Air Canada Adds Routes to US On Heels of Covid Policy Changes

Monday, October 03, 2022 at 11:49 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Air Canada Airbus A220-300 at Montreal Trudeau Airport (Photo: Air Canada)

A few days after the Canadian government completely lifted all restrictions to international travel introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, Air Canada announced two new transborder services that will link Canadian cities to hubs of their Star Alliance partner United Airlines.

Halifax Regains Access to New York City

Starting from mid-December, Air Canada will launch a four times weekly service between Halifax Stanfield Airport and Newark international airport. The service will increase to a daily frequency as of Jan. 8 and will be operated with a Bombardier Dash8-Q400 aircraft.

“Air Canada is very pleased to offer customers in Halifax and throughout the Atlantic Region a convenient new connection with New York. While the Big Apple is a popular leisure destination for people in Eastern Canada, it is also an important business market and this strengthened connection promises economic benefits, including increased tourism from the U.S. Beyond this, our partnership with United Airlines also provides easy onward connections to other U.S. centers from Newark through United’s extensive network,” said Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada in a statement.

Halifax is one of the eight Canadian airports that is equipped with preclearance facilities, therefore passengers will be able to clear U.S. Customs and Immigration in Canada and arrive at a domestic gate in Newark without having to transit through International Arrivals where lines can be quite long, especially when several wide bodies arrive at the same time.

The Nova Scotia airport has been enjoying the preclearance facility since 2006, but after the interruption of flights during the COVID-19 pandemic only a handful of services to the U.S. have so far resumed, leaving the transborder terminal heavily underutilized. At the moment there are only a daily flight by Air Canada to Boston, a daily flight to Philadelphia operated by American Airlines and two other weekly services by Republic Airways on behalf of American Airlines to Boston and Washington National.

Adds Houston to Vancouver

Air Canada has also announced another new daily flight connecting Vancouver with the United Airlines hub at Houston Intercontinental Airport. The service will start on Dec. 16 and will be operated with an Airbus A220-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration with 12 business class and 125 economy seats.

This service will replace the daily flight currently operated by United Airlines on the same city pair that will be discontinued at the end of the summer season on Oct. 29. The connection will allow passengers to make use of the extensive network of destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean offered from the Texan airport by the Chicago-based carrier.

Vanni Gibertini

Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.

Aviacionline and AirlineGeeks Join Forces to Deliver Exceptional Aviation Reporting

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

Monday, October 03, 2022 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Argentina-based Aviacionline and U.S.-based AirlineGeeks announced on Monday a new collaborative and simplified approach toward delivering top-notch aviation news coverage. Beginning in October, the two outlets will grow and strengthen their syndication partnership, offering exclusive, round-the-clock content in both English and Spanish languages.

As leaders in aviation industry reporting, both Aviacionline and AirlineGeeks maintain strong footholds in their respective markets. A hardened partnership will cement an already positive relationship between the two companies; starting in 2020, readers began seeing syndicated cross-posting on the respective publications.

This new partnership will include reader-friendly initiatives, such as…

Simple and straightforward. Ease-of-access to a variety of exclusive and news-related content on both Aviacionline.com and AirlineGeeks.com from the talent of both teams.
Brands that stay the same. There are no plans to change any branding for either company initially. AirlineGeeks will join the Aviacionline network of publications, which will include modest additions to the company’s logo placement.
Capturing two languages. Aviacionline will continue delivering its leading Spanish-speaking content, while AirlineGeeks will grow its English news content. AirlineGeeks.com will serve as a second stream of Aviacionline’s English feed, featuring both exclusive content and more top news stories.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for reciprocal growth. We look forward to delivering the best content to our readers through a high-quality channel like AirlineGeeks, “ said Pablo Diaz, Founder of Aviacionline.

“Partnering with a U.S.-based media outlet was a natural step for Aviacionline, and we are confident that we have found in AirlineGeeks the ideal complement to provide our readers with a new kind of content,” said Edgardo Gimenez Mazó, Co-Founder and Product Manager at Aviacionline.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Aviacionline as we continue to broaden and improve the content we offer to our readers. It’s a rare opportunity to combine two first-class teams,” said Parker Davis, Editor-in-Chief at AirlineGeeks.

This enhanced partnership establishes both companies as even more dominant players in both English and Spanish speaking markets. Both companies will regularly evaluate the partnership’s progress, capitalizing on each other’s resources in the reader’s interest.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.

Regional Express Acquires Australia’s National Jet Express

Mike Mangano

Sunday, October 02, 2022 at 12:22 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Rex Finalises Purchase of National Jet Express. (Photo: Regional Express)

Australian airline Regional Express has finally acquired National Jet Express, having made the announcement on Friday, Sept. 30. National Jet Express (NJE) caters to remote locations around Australia with Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) services as the Regional Services arm of Cobham Aviation Services Australia. The acquisition signals the beginning of Rex’s plans to modernize and expand NJE, further widening the growing airline’s footprint.

Expecting a “surge in demand”, Rex’s Executive Chairman Lim Kim Hai said that the airline is “looking to lease immediately another two De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 NextGen (NG) aircraft to add to its (NJE) fleet”, adding that Rex “will continue to invest in new aircraft and technology to grow the business, especially in Queensland where resource companies have been facing severe issues with capacity and
reliability in recent years.”

Addressing its plans to modernize NJE, Hai also stated: “Rex will overlay this financial and operational prowess on NJE’s core strengths to transform it to be Australia’s premier FIFO operator. Resource companies all over Australia can now count on a modern, comfortable and environmentally-friendly fleet for their FIFO needs instead of relying on 30-year-old Fokker 100 aircraft used predominantly by the other operators.” The comments come off the back of its partnership with Dovetail Electric Aviation, announced in July, as it attempts to lead the way in converting turboprop aircraft to full electric propulsion.

Rex Profits ‘More Absolute’ Than Qantas

Adding further comments to Australia’s Qantas-Rex war, Hai stated that “over the last 18 years, Rex made more absolute accumulated profits than Qantas!”

Elaborating on this comment, Hai added: “Over the last 14 years for example, when the entire global economy has been shaken to the core by the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19, Rex has still managed to achieve a positive gross return of 2.9%, compared to Singapore Airlines’ 1.3%, while Qantas showed a disgraceful negative 1.9%.”

The feud between the two airlines escalated in May this year when Rex canceled some regional services due to what it called “predatory behavior” from Qantas. At the time, Rex said Qantas aimed to “drive out competition in a war of attrition, knowing that its competitors do not have the balance sheet to lose money indefinitely.”

Union Slams Qantas CEO

Despite the allegations of negative gross returns for Qantas, its CEO Alan Joyce has reportedly received a base salary increase, drawing heavy criticism from the Australian Trade Workers’ Union. According to the TWU, Joyce’s base salary had increased by 15%, adding to $2.27 million (Australian). With strong words, TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine said that “Joyce has set himself up for a windfall retirement next year,” adding that “he does not deserve to stay another day at Qantas.”

Kaine further said that “serious safety and security incidents revealed… a horror show. The last two years have seen illegal sackings, attempts to slash cabin crew wages in half, and bonus bribes to silence and coerce workers into accepting wage freezes, meanwhile Alan Joyce has had pay increases two years on the trot – this time around at 15% to his base salary.”

The commentary from the TWU has not been unique, with respected Australian investigative journalism program Four Corners stating that staff within the airline “described a ruthless regime of cost-cutting and out-sourcing.”

Mike Mangano

Mike’s love affair with flight and mechanical objects in the sky began at an early age, fascinated by space documentaries and the vintage Flight Simulator ’95. He currently works as an instructor for UAVs and is training to receive his Private Pilot Licence with the goal of working in manned flight instruction. An avid reader of all things aviation and manned space flight, Mike stays close to developments in aerospace while reminiscing and sharing the rich history of flight with others. He loves writing, engineering and science.

Aer Lingus Continues Rebuilding Transatlantic Network

Chase Hagl

Saturday, October 01, 2022 at 07:04 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An Aer Lingus Airbus A320. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Earlier this week, Aer Lingus announced that it will begin a new nonstop service from Dublin, Ireland to Cleveland, Ohio. Service between the city pair is set to begin next summer on May 19, 2023. The announcement makes Aer Lingus the only carrier offering direct service to Europe from the city of Cleveland.

The Irish flag carrier will offer four nonstop flights weekly, with flights falling on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

With a scheduled block time of 8 hours and 20 minutes, Flight El87, originating from Dublin, will take off from Ireland at 15:30 and land in the states at 18:50.

Heading back east to Dublin, Flight El86 will depart at 20:20 and arrive in Ireland the following day at 08:50, a total block time of 7 hours and 30 minutes.

Flight	Origin	Destination	Departure	Arrival	Block
El87	Dublin	Cleveland	15:30	18:50	8:20
El86	Cleveland	Dublin	20:20	08:50+1	7:30

The new service will bring Aer Lingus’ total transatlantic routes between Dublin and the United States to 16. Following the very impactful Covid-19 Pandemic, Aer Lingus continues to rebuild and grow its transatlantic network. The carrier claims that moves like this one are “critical to Aer Lingus’ long-term growth strategy.”

“This is a significant announcement for Aer Lingus as we deliver on our ambition to grow our transatlantic network,” stated Reid Moody, Aer Lingus Chief Strategy & Planning Officer. “The commencement of a new route, accompanied by further network connectivity, is an exciting milestone for the airline during a critical time of recovery for our business. The new service to Cleveland not only provides a direct connection to Ireland but connections to over 20 popular European destinations via our Dublin Hub.”

Passengers originating in Cleveland will have the option to connect through the Dublin hub, to upwards of 20 separate European cities on the carrier. Some of these popular destinations include places like Paris, London, Brussels, Dusseldorf, Lyon, Amsterdam, Edinburgh.

“We are truly excited for the opportunity to have nonstop service for travelers to connect to Ireland and the many other European destinations,” Interim Airport Director, Dennis Kramer, said. “Our team has worked for years to bring this route to Cleveland for our community.”

Aer Lingus will utilize its “most versatile” aircraft, the Airbus A321neo LR on the Cleveland-Dublin route. Currently, with seven 321neo LRs in its fleet, the aircraft utilizes a 184-seat configuration, featuring a business and economy class cabin. Business includes 16 fully lie-flat business class seats with 168 seats in its economy cabin.

In its business class cabin, guests are treated to a 6.5ft long bed with a width of 22 inches for increased comfort. At each seat are a 16-inch multi-touch HD Panasonic screen and noise-canceling headphones. Guests have up to 120 hours of the latest movies and tv-shows to choose from.

Economy-class cabin seats are fitted with a 31” pitch and each includes an inflight entertainment screen allowing guests to access inflight entertainment throughout the flight.

The 321neo LR is the perfect aircraft for Aer Lingus’s transatlantic offerings with a range of up to 4000nm and a 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions and close to 50% reduction in noise footprint when compared to previous generation aircraft.

Chase Hagl

Chase Hagl grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho. His love and passion for Aviation landed him in Orem, Utah where he obtained a B.S. in Aviation Management with a minor in Business Management from Utah Valley University. Chase currently works as a flight attendant in Charleston, SC and is also the primary Inflight ASAP ERC representative for startup airline, Breeze Airways. His experience in the aviation industry spans back four years, working in areas including agriculture application, customer service, maintenance, and flight ops. In his free time, Chase enjoys road biking, astronomy, and flying.

Delta and LATAM Joint Venture Plans Approved by the US DOT

Aviacionline

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 09:57 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Vanni Gibertini

A LATAM 767 on short final in Miami. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Delta Air Lines and LATAM Airlines Group have confirmed, this Friday (30), that the United States Department of Transportation approved the two groups’ Joint Venture.

This is another major step in the development of a comprehensive partnership between the two airlines, started back in 2019, when Delta announced the purchase of a 20% equity stake in LATAM.

Over the following years, both airlines integrated with setting codeshare agreements — which are already taking place — and integrating of their frequent flier programs.

Effectively, the announcement means that the two airlines have open roads from the regulators to develop their partnership even further, openly coordinating schedules and sharing profits within the partnership. Delta says, in a press release, that «more details on the benefits of the partnership will be shared in the coming months.»

The CEO of Delta, Ed Bastian, stated, in this press release, that «Delta’s partnership with LATAM will help grow the market between North and South America and provide significant and much-needed benefits for customers, and we applaud the DOT for this final approval».

His counterpart from LATAM Airlines Group, Roberto Alvo, said in the same release that «the approval by the DOT will give rise to the start of work with Delta to deliver more and better benefits to LATAM and Delta customers, such as faster connections, and the joint accrual of miles in frequent flyer programs, among many others».

LATAM intends to extend its local presence

Aviacionline understands, from sources with knowledge of the matter, that LATAM’s next step to further increase its connectivity, particularly in Brazil, will be sourcing a regional partner.

While GOL already has its ATR-operating proxy, VoePass/Passaredo, the measure will be a direct attack on Azul’s cash cow — monopoly destinations that can only be reached with smaller aircraft. LATAM’s smallest aircraft in its current fleet is the Airbus A319, which can carry 144 passengers. An ATR 72 can usually carry 70.

Article written by Aviaciononline’s Editorial Staff

Aviacionline

WestJet Announces Further Order For 42 Boeing 737 MAX 10s

John Flett

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A WestJet 737-700 lands at LAX. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Canada’s WestJet Group has announced an agreement to purchase 42 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft with the option to purchase 22 more. The Calgary, Canada-based consortium operates WestJet and Swoop the ultra-low-cost carrier and already has orders for 23 aircraft from the Boeing MAX family.

WestJet Group Chief Executive Officer Alexis von Hoensbroech stated, “With this additional order, the WestJet Group will accept delivery of no fewer than 65 aircraft in the next six years, at least 50 will be 737-10 aircraft, furthering our commitment to affordable travel options for Canadians and jobs for our company and the aerospace industry.”

The 737-10 is the largest of the MAX family with a potential capacity of up to 230 seats (188-204 in a 2-class configuration) and a range of 3,300 nautical miles. “The 737-10 will provide WestJet with additional capacity and unrivaled efficiency as the airline expands its network of destinations across Canada and around the world. We are proud that WestJet sees the value of the 737 MAX family and is adding the 737-10 to complement the 737-8 for outstanding capability, flexibility and improved sustainability,” Stan Deal the president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said.

WestJet has a long history with Boeing aircraft since it began operations in 1996 with three 737 aircraft. The group’s subsidiaries now operate Boeing 737 aircraft including the 737-8 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, though further investment in the latter has been paused ‘to focus instead on additional narrowbody growth’.

In Thursday’s announcement, Mr. Hoensbroech added, “The 737-10 will be a game changer, with one of the lowest costs per seat among mid-range aircraft. This will foster our low-cost positioning and affordability for Canadians. In addition, with its lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions, the 737-10 will further improve the environmental footprint of our fleet.”

Canadian Minister of Transport the Honourable Omar Alghabra stated, “Today’s announcement by WestJet is exciting news for Canadian travelers and our national air industry as a whole. As we enter post-pandemic recovery, investments like these in sustainable and affordable air travel will ensure that our air sector remains strong. I look forward to continuing the work our Government is doing with WestJet and air carriers across the country to make air travel safer, cleaner, and more affordable for everyone.”

Earlier this year, WestJet announced changes to its network strategy and utilization of aircraft with the growth in the 737 family of airplanes being a key pillar. Western Canada is a strong focus for the Alberta consortium with the Dreamliner being ‘centered’ in the region ‘for the time being. It was also stated that WestJet’s regional fleet of De Haviland Q400 aircraft will ‘shifted and rightsized’ with a focus on Western Canada.

John Flett

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry. During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team who created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff balancing a mix of corporate and social content. John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. John has held the positions of course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university. In addition he is contracted as an external instructor for IATA (International Air Transport Association) and has been a member of the Heathrow Community Fund’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

COMAC’s C919 Gains Certification from CAAC

Fangzhong Guo

Friday, September 30, 2022 at 06:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Benjamin Pham

A Comac C919 conducting high-speed taxiing (Photo: COMAC)

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s (COMAC) C919 received its Type Certificate (TC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) on September 29, 2022. The milestone came five years after the type’s maiden flight in May 2017. Following certification, the company expects to deliver the first aircraft to its launch customer, China Eastern Airlines, before the end of this year.

C919 is a narrowbody airplane with 150 seats, directly competing with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family. Despite the similar designs, the aircraft only has a range of 2200 nm to 3300 nm, well below its competitors. However, the specification strikes an outstanding balance between cost and performance since the aircraft primarily targets the domestic market, whose longest route is only 2100nm.

Its predecessor, the COMAC ARJ21, took another 11 months after receiving its TC before the first delivery. However, COMAC has learned from its mistakes in the past, such as starting the Aircraft Evaluation Group early. It is confident in making the first delivery sooner for the larger jet.

Building up to the moment

Although the company never published any milestone dates, the public speculated that September 19 would be the certification date. However, the date has come and passed without any formal announcement. The company flew two of its test fleets to the country’s capital Beijing in preparation for the ceremony on Sept. 12.

As many have expected, the aircraft received its TC before October 1 – the country’s national day. It’ll be considered a gift for the country. Interestingly though, the authorities were not rushing to show off its achievements. It has asked its media outlets and other members at the ceremony to stay quiet until Sept. 30. There is no obvious explanation for this request.

After achieving its TC, the manufacturer will pursue the Production Certificate (PC) to mass-produce the plane under the approved type design. It took the company two years and three months before it received the production certificate for the smaller ARJ21 regional jet. However, it doesn’t mean the company can’t produce the plane without it. The CAAC must certify each airplane until it rewards the PC to the company.

The Shanghai-based company also has another aircraft pending certification. It flew a medical version of the ARJ21-700 jet along with the two C919s. It’ll likely receive its certificate in October.

Timeline

2008 – The C919 program was launched with a targeted first flight time in 2014.

2015 – The Shanghai-based company unveiled the first airplane at its factory in Shanghai during a roll-out ceremony following several delays.

2017 – C919 made its maiden flight on May 5, with its planned entry into service slipping into 2020.

2018 – The state-owned manufacturer grounded its test fleet for modifications, further pushing the first delivery into 2021.

2022 – The company announced the completion of its flight test campaign on July 23.

2022 – The company ferried two planes in its test fleets to Beijing Capital Airport on September 12.

2022 – CAAC awarded the Type Certificate to the C919 on September 29.

Fangzhong Guo

Fangzhong grew up near an OEM airport in northeastern China, where he developed his enthusiasm for aviation. Taking upon his passion, he's now working as an aircraft interior design engineer. Besides working in the aerospace industry, Fangzhong enjoys trying out different types of airplanes and seeing how airplane interiors have evolved. So far, he's flown on over 80 types of aircraft. He also planespots in his spare time. His rarest catches included the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and AN-225.

Ethiopian Airlines to Help In Launch of New Nigerian National Carrier, Nigeria Air

Victor Shalton

Thursday, September 29, 2022 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Parker Davis

A rendering of what a Nigeria Air aircraft could look like. (Photo: Nigeria Air)

Ethiopian Airlines is the preferred bidder for the future Nigerian airline Nigeria Air, Nigerian Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika said last Friday. The Ethiopian national airline will own a 49% stake in the new Nigerian airline, while the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund will take 46% and the Nigerian federal government the remaining 5%.

According to Sirika, Ethiopian Airlines Consortium was the only bidder to have met the June 10 deadline for submission of bids under a request for proposal process launched on March 5.

“Few others attempted to submit but unfortunately could not meet the deadline. Since we did not collect the bids, we are not in a position to say who they are,” he said in a statement.

Ready for Launch

The aviation minister also said Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet is expected to approve the shareholding plan in the coming weeks. Nigeria Air will have an initial capital of $300 million and plans to operate a fleet of 30 aircraft within four years, he said. It will start its activity with a first line between the capital Abuja and Lagos, the commercial capital, and will add other routes later.

Nigeria Air will start its operations with a Boeing 737-800 fleet for now followed thereafter by Boeing 787 aircraft for international operations.

“We will initially bring in six Boeing 737s and between the third and fourth year, the airline will be able to acquire up to 30 aircraft,” Hadi Sirika said. And to emphasize: “Nigeria Air is a limited liability company which will have no government intervention”.

On June 6, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) issued Nigeria Air’s Air Transport License (ATL) after it had approved all interim executives in May 2022.

A “signature-ready” contract has been finalized with Ethiopian Airlines for the three 737-800s with a configuration of 16 business class and 150 economy class seats. Ethiopian Airlines will provide the initial crews and engineers while Nigerian Air recruits flight- and cabin crews, plus aircraft engineers.

The first aircraft is ready to arrive in Abuja for inspection by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), demonstration flights, and audit as part of certification requirements. In time, two more should arrive to complete the required three minimum.

Having identified the first three aircraft for the fleet, Nigeria Air will now finalize all necessary operations manuals and then go through the inspection and approval process for an air operator’s certificate (AOC) from the NCAA.

The overall share capital of around $300 million, provided by the preferred bidder is what will launch Nigeria Air to its full size of 30 aircraft and international operation within the next two years.

No further FGN funding will be provided above the 5% share capital of the next national Carrier of Nigeria, which was provided to launch Nigeria Air.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country with 220 million people, is seeking to establish a national airline and airport infrastructure for its economic development. The former flag carrier Nigeria Airways, wholly owned by the Abuja government, went bankrupt and ceased operations in 2003.

Victor Shalton

Victor Shalton's love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.

First All-Electric Commuter Airplane Takes Maiden Flight

Fangzhong Guo

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 09:54 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Eviation Alice on final approach during its maiden flight. (Photo: AirlineGeek | Fangzhong Guo)

Eviation Alice – the first all-electric commuter plane – made its maiden flight on Wednesday from Grant County International Airport at Moses Lake, Wash. The airplane took off at 7:11 a.m. and landed 7:19 a.m. local time .

Despite being only 8-minute long, this is a historic moment for electric aviation. Alice is the first blank sheet design airplane of this size. Cape Air is the launch customer for this type and holds an order of 75 aircraft. GlobalX also inked a Letter of Intent for 50 of the company’s airplanes just a week before the first flight. In the meantime, DHL also holds an order for 12 cargo versions of this airplane.

The Airplane

Eviation Alice has a unique fuselage. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fangzhong Guo)

Alice can carry nine passengers and has a maximum range of 440 NM (815 km) with a payload of 2,500 lb (1,100 kg). The airplane uses two MagniX Magni650 engines. MagniX had previously tested its smaller Magni500 engine on a converted Cessna 208 aircraft and is testing the larger Magni750 engine on a converted De Havilland Canada Beaver aircraft. The Singaporean Investment Group Clermont owns both MagniX and Eviation, which made Magnix the obvious choice to supply its engine.

The plane has evolved from its original configuration. When the company first launched the airplane at the 2019 Paris Air Show, the aircraft used a pusher motor and two smaller wingtip motors. The first prototype burned down during testing due to ground equipment faults.

On the other hand, the flight demonstrator features two rear-mounted engines, more akin to a traditional regional jet. It has a unique fuselage design, presumably to provide additional lift and increase energy efficiency. The company will use the flight demonstration program results to iterate the plane to its final production configuration.

Testing Timeline

Eviation Alice during ground testing at Arlington Municipal Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fangzhong Guo)

The Israeli company has been hinting at the approaching of this milestone for nearly a year now. It first started ground taxi testing at the company’s U.S. headquarter in Arlington, Wash, back in December 2021. The company had to pause testing after its sole test aircraft failed, causing the plane to skid the runway.

After receiving concerns from the community, the manufacturer relocated the test article. It trucked the plane to its current location – the home of its technology partner- AeroTEC’s flight test center at Moses Lake. After reassembling the airplane, the electric-plane maker started ground testing again and finally achieved its maiden flight. Moses Lake is a popular flight test destination for Boeing test flights, and it certainly provided a lot more convenience to the electric plane’s test program.

At the launch, the company expected an Entry into Service date in 2024. However, it has since been pushed back to 2026. Regardless of everything the company promised, the company still has a long way to go before reaching that milestone. It’s unknown how the company will achieve its goals when it’s only posting one engineering position at the peak growth time. Nonetheless, the first flight is a significant achievement, and the world will watch what comes next.

Fangzhong Guo

Russian Aircraft Relics in the Czech Republic

Mark Evans

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Czech Air Force Yak 40 at Kunovice. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

The Czech Republic is a relatively new country having been formed in 1993. Prior to this, the country was part of Czechoslovakia which was a communist state until 1989. Sanctions placed on the country by the West meant that Russian aircraft were operated throughout the country.

During the Communist Rule, CSA was the primary carrier in the country. At the end, it was operating a wholly Russian fleet which included Ilyushin 18, Ilyushin 62, Tupolev 134, Tupolev 154 and Yak40 aircraft. The Czech Government also operated all of these types at some point ending with the Tupolev 154 and Yak 40.

It was only once the Iron Curtain fell and communist rule ended in 1989 that Czechoslovakia and other Eastern Bloc countries could start to replace their fleets with western-built jets. Most of them were retired within the first decade. Fortunately, many have been preserved and over 30 years later a large number can be seen in various museums or other establishments.

OK-EFJ Tupolev 134 — OK-EFJ (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Czech Aviation Training Centre:

At Prague, Czech Republic’s Václav Havel Airport, training is provided for aviation professionals including pilots and cabin crew. One of the CSA’s T134s has been partially preserved there. The cockpit section of OK-EFJ sits proudly inside inscribed with ‘20 years of service with CSA’.

Ilyushin 18 at Kbely Airport (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Prague Kbely Airport:

This was previously Prague’s main airport but is now used by the Government and Military. It is home to Kbely Aviation Museum with many aircraft on show. Of particular note are:

OK-NAA IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1960 until being written off in 1977.

OK-BYG / 0723 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1972.

OK-BYJ /1257 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1978.

The collection also includes some Antonov 24s and Ilyushin 14s along with many fighter and helicopter types.

CSA Tupolev 104 at Zruc Air Museum (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Zruc Air Museum:

Near the Town of Pilsen about 100km southwest of Prague sits an impressive private collection containing the following aircraft:

OK-NDF T104 – Operated for CSA from 1963 after starting life in 1959 with Aeroflot. CSA was the only other airline to operate the Tupolev 104 and became only the third airline to operate jet aircraft when the T104 entered service for them in 1957. It is displayed illustriously outside the museum in full vintage CSA colors.

1003 T154 – Operated for Czech Government from 2000.

OK-AFA T134 – Operated for CSA from 1971 – Fuselage section only attached to the cockpit section of OK-DFI.

OK-DFI T134 – Operated for CSA from 1973 – Cockpit section only attached to the fuselage section of OK-AFA.

SP-LHE T134 – Operated for LOT Polish Airlines from 1976. Missing its tail.

OK-PAE IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1961.

Again the museum contains various other aircraft or sections including an Antonov 24 and Antonov 30. Ilyushin 14s and Let 410s along with various fighter jets and helicopters.

Various Tupolev 134s at Zruc Air Museum (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mark Evans)

Kunovice Aviation Museum:

Some three hours southwest of Prague near the Slovakian Border is another impressive museum where you can find the following:

OK-BYZ T154 – Operated for Czech Government from 1996.

OK-BYK / 0260 Yak40 – Operated for Czech Government from 1979.

Various other exhibits include several Let 410s, Let 610 and Ilyushin 14s.

Other Aircraft:

OK-FBF IL62 – Operated for Czech Government from 1974 and then CSA from 1981. Preserved outside Excalibur City shopping centre painted in a very interesting color scheme with Jet Restaurant titles.

OK-WAJ IL18 – Operated for CSA from 1967. Now preserved as a cafe near Bakov Nad Jizerou with Buggyra Air titles.

OK-EEA Yak40 – Operated for CSA from 1974. Now belongs to Seko Aerospace in the town of Louny. Painted in a blue color scheme with Seko Airlines titles and Reg OK-TSE.

Mark Evans

Mark has been interested in aviation since the age of eight when he first went plane spotting at Manchester Airport, England. Trips around various European airports in the following years and then to the USA as a teenager furthered his desire. This led to Mark wanting to work in the industry and at the age of twenty one was accepted to train as an Air Traffic Controller. After training and working for several years in England, Mark moved to Bahrain in the Middle East where he worked for six years. He then moved to Sydney, Australia where he resides today after twenty years in the profession. Mark's pursuit to see planes has seen him visit over 140 countries and territories, including places, like North Korea, Sudan and Iran. He has flown over 1,100 times, visited over 700 airports and can always be found researching his next trip.