NEWS
German court upholds Frankfurt night-flight ban
A German court in Leipzig on Wednesday upheld a night-flight ban at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time. Lufthansa Cargo (LHC) chairman and CEO Karl Ulrich Garnadt said last month the ban will cost LHC €40 million ($53 million) annually. “This is substantial,” he said. “The amount in turnover we lose is a three-digit million euro number.” The decision could also affect all future investments at FRA.
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JAL orders one more E-170 for J-Air subsidiary
Japan Airlines (JAL) is buying an 11th Embraer E-170 for its regional subsidiary J-Air. JAL originally purchased 10 E-170s for J-Air in June 2007. Embraer said the amended deal, including the 11th aircraft, is valued at $38 million at list prices. The new E-170 will be powered by GE CF34-8E engines and will be configured for 76 passengers, in a single-class layout. Delivery is planned for the last quarter of 2012, Embraer said in a statement.
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Star CEO: Tough airline economic environment also hard on alliances
The tough economic environment that is forcing airlines to either consolidate or cease operations is also affecting alliance memberships, Star Alliance acting CEO Mark Schwab said.
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Investigators say de-icing may be a factor in UTair crash
Russian investigators examining the crash of a UTair (UT) ATR 72-200 in Siberia have reversed earlier statements that icing was not considered a factor and now say they are looking into that possibility.
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More Flights Cancelled After Texas Tornados
Hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands of residents were without power and on Wednesday as authorities surveyed the damage a day after up to a dozen tornadoes struck the densely populated Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.
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IAG March Traffic Boosted By Premium, US Growth
International Airlines Group, formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia, posted a strong rise in March traffic, boosted by continued growth in first and business class travel and a buoyant transatlantic market.
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San Miguel Buys Into Philippine Airlines
Conglomerate San Miguel said on Wednesday it would buy minority stakes in flag carrier Philippine Airlines and a sister airline, broadening its business reach.
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Pemco to shutter Dothan operations on 1 June
Pemco plans to close its 90-acre aircraft conversion facility in Dothan, Alabama on 1 June as part of Chapter 11 financial restructuring, CEO Bill Meehan confirms to Flightglobal. Pemco announced on 5 March when it filed for bankruptcy that it was reviewing the possibility of a "prompt closure" of operations in Dothan, one of three major bases for the company in the US. Speaking on the sidelines of the MRO Americas conference on 4 April, Meehan confirms the company has decided to shut down the Dothan facility.
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Airbus secures first corporate jet sale in Japan
Airbus has clinched its first corporate jet sale in Japan and says it is building on its widespread and growing presence in the important Asia-Pacific market. The identity of the ACJ318 customer was not disclosed.
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Poland launches military helicopter tender
Poland's defence ministry has launched a tender for 26 new helicopters to equip the nation's three armed services, with a common platform being sought. Announced on 29 March, the requirement is for 16 tactical transports for the land forces, four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and three maritime search and rescue (SAR) helicopters for the navy and three SAR examples for the air force.
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Delta credits business travelers for revenue increase in March
Delta Air Lines credited a boost from business travelers in late March for a 13% increase in passenger revenue for the month. Passenger traffic rose 2%, although domestic demand stayed flat. On a year-over-year basis, corporate revenue rose 10% in March.
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US Airways is wooing AMR creditors with talk of merger, sources say
Representatives of US Airways have made overtures to a number of AMR Corp. creditors, telling them that a merger between American Airlines and US Airways would generate about $1 billion in revenue and $500 million in savings, sources say. Initial estimates place the synergy of a consolidation between the two carriers amounting to more than $2 billion.
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Tornadoes force 460 flight cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth airport
Severe weather with tornadoes, thunderstorms and hail resulted in American Airlines and regional airline American Eagle canceling about 460 inbound and outbound flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Texas. "We're pretty well out of the flying business for the rest of the day today," said Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines, on Tuesday. "Virtually all of our inbound flights will not take off and arrive this evening."
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Alaska Airlines will implement NextGen at Seattle airport
Alaska Airlines plans to adopt satellite technology for its flights landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington state. The NextGen technology will allow planes to trim about 30 miles from approaches to the runway, which saves fuel and increases efficiency. "This makes much better use of the airspace," said Capt. Mike Adams, chief technical pilot at the carrier.
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Boeing plans to build research, technology center in Brazil
Boeing plans to build an aerospace research and technology center in Brazil. Boeing Research & Technology-Brazil in Sao Paulo will focus on aviation biofuels, among other technologies. Boeing said the center is slated to open this year.
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Solar-powered plane will fly from Switzerland to Morocco
The Solar Impulse, a solar-powered plane, is scheduled to fly more than 1,500 miles from Switzerland to Morocco, its builders say. The flight is scheduled for May or June, and two pilots will switch off flying the plane.
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Southwest aims for international flights at Houston airport
Southwest Airlines would like to expand its service at Hobby Airport in Houston to include international flights. "We're asking for an opportunity to invest $100 million in a new building in your city to provide more passengers, 1.6 million a year, a huge economic gain for the city," said Ron Ricks, executive vice president and chief legal and regulatory officer for Southwest Airlines.
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Other News
Southwest Airlines (SWA) aims to attract more business passengers going forward, as an “integral part of its business strategy” through its route map and by investing in cabin comfort. “I don’t see a move at this point to have dual-class service in the cabin,” SWA chairman, president and CEO Gary Kelly told attendees Wednesday at the Aviation Week MRO Americas conference in Dallas. “I’d never say never to anything,” he said, but “it is not an idea at this point.”
Airbus Upgrade Services has seen an unexpected number of cabin reconfigurations for the A380, and has so far served all but one of the carriers operating the aircraft type. “The A380 has come on extremely fast for us in terms of cabin reconfigurations, more than anyone expected,” Airbus-VP Upgrade Services Valerie Manning told attendees Wednesday at the Aviation Week MRO Americas Conference in Dallas.
US Airways (US) is still on track to outfit its entire Airbus A330 fleet with its Envoy Class, which features a reverse herringbone seating configuration, by this summer. It was the launch customer for the Sicma Aero seat in September 2007. It has 14 of its 16 A330s outfitted. Though the carrier has Gogo Wi-Fi on its Airbus A321—with plans expand to its Airbus A319, A320 and Embraer E-190, E-170 and E-175 aircraft—US Manager-Interiors Engineering Gregg Fesenmyer said the carrier so far does not have plans to add the connectivity service to its A330 aircraft.
EgyptAir (MS) is considering replacing its Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 fleet between 2020-2025, MS chairman and CEO Hossam Kamal told ATW in Taipei last week. He said the airline is considering the 787 and the A350. “Our negotiation plan will be within the next two years,” he said. MS, which has 79 aircraft in operation, is also eyeing replacing its older A320s, possibly with the A320neo. “At a first stage we would need three to five aircraft, for stage number two, up to 10 [aircraft],” he said.
AFI KLM E&M won a long-term contract from Atlas Air covering repairs and general component overhauls on a flight-hour basis for its fleet of Boeing 747-400s. It also has a contract with TAB Airlines for the supply of a spare lease engine plus an engine shop visit for its DC-10F.
Lufthansa Technik AG has renewed its Total Component Support TCS contract with Airbus SAS covering its Beluga fleet of five A300-600 ST aircraft until 2025.
FL Technics received EASA Part 21 design organization approval.
VAS Aero Services has expanded its agreement with Embraer, broadening its role as the aircraft manufacturer's OEM aftermarket provider to include surplus and pre-owned material for the E-Jets.
Sabena Technics was selected by Air Baltic to provide loans and repairs to the carrier's Boeing 737 CFM56-3 thrust reversers.
Lufthansa Technik has extended a Total Component Maintenance TCM contract with Global Aviation Holdings, covering aircraft for both its subsidiaries; World Airways (up to nine MD-11s); and North American Airlines (five Boeing 767-300ERs).
Dassault's newest aircraft, the twin-engine Falcon 2000S, has completed its first year of flight testing. As of today, the test aircraft has accumulated nearly 300 flight hours in more than 100 flights. The rigorous test flight program has demonstrated and confirmed the expected performance of the aircraft. Outfitted with inboard slats and winglets that work together to reduce landing speeds, the 2000S also features a unique auto brake system which will allow it to access shorter and more challenging runways than any other airplane in its category. The first part of the test campaign included numerous maneuvers to demonstrate handling qualities, including stability, stalls, pitch, roll rates and failure mode tests, as well as takeoff with engine failure. Future portions of the campaign will evaluate VMCG (minimum control speed on ground) and VMU (take off at minimum speed), as well as air inlet distortion around the engines and maximum crosswind demonstration.
British Airways customers traveling from Newark can now experience a more premium travel departure thanks to a multi-million dollar investment to provide customers with new services, both on the ground and in the air. British Airways today opened its new Galleries lounge - twice the size of the previous offering and relocated near the airline's new home at gates B50-58. Only steps from security, the new lounge will reduce walking time by half and provide comfortable seating for up to 177 customers. The stylish lounge has dedicated dining areas, offering First guests private dining booths and Club World customers self-serve pre-flight dining.
Virgin America, the award-winning U.S. airline, today marks the touch-down of its new flights in Philadelphia – the 17th market in the carrier's rapidly growing network. At a time when most airlines are cutting capacity, Virgin America is growing and bringing its unique blend of upscale service and low fares to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) – with nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) as of today and from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as of April 10. Virgin America will be the first U.S. airline to launch new service at PHL in eight years – injecting competition into West Coast to PHL routes currently only served nonstop by legacy carriers.
The new Boeing 747-8 Freighter reaches six months in service this month, and the airplane is setting new standards of efficiency and performance – meeting or exceeding expectations in service reliability, fuel burn, and payload capacity. The airplane entered service in October 2011 with launch customer Cargolux. Boeing has delivered 14 747-8 Freighters to five airlines (Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Atlas, AirBridgeCargo and Korean Airlines) around the world. "The 747-8 Freighter was designed to give airlines more of everything they loved about the 747-400 Freighter," said Elizabeth Lund, Boeing vice president and general manager, 747 Program. "It gives them more capacity, more range, more efficiency. And it gives them less of what they don't want – less fuel burn, less emissions, less noise and less cost."
Boeing and Air France are celebrating the delivery of Air France's 60th Boeing 777 passenger jetliner. The airplane, a 777-300ER (Extended Range) model, landed in Paris this morning. Air France's newest 777-300ER seats 468 passengers in a three-class configuration. The brand-new cabin includes 14 business class lie-flat seat beds measuring over 78.74 inches (2 m) in length, plus an in-seat entertainment system with 15-inch (38 cm) wide screens in 16:9 format. It also features 32 "Alize" new premium economy fixed-shell seats offering 40 percent additional space compared with seats in economy class.
AVIATION QUOTE
It is not easy to be the best. You must have the courage to bear pain, disappointment, and heartbreak. You must learn how to face danger and understand fear, yet not be afraid. You establish your goal, and no matter what deters you along the way, in your every waking moment you must say to yourself, "I could do it."
— Betty Skelton, first lady of aerobatics.
ON THIS DATE
---In 1937... The first jet aircraft designed and built in Czechoslovakia, the Aero L-29 Delfin, makes its first flight. Over 3,000 of these two-seater jet trainers are produced for the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact air forces.
---In 1937... The Douglas Aircraft Company takes over Northrop.
---In 1958… USAF Atlas ICBM was successfully flown from Cape Canaveral, FL, to the impact area some 600 miles away.
---In 1959…First flight of the Aero L-29 Delfin.
---In 1968…Monarch Airlines commences flight operations.
---In 1976…Howard Hughes dies aboard a Learjet, aged 70.
---In 1982…Royal Navy aircraft carriers HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible depart the United Kingdom for the Falkland Islands.
---In 1996…First flight of the Lockheed C-130J.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Half Price Tickets
USAir recently introduced a special half fare for wives who accompanied their husbands on business trips. Expecting valuable testimonials, the PR department sent out letters to all the wives of businessmen who had used the special rates, asking how they enjoyed their trip.
Letters are still pouring in asking, "What trip?"
TRIVIA
RECORDS
The most types of planes flown on by a passenger is:
178
383
841
999
Most amount of people to fly in an airplane?
555
892
1069
1072
Most amount of parachute jumps in a day
119
457
640
757
Largest aircraft landed on an aircraft carrier?
A-3
B-66
R-5C
C-130
What was the largest Carrier based aircraft?
F-14 Tomcat
R-5C Vigilante
A-3 Sky Warrior
C-130 Hercules
Which aircraft was the first around the world record without landing?
B-29
B-45
B-47
B-50
Which type of aircraft holds the most speed records with payloads at altitude?
B-29
B-50
B-52
Boeing 747
What is the fastest piston engine aircraft over a closed circuit?
North American P-51D Mustang
Hawker Sea Fury
Ryan Fireball
Grumman F-8F Bearcat
What type of aircraft hold the around the world speed record, westbound?
British Aerospace/Aerospatiale Concorde
Gulfstream IV
Boeing 747SP
Lockheed SR-71A
The deadliest aircraft accident killed how many people?
473
555
583
623
What is the heaviest aircraft ever made?
An-224
An-225
An-124
C-5C
Most spark plugs ever installed on an airplane?
96
128
224
448
