alliance's SAS, which will join SkyTeam on September 1 , has three A321LRs and doesn't anticipate having more. The equipment has 22 business seats, 12 in premium economy, and 123 in economy. They each have just 157 seats. So long as flights are sufficiently full with decent fares, it'll overcome the inherently higher seat-mile costs of the low-capacity aircraft.

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Air Cargo Posts Fourth Month of Double-Digit Growth in March

Aviation News

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for March 2024 global air cargo markets showing continuing strong annual growth in demand. Total demand, measured.

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Various Sizes: A Look At The Different Types Of Private Jets

Simple Flying

Private jets come in various sizes and configurations, catering to the diverse needs of travelers ranging from small groups to large entourages. In addition to passenger capacity and comfort, size can influence various aspects of an aircraft's performance.

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Avianca Lifemiles & Cardless Launching USA Credit Cards

One Mile at a Time

The avianca lifemiles program and Cardless will be introducing co-branded credit cards in the United States. While details are limited as of now, there’s an opportunity to join the waitlist, and to receive an extra bonus if you get approved when the cards do launch. This is the second set of new airline credit cards that Cardless will be launching in the near future, as Cardless is also partnering with Qatar Airways Privilege Club on a new card portfolio. avianca lifemiles’ new credit cards in t

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Flight Routing: A Pilot's Perspective

Simple Flying

Planning a flight is an in-depth topic that spans a pilot's or dispatcher's career. This article will focus on the two main types of planning: Visual (VFR) and instrument (IFR) rules. It will address some of the regulations involved with both forms of planning and touch on specific topics of interest for flight planning at the airline level.

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