On 17 March, the FAA adopted an immediate airworthiness directive that requires installation of new software for the autopilot flight director computers on Boeing 777-200/-200ER/-300/- 300ER/ and 777F-series aircraft. The directive, which came into effect 1 April is aimed at preventing the inadvertent engagement of the autopilot during takeoff roll—an action which could result in rejected takeoff at rotation speed and increase the risk of a runway overrun. The directive is also … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: FAA orders B777 software upgrade

Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu said he’s beginning to see signs of a recovery for the North American airline industry as demand for cargo services grows. “We’ve seen some encouraging news from the cargo environment,” Rovinescu said. “We are seeing a marked improvement over last year and generally cargo tends to be the bellwether indicator that the recovery is starting.” While he’s not ready to declare a recovery, saying … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Air Canada CEO sees recovery in early stages

United Airlines has made a firm order for 25 of Airbus’ A350 extra-wide bodied jets worth an estimated US$6 billion, fulfilling a commitment signed in December, the European aircraft manufacturer said recently. Deliveries of the A350-900s are scheduled to begin in 2016 and run through 2019, Airbus said in a statement. The order is half of a 50-aircraft order United announced in December, when it also unveiled plans to buy 25 of Airbus’ rival Boeing Co.’s … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: United makes firm order for 25 A350s

Boeing 747 programme vice president and general manager Mo Yahyavi has said current testing on the 747-8F is proceeding well after completing initial air worthiness testing in mid-March. Yahyavi also acknowledged that a slight redesign of the landing gear door will be required to address aerodynamic issues when the gear is lowered and the flaps are fully deployed for landing. The 777 had a similar problem with its nose gear in 1994. The test programme involves three aircraft with 1,600 hours … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Boeing happy with 747-8F testing progress

Boeing has announced that it will accelerate planned rate increases on both the 777 and 747 programmes. The accelerated rate increases will support increasing customer demand in the recovering airplane market. “Our customers recognize the great capability and value of the 777 and 747-8. Market improvement and our conservatively managed approach to production have put us in a position where we see it necessary to raise aircraft output. Increasing our rate is the right thing to do to … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Boeing ups production rate for 777/747s

The CEO of Air Canada, Calin Rovinescu, has sharply rebuked recent efforts by UAE-based Emirates to expand its services to Canada. “Air Canada and other international airlines such as China Airlines, EVA Air, Korean Airlines and Japan Airlines all depend upon a certain amount of connection traffic beyond their respective hubs to make their pointto- point service profitable. “If Emirates pours seats into a market where there is minimal point-to-point demand, it will sop up … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Air Canada CEO slams Emirates plan