Airbus may shift more of its narrow-body airliner production toward the A321, sales chief John Leahy said, as the model outsells Boeing's rival aircraft. The 185-seat A321neo has been winning more orders than the 178-seat Boeing MAX 9, putting pressure on Boeing which is considering building a new plane to compete with the A321. The A321 and its A321neo successor make up 34% of Airbus's narrow-body order backlog, but the plane maker's production plans already call for 50% of the total to be in that size as airlines and leasing companies upgrade models to handle rising traffic. Leahy said that proportion could increase even further. "If you look at what is being produced now it is approaching 50% on A321," Leahy said. "I have already gone back… and said we need the capability of going to 60%," he added. <br/>
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Gogo will upgrade its satellite modem for use with its next generation 2Ku and Ku satellite technologies, the aircraft communications service provider said. The new modem will begin flight testing on Gogo’s Boeing 737 test lab in the coming months, with commercial delivery expected to begin in 2017. Gog said the proprietary features of the new modem will significantly increase throughput from the satellite to end users on the aircraft. The modem will be capable of delivering 400 Mbps to an aircraft, which will be more than enough to support the anticipated capacity of next generation high-throughput satellites. The modem will also have the capability to simultaneously supporting IP streaming and IPTV. Gogo said it has partnered with Gilat Satellite Networks for the development of the new modem. <br/>
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has signed a decree that allows an increase of foreign ownership in local airlines to 49%t from 20%, a govt source said Tuesday. The decision could allow foreign groups to bolster investment in Brazilian airlines struggling with a deepening recession and a sharp depreciation of the real currency. The decree, which is expected to be published in the country's official gazette Wednesday, is subject to ratification by Congress. The decision reflects a major policy shift by Rousseff to open up one of the Western hemisphere's most-closed economies and bring in badly needed capital to halt a recession that is entering its second year. Monday the interim aviation minister, Guilherme Ramalho, said the govt was working on the proposal to increase the ownership stake in two stages. <br/>
Easter travel plans could be thrown into chaos with Border Force and immigration department staff at international airports across Australia to take strike action the eve of Good Friday. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) says thousands of public servants from agencies such as Medicare and Centrelink will also take industrial action in the week of 21 March to protest against pay offers and rights and conditions being stripped away. The union is considering a 3-week campaign of rolling airport strikes over the Easter school holidays “if the govt continues with their attack on workplace rights”. Australian Border Force officers and other staff in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will then walk off the job at international airports, freight terminals and other sites March 24. <br/>