Boeing has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its battery system improvements, paving the way for the type to return to service.

“FAA approval clears the way for us and the airlines to begin the process of returning the 787 to flight with continued confidence in the safety and reliability of this game-changing new airplane,” said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. “The promise of the 787 and the benefits it provides to airlines and their passengers remain fully intact as we take this important step forward with our customers and program partners.”

The FAA’s action will permit the return to service of 787s in the United States upon installation of the improvements. For 787s based and modified outside the United States, local regulatory authorities provide the final approval on return to service.

Airlines such as ANA All Nippon Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Japan Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways and United Airlines all have their delivered 787s grounded in various locations around the world.

Boeing has deployed teams to these locations to begin installing improved battery systems on 787s. Kits with the parts needed for the new battery systems are staged for shipment and new batteries also will be shipped immediately. Teams have been assigned to customer locations to install the new systems.  Aircraft will be modified in approximately the order they were delivered.

“The Boeing team is ready to help get our customers’ 787s back in the air where they belong,” said Conner.

Ethiopian Airlines has already announced its intention to return its Dreamliners to flight on 25th April, whilst United plans to return on 31 May.

FlyNonstop is a new Norwegian carrier which is set to begin flights on 25 April from its Kristiansand base.

The airline’s first aircraft – an Embraer 190 leased from CIT Aerospace, and operated by Denim Air crews – was delivered recently, and is resplendent in a really striking purple colour scheme.

FlyNonstop will link Kristiansand with Barcelona, Berlin, Dubrovnik, London City, Nice, Palma, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Parma.

Ethiopian Airlines plans to return its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to service on 25 April on the Addis Ababa – Dubai route.

The type has not received the all clear from the FAA yet following the much-publicised battery problems, however Ethiopian is confident approval will be given to return their aircraft to service next week.

Following the Dubai route, Ethiopian will resume Dreamliner service to other destinations from Addis Ababa on the following dates:

Harare & Lusaka – 1 May
Washington Dulles – 4-17 May only
Mumbai – 16 May
Frankfurt – 15 June
Johannesburg – 16 June

I just stumbled upon an excellent video of the legendary US airline Braniff. Although a little grainy, the footage shows the airline’s famous ‘Big Orange’ Boeing 747, as well as a few of the carrier’s brightly-coloured Boeing 727-100s and -200s. Enjoy!

British Airways’ first Boeing 787 Dreamliner has been spotted at Seattle Paine Field, and we’ve got the picture for you here (courtesy of moonm’s flickr stream).

This comes shortly after the first pictures of BA’s Airbus A380, which was unveiled at Hamburg recently.

It’s a significant week for British Airways! I just hope the Dreamliner problems can be ironed out quickly so that the aircraft can be delivered as near as possible to the original schedule, which was July.

Mumbai’s main airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji International, located in the area of Santa Cruz (which it often referred to as) which is very much within city limits.

This airport replaced the older Juhu Aerodrome in 1942 when it initially opened as RAF Santacruz.

Today the airport has five terminals (three domestic and two international) and two runways, and is the second busiest airport in India. It handles a lot of domestic and international traffic, along with cargo, government and military movements.

It is a hub airport for Air India, BlueDart, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, and Spicejet, with Air India handling a lot of maintenance for their aircraft at the airport.

There is a master plan for expanding the airport to allow it to handle 40 million passengers per year – up from the current 30 million. The plan will see all domestic and international flights combined into one terminal building. Additionally, some of the existing terminals will be converted for cargo operations. There is also a plan to build a parallel runway and new taxiways. At present the plan is to complete the expansion by the end of 2014, but it has been delayed a number of times.

Spotting in India is not allowed and I do not recommend that you draw attention to yourself by using binoculars, cameras, or even noting down registrations near the airport or in the terminal building.

The Orchid Hotel has been known as a spotting hotel in Mumbai, with a good rooftop terrace and some rooms with views. As the hobby is not understood in India, it is still advised that you use discretion or speak with hotel staff prior to spotting.

We recently released the book Mumbai Airports Through Time which covers Mumbai’s two airports from the 1970s to the present day. It is packed full of glossy photographs of aircraft, past and present, by two Indian aviation photographers. Since it’s so difficult to spot in India, I recommend you take a look at this book to get a flavour of the aircraft and airlines operating into Mumbai.

You can find out more and order a copy here: www.destinworld.com

Porter Airlines of Canada has announced a significant order for Bombardier aircraft today.

The order sees the airline purchasing its first jet aircraft in the form of 12 C Series airliners, plus 18 options. The aircraft will be the CS100 series.

The order also includes purchase rights for a further six Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft.

Adding the CS100 jets to the fleet means the airline’s home base at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will need to extend its runway by 168 metres at both ends to allow it to operate. Whilst the new aircraft is likely to match the noise emission levels of the Q400s currently operated into the airport by Porter, it anticipates opposition from neighbours to the downtown airport who oppose use of the aircraft and expansion of the runway.

The C Series aircraft will be delivered from 2016, and allow Porter to expand its network to Vancouver, Calgary, Los Angeles, Miami and Orlando.

United Airlines has said that it expects to return its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to service on 31 May.

Initially the aircraft will operate domestically between Denver and Houston. However, international service is expected to resume with the Denver to Tokyo service on 10 June.

This announcement shows the confidence airlines have in the certification process currently underway to allow the aircraft to fly commercially again.

Airbus has broken ground on its new aircraft assembly line at Mobile, AL.

The new facility will allow Airbus to manufacture its A320 family aircraft in the United States for the first time. At a capacity-crowd event attended by approximately 2,000 invitees, area residents and others, the final assembly line’s creation was hailed as a “game-changing” development in Airbus’ relationship with the United States.

JetBlue Airways CEO and President David Barger gave his perspective on how Airbus’ $600 million investment in the new Alabama industrial site is viewed by its U.S. customers: “It demonstrates the level of Airbus’ commitment of being close to its important American operator base for A320 aircraft.”  He also announced that JetBlue will receive the very first A320 from the Mobile final assembly line – which is targeted for delivery in 2016.

Mobile will join the three existing Airbus final assembly facilities that currently build A320 Family aircraft: its original location at Toulouse, France, which was supplemented by a site in Hamburg, Germany; and subsequently followed by the latest at Tianjin, China.

Emirates has announced a surprise new route, linking Milan Malpensa Airport with New York JFK Airport.

The route will be flown daily using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, starting 1 October 2013.

The existing 3x daily Dubai-Milan Malpensa appears to remain unchanged.