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Iberia orders eight A330s plus eight options
Iberia, which merged with British Airways into International Airlines Group in January, said it reached agreement with Airbus to order eight A330-300s with options for eight more. Separately, Airbus announced the signing of an MOU with IB for the acquisition of eight A330-300s but did not identify it as firm order or mention a further eight options. The manufacturer did not provide a delivery date, but IB said they will occurbetween fall 2012 and spring 2014, and are earmarked to replace “up to 16 A340 family aircraft.” IB's widebody fleet consists of 18 A340-300s and 17 A340-600s. Engine selection was not announced.
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Southwest's RNP return on investment will take time
Southwest Airlines hopes that satellite-guided approaches will help ease delays at Chicago Midway Airport, where Southwest operates its largest hub. "We've invested a lot of money in Chicago using [Required Navigation Performance] approaches," says Greg Wells, senior vice president for operations at Southwest, though the airline can use the technology only sporadically. When an aircraft wants to approach the airport using RNP, other planes without the advanced technology have to go into a holding pattern. "The big problem with RNP is that we haven't done it regularly because not a lot of airplanes can fly it," says a veteran air traffic controller.
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US Airways disputes publicity statement from GDS operator
US Airways has taken the unusual step of publicly disavowing a publicity statement issued by one of its suppliers. After the airline signed a new distribution deal with Sabre, the GDS operator put out a press release claiming that US Airways is among the "many global airlines that understand the GDS is an important source of revenue and revenue growth." But two days later, US Airways issued its own press announcement stressing that the company "was not consulted on Sabre's recent press release and disclaims any characterizations by Sabre of US Airways' views of Sabre, Travelocity, or US Airways' relationships with those companies."
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For many travelers, NextGen can't come soon enough
With flight operations expected to approach the 70 million mark 20 years from now, airlines and federal officials are pressing for updates to the nation's aging air traffic control system. Satellite-guided navigation will make travel more efficient by creating more direct routes and allow planes to fly closer together, experts say. "But we're not just going to throw capacity where it doesn't make sense," says an official with the Air Transport Association. "We will be much more able to respond to that consumer demand."
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No hearings this week on airlines' lawsuit against Chicago O'Hare
United Airlines and American Airlines have agreed to another week-long delay in their lawsuit seeking to block Chicago from issuing $1 billion in bonds for construction at O'Hare International Airport. Attorneys from both sides met privately on Friday with the judge in the case, who set March 15 as the start date for hearings on the airlines' injunction request. The additional time was granted to allow for extended negotiations, which "have been going very well," according to outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley.
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Airlines test more fees for a variety of services
Airlines have been introducing fees in recent years to bolster their bottom line. The strategy has been working, prompting carriers to consider a wide variety of other charges. Among fees being introduced or considered are ones for seats that recline further, insurance against weather disruption and access to faster security lanes. Tom Douramakos, CEO of GuestLogix, said airlines could realize "billions and billions of potential revenue" from introducing fees.
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Fines, snow add up to a winter of discontent for airlines
A harsh winter and tarmac delay regulations combined to push December airline cancellations up nearly 34% year-over-year, according to experts. Deep snow and freezing rain tested the limits of de-icing fluid at many airports, even as potential fines as high as $27,500 per passenger tested the airlines' willingness to hold flights beyond the two-hour mark. "What this rule has done is forced airlines to be extremely risk-adverse, to cancel flights much earlier than they normally would," says Michael Miller of the American Aviation Institute. "Now, it's not even a three-hour rule. It's more like a two-hour-15 or two-hour-30-minute rule, because that's when the airlines are returning to the gates."
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Attacks reveal that airports' open areas are prime targets
Two recent airport attacks demonstrate that open areas such as parking lots and terminals are prime targets for terrorists, experts say. Andrew Thomas, editor of the Journal of Transportation Security, noted that open areas will remain vulnerable as long as the Transportation Security Administration remains "overwhelmingly focused" on screening travelers. Last week, a gunman fired upon a group of American airmen, killing two, at a German airport, and, in January, a suicide bomber attacked a Moscow airport, killing 36 people. Meanwhile, TSA officials say they continue to work with local law enforcement to improve airport security.
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EC publishes airline emissions data on which ETS allowances will be based
The European Commission on Monday published its historical emissions data on which allocations for the aviation Emissions Trading Scheme will be based, stating that "aviation emissions of 219,476,343 tonnes of CO2 represents the average of the estimated annual emissions for the years 2004, 2005 and 2006" for flights that will be covered under the ETS starting next year. Based on this figure, the number of allowances to be created in 2012 amounts to 212,892,052 tonnes of CO2, representing 97% of historical emissions. Thenumber of allowances to be created each year from 2013 onward amounts to 208,502,525 tonnes of CO2 or 95% of historical emissions.
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Airbus expects 33% of aircraft deliveries to go Asia/Pacific airlines over next 20 years
Airbus projected Monday that Asia/Pacific airlines will take delivery of around 8,560 new aircraft valued at $1.2 trillion over the next 20 years, representing 33% of new aircraft deliveries worldwide over the forecast period. By 2030, the region will have surpassed North America and Europe to become the world's largest air transport market, the manufacturer stated in a forecast issued in Hong Kong.
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HNA orders 38 Boeing aircraft
China's HNA Group has ordered 38 Boeing passenger aircraft for its unit Hong Kong Airlines. The memorandum of understanding with Boeing comprises 30 787-9s, six 777 Freighters, and two 787-8s in VIP configuration, says HNA.
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Italian air force trains in Israel
The Italian air force will continue to use facilities in Israel to train its pilots for desert combat and to defend themselves against surface-launched threats, according to Israeli sources. With the Italian air force's continued deployment in Afghanistan, it believes Israel offers the best training for the environment it will encounter.
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Other News

TAP Portugal refuted recent press reports that the proposed LATAM Airlines Group initiated discussions to take a stake in the state-owned airline to form a powerful transatlantic-Latin American conglomerate.

Etihad Airways and Engine Alliance said they finalized agreements for the purchase of GP7200 engines to power the carrier's fleet of 10 Airbus A380s slated to start delivering next year. The airline also inked a long-term fleet management agreement for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of the engines. The total deal is worth $1.5 billion, according to the GE Aviation/Pratt &Whitney JV. Etihad and Engine Alliance first announced the engine selection at the 2009 Paris Air Show.

Boeing said Monday it has started 787 change incorporation work at its Global Services & Support site in San Antonio. Several early production aircraft will come to the Texas facility for final refurbishment, including installing electronic and mechanical equipment, completing software upgrades, testing functional systems and removing and reworking wiring or equipment requiring an update to meet current configuration standards.

Bombardier said it recently upgraded more than 9,000 sq.m. of its Saint-Laurent facility to enable it to produce major components including the carbon-fiber aft fuselage and cockpit for its CSeries aircraft scheduled to enter service in 2013. The cockpit will be mated at the facility with the forward fuselage section made by Shenyang Aircraft Corp. in China. The assembly process will include “a fully automated moving line using the latest lean manufacturing principles, and the upgrades include new machinery, equipment and tooling,” it said.


AWAS delivered one Boeing 737-300 to Monterrey, Mexico-based carrier VivaAerobus, a new customer for the lessor. The carrier said it will use the aircraft in its fleet expansion plans and as part of its domestic network.

GE Aviation said it will acquire an ex-Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400 and convert it into a flying testbed to replace its current one, which is the "oldest version of the 747 still flying in the US and the fifth oldest in the world," according to the company. GE said it is spending $60 million to purchase and refurbish the CF6-80C2-powered aircraft. JAL’s last 747 flew into retirement March 1.

Aeronautical Engineers won a contract from Moskovia Airlines to complete six Boeing 737-400SF 11 pallet passenger-to-freighter conversions, with the first aircraft slated to enter conversion by the end of the first quarter. "Moskovia plans to replace its entire fleet of Russian Freighters with AEI’s industry leading 737-400BSF 11 Pallet Freighter," said Moskovia CEO Mikhail Alekseev.

GECAS delivered one new Airbus A320 to Air Berlin, in a purchase and leaseback transaction.

Dragonair will for the summer season increase Hong Kong service to Kaohsiung (32-times-weekly to 42), Xiamen (thrice-daily to four-times-daily), and Ningbo (seven-times-weekly to 10) March 27. It will also increase service from HKG to Chongqing (to daily) and Nanjing and Chengdu (to twice-daily), for the season.

Frontier Airlines announced it will launch service from Denver to Knoxville (Airbus A319, four-times-weekly, June 6); Provo, Utah (Embraer E-190, daily, June 20); and Sioux Falls, S.D. (E-190, daily, July 4). It will also add seasonal service from Kansas City to Minneapolis/St. Paul (E-170/E190, 13-times-weekly, June 6) and San Antonio (E-190, five-times-weekly, June 7).

Alaska Airlines will operate seasonal daily Bombardier Q400 service from Portland, Ore. to Billings, Mont. and Missoula, Mont., June 5-Aug. 27.

Ukraine International Airlines reached a codeshare agreement with bmi under which bmi will place its code on AUI's Kiev Boryspil service to London Gatwick (daily), Brussels (five-times-weekly), East Midlands (five-times-weekly), Edinburgh (five-times-weekly) and Leeds Bradford (five-times-weekly), beginning April 1.

American Airlines will relocate its position in Frankfurt International from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 on April 1, "to join its oneworld alliance partners in Terminal 2," it said.

Allegiant will launch seasonal twice-weekly Laredo-Orlando Sanford service May 20 through “mid-August.”



AVIATION QUOTE

If you want to grow old as a pilot, you’ve got to know when to push it, and when to back off.

— Chuck Yeager.

ON THIS DATE

March 8th

• In 1910... Claude Moore-Brabazon receives the Royal Aero Club’s first aviator’s certificate in London. Charles Rolls receives the second.

• In 1910... Elise Deroche, the colorful self-styled Baroness Raymonde de Laroche, becomes the first woman in the world to receive a pilot’s license in Paris.

• In 1917... German airship pioneer Count von Zeppelin dies.

• In 1949... Nonstop flight of 56 hours and 2 minutes has put captain William Odom in the record books. Leaving Honolulu, Hawaii, he covers a distance of 4,957.25 miles before landing at Teterboro, New Jersey to gain the world record in Class C-1-c for light aircraft.

• In 1974... Charles de Gaulle Airport at Roissy-en-France is officially opened. The new international airport is located 15.5 miles (25 km) from the center of Paris.



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HUMOR

More thoughts on flying

When one engine fails on a twin-engine airplane you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash.

Airspeed, altitude, and brains. Two are always needed to successfully complete the flight.

Mankind has a perfect record in aviation; we never left one up there!

Never fly in the same cockpit with someone braver than you



TRIVIA

General Trivia

1. Several years before his solo flight to Paris in 1927, Charles Lindbergh worked for Mil-Hi Airways. His business card read, “We Specialize in Fair and Carnival Exhibition Work: Plane Change in Midair, Wing Walking, Parachute Jumping, Breakaways, Night Fireworks, Smoke Trails, and Deaf Flights.” What is a deaf flight?

2. Because so few Rockwell B–1B Lancers (Bones) were built, most had their own special nicknames. Why was one such aircraft known by Rockwell as “The Love Boat?"

3. Why would a pilot not want to use Homey Airport (KXTA) as a destination or en route waypoint?

4. Bouncing bombs were developed by the British during World War II. What were they, and how were they used?

5. The 1908 Curtiss June Bug incorporated “swiveling wingtips” (ailerons) for controlling roll. The Wright brothers sued Curtiss, claiming that this violated their 1906 patent for controlling roll with movable wing surfaces (warped wings). Who eventually won this famous and contentious lawsuit?

6. Cessna, for example, assigns names to its aircraft such as Skyhawk, Skylane, et cetera. What names did Douglas Aircraft assign to its three four-engine, piston-powered airplanes, the DC–4, the DC–6, and the DC–7?

1.

2.

3. Homey Airport is Area 51. Any pilot using it would face an unpleasant interview with the FAA and FBI

4. Barnes Wallace and his team developed the Bouncing Bomb to attack the Ruhr dams. The bombs bounced on the surface of the water until it reached the dam where it sank then detonated. It allaowed the dams to be attacked while avoiding defences such as torpedo nets.

5.

6.

ANSWERS:

1. Some believed that aerobatic “stunts” would homeopathically “rouse the slumbering hearing apparatus” of the hearing impaired. Lindbergh charged $50 for such a “deaf flight.” No cures were recorded.

2. Two Rockwell workers were caught taking a “love break” inside the aft fuel tank during construction.

3. Homey Airport is better known as Area 51, the secretive military airport (34-15N, 115-48W) on the edge of Groom (Dry) Lake in southern Nevada. It is deep within a restricted area and protected by fighter aircraft.

4. Bouncing bombs were used to destroy dams. They were dropped from Lancaster bombers and bounced over the anti-torpedo barrier protecting a dam. They sank in the water and detonated upon contacting the sloping concrete wall of the dam.

5. Neither. The U.S. government forced Curtiss and the Wrights to sign a peace treaty at the beginning of World War I.

6. The DC–4 was the “Skymaster,” and the DC–6 was the “Cloudmaster.” The DC–7 did not have a name, except that the DC–7C was cleverly called the “Seven Seas.”