Aviation Daily Roundup: Jan. 9

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce has opened a new facility in Bristol, UK to develop composite technology fan blades and fan cases.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) expects to receive its third Airbus A380 in April, which will allow the carrier to move to an all-A380 service on the busy route between Tokyo Narita airport and Honolulu.

International Airlines Group (IAG) CEO Willie Walsh will stand down from his position Mar. 26 and formally retire June 30, the company said Jan. 9.

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight PS752 was attempting to return to Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport when it crashed Jan. 8, killing all 176 people on board, Iran’s civil aviation authority said in a statement on its website. Jan. 8; pilots did not send any radio message for help.

To better synchronize and promote airport and development in the Philippines, the country’s Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) signed a memorandum of agreement Jan. 8 for the “Institutionalized Leveraging of Infrastructure Program for Airport Development (iLIPAD).”

Airbus announced plans Jan. 9 to increase A320-family production to seven aircraft per month at its plant in Mobile, Alabama beginning early 2021, up from its current rate of five per month.

London Heathrow airport has turned the clock back on its long-running plans to build a much-needed third runway, with the announcement of a new bout of public consultation over the much-delayed project.