Gregory Polek
Senior Editor
Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with New Jersey Monthly magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for Aviation International News in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.
Latest from Gregory Polek
Boeing Commercial Airplanes Layoffs Puzzle Labor
Boeing’s announcement on January 9 that it planned to lay off some 4,500 employees within its Commercial Airplanes business starting in April might not hav
Jury Still Out on Effect of Credit Crunch on Aircraft OEMs
It seemed unlikely that tightening credit wouldn’t trigger more order cancellations or delivery deferrals among the world’s airlines, so even though the to
IATA Director Expresses ‘Shock’ in December Traffic Figures
International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Giovanni Bisignani characterized December’s decline in international air traffic as “shocki
Regionals hoping to stem tide of distrust toward ASAP
Growing distrust between elements within various pilot groups and airline management over the use of confidential safety information is threatening the int
Aircraft
Colgan Doubles Q400 Order
Pinnacle Airlines subsidiary Colgan Air signed a firm order last month to acquire 15 more Q400 NextGen turboprops worth some $432 million.
Aircraft
ASA To Furlough 80 Pilots
Atlantic Southeast Airlines sent furlough notices to 80 pilots last month as partner Delta Air Lines pares back Bombardier CRJ flying.
Aircraft
Great Lakes Boosts EAS
Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Great Lakes Aviation announced it would launch EAS routes to four Montana destinations from Billings on February 1, marking an end to
Aircraft
Second SSJ Takes Flight
The second of four planned Sukhoi SSJ100 prototypes–S/N 95003–took to the skies on December 24, joining the flight-test program started in May with the fir
Aircraft
Horizon Settles On Q400 Deferrals
Horizon Air has negotiated a deferral of Q400 deliveries with Bombardier to re-time the shipments to coincide with the removal of the Seattle-based regiona
Embraer braces for ‘challenging’ 2009
Embraer delivered a record 204 airplanes last year, including 162 jets in the regional/commercial sector, leaving the company on what it hopes proves firm
Boeing Posts Fourth-quarter Loss, Plans Flat Production Rates in 2009
Boeing posted a company-wide fourth-quarter loss of $56 million, resulting mainly from its two-month-long machinists strike and a charge related to the del
ATR 42 Cargo Plane Crashes in Lubbock
An ATR 42 cargo airplane operated by Empire Airlines for FedEx ran off the runway early this morning at Preston Smith International Airport in Lubbock, Tex
Boeing Commercial To Lay off 4,500
Boeing last month said it plans to slash employment at its Commercial Airplanes business by some 4,500 positions this year “as part of an effort to ensure
Arbitrator Rules against Midwest Airlines Pilots
A labor arbitrator rejected a grievance filed by the ALPA-represented pilots of Midwest Airlines challenging the Milwaukee-based carrier’s decision to repl
Aircraft
Mitsubishi chooses AIDC as MRJ supplier
Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) has agreed to design and build the slats, flaps, belly fairings, rudders and elevators for Mit
US Airways A320 Ditches into Hudson River
A US Airways Airbus A320 carrying 150 passengers and five crew on board ditched into New York’s Hudson River late this afternoon and initial reports indica
Airbus Claims Order, Delivery Crown
Airbus set a new record for itself last year by delivering 483 aircraft–30 more than it shipped in 2007, the Toulouse-based company announced today.
Colgan Doubles Q400 Order
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Pinnacle Airlines subsidiary Colgan Air has signed a firm order to acquire 15 more Q400 NextGen turboprops worth
Embraer E-Jet Production To Drop by 15- to 20 Percent
Brazil’s Embraer expects to reduce production of its E-Jet line of airliners by between 15- and 20 percent this year as it prepares to manage a backlog tha
Vought Threatens to Permanently Replace Striking Workers
Vought Aircraft Industries planned to meet again tomorrow with leaders of the striking International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local
Boeing Commercial To Lay Off 4,500
Boeing said today that it expects to slash employment at its Commercial Airplanes business by some 4,500 positions this year “as part of an effort to ensur
Boeing Reports 2008 Order, Delivery Totals
Boeing today reported that it took orders for 662 commercial airplanes last year, raising its backlog of unfilled commercial deliveries to more than 3,700.
Captain Used Tiller in Effort To Recover During 737 Takeoff Crash
A preliminary report issued by the NTSB yesterday on the facts surrounding the December 20 accident of a Continental Airlines Boeing 737-500 at Denver Inte
Continental Flies Biofuel-powered 737
Continental Airlines today became the first North American airline to demonstrate the use of sustainable biofuel to power a commercial aircraft when one of
Porter growing as industry contracts
Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines has settled quite comfortably into the niche it began carving for itself two years ago, when CEO Robert Deluce fi
Mesa Reaches Aloha Settlement
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group reached a settlement with the former controlling shareholder of Aloha Airlines that Mesa hopes will allow it to rename its Go!
Timor Air To Launch E190 Service
Australia’s SkyAirWorld has agreed to help the government of East Timor to establish a new national carrier called Timor Air with an Embraer E190.
Eagle ATRs in Sale-Leaseback Deal
American Airlines sister company AMR Leasing signed a contract to sell and lease back the 39 ATR 72s flown by American Eagle unit Executive Airlines.
Ethiopian Orders Q400s
Bombardier in late November logged a firm order for eight Q400 turboprops from Ethiopian Airlines and issued options on another four.
