Boeing backs US Government’s offer of US$60 billion in aid for aerospace sector

March 18, 2020

With the devastating impact the coronavirus outbreak is having on the aerospace industry, Boeing, the world’s second-largest planemaker, has thrown its weight behind the governments financial support for the aerospace sector to the tune of US$60 billion. The financial lifeline may prove especially beneficial to Boeing which has been struggling, financially, since the grounding of

Italian government looking to step in and rescue long-bankrupt Alitalia

March 17, 2020

In a surprise move at a time when all travel to and from Italy has been banned, the Italian government has announced it is looking to re-nationalize Alitalia, the airline which filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and which, while still operating, has been losing an estimated €2 million per month. Since Alitalia went into administration,

Willie Walsh postpones retirement to help deal with fallout from COVID-19

March 16, 2020

Willie Walsh has confirmed that, for the foreseeable future, he will remain at the helm of IAG as its Group chief executive, while his successor-in-waiting, Luis Gallego, will remain in charge as CEO at Iberia. IAG, headquartered at London Heathrow, comprises a number of subsidiary airlines, including Aer Lingus and Aer Lingus Regional, British Airways,

FAA launches probe after in-flight incident results in 12-inch crack in older Southwest 737 jet

March 16, 2020

The FAA is to launch an in-depth investigation after a Southwest Airlines (Southwest) 737, en route to Boise, Idaho from Las Vegas, Nevada, experienced a gradual loss of cabin pressure, during which, over a six-minute period, the pilots began a rapid descent from 36,000 feet down to 22,000 feet, an altitude deemed much safer for

United Airlines borrows US$2 billion to pay costs as Trump bans European flights

March 12, 2020

United Airlines Holdings Inc (United Airlines) has confirmed that it has entered into a US$2 billion term loan facility to be repaid on its maturity date of March 8, 2021. The carrier has indicated that the funds are to be used to pay certain transaction fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes. Currently, airlines

Despite interest in wide-body jets, Boeing posts negative 28 orders for February

March 11, 2020

Having failed for the first time in decades to post any orders for the month of January, while sales of wide-body jets improved, cancelations and conversions of orders for the stricken 737 MAX led to a disappointing month for the American planemaker. Having delivered 95 planes to customers in the first two months of 2019,

BOC Aviation signs lease agreement for 22 Boeing Dreamliners with American Airlines

March 10, 2020

BOC Aviation Limited (BOC Aviation) has announced an agreement with American Airlines (American) to lease 22 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with delivery to take place between 2020 and 2021. The aircraft will be powered by General Electric Genx engines. Robert Martin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, BOC Aviation, said: “We are excited to welcome American

Trial for MH17 plane crash opens in Schiphol, Holland

March 9, 2020

The trial relating to the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 has begun. The plane, a Boeing 777, was brought down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile, killing all 193 passengers and crew on board, the majority Dutch nationals, but also passengers from Malaysia, Australia,

U.S. House investigation find fault with both FAA and Boeing for 737 MAX crashes

March 9, 2020

An investigative report produced by the U.S. House Transportation Committee into the fatal Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes involving the Boeing 737 MAX has found fault both with the way the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the plane’s design, and design failures on the Boeing side. The preliminary investigation classed the FAA’s certification of

U.K.’s Flybe goes into liquidation six months after Thomas Cook collapses

March 5, 2020

Only six months after the collapse of Thomas Cook which left over 150,000 passengers stranded across the globe, the U.K.s Flybe has now gone into liquidation, despite promises six weeks ago from the government to bail out the ailing domestic carrier. Flybe, which employed over 2,000 staff, announced that all further flights had been grounded

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