New Zealand boosts defence spend to US$6.6 billion and vows increased closeness with Australia
This budget will be spent over the next four years and nearly doubles the country’s defence spending as part of GDP to 2%.
BA CityFlyer?s 1st E-190 enters service
British Airways, in the guise of its subsidiary BA CityFlyer, has become the first airline to operate both the Embraer 170 and 190SR out of London City Airport (LCY).
The Embraer 190SR is the latest addition to the British Airways fleet will begin by operating the service to Edinburgh.
Although Baboo operates the type on scheduled services into LCY, its use depends on traffic volume. So British Airways is the first airline to operate a dedicated scheduled service from London City with the Embraer 190, which recently received UK Civil Aviation Authority certification to make the steep approach landing necessary for the Docklands airport.
BA CityFlyer began replacing its fleet of nine Avro RJ100 and two RJ85 aircraft last September when it took delivery of its first 76-seat Embraer 170. It now has six of these in scheduled service and has ordered five Embraer 190s. All the Embraers will be delivered by early into the third quarter of the year, with the last Avro scheduled to leave the fleet by the end of June.
“Today marks a significant milestone for us in our pledge to deliver unrivalled levels of comfort and service for our passengers,” declared Peter Simpson, BA CityFlyer managing director (pictured at LCY with the first E-190SR). “We are now on the last leg of our fleet replacement programme and our passengers will benefit from the extra space these new, greener aircraft offer.
“We have had excellent feedback from customers about the Embraer 170 and expect to hear the same about the 190. We are honoured to be the first airline to operate it on regular scheduled services from London City Airport.”
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