The Hellenic Air Force (HAF) has disbanded
339 ‘Aias’ Mira. An official ceremony tookplace on October 31 at Andravida air base
in southwestern Greece. No.339 was oneof the two locally based F-4E AUP Phantom
II squadrons belonging to the 117 Combat
Wing.
The standing down of the unit also
marked the expansion of its sister unit.
Personnel and aircraft of 339 Mira merged
with 338 ‘Ares’ Mira on the same day. The
unit will have about 25 operational Phantoms.
There are currently no plans to reduce the
number of active F-4Es in service.Massive
A320neo Order
Indigo Partners’ four portfolio airlines signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) on November 15 with Airbus for 430
additional A320neo Family aircraft. The jets will be split between
the US’s Frontier Airlines, JetSMART (Chile), Volaris (Mexico)
and Wizz Air (Hungary) upon completion of the final purchase
agreement. It will lead to further expansion of the carriers. The
commitment, comprising 273 A320neos and 157 A321neos, is
valued at $49.5bn at list prices.
Indigo Partners is a private equity fund based in Phoenix,
Arizona, specialising in investments in air transportation.
A breakdown of the aircraft allocations is within the civil orders
table, see page 14.http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 5Boeing 747 services ended at United
Airlines on November 7. The airline
recreated the first 747 flight it operated in
1970, flying between San Francisco and
Honolulu. United put on a 1970s-inspired
menu and in-flight entertainment, while the
crew wore retro uniforms. Aircraft N118UA
operated the last flight and also a special
round trip for employees from Washington
Dulles International Airport on October- For the farewell this 747 received extra
‘747 Friend Ship’ titles.
Another airline is taking the type
out of service. Delta Air Lines was
due to end scheduled Boeing 747-
operations on December 17 when flight
DL154 from Seoul/Incheon touches
down in Detroit. The SkyTeam carrierintends to keep the type in service until
December 31, flying sports teams and
ad-hoc charters.More Boeing 747s Retire
United gave the Boeing 747 a suitable farewell on its final service for the carrier. Cary LiaoAirlander Breaks Free
The Airlander airship broke free from its mooring at Cardington
airfield, Bedfordshire, on November 18. The aircraft was not flying
at the time of the incident.
The manufacturer, Hybrid Air Vehicles, said in a statement:
“We are testing a brand new type of aircraft and incidents of this
nature can occur during this phase of development. We will assess
the cause of the incident and the extent of repairs needed to the
aircraft in the next few weeks.”
An automatic safety system operated, which is designed to rip
open the hull and deflate the aircraft if it breaks free from its mast.
The previous day, the Airlander had completed its sixth test flight.Would you like to play a big part in the growing success story of Aviation
News? This could be your chance. As we gain more readers and plaudits from
both enthusiasts and the aviation industry, we are now seeking an Assistant
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HAF 339 Mira Disbands
Prior to the disbandment, F-4E AUP serial
71744 was painted with different artwork on
each side of the tail highlighting 65 years of
operations by 339 Mira. This Phantom is due
for an overhaul and is expected to return to
operational service with 338 Mira. Paul van
den Hurk and Hans Looijmans04-05_headline_newsDC.mfDC.mf.indd 5 04/12/2017 11: