Aviation

Boeing will be building dozens of Apache helicopters in Mesa

March 23, 2023

The Boeing Co. will be building 184 AH 64E Apache attack helicopters in Mesa under a $1.9 billion contract modification that brings the value of an existing deal with the U.S. Army to $2.1 billion. The modification, which was awarded on March 17, can still increase to more than $3.8 billion in the future, Boeing said. Boeing (NYSE: BA) was the sole applicant for the contract after bids were solicited via the internet, the Department of Defense said.

Phoenix Sky Harbor starts 2023 with record passenger numbers

March 8, 2023

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport started off 2023 and the Valley’s tourism season with more passengers than it has seen in recent years. In January, Sky Harbor recorded a total of 3,851,648 passengers going through its terminals, which was a 28.1% increase from January 2022 and it is just slightly higher – 13,331 passengers – from January 2020, according to data released by the Phoenix Aviation Department. The 3.85 million count appears to be the most passengers ever in Sky Harbor in the month of January.

Boeing, U.S. Army Apaches achieve 5 million flight hours

March 7, 2023

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the AH-64 team are observing a unique milestone as the U.S. Army’s AH-64 Apache attack helicopters have officially reached five million flight hours. The accomplishment is equivalent to flying nonstop for more than 208,333 days or 570 years and nine months. Additionally, 1.3 million of those five million flight hours were accomplished during combat.

For one day, Phoenix Sky Harbor was the busiest airport in the world

February 23, 2023

Phoenix officials believe Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport was the busiest airport in the entire world the day after Super Bowl LVII. While the airport, its airlines and the U.S. Department of Transportation have not done a full accounting of that day, an initial report issued Thursday showed that more than 200,000 people traveled through Sky Harbor on Feb. 13, the day following Super Bowl LVII, which was played in Glendale at State Farm Stadium. Even though the specific numbers aren’t in yet, city officials said that this will mark the busiest single day in Sky Harbor’s history.

Honeywell Aerospace to test sustainable aircraft fuels in Phoenix

February 9, 2023

Honeywell Aerospace is now testing a new kind of sustainable aviation fuel in Phoenix with the aim of making its equipment fully compatible with these new energy sources. Honeywell said it received its first delivery of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, and will be using it in support development and production testing for auxiliary power units, or APUs, and propulsion engines at the company’s Phoenix Engines campus and at its repair and overhaul facility.

Final phase of Phoenix Sky Harbor’s rail train system to open

January 5, 2023

The final stage of of the PHX Sky Train has been completed and will open later this week to the public. The train system that connects the terminals of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to its parking lots and public transit stops now has been extended to a new station in Phoenix at 24th Street and Buckeye Road and to the Sky Harbor Rental Car Station.

Dimensional Energy plans hiring after sustainable fuel company opens Arizona facility

December 15, 2022

Dimensional Energy, a nascent company that uses a renewable energy process to make aviation fuel and related products, took the wraps off its new $2 million fuel production facility in Arizona at an unveiling on Dec. 6. The company, which produces its renewable hydrocarbon fuel from combining water and carbon dioxide, has opened its Dimensional Energy Tucson Technology Center on a 1.5-acre site at the UA Tech Park, operated by the University of Arizona.

Waymo and Phoenix Sky Harbor partner to offer ‘ride-hail’ service to downtown Phoenix

November 7, 2022

Phoenix is the first place Waymo launched a public ride-hail service with no human behind the wheel over two years ago. Waymo is taking the next step by initiating the industry’s first-ever paid trips to and from an airport, with an autonomous specialist present for now, at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, starting November 1.

Honeywell Aerospace providing component for B-52 bomber’s upgrade

November 2, 2022

Honeywell’s Phoenix-based aerospace division announced it has been selected by Boeing to provide a key component on the U.S. Air Force’s long-range B-52 bomber as the aircraft is upgraded for a future generation. The deal, which is part of the Commercial Engine Replacement Program, or CERP, calls for Honeywell (Nasdaq: HON) to provide its 36-150 auxiliary power unit (APU), which provides high-pressure air to start the aircraft’s main jet engines before departure. Financial details of the project were not disclosed.

Sky Harbor receives $194 million from feds for new taxiway

October 6, 2022

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will soon start construction on a new taxiway that is expected to cut down the time airplanes spend on the tarmac and could bring more flights to the airport. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, along with U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton and Mitch Landrieu, an adviser to President Joe Biden and the infrastructure coordinator for the White House, announced Tuesday that Sky Harbor will receive $194 million over the next five years to build a new taxiway.

Aviation

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