The order was negotiated by the (USASOAC), which 鈥渙rganizes, mans, trains, resources and equips鈥� elite units in support of national security objectives.聽

On August 1, 2024, Boeing confirmed that the contract also included the start of advanced procurement on future helicopters.聽

Including the newly announced order, the US Army has contracted for a total of 46 MH-47G Block II Chinook 补颈谤肠谤补蹿迟.听听听听

Commenting on the agreement, Cargo Programs Vice President and Program Manager for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Heather McBryan said: 鈥淲hether it精东影业 operating in the dead of night or in difficult terrain, the MH-47G Block II is a proven workhorse for special operations. It is our privilege to support ongoing USASOAC modernization efforts that will continue to have a real-world impact on U.S. national security.鈥� 

According to Boeing, USASOAC精东影业 Chinook modernization program supports more than 20,000 jobs and 360 suppliers in 40 states across the US.  

The MH-47G Block II is the most advanced and capable heavy-lift aircraft and is built with a reinforced airframe, redesigned fuel tanks and state-of-the-art avionics. 

Boeing announced in July 2024 that the first CH-47F Block II Chinook had been delivered to the US Army. 

The aircraft is one of up to 465 in the Army精东影业 fleet that will be modernized to the new Block II configuration. 

On arrival of the first Block II Chinook, Viva Kelly, the US Army精东影业 Cargo Helicopters Acting Project Manager said: 鈥淎s the Army精东影业 Heavy Lift platform of tomorrow, the CH-47F Block II provides increased capability while continuing support of the Army’s requirement to remain strategically responsive across the full spectrum of operations.鈥澛�

Australia’s first MQ-4C Triton drone arrives at RAAF Base Tindal

• Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

August 1, 2024

鈥淔leet modernization underscores Vietnam Airlines’ continued efforts to elevate passenger experience and meet international 5-star standards,鈥� the carrier said in a Facebook post. 

The Boeing 787-10 is currently the largest passenger aircraft used in Vietnam. The aircraft features 24 business class seats and 343 economy class seats. Boeing 787-10 has the capacity to carry up to 15% more passengers and cargo compared to the Boeing 787-9.  

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, Vietnam Airline精东影业 fleet expansion is taking place at a time when the country is seeing a drop in the total amount of aircraft with an air operator certificate (AOC).  

The majority of the carrier’s aircraft are used for flights to international destinations, linking Vietnam with Northeast Asia, Europe, Australia, the United States, and on domestic trips between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Vietnam Airlines currently has close to 100 aircraft, consisting of five Boeing 787-10s, 11 Boeing 787-9s, and 14 Airbus A350s. 

The agreement between the parties was signed on July 26, 2024, following approval by the board of the Air Astana Group, which includes Air Astana (the national carrier of Kazakhstan) and its budget subsidiary, FlyArystan.  

The newly signed agreement will expedite the group精东影业 aspirations to operate a fleet of 80 aircraft by the end of 2028. Currently, the Air Astana Group of airlines operates 55 aircraft in total split between the two carriers. The Air Astana fleet comprises 11 Airbus A320s, 13 A320neos, two A321-200s, and four A321neos. It also operates three Boeing 767-300ERS on long-haul services plus five Embraer 190s on regional and domestic services.  

According to data obtained from ch-aviation, the carrier is committed to taking a further three A320neos from Avalon Leasing although it has no outstanding orders for new planes with Airbus directly. 10 of the current A320 fleet are already leased from ALC.  

The carrier does have outstanding commitments for Boeing aircraft, however, via a lease agreement signed in November 2022. The company was due to receive three Boeing 787-9s at the start of 2025. However, due to production delays, these new widebody aircraft will not now happen until 鈥渓ate 2025鈥� according to Boeing. The carrier also previously had an order with Boeing for a trio of 787-8s although, in light of the signed lease agreement for the larger 787-9s, the status of this order remains unclear.  

The new widebodies are required to fulfill Air Astana精东影业 long-held ambition to fly directly from Kazakhstan to the United States – a distance that its current 767-300s are unable to operate 

The Air Astana Group provides scheduled passenger and cargo services on domestic, regional, and international routes across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Far East, the Middle East, India, and Europe from its base at Almaty Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport (NQZ). The airline operates on 87 routes serving 39 destinations in 20 countries.聽聽聽

Philippine Airlines poised to place large order for new aircraft says COO聽聽

• Airlines

byLuke Peters

August 1, 2024

The new route will operate twice a week starting from October 24, 2024. The flights will be operated by Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. 

The service will link the Bay Area精东影业 Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) with Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Currently Avelo is the only airline to offer direct flights between SLC and STS.  

鈥淲e look forward to inspiring travel this fall to Sonoma County and inspiring Northern Californians to explore all the Beehive State has to offer,鈥� Andrew Levy, Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO, said in a press release. 

鈥淭his new nonstop service to the Bay Area/Sonoma County is a plus for our passengers,鈥� added Bill Wyatt, Salt Lake City Department of Airports Executive Director. 鈥淭he additional gates the airport built as part of The New SLC has made this new service possible.鈥�  

Since its inaugural flight on April 28, 2021, Avelo Airlines has transported more than five million passengers on more than 40,000 flights. The carrier currently operates flights to 54 locations in the United States and Caribbean, as well as two foreign countries 鈥� Jamaica and Mexico. 

Deliveries are expected to start by 2030, provided the still-under-development ERA aircraft gains certification. 

Alpine Air Express currently has a fleet of 80 cargo aircraft, which operate more than 100 daily local and regional cargo flights throughout the United States for logistic operators, such as UPS and the US Postal Service, in addition to online distribution giant Amazon.  

According to AURA AERO, in addition to its environmental benefits, by adopting the ERA hybrid-electric aircraft, Alpine Air Express could reduce by 50% the cost per ton of revenue cargo due to lower maintenance and fuel costs. The large, wide cargo doors available on the ERA are said to be another feature that has helped AURA AERO get this order. 

After this announcement, AURA AERO精东影业 ERA aircraft order book stands at 570 units, worth a total of US$9 billion. 

Behind the scenes at Aura Aero, a rising star of the low carbon aviation industry

• Sustainability

byMiquel Ros

5 minute read

This deal also represents a significant step in AURA AERO精东影业 plans to establish a US presence. 

In July 2024, the French startup announced that it was partnering with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to build a 500,000 sq. ft manufacturing and assembly plant within the university精东影业 research park in Florida. 

AURA AERO already has a commercial office in the US, but after this additional investment, its footprint on the other side of the Atlantic is going to be considerably larger. 

The new Florida facility will serve as a completion and delivery center for the INTEGRAL family of fully electric light trainer aircraft as well as a final assembly line for the 19-seat hybrid-electric airliner. 

Bastian told on July 31, 2024, that Delta Air Lines had 鈥渘o choice鈥� other than to seek damages in wake of the chaos that ensued.聽聽

The half a billion-dollar figure is not only based on lost revenue but also 鈥渢ens of millions of dollars per day in compensation and hotels鈥� in the following days.  

鈥淲e have to protect our shareholders. We have to protect our customers, our employees, for the damage, not just to the cost of it, but to the brand, the reputational damage,鈥� Bastian said. 

On July 29, 2024, it was reported that Delta hired the services of prominent US lawyer David Boies to seek damages from cyber-security firm CrowdStrike and Microsoft, although it is understood that no lawsuit has been filed yet.  

Companies and airlines were left struggling to function on July 19, 2024, after a software update by CrowdStrike caused Microsoft Windows to crash.   

Delta appeared to suffer more heavily than any other airline in the United States (US) and was forced to cancel over 5,000 flights as a result of the outage.  

According to CNBC, Delta精东影业 systems that designate flight crews to aircraft could not keep up with the changes and caused additional problems for the airline.  

Ryanair, Vueling Airlines, IndiGo, Ajet, SpiceJet, Air India Express, Transavia France, Turkish Airlines and Akasa Air confirmed that they were also affected by the outage.聽聽聽

Delta hires prominent lawyer to seek system outage damages from CrowdStrike聽

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

July 30, 2024

Both carriers announced separately that the suspension would begin from the evening of July 31, 2024. 

Delta Air Lines has postponed flights from New York-JFK to Tel Aviv until August 2, 2024, while United Airlines, which runs 14 weekly flights to Tel Aviv, has suspended flights until August 6, 2024. 

According to Hebrew media, thousands of Israelis are now stuck in the United States due to the cancellations.  

Delta has issued travel waivers for all passengers with reservations to travel to or from Tel Aviv精东影业 Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) until September 6, 2024, which will allow them to reschedule flights. Meanwhile, United Airlines said that it will continue to closely observe the situation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

Other airlines are likely to follow suit.  

British Airways has also announced cancellations to Tel Aviv, but the duration is currently uncertain. On July 29, 2024, Austrian Airlines and Lufthansa both canceled two nighttime flights to and from Tel Aviv. 

Air France and Lufthansa announced on July 29, 2024, the decision to suspend flights to Beirut until August 5, 2024, in response to Israel精东影业 warning of retaliation for missile attacks from Lebanon. 

Despite the disruptions Israeli flag carrier El Al has confirmed that its flight timetables will be running as usual.  

The situation in the region worsened following the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a missile attack in Tehran. Israel has recently blamed Lebanese Hezbollah for the death of 12 children after a shooting in the Golan Heights on July 27, 2024.聽聽

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed by suspected Israeli airstrike in Tehran

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

July 31, 2024

A number of Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have advised citizens against traveling to Lebanon. Poland精东影业 foreign ministry spokesman Pawe艂 Wro艅ski announced that Poland is ready to evacuate its citizens if the situation between Israel and Lebanon worsens. 

In a letter addressed to Mike Whitaker on July 27, 2024, Cantwell, who is also the chair of the US Senate Commerce Committee, wrote that the FAA should conduct a 鈥渢horough root cause analysis鈥� of its oversight of Boeing and 鈥渄evelop corrective actions鈥� and a 鈥減lan for implementing them鈥�.聽

Boeing精东影业 safety procedures and quality control have been placed under the microscope since a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 mid-flight on January 5, 2024, and following a subsequent audit by the FAA where it identified 鈥渘on-compliance issues鈥� across the planemaker精东影业 manufacturing process control, parts handling and storage, and product control.   

鈥淚 have serious concerns about FAA精东影业 audits of Boeing and its suppliers, including whether the results of these audits indicate ongoing production issues or ineffective regulatory oversight, or both,鈥� Cantwell wrote in the letter.  

Cantwell highlighted that the FAA had carried out 298 audits of Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems over the previous two years which 鈥渄id not result in any enforcement actions鈥�.

RIGHT NOW – NTSB giving rare access into its lab for a first look at the Boeing 737 MAX 9 door plug that blew off Alaska flight 1282 on January 5. This is ahead of investigative hearing next week.

— Pete Muntean (@petemuntean)

Cantwell also wrote that despite those prior audits, when the FAA carried out the inspection following the plug door blowout it continued to identify issues.  

The Senator questioned exactly what the FAA had required of Boeing following the discovery of violations in the prior 298 audits.  

鈥淚t remains unclear how FAA will improve its oversight of Boeing and ensure that Boeing addresses the root causes of the noncompliances identified from all these audits,鈥� Cantwell wrote in her letter.  

The Senator added: 鈥淲hile the FAA has rightly focused on Boeing精东影业 production quality shortcomings, I am concerned about whether FAA action – or inaction – contributed to Boeing精东影业 problems.鈥� 

The FAA has been instructed to report back to the Senate Commerce Committee on its findings and how it will 鈥渟trengthen its policies to improve its oversight of aviation manufacturers鈥�. 

Senator Cantwell confirmed that the FAA must provide a response by August 12, 2024.  

When Whittaker appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee in June 2024, he admitted that the FAA had been “too hands off” in its oversight of Boeing before the Alaska Airlines incident.  

A National Transport Safety board (NTSB) hearing will start on August 6 and 7, 2024, to gather evidence in an effort to 鈥渄etermine the facts, circumstances, and probable cause鈥� of the Alaska Airlines plug blowout.聽聽

Led by NTSB head Jeniffer Homendy the hearing will also feature board members Michael Graham, Thomas Chapman, Alvin Brown and Todd Inman.   

Also present will be investigative staff, scheduled witnesses and parties to the hearing.  The hearing will be available to the public to watch on a livestream.  

On July 30, 2024, the NTSB allowed media representatives to view the Alaska Airlines plug door at its premises ahead of next week精东影业 hearing.聽聽

NTSB sets out more details on Boeing 737 MAX 9 plug door blowout hearing

• Aviation Safety

byIan Molyneaux

July 18, 2024

In April 2024, the DOT announced new rules requiring more cost transparency when passengers are purchasing tickets to protect customers from 鈥渉idden junk fees鈥�.  

According to , the appeals court granted airlines their legal request to stop the introduction of the new rules pending a review of the regulation.聽

In a court filing on July 29, 2024, the judges said that the new rules 鈥渓ikely exceeds DOT精东影业 authority and will irreparably harm airlines.鈥� 

The court also said it had received 鈥渁mple evidence鈥� from airlines regarding the 鈥渋rreparable harm鈥� they will face.  

US airlines, including Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, launched legal action against the US government in April 2024, arguing that a new rule would confuse potential customers with too many details while buying tickets online.   

Headed by Airlines for America, the group of carriers asked a federal appeals court on May 10, 2024, to overturn the rule. 

On April 24, 2024, the DOT announced that it would require airlines to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for checked bags, a carry-on bag, for changing a reservation, or cancelling a reservation 

鈥淣othing in the court精东影业 decision prevents airlines from voluntarily complying with this common sense rule that simply requires them to keep their customers fully informed when buying a plane ticket,鈥� DOT said in a statement to Bloomberg following the judges’ decision yesterday.聽

US airlines sue Biden administration over new rules on 鈥榡unk fees鈥� transparency

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

May 14, 2024

In July 2024, Washington and Berlin announced in a joint statement plans to launch episodic deployments of long-range fire capabilities in Germany by 2026, including SM-6 missiles, Tomahawk missiles, and 鈥渄evelopmental hypersonic weapons.”

“If the United States implements such plans, we will consider ourselves freed from the previously adopted unilateral moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities,” Putin declared on July 28, 2024, speaking at a naval parade in St. Petersburg featuring ships from China, India, and Algeria.

Intermediate-range nuclear weapons, with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,400 miles), were previously restricted under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed by the US and the USSR. Both nations withdrew from the treaty in 2019, each accusing the other of violations. Despite this, Russia had pledged not to produce these missiles unless the US deployed them abroad.

“Important Russian sites of state administration and the army will be within the range of these missiles,” Putin stated, noting that the flight time of these missiles to Russian territories would be about ten minutes. “This situation is reminiscent of the events of the Cold War related to the deployment of American medium-range Pershing missiles in Europe.”

Putin also highlighted the recent transfer of Typhon missile systems to Denmark and the Philippines by the US, and concluded by emphasizing that Russia would take “mirror measures” in response to US actions and those of its allies in Europe and beyond.