Singapore Airlines (SIA) has unveiled its new low-cost carrier named Scoot. Scoot is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines that will provide medium and long haul no-frills flights to and from Singapore. Independently operated and managed, the airline is expected to begin operations in mid 2012 with an initial fleet of four Boeing 777 aircraft, purchased from parent company Singapore Airlines. Adhering to the low-frills spirit that has proven so popular in short haul arenas in Asia and around the world, Scoot will offer great value airfares up to 40% less than legacy carriers. Guests will be empowered to customize their travel to suit their personal requirements, partaking of only those elements they want and not subsidizing the choices of others. Meals, preferred seats and baggage, amongst many other items, will all be available for selection. Scoot, which will operate from Changi Airport Terminal 2, will offer two cabins. ...

Boeing has delivered the first 747-8F for Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, making it the second freight operator worldwide to take delivery of Boeing’s newest freighter. With this new addition to its fleet, Cathay Pacific also becomes the first carrier in Asia Pacific to operate the 747-8. The new airplane is the first of 10 747-8F Cathay Pacific has on order with Boeing. The 747-8 Freighters are expected to progressively replace the 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) in the Cathay Pacific Cargo fleet. Cathay Pacific currently operates six 747-400 Freighters, six 747-400ER Freighters and eight 747-400BCFs. The 747-8 Freighter provides 16 percent more revenue-generating cargo volume and boasts a significantly improved environmental performance. Per seat-kilometer, its carbon dioxide emissions are 16 percent lower than those of the 747-400 Freighter. It also reduced its noise footprint by more than 30 percent. Photo: Cathay Pacific Source: Boeing

Taiwan-based carrier EVA Air has unveiled a second generation of Hello Kitty jets. The brand-new Airbus A330-300 jetliner wears a special livery featuring legendary Japanese cartoon character and pop culture icon Hello Kitty. The unveiling was celebrated on Oct. 27 at a Happy Magic Party in a specially decorated Evergreen Aviation Technologies hangar adjacent to Taipei, Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport. EVA said, the airline is creating three new Hello Kitty Jets as a special encore for its 20th anniversary this year (2011) and has selected new Airbus 330-300s for the transformation. White with the exception of green tails and the EVA logo, the aircraft are giant airborne canvases for Hello Kitty and her friends. The airline is applying the character’s theme also to the design of more than 100 in-flight service items. At check-in, passengers on these aircraft are greeted by Hello Kitty boarding passes and baggage stickers. Onboard, they’ll ...

Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second largest airline, last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for four A380 aircraft. Transaero will become the launch customer for the A380 in Russia, the CIS and Eastern Europe. The Russian carrier plans to start operations with the A380 on its long-range network of high density routes from Moscow. The aircraft will feature a three class cabin layout, seating about 700 passengers. Transaero will announce an engine selection for the new aircraft in the near future. “We are very pleased to welcome Transaero as the launch customer for the A380 in Russia,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers. “We definitely see market potential for the A380 in Russia. Passenger traffic in this region is expected to increase at an average rate of 5.6 per cent per year over the next 20 years. We are convinced that the A380 is the ...

Airbus Military has successfully completed testing to demonstrate the A400M airlifter’s ability to operate on wet runways and taxiways without ingesting water into the engines. During tests at Istres, France, the aircraft travelled through troughs containing 2-6 cm of water at speeds of up to 90kt in take-off and landing configurations, including operations with reverse thrust. The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas, is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities. The aircraft’s maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in Seville, Spain. The A400M is currently undergoing flight testing. Orders totaled 174 aircraft from eight nations as of July 2011. Airbus Military is expected to deliver the first aircraft in early 2013.