Aerospace Diary

AIN AIR TRANSPORT PERSPECTIVE  »  OCTOBER 14, 2013 by    NEELAM MATHEWS Garuda Indonesia expects to become SkyTeam’s 20th member in March. (Photo: Airbus) October 14, 2013, 1:20 PM SkyTeam reports solid progress in Garuda Indonesia’s preparations to join the alliance in March next year, when it expects the Jakarta-based airline to become the only Indonesian carrier affiliated with a major international grouping. Garuda’s enrollment would make it the 20th SkyTeam member and the tenth from Asia. “The integration is going on well and Garuda has worked hard to meet the membership criteria required to join the alliance, which includes its new  IT platform—Amadeus,” SkyTeam managing director Michael Wisbrun told  AIN . “Garuda’s membership will give SkyTeam a unique advantage…[offering] access to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.” While SkyTeam continues to extend its global reach, Brazil and India remain two “wh...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 1, 2012 Press Release Boeing in Long Beach integrated the forward, center and aft fuselages and the wing assembly of India's first C-17 Globemaster III during the airlifter's "major join" ceremony. Embassy, senior Indian Air Force and local elected officials drove ceremonial rivets into the aircraft as they celebrated the achievement of this key program milestone. India's Ministry of Defense signed an agreement with the U.S. government on June 15, 2011, to acquire 10 C-17 airlifters, making India the largest C-17 customer outside the U.S. Those governments finalized the Foreign Military Sales contract for the airframe alone on June 6. "The defense relationship between India and the United States is an important dimension of our strategic partnership," said Ambassador N. Parthasarathi, Consul General of India, San Francisco. "This momentous occasion, where we see India's first C-17 take shape...