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NEWS

Qantas to resume some A380 flights Saturday
Qantas plans to initiate a cautious return to service of its Airbus A380 fleet starting Saturday using strict operational guidelines to limit high thrust takeoffs. The fleet has been grounded since an uncontained engine failure after take-off from Singapore Nov. 4.
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New airlines added to EU blacklist
The European Commission on Tuesday updated its list of airlines banned from EU airspace for safety reasons, and as expected all air carriers certified in Afghanistan are now barred owing to "safety deficiencies identified in [the country's] system to oversee civil aviation," the EC said.
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Garuda to join SkyTeam
SkyTeam formally signed an agreement with Garuda Indonesia, further increasing its footprint in Southeast Asia. The carrier expects to become a full member of the alliance in 2012. Garuda will add 30 new destinations to the alliance network.
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US Airways maps direct-connect strategy for distribution of ancillary services
A US Airways executive said the carrier is planning to connect directly with travel agencies to distribute its ancillary products.
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Runaway truck damages SkyWest CRJ
A driverless pickup truck being operated by United Airlines ground crews caused "substantial" damage to a SkyWest Airlines CRJ200 at the Chicago O'Hare international airport on 2 November, according to a preliminary incident report released by the US National Transportation Safety Board on 22 November.
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Continental pilots ready to arbitrate new 70-seat operations
Continental pilots and management plan to begin the arbitration process in the second week of December to resolve pilot claims that deploying United Express 70-seat jets from Continental's hubs violates scope clauses in the Continental collective bargaining agreement.
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Aerolineas seeks to add A330s
Aerolineas Argentinas plans to add six Airbus A330/A340s aircraft next year as part of the next phase of its ongoing widebody expansion and replacement program. Chief commercial officer Juan Pablo Lafosse says Aerolineas is planning to add three A340s in March, which will be used to resume service to Mexico City and New York. He says the carrier is also now seeking three A330s for delivery in July or August to support further expansion of Aerolineas' long-haul network.
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KC-X competition delayed as evaluation process roiled by politics, USAF errors
The US Air Force has acknowledged extending the evaluation process on the KC-X tanker competition into early next year amid new upheavals caused by political changes and a major procedural gaffe.
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Other News

Brazil's TAM Airlines conducted a 45 min. A320 test flight using fuel partially derived from locally sourced jatropha, the airline and Airbus said Tuesday. The flight out of Rio de Janeiro was conducted in conjunction with Airbus and CFM International (the A320 is powered by CFM56-5Bs), utilizing biofuel derived from jatropha oil refined by Honeywell's UOP. It was the first biofuel test flight aboard a commercial aircraft in Latin America

Delta Air Lines confirmed three incidents aboard aircraft last weekend that resulted in emergency landings, all without injuries. Two incidents were engine related; the third was caused by a “bleed air” issue, Delta spokesman Anthony Black said. On Saturday, a DL Boeing 757 carrying 160 passengers from Atlanta to Paris Charles de Gaulle made an emergency landing in Shannon due to the “bleed air” issue. Black said, “The flight had a left wing leading bleed duct leak…[that] fed air into the cabin, but the issue was not related to the engine.” On Sunday, a 767 en route from ATL to Los Angeles declared an emergency after reporting an engine problem and returned to ATL safely. Also on Sunday, a New York JFK-Moscow 767 flight carrying more than 200 passengers lost thrust in an engine shortly after take-off.

Austrian Airlines completed its first cabin retrofit on an Airbus A319, the first of its short- and medium-haul A319/320/321 and Boeing 737-600/700/800 fleet to be reconfigured by installing new seats. By September 2011, all 32 narrowbody aircraft will offer the new cabin features.

American Airlines and JetBlue launched a reciprocal frequent flyer agreement under which American Airlines AAdvantage and JetBlue's TrueBlue customer loyalty program members can earn points on either program, in select markets.

Airbaltic has opened an office in Tbilisi, to which it operates flights up to seven times a week.

Air India will become a full Star Alliance member in June or July 2011, a source close to the Star Alliance management told ATW at the recent ALTA meeting in Panama City.

Dragonair announced an average salary increase of 4%-4.5% for 2011 for "the majority of eligible Hong Kong-based ground staff," and said it will conduct salary reviews for crew members in early 2011.

American Airlines and Kingfisher Airlines reached a codeshare agreement under which AA will place its code on its London Heathrow service to Delhi and Mumbai and on Kingfisher domestic service beyond Delhi. Kingfisher will places its IT code on AA's Chicago O'Hare service to Delhi as well as on selected AA flights between the US and LHR. The codeshare on AA's flight to ORD will be the first time Kingfisher has placed its code on any flight operating into the US. Subject to regulatory approvals, the agreement will begin in 2011.

British Airways will launch daily Boeing 777 London Heathrow-San Diego service in June.

Hawaiian Airlines will increase four-times-weekly Sydney-Honolulu service to daily April 6-Aug. 1 and five-times-weekly from Aug. 2.

Aer Lingus will launch twice-weekly Cork-Palma de Mallorca and Belfast-Gran Canaria service at the end of March. It will increase frequency on flights from ORK to Amsterdam to 13-times-weekly while flights from ORK to Lanzarote, Tenerife and Faro will see an extra weekly service.

ACG Air Cargo Germany launched twice-weekly Hahn–Johannesburg flights. Stops will be made in Tripoli (southbound) and Nairobi (northbound).

FlyDubai launched twice-weekly Dubai–Yerevan service.

United Airlines will launch daily Washington Dulles-Lagos service Dec. 12 aboard a Boeing 767.



AVIATION QUOTE

The helicopter has never achieved much success and . . .may be classes with the ornithopter as obsolete.

— Major Oliver Stewart, Royal Air Force, 1928.

ON THIS DATE

November 24, 1955

In 1955... The prototype Fokker F.27 Friendship medium-range twin-turboprop transport flies for the 1st time.

The Fokker F.27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. With 786 units built it is the most successful turboprop airliner of all time. Design of the aircraft started in the 1950s as a DC-3 replacement.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

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TRIVIA

General Trivia

TRIVIA

1.Who was the first U.S. president to ride in a helicopter?

2. What was the world’s first all-metal production airplane?

3. You are at what was one of the most famous and important airports in the world even though it was operational for only nine years and only twenty airplanes attempted to depart from there. Where are you?

4. What famous photographer became an aircraft manufacturer simply because he needed better platforms from which to take aerial photographs?

5. True or false, If a pilot of an F-111 was to wind up in the ocean, he could rapidly move the control stick fore and aft to pump water out of the cockpit.

Total guess

3: Kitty Hawk, NC?

1.William Taft

2. DC-3

3. Meigs Field

4. McDonnell

5. True (?)

ANSWERS:

1. Dwight D. Eisenhower flew in a USAF Bell UH-13J from the White House to Camp David, Maryland on 12 JUL 57 as part of an emergency practice to evacuate the White House.

2. The German Junkers J.I observation airplane; it was first built in 1917.

3. Harbour Grace Airport in Newfoundland was built in 1927 and was the first civilian airport intended to facilitate trans-Atlantic flights. It was not used after 1936 until it was re-opened in 1999.

4. Sherman Fairchild found that open cockpit biplanes were unsuitable as photo platforms. He designed and produced high-wing monoplanes with heated, closed cabins to protect cameras and photographers. His cameras were later carried on Apollo spacecraft and used to map the moon.

5. True. The F-111’s crew escape module included the entire cockpit. When in the water, moving the control stick operated the built-in bilge pump.