In May, the company announced that it was planning unspecified new routes, and recently the passenger load reached the "upper 60% range, " says Lebron.

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As the range and passenger load of aircraft grow, so does the importance of international hub airports such as London's Heathrow.

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By sizing this vehicle for internal carriage, the full tactical and operational benefits of the Osprey's speed -- approximately 270 knots in its conventional aircraft mode -- can be exploited, instead of having to externally sling-load the larger and heavier HMMWV at a much reduced range and speed.

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