Boeing yesterday reported “solid” firstquarter net income of US$519 million, down 15 per cent from a $610 million profit in the year-ago quarter, and touted “clear progress” on the 787 and 747-8F flight test programmes. Chairman, president and CEO Jim McNerney said the company is nearing a decision on whether to increase the monthly 737 production rate beyond the current 31.5, noting that there has been an “uptick in demand” for the narrow body. Boeing … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: ‘Solid’ Q1 earnings for Boeing

American Airlines cancelled its planned inaugural flight between Chicago and Beijing earlier this month, citing a disagreement with Chinese aviation authorities over take-off and landing times. American says it turned down Chinese authorities’ offer of daily landing and take-off slots of 2:20 a.m. and 4:20 a.m. from Beijing. The impasse delays efforts by American, the secondlargest US carrier by traffic, to make further inroads into the fastest-growing economy in the world. It also … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: AA cancels Beijing flights over slot timing

The second Boeing 747-8 Freighter, RC521, landed in Palmdale, California in late April, marking the beginning of a planned transition of 747-8 Freighter testing to Southern California. The more than four-hour flight from Boeing Field in Seattle included testing on avionics and cruise performance. “Taking the airplane to Palmdale is a big step,” said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 programme. “The team is focused on ensuring a seamless transition … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: B747-8 Freighter begins California testing

Technology that helps pilots by displaying critical flight information on aircraft windshields would likely have prevented hundreds of commercial aircraft accidents since the mid-1990s, according to a study by the well-respected US-based Flight Safety Foundation, with funding from Rockwell Collins, a leading supplier of such technology. The study found, after analysing nearly 1,000 accidents world-wide between 1995 and 2007, that head-up guidance systems—which can eliminate the … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Head-up displays could cut accidents

National Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of National Air Cargo (NAC), announced that it has been awarded a contract for expedited delivery of over 245 tonnes of COREXIT oil spill dispersants from Anchorage International Airport to New Orleans International Airport for use in the US Gulf to assist in dealing with the oil spill from a BP oil platform. The dispersants are sprayed onto the oil slick to reduce the cohesiveness of the oil, allowing it to disperse into the water column as … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: National Air wins contract for US Gulf oil spill

American Airlines (AA) is to increase flights from Dublin to Chicago from four times per week to daily for its summer schedule this year. In addition, the airline is to operate Boeing 767-300’s on the route, which will boost air freight capacity to twelve tonnes per flight. Reacting to the news, the managing director of IAM — Ireland-based general service and sales agent (GSSA) for American — Ian McCool said: “The American summer schedule is always … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: AA boosts summer freight capacity to Ireland