Partner-nations of Airbus A400M military transport plane fail to reach consensus on credits to EADS

Eurocopter, the world’s biggest helicopter-maker, has announced that it is keen on developing a helicopter with a diesel-powered engine within 5 years.

Qantas Airways, the he national airline of Australia, has said it will cut the number of first-class and business-class seats on all except a few routes. This follows the airline’s profits nosediving by as much as 72%.

Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, Washington, the United States, has announced that it will offer in-flight Wi-Fi facility on all of its flights, using Aircell’s Gogo service.

Emirates, based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced that it will launch non-stop flights from Dubai to Tokyo on March 28, 2010; to Amsterdam on May 1, 2010; to Prague on July 1, 2010; and to Madrid on August 1, 2010.

Fuel made from municipal waste will form a small part of the aviation turbine fuel that British Airways, the flag-carrier airline of the United Kingdom, will use from 2014. British Airways has signed an agreement to this effect with Solena Group, the biofuel company based in the United States.

Kingfisher Airlines, the privately owned airline based in India, is holding talks with British Airways, the flag-carrier airline of the United Kingdom, for a code-share arrangement on domestic routes in India.

Commercial flights to Haiti will resume on February 19, 2010, with American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, the United States, starting regular flights from Miami International Airport to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

US Department of Transportation faults FAA for safety-related lapses in supervising American Airlines

easyJet, the low-cost airline based at London Luton Airport, is launching 4 new flights – from Geneva (Switzerland) to Pristina (the capital of Kosovo); from Basel (Belgium) to Pristina; a direct flight from John Lennon Airport( Liverpool, England) to the Isle of Man (the self-governing British crown dependency territory); and from Geneva to Tel Aviv (Israel).

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has given tentative approval to American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, the United States, and British Airways, the flag-carrier airline of the United Kingdom, to expand their trans-Atlantic alliance. In return, the two carriers have to relinquish some slots at the congested Heathrow Airport in London.

The number of airline-related accidents dropped by about 20% worldwide in 2009, but there was an increase in the death-roll owing to a few crashes with high rates of casualty.

AirTran Airways has announced that it will launch flights between Tunica (Mississippi, the United States) and Atlanta (Georgia, the United States) from May 6, 2010.

American Airlines, based in ort Worth, Texas, the United States, will charge the non-premium-class passengers a fee of $50 for flying standby on the day of their scheduled flights for tickets purchased on or after February 22, 2010.

The major airlines based in the United States achieved in 2009 their best on-time performance rate since 2003.

AirAsia, VietJet Air set up low-cost airline VietJet AirAsia in Vietnam; flights to start in May 2010

New Kingfisher flights from New Delhi to London, Bangkok, Dubai, Hong Kong

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has almost completed a 2-year investigation of safety violations by American Airlines, and the airline is likely to be asked to pay one of the biggest fines in the history of the FAA.

China Eastern Airlines, the second biggest airline in China by fleet-size, and Shanghai Airlines have merged.

American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, Texas, the United States, will charge passengers in coach-class for a blanket and a pillow on all its domestic flights as well as on flights to and from Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean from May 1, 2010.

Making a landmark in the history of the legendary 747 Jumbo family, a freighter version of Boeing Company’s 747-8 jet has successfully made its first test-flight.

For the first time, Taiwan has allowed a private jet to fly directly to China, which is seen as a sign of the relations between the two countries improving. China still considers the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its territory.

Ukraine International Airlines, the flag-carrier airline of Ukraine, headquartered in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, has raised the number of flights between Kiev and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 3 flights a week to 5 flights a week.

Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air have announced that they will launch flights from Long Beach Airport (LGB) in Long Beach, California, the United States, during the summer travel season.

Balli Aviation Limited, a unit of Balli Group Plc, based in the United Kingdom, has pleaded guilty in a court in the United States to having exported illegally Boeing 747 passenger aircraft from the United States to Iran.

AirTran Airways, the low-cost airline based in Orlando, Florida, the United States, has announced that it will add 4 non-stop flights between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), in Baltimore, and Jacksonville International Airport, in Jacksonville, Florida, from May 4, 2010.

After having been put off two times owing to design changes and shortage of resources, the Boeing Company’s Boeing 747-8 Jumbo jet is all set to make its first test-flight on February 8, 2010.

The Bell 429, the world’s latest helicopter, has made its debut at the Singapore Airshow.

Russia has put on hold earlier plans to set up a second large state-owned airline and will, instead, merge 6 small government-run aviation companies with Aeroflot, Russia’s flag-carrier airline.

Airline passengers will pay $58 billion (€41 billion) in ‘ancillary charges’ in 2010, according to analysts.