Korean Air said today it had commenced flying a 777-300ER that had been reconfigured for cargo operations. The aircraft, which has had its business and economy class seats removed and replaced with standardised locks to secure cargo on the cabin floor, was flown to Ohio in the U.S. from Korea’s Seoul Incheon airport. KAL said the 777-300ER could now carry an additional 10.8 tons of cargo on top of the 22 tons of cargo capacity in the aircraft belly. Read More »
The China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, due to take place in Zhuhai in southern China from November 10-15, has been cancelled, it was announced today. Held every two years, the event is the country's biggest air show. Organisers said the cancellation was due to the coronavirus pandemic, with foreign visitors to China largely restricted by border controls.
AirAsia Philippines CEO, Ricky Isla, said yesterday the LCC was recording an increase in advanced bookings, particularly for 2021. “The positive momentum leaves us feeling optimistic and determined. You can expect a stronger AirAsia as we prepare for a more aggressive and busy last quarter," Isla said in a statement. AirAsia Philippines, which has launched a "buy one, take one" promotion for travel in 2021, said about one third of all bookings in late August were for travel next year.
Air New Zealand's (AirNZ) monthly traffic report, published yesterday, showed the airline carried 689,000 passengers across its domestic network in July, representing a 33.2% decline from 875,000 in the prior corresponding period. The July figures represented an improvement from June, when domestic passengers were down 62.6% year-on-year. Passengers travelling on Air NZ's international network declined more than 95% in July, with New Zealand's border closed to foreign visitors.
Cathay Pacific Group was considering parking about half of its 180 passenger aircraft in desert locations as a result of the ongoing slump in global air travel from the coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper reported today, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Boeing has commenced inspections of recently assembled 787s after the discovery of a potential flaw in a part of the wide-body's horizontal stabiliser, it was reported overnight. The inspections would affect the timing of 787 deliveries in the near term, the company said. This latest flaw followed the discovery of a separate issue in August that led to the grounding of eight 787 aircraft.
