Archive for August 2014

Russia’s First MC-21 Airliners to Be Powered by Foreign Engines

Russian MC-21

Russia’s next-generation civilian airliner will initially have to rely on foreign engines, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin lamented on Friday, but said that the country is on the verge of making a breakthrough in engine technology. “Unfortunately, the first [three] new MC-21 aircraft will take off … using engines that were not produced in Russia.…

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Crowdfunding site offers the chance to invest in a plane

Crowdfunding has been used to finance everything from bands to business start-ups, social causes and even plastic surgery. Now it’s being used to buy planes. A new online platform is attempting to attract investors to finance the purchase of small regional passenger jets — deals that have often struggled to find backing from traditional lenders.…

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Second US Plane Diverted in a Week Because of Seat Reclining Spats

Airplane Leg room

Another US plane has been diverted this week because of passengers again fighting over reclining seats. Edmond Alexandre, 61, exploded when the passenger restricted his leg-room when she reclined her seat in front of him on the American Airlines flight from Miami to Paris. The plane had to be diverted to Boston on Wednesday evening…

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Volcano Alert: Papua New Guinea Mount Tavurvur volcano eruption sees international flights diverted

Papua New Guinea Mount Tavurvur Volcano

Some international flights were diverted and several communities evacuated in the early hours of Friday morning after a volcanic eruption on Papua New Guinea. Mount Tavurvur, on East New Britain Island, erupted hours before dawn, sending plumes of smoke and ash high above the nation and forcing local communities to evacuate. The Australia’s Department of…

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Volcano Alert: Aviation warning lowered as Iceland monitors Bardarbunga volcano

Iceland is monitoring a fissure eruption north of the Bardarbunga volcano as authorities downgraded the threat of a full-blown ash cloud. The Icelandic Met Office lowered their aviation warning level to “orange,” after earlier raising it to the highest level following the eruption, according to an e-mailed statement. “A significant emission of ash into the…

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Etihad set to launch its Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operations in December

UAE national airline Etihad Airways is all set to launch its Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operations in December, with additional flights on sale this week for both aircraft and an extensive pilot training program now under way, said a top official. During its first year of operations, the Airbus A380 will be deployed…

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Bombardier Delivers its First 86-Seat Q400 NextGen Aircraft to Bangkok-Based Nok Air

Bombardier Q400 NextGen 86 seat aircraft

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and Nok Air of Bangkok, Thailand announced today the delivery of the carrier’s first Q400 NextGen turboprop at Bombardier’s facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where the aircraft is manufactured. The milestone aircraft, the first Q400 NextGen airliner to be delivered in the new extra capacity seating configuration, is part of Nok Air’s…

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Volcano Update: Iceland prepares for “volcano from hell”

Iceland continues to prepare for a possible volcanic eruption. Bardarbunga volcano, buried under one of Europe’s largest glaciers, is rumbling to life. Tuesday morning, it was hit by a 5.7-magnitude quake. “This could be the volcano from hell,” said CBS News contributor and City University of New York physics professor Michio Kaku. “To quote Yogi…

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