The Embraer E190-E2 has achieved first flight in São José dos Campos, Brazil. The first flight test aircraft of the manufacturer’s next-generation E-Jet program flew May 23 in a markedly low-profile manner, taking to the skies without any advance notice. In contrast to the first flight, the E190-E2 rolled out in Brazil to much fanfare in February with media from around the world in attendance. The first flight had not been expected until the second half of the year. Embraer Commercial Aviation president and CE Paulo Cesar Silva said the Pratt & Whitney PW1900G-powered E190-E2 is expected to be certified 18 months after first flight. There will be 4 aircraft in the flight test program; the second flight test aircraft is expected to be rolled out imminently. <br/>
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A privately operated terminal at John F. Kennedy International is hiring temporary workers to battle increasing wait times at security checkpoints. The CE of JFK International Air Terminal, which oversees Terminal 4 at the airport, said the hiring was prompted by concerns that TSA staffing, already under strain, will come under even more pressure this summer as passenger numbers swell. “During the summer period it’s always challenging to deal with the high peak volumes,” said Gert-Jan de Graaff, the JFKIAT chief. He said the extra workers should allow the TSA to “focus on their core business” of screening passengers. The move follows steps in recent weeks by airlines and airports around the country to beef up staff to support TSA security screeners and speed up lines. <br/>
IATA has been revealed that the trapped funds of foreign airlines with the Central Bank of Nigeria have risen to US$577m as of March 2016. This is as 22 countries out of 54 in the continent have signed the Solemn Declaration, which would enable intra-connectivity within the continent among its carriers. The foreign airlines have been unable to repatriate the funds earned from the ticket sales in the country since Oct 2015 and this had caused lots of crisis in the airline sub-sector as some of them had threatened to suspend operations into the country while others are thinking of downsizing their employees in the country. The blocked fund was initially over $700m, but that the federal govt had in the past 2 months released some of the money to the affected airlines. <br/>
Asia-Pacific airlines saw a move to an overall US$6.9b in net earnings in calendar year 2015 compared to a collective loss of $1.2b during 2014, according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. The organisation attributed the upswing to sustained growth in passenger markets, lower fuel prices and carrier operating efficiencies. "Asia-Pacific carriers saw a welcome return to profitability in 2015, after suffering aggregate losses in the previous year,” AAPA DG Andrew Herdman said. He added that regional operators generated an average operating margin of 8.3%, compared to 1% in 2014, boosted by a record average passenger load factor of 78.4%. Asia-Pacific carriers saw aggregated operating revenues of $166.9b for 2015, down 5.6% from $176.8b in 2014. Passenger revenue also fell 5.4% to $128.4b. <br/>