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On Dec. 9, the world’s first C919 aircraft, with registration number of B-919A, was delivered to its world’s first launch customer, China Eastern Airlines (CEA).The C919 is China’s first homegrown large passenger aircraft in accordance with international airworthiness standards, and owns independent intellectual property rightsIt features advanced aerodynamic design, propulsion system and materials, as well as lower carbon emission and higher fuel efficiency.
A pattern of a Chinese seal reading “world’s first C919” in Chinese is printed in the front part of the plane delivered.
The aircraft adopts a 164-seat configuration that comes with a two-class cabin layout, including 8 business class seats and 156 economy class ones. In the economy cabin, the middle seat in each three-seat row is 1.5 cm wider than its neighboring ones, which offers more comfortableness.
With an aisle height of 2.25 meters, the plane comes with an efficient air filtration system, a passenger-centric lighting system and low noise.
Besides, there are twenty 12’’ drop-down screens that can play 1080P videos.ADVERTISEMENTOn the day of the delivery, a maiden flight of the C919 aircraft was made by three senior CEA pilots from the Shanghai Pudong International Airport to the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport.
After arriving at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport and passing through a water gate, the aircraft was officially commissioned into the fleet of CEA. It is expected to be put into commercial use in the spring of 2023.
CEA, as the world’s first airline operator for C919, boasts a fleet of nearly 800 airplanes. It has rich operational experience and enjoys comprehensive advantages. Passengers will soon be able to catch an early experience of the superior and reliable performance of the C919 with CEA.

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New Zealand received the first of four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in a ceremony at the Museum of Flight.“As a maritime nation, delivery of the P-8A will ensure New Zealand maintains a patrol and response capability that will protect and support law enforcement in our Exclusive Economic Zone and Southern Ocean,” said Sarah Minson, acting Deputy Secretary Capability Delivery, New Zealand Ministry of Defence. “The P-8A will also assist our South Pacific neighbors and deliver long-range search and rescue capability.”
The milestone comes four years after the New Zealand Government entered into an agreement with the U.S. Navy for the P-8A.
“The unmatched, multi-mission maritime patrol capabilities of the P-8 will provide New Zealand the ability to extend their reach into the Pacific and beyond,” said Philip June, vice president and program manager, P-8 Programs. “New Zealand joins eight other global customers including nearby Australia that have selected or already operate the P-8 and benefit greatly from its long-range maritime surveillance and warfare capabilities.”
Boeing Defence Australia will provide sustainment services for New Zealand’s fleet with the support of the P-8 International Program.
New Zealand’s three remaining P-8 aircraft are all in advanced stages of production and will be delivered in 2023. The aircraft will replace New Zealand’s current fleet of six P-3K2 Orions and will be based at Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea.ADVERTISEMENTTo date, the global operating P-8 fleet has amassed more than 450,000 mishap-free flight hours. The P-8 is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. In addition, the P-8 performs humanitarian and search and rescue missions around the globe.

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As the aviation world grapples with pilot shortages, Emirates Flight Training Academy’s (EFTA) third graduation ceremony held earlier today welcomed 53 new pilots trained at their world-class facility into the industry.
With the latest ceremony, EFTA celebrated crossing three major milestones, including graduating –
international cadets for the first time since the academy opened its doors for non-Emirati cadets in late 2019the largest cohort – more than 50 cadets and double that of previous eventsmore than 100 cadets since its first graduation in 2020.At the ceremony, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group congratulated and awarded certificates to the cadet graduates. Emirates’ executive management team in attendance included: Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer; Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer and Ali Al Soori, Executive Vice President Chairman’s Office & Facilities/Projects Management.
EFTA also hosted senior leaders from across the UAE aviation community including His Excellency Mohammed Abdullah Ahli, Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA); His Excellency Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation (DACC);  Tahnoon Saif, Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub; Major General Ali Atiq Bin Lahej, Director of the General Department of Airports Security at Dubai Police, and a delegation from the UAE Armed Forces.
His Highness Sheikh Ahmed said: “Years ago, we realised there would be a huge demand for trained pilots to support commercial aviation’s needs, and as a global airline and an industry leader, we felt compelled to act. Today’s graduation ceremony marks the achievement of our long-term vision for establishing the state-of-the-art Emirates Flight Training Academy to welcome and nurture young talent not just locally, but globally. Our next generation of highly skilled, well-trained cadets is a demonstration of the academy’s contribution to the aviation industry. We’re incredibly proud of our graduates and our team at EFTA.”ADVERTISEMENTCaptain Abdulla Al Hammadi, Vice President Emirates Flight Training Academy said: “To say that our cadets, instructors and our teams at EFTA have flown through an incredibly turbulent two years is an understatement. We have great admiration for our cadets’ spirit, positivity and the gusto with which they went through the rigours of ground school and sailed through their flying lessons.
“They are bidding goodbye to the academy, not just with a clutch of certificates and trophies, but with a range of professional and life skills, an array of amazing competencies, and vibrant memories. They’ve left their mark at EFTA, and we are confident they will be captivating the hearts and minds of the aviation industry. Today marks their last day of one journey and the exciting first day of another.”
Ali Al Ali, cadet graduate, echoed the sentiments of the cohort in his address: “Before we move on to the future, we would like to remember the past couple of years. There are several moments etched in our collective consciousness. We remember the feeling of pride when we first joined the academy, when we first wore our uniforms, on our first solo flight. We loved ground school and our high-tech classrooms, even the sleepless nights we spent studying. But then, we loved our flying lessons even more – the hours we spent honing our skills in the open skies and knowing this is what we will be doing our entire professional lives. What can be more extraordinary than having an office 38,000 feet up in the sky? The academy has taught us all how to be leaders, how to be responsible, disciplined, and professional. On behalf of the Class of 2022, our sincere gratitude goes to everyone who made our graduation possible.”
The ceremony evoked a range of emotions as the young graduates took to the stage, cheered on by their proud families and friends. And rightly so, as the young cadets had successfully completed the rigorous programme with 900 hours of ground-based training and 250 hours of flight instruction to obtain their Integrated Air Transport Pilot Licence.
EFTA also honoured the highest performing and most diligent cadets for their achievements across all facets of the training programme.
According to Oliver Wyman’s latest research, the aviation industry will experience a global gap of 34,000 pilots by 2025, which could increase to 50,000 given the impact of furloughs and retirements. Driven by a projected sharp increase in air travel demand, the Middle East region could face a shortage of 3,000 pilots by 2023 and 18,000 by 2032. Boeing estimates that by 2041 the gap will widen to 602,000 pilots globally and 53,000 in the Middle East.

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This week marks the beginning of a period of development for Bristol Airports retail and catering facilities with close to £4 million being invested by the airport and the retail partners to enhance the facilities, including opening a Boots Health and Beauty retail store.
This exciting period is expected to run throughout the winter period and will see some new and exciting shops and eateries arriving to the airport.
The significant investment will deliver further improvements to the shopping and dining experience for customers before boarding their flights, as well as providing enhanced facilities to the retail and eateries in the departure lounge. Improvements will also be made to the design of some units to provide an enhanced customer experience.
The developments to the retail facilities include a refresh of the World Duty Free store, a completely new-look bar and restaurant and the opening of a Boots health and beauty store.  Boots land at Bristol Airport this week, initially with a temporary store offering a limited range of products.  However, all customers are able to access the full range of Boots’ products via the ‘Click & Collect’ service when ordering between 10 days and 2 weeks before travel.
In Spring 2023, a new larger, state of the art Boots retail unit will open after over a significant investment. Boots’ new store will offer a wide range of products including travel essentials, toiletries, baby food and nappies, meal deals and health essentials including pain relief, vitamins, allergy tablets, make up, skincare, fragrances and much more.ADVERTISEMENTTom Hack, Head of Commercial at Bristol Airport, commented:
“This is an exciting period for Bristol Airport and our customers. The substantial investment in the enhancements to the departure lounge, including the opening of Boots health and beauty retailer this week shows a very clear sign of the confidence our commercial and catering partners have in Bristol Airport and vice versa.
“With Bristol Airport seeing the fastest customer recovery of any UK airport this year, the strong demand for travel demonstrates continued customer confidence in travelling. Our customers’ departure lounge experience is an important part of the start to any holiday, and it is necessary for us to provide an exemplary environment. We understand that our leisure and business customers have high expectations when travelling through Bristol Airport and we will continue to strive to meet their requirements.
“We are very confident that the investment and evolution of our departure lounge will provide a greater customer experience as we offer new places to shop, eat, drink, and relax before you fly.”

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on both the Danish and Icelandic Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) to revoke the planned increases in air traffic charges set to come into effect on 1 January 2023.On average, the fees paid by airlines for crossing the airspace managed by these two ANSPs on North Atlantic routings will rise by up to 30%. The increase was announced unilaterally by the two ANSPs without any user consultation, user input or justification.
In response, IATA has written to the Danish Transport, Construction and Housing Authority and Isavia ANS, calling for the plans to be scrapped.
“This is a cash grab by two monopoly suppliers with no justification. It must be stopped. Why should airlines pay a higher price for a service by a monopoly supplier that has not changed and with nothing to justify the higher cost? Rather than ramping up charges, the providers should be looking to achieving efficiencies that will keep costs under control. And if efficiencies cannot be found, then it is time for these suppliers to sit in consultation with their customers to review proposals. The unilateral approach that has been taken is totally unacceptable,” said Peter Cerda, IATA’s Regional Vice President, the Americas.
A transparent consultation process, conducted in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) guidelines, is a well-established international practice. As part of this exercise, detailed information on the proposed increases, including differences in cost structure, traffic data of the past five years and the 2023 traffic forecast, needs to be made available to airlines.

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Heathrow is giving away defibrillators to local community groups, charities and small organisations around the airport. The life-saving devices are looking for a new home and are free of charge to any local community group that could benefit from one in the neighbouring area.The airport has recently updated all the devices in its terminals and, after thorough testing, wants to make sure the previous models which have plenty life in them go to good use. Defibrillators can provide a vital lifeline when someone suffers a cardiac arrest and increase their chances of survival while medical help is on its way.
Heathrow is offering to donate Lifepack 1000 units, all of which are under 10 years old and still in full working order with new batteries, a carry case and strap. The units only require new pads, which cost around £10 to replace. There are 65 devices still available.
Becky Coffin, Director of Communities and Sustainability at Heathrow, said: “A defibrillator in the right place can be a genuine lifesaver. That’s why we want to make sure that every single one of these is given a good home in the local community. Anyone from a local group who thinks they would benefit from a free defibrillator should get in touch to register their interest.”
To register an interest please contact the Heathrow Communities Team, providing details of the organisation you represent and why the defibrillator would be of use to you. Requests should be sent to [email protected] by Monday 12th December.
To find out more about the support Heathrow’s community team can offer in your local area, visit: https://www.heathrow.com/company/local-communityADVERTISEMENT

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