Air France A380 hits CRJ while taxiing at JFK Extraordinary video images have emerged of an Air France Airbus A380 colliding with a Bombardier CRJ during taxiing at New York JFK.
Southwest expresses confidence in Boeing The chief executive officer of Southwest Airlines expressed support for Boeing after inspections concluded on certain 737s. Gary Kelly applauded Boeing on its response, "Boeing has been there for Southwest Airlines... they reacted very quickly to our event." Link
NTSB: Smoke alarm malfunction may have caused UAL emergency A preliminary investigation by the NTSB has found no signs of smoke or fire on a United Airlines Airbus A320 that made an emergency landing in New Orleans after reporting a smoke alarm and instrument failure last week. "At this time, the preliminary examination has not revealed any signs of burning, indications of smoke or other anomalous system findings," according to the NTSB. Link
Experts: Older planes are safe, but uneconomical The recent structural issues with a Boeing 737-300 have led some passengers to question the safety of older planes. Experts say that with proper maintenance, today's airplanes can keep flying indefinitely, though costs and competitive pressures make that an unattractive option. "Aircraft become impractical a long time before they become unsafe," notes Bill Voss of the Flight Safety Foundation. Link
High stakes in airline suit against EU emissions rule The U.S. airline industry is hoping for a decision this year on a lawsuit seeking to block European regulators from imposing an emissions trading scheme on airlines based outside the region. The Air Transport Association and three member airlines sued in late 2009 to block the ETS, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2012. Three Chinese airlines are considering a separate suit, according to media reports. European airlines complain they will be at a competitive disadvantage if foreign carriers are exempted from the rules, but Brian Havel, director of the International Aviation Law Institute at DePaul University, says the ETS "could set a troubling precedent where other states could begin imposing new taxes and charges on foreign airlines for activities which occur beyond their airspace." Link
U.S. stops hundreds with terrorist ties from boarding U.S.-bound flights Since the end of 2009, the U.S. has stopped more than 350 people suspected of having connections to terrorist groups from boarding commercial flights bound for the U.S., according to media reports. Tighter security rules were put in place after the attempted bombing of a commercial jetliner on Christmas 2009. "We've gotten better with our techniques and applying them predeparture, ensuring we're looking at as broad a section of potential risk as possible," said Kevin McAleenan, deputy assistant commissioner of field operations at Customs and Border Protection. Link
EC to review air passenger rights legislation The European Commission on Monday confirmed it intends to review its controversial Regulation 261/2004 on air passenger rights and look at “key issues” such as limitation of liability in cases of exceptional circumstances, compensation thresholds, effective rerouting of passengers, and shared risk between operators in the supply chain. The review could lead to the possible introduction of further protections, such as in the case of mishandled luggage or rescheduled flights. Link
SAS will modernize fleet with 737NGs SAS Group said Monday it will lease five new 737-800NGs from GECAS and signed an MOU to lease a further 12 737-700s from the same company as it phases out its remaining nine MD-80s and 11 737 Classics at its Stockholm and Oslo hubs, where it also operates 67 737NGs. Link
Lufthansa: Airlines' inclusion in EU ETS in danger of becoming 'fiasco' Lufthansa said that "too many problems remain unresolved" regarding implementation of airlines' inclusion in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, leaving open the prospect that the initiative will become a "fiasco" when it goes into effect at the beginning of next year. Link
Chinese airlines to order 35 E190s: reports Chinese airlines have ordered 35 Embraer E190 aircraft, say reports quoting the airframer's CEO Frederico Curado. Link
Embraer's Harbin ERJ-145 plant to switch to business jets Embraer's ERJ-145 final assembly line in Harbin will switch to producing Legacy business aircraft after it produces its last ERJ-145, say reports quoting Embraer's CEO Frederico Curado. Link
P&W on A320neo: More pressure, less cooling Pratt & Whitney plans to boost the overall pressure ratio of its PW1100G geared turbofan engine for the A320neo to approximately 50:1, up 11% from the 45:1 ratio for the PW1524G for the Bombardier CSeries, while further cutting the amount of parasitic cooling air for the turbines compared to the baseline CSeries engine. Link
Negotiations intensify between American and flight attendants Flight attendants at American Airlines say the company has rejected a proposal for a 6% pay raise and the tabling of other contract items for 18 months. Attendants represented by the Association for Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) have been pushing for release from mediated negotiations, but the US National Mediation Board has not granted the request. Link
Other News
British Airways and Iberia will combine their cargo business and network into a single business unit reporting to International Airlines Group although both cargo operations will retain their current brands, the carriers and IAG announced last week. There will be a small cargo management team within IAG, while all other cargo employees will continue to work for their current airline. The combined business will be led by MD Steve Gunning and Deputy MD Ignacio Diez Barturen. They were previously managing directors of BA World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, respectively.
US FAA announced Monday the opening of the David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control System Command Center, in Warrenton, Va. FAA said the command center is responsible for managing the overall use of the national airspace system. “Traffic management specialists balance air traffic demand with system capacity, working with aviation stakeholders to handle any constraints in the system, such as weather, runway closures and delays,” said FAA, which noted they also coordinate with air traffic controllers at facilities throughout the country to ensure that air traffic moves as smoothly as possible.
Austrian oil company OMV stopped refueling Iran Air aircraft at Vienna International last month. Its contract with the carrier expired March 23 and was not renewed. Iran Air had been making refueling stops at VIE on flights between Tehran and London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Stockholm and Amsterdam, among other Western Europe destinations. Refueling companies at those airports refuse to conduct business with the carrier, citing UN, US and EU sanctions against Iran.
Iberia's MRO division converted an Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft into a Multi Role Tanker Transport equipped for mid-air refueling. The conversion is part of a contract between Iberia Maintenance and Airbus Military to convert civilian aircraft into MRTTs, and reflects IB's strategy of reorienting its maintenance business toward technologically challenging, high value-added activities, said Iberia EVP-Maintenance and Engineering Jose Luis Ruiz de Castaneda.
Lufthansa took delivery of its sixth Airbus A380 on April 4.
SkyWork Airlines announced it replaced the 31-seat Dornier 328 aircraft serving its daily London City-Bern service with 70-seat Bombardier Q400s, April 4. It said forward bookings for the route have been “very strong.”
Helvetic Airways announced it will begin to offer a Business Class called “Viva” onboard its Fokker 100s on selected European flights. Features of the new service include: the ability to change the date of travel at no extra cost, a baggage allowance of 30 kg. (up from 20 kg.), separate check-in, and free over-the-phone advance seat reservations.
Ukrainian Airlines selected Aviarepsto serve as its GSA in Poland.
AVIATION QUOTE
A pilot who says he has never been frightened in an airplane is, I'm afraid, lying.
— Louise Thaden
ON THIS DATE
April 12th
• In 1911... Pierre Prier makes the first non-stop passenger flight, traveling from London to Paris.
• In 1911... Lt. T. Gordon Ellyson becomes the Navy’s first pilot.
• In 1918... The Loughead brothers fly their seaplane, the F-1, from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
• In 1961... At 9:07 am, Moscow time, the Soviet rocket Vostok 1 takes off from Tyuratam in central Asia, launching Flight-Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin into space and the history books. After a single orbit, the first human in space lands safely back at the space center at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
• In 1972... Members of the USAF’s 31st Aerospace Rescue Squadron pick up Charles Lindbergh and a scientific team from the jungle on Mindanao Island, Philippines, after their helicopter crashed while on an anthropological survey.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The size counts
Shortly after just landing at a big international airport in his Cessna 150, our hero strolls into the busy airport cafeteria for a bite to eat. He finds an empty table by the window to keep an eye on the airport comings and goings. Shortly thereafter, a striking woman walks up and asks to share his table. Naturally, he invites her to sit down. After several minutes of small talk, the woman asks if he is a pilot. He responds, "Why, yes, I am -- I fly a C-150." Knowing next to nothing about airplanes, she asks him what a C-150 is. The pilot looks out the window and spots a C-130 Hercules taxing out for takeoff.
Pointing to it, he tells his companion, "See that plane over there? That is a C-130. I fly a C-150!"
TRIVIA
Miscellaneous Trivia
1. Name the eight Grumman Cats:
2. The last dogfight between piston powered fighters took place where, when, and who won?
3. Which of the following are not JATO capable? C-130 Mirage V DC-9 B-52 B-727 He-111 B-47
4. Which was NOT supersonic? P-59 F-80 F-94C F-100 F-101
5. Which of the following was not a Wild Weasel? F-100F F-105G F-4G F-111G F-15G F-16G
6. What was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping? B-25 B-29 B-47 B-50 B-52 B-58
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
