Air Berlin, Germany’s second-largest airline has agreed with Boeing to ‘streamline’ its order book by cutting its order of 787 Dreamliners from 25 to 15 and to reduce the number of options from ten to five. Overall this could save Air Berlin US$1.7 billion. In addition nine Boeing 737 aircraft will be deferred from 2010 to 2015. “With a partnership spirit we have mutually agreed with Boeing to adjust the order book to meet Air Berlin’s operational … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Air Berlin cuts order book with Boeing

Air France-KLM Cargo specially deployed one of its Boeing 747 combi aircraft to transport Danse – the worldrenowned painting by French artist Henri Matisse – from the Hermitage in St Petersburg to the Hermitage Amsterdam. The masterpiece – measuring 4.22 metres by 2.9 metres – is the central piece of the ‘Matisse to Malevich’ exhibition, running at the Hermitage Amsterdam until 17 September 2010. André Mulder, AF-KL … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Matisse’s Danse goes maindeck with AF-KLM

Air carriers from Sudan and the Philippines have featured in the European Union’s (EU) list of barred airlines from its airspace. It has also placed restrictions on Iran Air. The European Commission (EC) has updated the European Union’s list of blacklisted airlines to include all air carriers of Sudan and the Philippines, on the basis of safety assessments by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). With this update, Air Koryo of the Democratic … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: EU blacklist update adds Sudan and Philippines

Prompted by difficulties retrieving flight-data recorders after recent fatal airliner crashes, European aviation regulators want to start using satellites to transmit critical in-flight safety information. The European Union and other European aviation organisations are for the first time calling on the International Civil Aviation Organisation to adopt streaming in-flight data about aircraft maneuvers and pilot commands via satellites. The concept has gained currency following the crash … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: EU push for satellite safety info

Shippers, the ultimate customers of the global air cargo supply chain, are being invited to join The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) free of charge. The ground-breaking initiative recognises the importance for air cargo service providers to gain a more complete understanding of the needs of shippers, TIACA said in a statement. TIACA says it will provide a forum to shippers to get closer to existing and prospective air logistics partners to exchange ideas, discuss changing … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: TIACA reaches out to shippers

A second stage open skies aviation agreement between the European Union and the US has drawn criticism from the airline industry for failing to make progress toward a fully open trans- Atlantic passenger and cargo market. The European Commission, the EU’s executive wing, said that the two sides had taken a “major step forward” toward a permanent open skies accord after three days of talks in Brussels. European transport commissioner Siim Kallas said “a … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: EU-US open skies agreement inches forward