NEWSPinnacle files for Ch. 11 protection
US regional carrier Pinnacle Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday, 1 April 2012, after warning for months that it could be forced to take that route as it failed to stem losses and win agreements on pay cuts from employees. The carrier has requested court approval to keep operating through the Chapter 11 process and plans to receive $74.3 million in debtor in possession (DIP) financing from its partner Delta Air Lines. Of this, $44.3 million will be used to repay a secured promissory note held by Delta, subject to court approval, says Pinnacle. The remaining $30 million will be used to keep the airline operating.
Also impacted is Colgan Air dba United
LinkDISCUSS HERESuvivors reported after Russian plane crashes in SiberiaA passenger plane crashed in Siberia shortly after taking off Monday morning, killing 32 of the 43 people on board, Russian emergency officials said. The 11 survivors were hospitalized in serious condition.
The ATR-72, a French-Italian-made twin-engine turboprop, operated by UTair was flying from Tyumen to the oil town of Surgut with 39 passengers and four crew. The aircraft went down on a snowy field outside Tyumen, a major regional center in Siberia. The cause of the crash was not yet clear.
UTair published a list of the passengers and crew, and none of them appeared to be foreigners.
LinkDISCUSS HEREIAG receives EC green light to buy bmi
The European Commission (EC) has given the go-ahead for British Airways owner International Airlines Group to acquire British Midland International (bmi), saying any competition concerns were addressed by conditions that were proposed as part of the deal. The decision, announced Friday, requires IAG to give up 14 daily slot pairs at London Heathrow and to commit to carry connecting passengers to feed long-haul flights of competing airlines out of Heathrow.
LinkDISCUSS HEREQantas to operate Australia’s first biofuel flight in April
Qantas and SkyNRG will operate Australia’s first commercial biofuel flight April 13 between Sydney and Adelaide. The flight, using an Airbus A330, will operate using a 50:50 blend of biofuel derived from used cooking oil and conventional jet fuel, QF said in a statement. The fuel, supplied by SkyNRG, has been fully certified for use in commercial aviation. Its life cycle carbon footprint is around 60% smaller than that of conventional jet fuel.
LinkRyanair: EU Commission biased against LCCs
Ryanair has condemned the “European Commission’s bias against low fares airlines” and called for an end to its travel policy prohibiting to book flights on LCCs. At a press conference in Brussels Thursday, Ryanair released copies of emails received from the European Commission’s (EC) travel agency, Amex, stating it is not allowed to book low-cost flights or reimburse travel expenses to and from Brussels Charleroi airport, where they have a large base. Ryanair also released a letter from the EC’s director for administration and payment, which said it is “true that the terms of this contract do prevent Amex from booking tickets with ‘low-cost’ airlines.”
LinkQantas CEO: Stranded A380 will return to service in May
The Qantas Airbus A380 that has been stranded in Singapore since the uncontained engine failure Nov. 4, 2010 will return to service in May. QF CEO Alan Joyce told Air Transport World in Berlin last week that repair costs will be around AUD150 million ($156.9 million). “It is probably the biggest repair [that has been] done on an aircraft, as well asthe biggest insurance claim on an aircraft,” Joyce said.
LinkEmbraer unveils options for Phenoms
Embraer is unveiling a list of options for its Phenom 100 and 300, which it hopes will broaden the appeal of the entry-level and light jets. Additions for the Phenom 100 include a larger cabin seat that is the same size as the Phenom 300's and a refreshment centre instead of the standard wardrobe facing the door. Customers can also choose to increase capacity to seven passengers (plus pilot) by adding an extra seat and opting for a belted lavatory, a configuration Embraer expects to be popular in Latin America.
LinkChinese aviation consultancies spring up in business jet boom
More companies are setting up consultancies in Asia to provide comprehensive help for potential new owners of business aircraft. Jason Liao, a former salesman for Bombardier and Hawker Beechcraft in China, set up the Beijing-based China Business Aviation Group in 2011 to provide "turnkey purchasing, management and support" services for buyers.
LinkUSAF promotes 767-2C as civil freighterThe US Air Force's KC-46 program manager says that Boeing could market a freighter derivative of the tanker's 767-2C airframe to civil operators. "That potentially is an airplane that Boeing could with--minor modifications--market as a 767 freighter," says Major General Peter Bogdan. "We've already seen some of that, as you may recall, about a month-and-a-half ago, FedEx made an order for 767 freighters."
LinkBoeing details bid to win NASA shuttle replacement
Boeing has released crucial details of its commercial crew integrated capability (CCiCap) bid that it delivered to NASA on 23 March. The company has twice won awards under the commercial crew development (CCDev) programme, predecessor to CCiCap, to work on its CST-100 capsule. CCDev was meant to stimulate development of vehicles to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
LinkAlenia, Airbus Military brace for India transport duelIndia could issue a request for proposals (RFP) this year in regard to a 56-aircraft acquisition to replace the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL)-built HS 748s operated by the Indian air force, with both Airbus Military C-295 and Alenia Aermacchi C-27J likely contenders for the requirement.
LinkEurofighter companies agree five-year support deal
Alenia Aermacchi, BAE Systems and Cassidian have received major new contracts to support the operation of Eurofighter combat aircraft by partner nations Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
LinkNuSTAR Pegasus XL launch delay is longer than expectedThe launch of a Pegasus XL air-dropped rocket which was set to carry the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission for NASA has now been delayed from its planned launch date of 22 March. The cause of the delay was a perceived need to make further checks on the software and command with respect to the new flight computer of the Pegasus launch vehicle. Pegasus has not flown since October 2008.
LinkFighter manufacturers eye Chile's F-5 replacement needDefence contractors displayed their wares at Chile's FIDAE air show in the hope of securing an early foothold in a potential new fighter contest. By 2015, Chile must replace an aged fleet of 16 upgraded Northrop F-5E/Fs, locally called the Tiger III Plus. The aircraft are the remnants of a larger fleet that has mostly been replaced with second-hand Lockheed Martin F-16s.
LinkF-35 program stable, but costs may rise slightlyThe US Department of Defense's mammoth tri-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is relatively stable, but there could be some small additional cost increases.
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