Australian Aviation

Virgin Australia has detailed its schedule for its new flights to the Queensland regional centre of Emerald, with twice daily weekday flights due to begin on January 16 2012. Virgin Australia 68-seat ATR 72s will operate morning and afternoon flights twice daily between Brisbane and Emerald during the week, plus afternoon flights on Sundays. This

The first Airbus A380 for Malaysia Airlines made its first flight on October 20, after completion of final assembly at Airbus’s Toulouse plant. The Trent 900 powered aircraft, the first of six on order for the airline, will undergo cabin fit out and painting in Hamburg before being delivered to MAS in the second quarter

Airbus has installed a Trent XWB test engine onto A380 development aircraft MSN001 in advance of the engine beginning flight test trials. The 118in diameter Trent XWB is the exclusive powerplant for the Airbus A350 XWB. Airbus says flight testing will commence “in coming weeks”.

Boeing says it has begun ramping up the 737 production rate to 35 per month, up from the current rate of 31.5, with the commencement of assembly of the wing spar for the first aircraft to be assembled at the new rate. “The start of spar assembly today demonstrates the progress the 737 team has

It is testimony to the Boeing 737’s designers and the foresight of its then chairman Bill Allan that the aircraft that was almost cancelled has become the most successful of the jet age. It is hard to imagine today that the 737’s early life was far from dominating. This content is available exclusively to Australian

New Allocations REGISTRATION/TYPE/SERIAL NUMBER/DATE/OWNER OR OPERATOR/PREVIOUS REGISTRATIONS AGN Harmon Rocket II 219 24/8/11 Findelta, 38/195 Prospect Hwy Seven Hills 2147 N999RM AUM GippsAero GA8‑TC 320 Airvan GA8‑TC 320‑11‑166 27/7/11 GippsAero, PO Box 881 Morwell Vic 3840 BRB Agusta A109E Power 11684 29/8/11 Burbank Air Services, PO Box 177 Altona Vic 3018 VH‑LWJ VH‑ATH CUX Stolp