The aircraft took off from Sain-Martin in Toulouse, France, at 2 PM September 16, 2020, and performed a two hour flight, during which the onboard crew ran a number of diagnostic tests to measure the ATR精东影业 flight envelope and performance.

The ATR 72-600F will have a wide cross section and a large cargo door that allows transportation of bulk cargo and industry-standard pallets and containers, the manufacturers statement read. The aircraft will also come equipped with the latest avionics suite, designed to accommodate regular future updates.

ATR精东影业 new freighter is set to enter service in 2020 and FedEx would be the first to receive it. The courier currently has 30 of the aircraft on order, plus 20 options, placed back in November 2017.

The ATR 72-600F will have a maximum structural payload of 8.9 tonnes (19,600 lbs) and a cargo volume space of 75.5 cubic meters (2,666 cubic feet). The aircraft is about 6 times smaller than a Boeing 767 Freighter, but provides the capacity for smaller regional deliveries.

On August 23, 2020, Iran精东影业 Civil Aviation Authority released a preliminary report stating that both flight and cockpit recorders were functional after the first missile impacted the aircraft. In fact, all aircraft systems were functioning as intended until the initial explosion.

Both recorders continued operating for 19 seconds after the initial missile impact before abruptly cutting off. The second explosion reportedly happened 25 seconds after the first, rendering the black box information useless in providing a holistic assessment of the situation.

Marc Garneau, Canada精东影业 Minister of Transport and Fran莽ois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign affairs, released a joint statement insisting that Iran精东影业 preliminary report 鈥渙nly provides limited and selected information regarding this tragic event.鈥� 

The Canadian officials also said that 鈥淭he report only mentions what transpired after the first missile strike but not the second and only confirms information that we already know.鈥� They also voiced expectations towards Iran to focus on answering why the air space was open and why missiles were launched at the Ukrainian Boeing 737 in the first place.

鈥淭hese are the questions that Canada, Canadians and most importantly, the families of the innocent victims need answered,鈥� the statement reads further. Finally, the Canadian officials call out Iran to conduct a 鈥渢horough and transparent investigation,鈥� citing Iran精东影业 commitment to ICAO standards set in Annex 13.

The full contents of the recordings were undisclosed by Iranian officials. Still, according to Aviation Herald, one pilot could be heard giving instructions to his colleague on how to navigate the aircraft after the first explosion. Post-detonation sounds further revealed that all three crew members inside the cockpit were uninjured and fit to operate the damaged aircraft.

Among the 176 people who died during the crash, 82 were Iranians, while 63 were Canadians who were flying back home via Ukraine. The rest of the deceased were Ukrainian, Swedish and British nationals.

The Boeing 737-800 (registration UR-PSR) itself belonged to Ukraine International Airlines. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was determined to see Iran take full responsibility for the aircraft downing, claiming 鈥淲e will achieve justice, no matter how much time and effort it costs鈥� in a statement he made on July 30, 2020.

Ukraine determined to see Iran pay for PS752 downing

• Civil Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2020-07-30

On January 8, 2020, Ukrainian International Airlines Boeing 737 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran International Airport, Iran, killing the 176 people on board. After a few days of denial, the Iranian authorities eventually admitted that the aircraft was shot down. An operator of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), stationed in Bid Kaneh, allegedly mistook the commercial flight for a cruise missile and fired two missiles from a Tor-M1 surface-to-air system.

UIA Flight PS752 shot down due to series of human mistakes

• Civil Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2020-07-13

Through the partnership, all three companies have agreed to cooperate at developing air logistics of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to supply remote islands, mountainous areas, as well as reduce traffic in urban areas, Japan精东影业 flag carrier said on September 29, 2020.

Volocopter, a German aircraft manufacturer, aims to create next-generation electrically powered air taxis and heavy-lift cargo drones for urban use. Both JAL and MSI have agreed to promote Volocopter精东影业 products and to undertake market research, consultancy, commercialization, research and development, and to study social acceptance of eVTOL in Japan.

Japan Airlines also mentioned plans to develop medical care delivery in remote areas through air mobility services, an initiative that received official funding from the Tokyo government on September 1, 2020.

Japan Airlines backed by Tokyo government to study drones

• Civil Aviation

byPijus Jauniskis

2020-09-01

According to the press release, JAL and Volocopter will work to establish eVTOL social acceptance by promoting local partnerships and jointly approaching Japanese cities. The program will launch within the next three years, around the same time the airline精东影业 new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) training program is set to finish.

Japan Airlines to launch new UAV pilot training program

• Civil Aviation

byPijus Jauniskis

2020-09-02

The airline will offer testing through the Life Medical Diagnostic Center (Life Dx) in the United Arab Emirates starting from October 1 through to December 31, 2020, Etihad said in a statement. 

Economy travelers will have the opportunity to complete the PCR tests 48 to 96 hours before departure through numerous Life Dx facilities across UAE, while business and first-class passengers will have the option to test from home.

These rules apply to everyone leaving from Abu Dhabi, except for passengers flying to China subject to specific testing protocols, who can only use the Chinese approved Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) facilities to get tested.

According to the statement, all travelers must present a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to departure from Abu Dhabi as per government orders.

But it seems that the testing might be just the tip of the iceberg as the company精东影业 CEO, Tony Douglas, has also forecasted wellness certification to become a mandatory part of air travel in the near future.

鈥淚n the same way with security standards after Lockerbie, after 9/11, and with the liquid bomb threats, that saw global aviation security standards harmonized everywhere, I forecast that that精东影业 what will happen with wellness as well,鈥� Douglas told the CNBC during the Global Aerospace Summit on September 28, 2020.

鈥淎s our customers manage through the unprecedented global pandemic, to ensure the long-term success of the 787 program, we are consolidating 787 production in South Carolina,” the company精东影业 CEO Stan Deal said, adding that the Everett team will continue its focus on Boeing精东影业 737, 747, 767 and 777 aircraft models.

According to the statement, Everett will continue to produce the 787-8s and 787-9s until the program transitions to the production rate of six jets a month in 2021. After that, the smaller jets鈥� production will join the North Charleston facility, which was initially set up for the larger 787-10s.

The Dreamliner production system was adjusted to accommodate the current market environment with plans to ramp up production when air travel recovers, the company said in a statement on October 1, 2020.

The company said it took this decision after an 鈥渋n-depth study into the feasibility of producing 787s at a single location.鈥� The research has reportedly yielded compelling enough results for the entire 787 production line to move into a consolidated facility of North Charleston.

Boeing精东影业 CEO Stan Deal expressed his gratitude for the team of engineers in Everett but said it was time to focus on the company精东影业 future. He also believes that the consolidation will 鈥渞efine the 787 production and enhance the airplane精东影业 value proposition鈥� in the long run.

According to the report, Emirates operated flights carrying the B6 code for 19 days in July 2019 over parts of Iranian airspace with reportedly heightened military activities. The FAA had previously issued a 鈥楴otice to Airmen鈥� prohibiting all U.S. flights in the region.

Emirates had previously acquired economic licensing authority from the U.S. to display JetBlue精东影业 (JBLU) designator code B6 on flights operated by the Emirates. However, the conditions for the agreement only apply as long the Gulf carrier conducts the flights under FAA精东影业 permission.

According to the Emirates鈥� response highlighted in the statement, the airline has suspended all but one service of the Tehran Flight Information Region (OIIX) above the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman out of 鈥榓n abundance of caution鈥� after receiving FAA精东影业 directive. But due to an 鈥榠nternal oversight鈥�, the carrier has retained the B6 code by complete accident.

Once the Emirates became aware of the situation, the airline immediately ceased passengers鈥� transportation under the B6 code on flights through the OIIX region. At the same time, the Gulf carrier stated that it quickly implemented internal organizational and procedural changes to avoid any future issues regarding the matter.

Emirates said that 鈥渋t takes its regulatory compliance responsibilities extremely seriously鈥� and has 鈥渁greed to this settlement in the interest of resolving the matter.鈥�

The carrier will have to pay $200,000 of its fine within 120 days of the issuance date, according to the report. The remainder will be renounced if the Emirates manage to avoid any violations for one year starting October 1, 2020.

The P2精东影业 first flight lasted for 90 minutes, during which it reached a speed of 210 knots (390km/h) at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,500 m), the company精东影业 press release said. Further testing with the same prototype will include avionics and flammable fluids testing, as well as cold and hot weather testing in the Eglin Air Force climatic chamber.

The company said it would 鈥渟oon be starting line production in Wichita as (it) moves closer to getting Cessna SkyrCourier into the hands of (its) customers.鈥�

The SkyCourier 408 freighter-passenger turboprop was first announced in November 2017 and immediately received attention from FedEx. The delivery service juggernaut signed on the program as a launch customer for up to 100 aircraft, with an initial order of 50 cargo variants and options for 50 more.

The new aircraft would join the FedEx精东影业 regional ATR 42/72 fleet of 42 freighters it currently operates.

The SkyCourier精东影业 freighter comes with a maximum cargo payload of 6,000 lbs and will be able to cruise at 200 knots (370 km/h) when loaded. The aircraft will have a max range of 900 nm (1,667 km), making it an absolute marvel for regional quick delivery services.

The chief of the agency completed the two-hour flight on September 30, 2020. After the test run, Dickson gave his statement at the news briefing, mentioning the promise that he made in November 2019 to fly the 737 MAX and sign off its service return only when he would be 鈥渃omfortable putting (his) family on it.鈥�

When a viewer asked him to elaborate, the FAA精东影业 chief was not at all straightforward with his answer.

鈥淢y flight today, and the training that I undertook, gives me an excellent baseline as an aviator to be able to understand the systems and how they are being utilized on the flight deck and how the plane performs,鈥� Dickson said.  鈥淚t has been a productive, constructive week, and I liked what I saw on the flight this morning. But we鈥檙e not to the point yet where we have completed the process.鈥�

Overall, Dickson felt like the plane responded well when he performed two landings and some air work maneuvers over the two-hour test flight.

At the same time, the FAA精东影业 chief remained critical of the 737 MAX精东影业 current state, saying that some 鈥渄ebrief items鈥� and 鈥渙bservations鈥� remained for both the Boeing and FAA teams.

When asked why anyone would trust the FAA精东影业 certification of the 737 MAX after the crashes and events that followed, Dickson mentioned working with other authorities like the National Transportation Safety Board and the Special Aircraft Certification Committee as a part of the process. 

He also said that the implemented 鈥渁ction items鈥� by the authorities regarding the 737 MAX would form the basis of certification reforms the FAA is currently undertaking.

US House bill to fix FAA lapses behind Boeing 737 MAX crashes

• Civil Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2020-09-29

As the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) deadline comes to an end on October 1, 2020, so does the payroll aid for the Airline精东影业 employees.

The 19,000 furloughs, announced on August 25, will proceed as intended, the statement by the airline精东影业 CEO Doug Parker revealed a day before the CARES act expiration.

鈥淒espite enormous bipartisan support for an extension of the PSP (Payroll Support Package), our elected officials have not been able to reach agreement on a COVID-19 relief package that would enable this extension,鈥� the CEO said in the letter on September 30, adding, 鈥淎s a result, tomorrow, we will begin the difficult process of furloughing 19,000 of our hardworking and dedicated colleagues.鈥�

The letter also said that according to the U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin, the PSP extension is currently under negotiation between the White House and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

If these negotiations are successful, Parker promised that American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) would 鈥渞everse the furlough processes and recall any impacted team members.鈥�

The airline精东影业 chief executive finished the letter by urging its employees to continue contacting their elected officials and ask to extend the PSP.

The company has grounded its A380 fleet of 10 aircraft after the pandemic hit the worldwide market in March 2020, forcing Etihad Airways to reconsider its fleet strategy. 

On May 19, 2020, the carrier精东影业 management disclosed that its A380 fleet might never return to service and the brand-new Airbus A350-1000s would not enter service with the airline at all.

Is trouble brewing at Etihad Airways?

• Civil Aviation

by精东影业 Team

2020-05-22

As of September 28, 2020, the fate of Etihad精东影业 10 A380s was still uncertain.

鈥淭he question is whether it will ever fly again, to be equally direct about it, I鈥檇 say the jury精东影业 out,鈥� the airline精东影业 CEO said on Etihad精东影业 podcast, adding 鈥淚鈥檓 not trying to rule out the A380, it would break my heart either more to do so.鈥�

Aside from sentiment, Douglas expressed several concerns about the A380 as a model in general.

鈥淎nything with more than two engines is not going to be able to sustain itself going forward, particularly if your brand is as serious about sustainability as Etihad is. It精东影业 heavily handicapped by two engines too many, and other aircraft that can do the job far more efficiently and sustainably.鈥�

The chief executive also compared the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to the Airbus A380, stating that the former was 鈥渕assively more efficient per kilometer鈥� than the latter.

Douglas also expects the pandemic to accelerate the A380 retirement, as it happened with the Boeing 747.