Perhaps not at supersonic speeds, but NASA is certainly moving closer to building its piloted experimental aircraft capable of breaking the sound barrier without producing sonic booms. Short for Quiet Supersonic Technology, the first large scale X-59 QueSST aircraft has been cleared for final assembly and integration of systems, the agency announced on December 16, 2019.
Following Boeing’s decision to suspend the production of the 737 MAX, the joint venture composed of Safran and General Electric Aviation should reduce the production rates of the LEAP-1B engine ‒ but not stop it.
Passengers onboard S7 Airlines found a creative way to deal with an unruly passenger who became disruptive during a domestic flight and tried to enter the cockpit. A video released by Russia’s Interior Ministry (below) shows the unruly passenger duct-taped to a chair.
Air France-KLM Group has confirmed its order for 60 Airbus A220-300s. The aircraft will all be operated by Air France and will replace its fleet of single-aisle A318 and A319. That is on top of a firm order for 10 additional wide-body A350XWBs that the Franco-Dutch airline group placed earlier this December.
Fly Jamaica’s revival appears to not be going according to plan. After an incident and subsequent aircraft loss in late 2018, the airline ceased operations in late March 2019. A new group of investors attempted to defibrillate the “Greenheart” but are now filing for bankruptcy, media reports indicate.
Two long-haul giants entered a joint business agreement as of December 17, 2019, British Airways announced. The British carrier and China Southern Airlines launched their initial agreement in 2017, sharing flight codes on 10 routes between the United Kingdom and China. In January 2019, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the aforementioned deal from 2017.
