Blimps are back, baby [VIDEO]

“Is this the dawning of a new age of the airship?” gushed the Guardian’s headline the morning after Hybrid Air Vehicles debuted their Airlander 10 in front of representatives of the media and aviation enthusiasts in rural Bedfordshire, U.K. This wasn’t one of those Victorian-Era deathtraps. Neither was it the “Hindenburg.” Like every commercial airship[…]

Finnair looks to cut costs as cargo revenue dips

Finnair’s CEO Pekka Vauramo announced plans to cut costs by €20 million, as the company faces “an environment of elevated market uncertainty.” The news came shortly after the carrier released it second-quarter results, showing that cargo revenue fell 5.6 percent to €42.6 million, compared with the same quarter in 2015. Vauramo explained to Bloomberg that[…]

China Southern posts strong cargo numbers for July

After several months of lackluster cargo performance from Asian carriers, China Southern Airlines provided a shot in the arm in the form of its July numbers. China Southern’s cargo traffic for the month, measured in FTKs, was up 9.16 percent, year-over-year. Meanwhile, ATKs increased 4.7 percent (less than FTKs) bucking global trends of growing capacity[…]

Economic conditions put the screws to LATAM’s Q2 earnings

While South American carrier LATAM has been in the doldrums for quite some time, the slide in its revenues was especially pronounced in the carrier’s second quarter cargo results, showing revenues down 22.3 percent, year-over-year. Overall revenues, including passenger numbers, for the quarter were down 12.5 percent. LATAM attributed its poor performance to “a weak[…]

Is the end in sight for the 747?

If there is one aircraft type that symbolizes commercial aviation, it is Boeing’s 747. Since the first 747-100 entered service in January 1970 (see the historic video at the end of this post), the manufacturer has delivered over 1,500 747s in several variants, up to and including the current offering, the 747-8. Today we start[…]