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.

The first Airbus A380 for British Airways has been unveiled at Hamburg Finkenwerder airport as it emerged from the paintshop.

Here we present the picture of the first British Airways A380, registered G-XLEA (msn 95).

How great does it look?

Remember that you can book flights on these aircraft from London Heathrow to Hong Kong and Los Angeles, starting in October.

Transaero Airlines has singed a deal to lease 12 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The airline already operates a number of the type, and plans to start taking delivery of the new aircraft from 2015. Transaero plans to operate these jetliners both on domestic and international routes.

In 1998 Transaero Airlines became the first in Europe and the second air carrier in the world to receive Boeing 737-700.

Dubai World Central Airport has announced that it will open to passengers on 27 October, 2013.

Construction of Dubai World Central’s passenger terminal building was completed in 2012. Upon opening, the new facility will offer full retail amenities. It is serviced by one A380 capable runway, 64 remote aircraft stands and has capacity for up to 7 million passengers per year. The terminal will undergo a full testing and trial programme over the coming months to ensure a seamless opening.

The first carriers to operate to the airport have been announced as nasair and Wizz Air. These will link Dubai World Central to Saudi Arabia and Eastern Europe respectively, and will likely offer a much cheaper alternative to reach Dubai from Europe than existing options through Emirates and other full service airlines.

József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air, said: “I am honoured to announce Wizz Air as a launch customer and first international low fares airline operating at Dubai World Central. For us this is a hugely significant milestone, with our 10 year European success story now crossing borders far beyond Europe.”

Dubai World Central first opened for cargo operations in June 2010 and has quickly established itself as an emerging cargo airport in the region with 36 airlines (scheduled and chartered) handling 219,092 tonnes of air freight on 16,317 aircraft movements during 2012.

If you’re visiting Houston Hobby Airport, the best hotel at the airport for spotting is the Holiday Inn which can be found at 8611 Airport Blvd.

The hotel has six floors, with floors five and six being good for watching movements if you request a room facing the airport.

Dean Mitchell recently visited the hotel on a spotting trip to Houston and can report that even-numbered rooms ending in 20-44 are at the correct angle for spotters, with the photograph used here showing his view from room 520. These rooms look down runway 04/22 and across to the passenger terminal area.

The hotel has a free car park, and offers free wifi access. There is also a restaurant and bar for guests to use.

Houston Hobby is the city’s smaller airport, located close to the downtown area. It is a busy base for Southwest Airlines, as well as bizjet aircraft. It makes an interesting alternative to the city’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, which is dominated by United Airlines.

To book a room at the Houston Hobby Holiday Inn, click this link. The map here shows the location of the hotel in relation to the airport.

Thanks to Dean Mitchell for this information and picture.

Virgin Atlantic’s new UK domestic arm, Little Red, begins flying today with the launch of its London Heathrow to Manchester flights.

The airline will also introduce flights from Heathrow to Aberdeen and Edinburgh on 9th and 5th April respectively.

The airline is using Airbus A320 aircraft operated in full livery (as seen here, (c) Malcolm Nason) with Aer Lingus crews. The first aircraft is EI-DEO

If you’re out and about with your camera over the next few days and catch a shot of the Virgin Little Red A320, please share it on our Facebook page or comment below!

Armavia, the struggling national airline of Armenia, has suspended operations. It will file for bankruptcy on Monday.

The airline has been struggling financially for a number of months. It is not known whether a return to service will be sought for the airline, which operates Airbus A320, Boeing 737-500, and Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft.

Dubai has taken second place in the list of busiest international airports – that is, the amount of international traffic that is handled.

The airport is now ahead of Paris Charles de Gaulle and Hong Kong airports, which previously handled more international traffic. Dubai now has its sights firmly on top position as it approaches London Heathrow, which has occupied top slot for many years but is now at full capacity. Heathrow’s options have been severely hampered by the UK government declining additional runways at the airport.

Dubai Airport handled 10,640,120 passengers in the first two months of this year, a rise of 13% over the same period last year. It hopes to gain top spot by 2015. It recently opened the new Concourse A, which is developed to handle up to 20 Airbus A380 superjumbos at once.