Australian Aviation

Airservices Australia and Airways New Zealand have implemented user preferred routes (UPRs) between Melbourne and Auckland, allowing airlines to custom-design flightpaths for best efficiency for individual flights. “Airlines will be able to make these decisions based on factors such as forecast weather, aircraft type and performance, as well as their own scheduling requirements,” Airservices acting

Airbus Military has flown an AEW&C (Airbone Early Warning & Control) aerodynamic testbed of the C295 transport, with the first flight from Seville, Spain, on June 7, lasting almost three hours. The specially modified C295, which was captained by test pilot Alejandro Madurga, performed “very satisfactorily and as expected”, with the crew verifying the aerodynamic

Australian airports under the spotlight When former Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon retired in 2008 he told Australian Aviation that in the long term the privatisation of airports in Australia would be judged a failure. That sentiment found support from one of Dixon’s fiercest critics, the Australia Council of Trade Unions, which in its submission to

Bombardier has announced that an unidentified airline has confirmed an order for three CS100 jets, as well as taking options for three more in a deal worth US$186 million. Delivery of the first CS100 is expected to start in 2014, with the deal value increasing to US$385 million should the options be exercised. This content

The South Australian government has backed moves by Adelaide Airport Ltd to reduce terminal navigation charges for airlines at airports with lower passenger numbers, writes Chris Milne. The airport operator says the high ‘location specific’ charges by Airservices Australia can thwart its efforts to attract more international airlines to Adelaide and also impact on domestic

RAAF aircrews from 37 Squadron and combat controllers from 4 Squadron have recently returned from participating in Red Flag 11-3, bringing back with them invaluable experience in exercising in a high value training environment incorporating realistic threats and complex coalition missions. The Red Flag exercises are planned and run by the US Air Force’s 414th