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

Air Europa, Arkia To Fly E195s

Spain’s Air Europa will take delivery of six more Embraer E195s under the terms of a firm order signed between the airline’s parent company, Globalia, and

FAA Approves 787 Maintenance Program

Boeing yesterday announced that the FAA has approved the 787’s scheduled maintenance program, marking a particularly noteworthy accomplishment for an airpl

BA to Replace CityFlyer Avros with Embraers

British Airways has ordered six Embraer E170s and five E190SRs for its wholly owned CityFlyer regional affiliate in a deal valued at some $376 million.

ANA Puts Large Airplane Order on Hold

Japan’s All Nippon Airways has decided to delay its decision on whether to order Boeing 747-8s or Airbus A380s due to the global recession, the company con

ATA Cancels Leadership Forum

In another sign of hard times in the airline industry, the Air Transport Association (ATA) has canceled its inaugural Aviation Leadership Forum, originally

ATR Sells Six More Turboprops to Vietnam

ATR inked a contract last Friday with Vietnam Airlines for the sale of six new ATR 72-500s, valued at more than $112 million.

Boeing Sets New Schedule for 787

Boeing has finally confirmed the inevitable by announcing today that this year’s two-month machinists’ strike and further problems with fastener applicatio

World’s Air Transport Industry Braces for Brutal 2009

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts “the worst revenue environment in 50 years” in the airline business next year, according to a g

Pratt & Whitney Lays Off 350

Pratt & Whitney laid off some 350 U.S.-based salaried employees yesterday in another sign of a projected slump next year in the civil air transport and mil

Boeing Averts Another Strike

Boeing engineers and technical workers represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) yesterday voted to approve a p

Republic E170s to spell Midwest 717s

Midwest Airlines will replace all but nine of its Boeing 717s with 12 Embraer E170s flown by Indianapolis-based Republic Airways as part of an effort to re

Virgin Nigeria takes its first E190

Virgin Nigeria took delivery of its first Embraer E190 in late September during a ceremony held at Embraer’s manufacturing plant in São Jose dos Campos, Br
Regulations and Government

DOT to press ahead with New York slot auctions

The Department of Transportation has announced it will press forward with plans to auction takeoff and landing slots at the three major New York-area airpo

Pinnacle To Fly Ex-Mesa CRJ900s

Pinnacle Airlines has agreed to fly–at least temporarily–the seven Bombardier CRJ900s Delta Air Lines had told Mesa Air Group it would pull from their serv

Regionals Join EFB Trial

Piedmont Airlines and SkyWest Airlines will each receive $600,000 from the FAA as part of a $5 million program to fund in-cockpit runway safety systems, in

Embraer Delivers Pair of Firsts

Embraer in late August celebrated the first delivery of E190s to two new customers–China’s Kunpeng Airlines and TACA Airlines of El Salvador.

Flybe Earns Embraer Service Nod

Embraer and Flybe Aviation Services have signed a five-year contract that names the UK regional aircraft maintenance company an authorized service center f

DOT To Press Ahead with New York Slot Auctions

The Department of Transportation is pressing forward with plans to auction takeoff and landing slots at the three major New York-area airports, despite a G

Boeing, Machinists to Return to Bargaining Table

Talks between Boeing and its striking machinists could resume this weekend under the terms of an agreement to return to the bargaining table more than a mo

SkyWest to Take Stake in Brazilian Airline

SkyWest Airlines has agreed to buy a 6-percent stake in Brazilian regional airline Trip Linhas Aereas, SkyWest vice president of finance Mike Kraupp confir
Avionics

Régional Takes First E170

Air France subsidiary Régional last month took delivery and placed into service the first of nine 76-seat Embraer E170s on firm order.

“Watch-listed” Pilot Returns to Work

Manassas, Va.-based regional airline Colgan Air has allowed Saab 340 first officer Erich Scherfen to return to work after he and his wife sued the U.S.

Iraqi CRJ900s Seized

The Quebec Superior Court in late August granted Kuwait Airways a seizure order for 10 Bombardier CRJ900s ordered by the Iraqi government for Iraqi Airways

New ATP Operator in Sweden

NextJet of Sollentuna, Sweden, has acquired three 68-seat BAE Systems ATP turboprops and plans to start flying them late this month in scheduled service be

Alenia Launches Its Green Regional Aircraft Initiative

Alenia Aeronautica officially launched the technical activities associated with the so-called Green Regional Aircraft today in Caserta, Italy, where repres

Airlines Record Banner September

US airlines continued to post improved on-time performance numbers i

Boeing Strike Delays Launch of V Australia

VirginBlue has postponed the launch of its planned V Australia trans-Pacific services, scheduled for December 15, until at least February 28, because the m
Aircraft

CRJ1000 Takes Flight

Bombardier’s CRJ1000 prototype took to the air for the first time early last month, marking the successful start of a flight-test regime expected to last u