NEWS
Agni Air turboprop crashes: 15 reported dead
An Agni Air (AG) turboprop has crashed Monday near Jomsom Airport (JMO) in northern Nepal. Fifteen of the 21 people onboard are believed to have died, according to news reports. The BBC said the Dornier 228—AG’s only 228—crashed into a hillside shortly after abandoning efforts to land at JMO because of strong winds.
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American agrees with unsecured creditors to consider a merger
American Airlines, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has slightly softened its anti-merger stance in order to reach a joint protocol agreement with its official committee of unsecured creditors. “The actions contemplated by the agreement include developing potential consolidation scenarios, but the agreement is not an indication that the company intends to pursue a transaction of any kind,” AA said in a statement.
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Vueling improves 1Q losses 28.7%
Barcelona-based Vueling Airlines reported a first-quarter net loss of €16.3 million ($21 million), an improvement of 28.7% from €23.6 million in the same period last year. Revenue was up 32.5% to €168.5 million compared to €126.2 million in the year-ago period. The airline carried 2.6 million passengers, 24% more than the year-ago quarter.
[url=atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/vueling-improves-1q-losses-287-0514]Link[/url]
JAL posts FY net profit of $2.3 billion; ‘uncertain’ year ahead
The JAL Group reported a consolidated net profit of ¥186.6 billion ($2.33 billion) in the 2011 fiscal year, which ended March 31. Operating revenue was ¥1.205 trillion while expenses were ¥999.8 billion, producing an operating income of ¥204.9 billion.
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Oneworld’s FlyNiki to strengthen Vienna hub
Oneworld affiliate member FlyNiki (HG) is working further to strengthen Vienna (VIE) as a hub connecting Western with Eastern/Southeastern Europe.
HG CEO Christian Lesjak told ATW on the sidelines of the launch ceremony of the carrier’s 6X-weekly Vienna (VIE)–Florence service that from January 2013, the so-called Pier West at VIE will be renovated and dedicated to the AB group and its oneworld partners.
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Tunisair workers threaten to strike
Tunisair (TU) workers, represented by Tunisian General Labor Confederation (GCTT), have announced they will strike May 22 and 23 after they were excluded from all meetings between union representatives and the TU administration, several local media outlets reported. TU has been affected from the drop in tourism during the Arabian Spring.
[url=atwonline.com/operations-maintenance/news/tunisair-workers-threaten-strike-0514]Link[/url]
American's 787 depend on pilots
American Airlines must sign a new contract with its pilots before it can finalize its purchase agreement with Boeing for up to 100 787-9 aircraft.
The airline does not have a timeline for when it expects to sign a new contract, says Chuck Schubert, vice president of network planning at the carrier, during a stop on Boeing's 787 dream tour at Dallas-Fort Worth airport on 11 May.
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Qatar 787 to debut at Farnborough
The first Boeing 787 to be delivered to Qatar Airways will feature at this year's Farnborough Air Show in July, chief executive Akbar Al Baker has confirmed. The airline's 787 will be on static display during the show and will fly every day during the air display, says Al Baker.
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Phenom 100 passes flight hour milestone
Embraer's Phenom 100 passed a key milestone less than has years after entering service, passing the 100,000 flight hour mark as a fleet. Embraer has delivered 240 Phenom 100 light jets since the first of the type entered service in December 2008. The first US-built Phenom 100 was delivered three years later. "This is a significant milestone achieved in such a short time," says Luciano Castro, Embraer vice-president of executive jet programs.
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Other News
Budapest Airport is taking urgent action to address the resulting shortfall in revenue following the collapse of Hungarian state-owned Malev Hungarian Airlines earlier this year.
Russia’s Transaero Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 777-300 equipped with inflight Internet.
AFI KLM E&M has won multiple engineering projects from ILFC. Modification projects include work for Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft such as cabin, avionics and material management.
PPG Aerospace said nine of its coating systems have passed PPG Industries' specification testing, meeting the requirements of SAE International's Aerospace Material Specification 3095A for airline exterior paint.
FL Technics has signed exclusive agreements worth $20 million with OLT Express Regional, for full component power-by-the-hour support, as well as line maintenance services for 10 ATR 42/72 aircraft in four airports—Krakow, Szczecin-Goleniów, Poznań-Ławica and Rzeszów-Jasionka.
Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) signed an exclusive agreement with GE Aviation to become its third-party service provider for ClearCore engine wash systems for commercial and military engines in the US.
Two senior US Air Force officials leading the service's largest programmes are swapping positions, mystifying analysts and retired flag-officers.
Kazakhstan is to expand its cooperation with Eurocopter after signing a letter of intent linked to the proposed local assembly of 20 EC725 transports (below) and finalising an order for eight more EC145s.
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AVIATION QUOTE
Always keep an 'out' in your hip pocket.
— Bevo Howard
ON THIS DATE
---In 1918... The first regular air mail service begins with regular flights between Washington, D.C. and New York City. It is operated by the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
---In 1919... The U.S. Post Office Department begins its first air mail service operations between Chicago and Cleveland, later extended to New York and San Francisco. A De Havilland D.H.4-A is carrying the mail.
---In 1921... Laura Bromwell loops in New York State 199 times in I hour, 20 minutes, setting a new women’s record for consecutive loops.
---In 1930... The first airline stewardess is Ellen Church, a nurse who flies on the Boeing Air Transport flight between San Francisco, California and Cheyenne, Wyoming.
---In 1940…World War II: British bombers make their first runs over Germany.
---In 1948…Tel Aviv is attacked by the Egyptian Air Force. The Israeli Air Force retaliates by striking Arab troops near Samakh.
---In 1957…Over Malden Island in the south Pacific, a British Vickers Valiant piloted by Kenneth Hubbard drops the nation’s first nuclear bomb in a test called Operation Grapple. Designed to yield a one megaton explosion, the bomb fails to detonate properly and only disperses about 300 kilotons.
---In 1958…The USSR launches Sputnik 3 for the second time, following a failed launch about 2 weeks earlier.
---In 1960…The Soviets launch Sputnik 4.
---In 1961… In testimony before House Appropriations Committee, Hugh L. Dryden revealed that simulated free-flight speeds just under 30,000 miles per hour had been achieved at NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA.
---In 1963…The spacecraft Faith 7 launches on Mercury-Atlas 9, the final mission of the U.S. Mercury program. Pilot Gordon Cooper becomes the first American to spend more than a day in space before splashing down 34 hours later.
---In 1979…First flight of the Dassault Mirage 50.
---In 1987…The USSR launches the Polyus spacecraft, designed to destroy American “Star Wars” satellites with high-powered lasers, but it fails to reach orbit.
---In 2002…Air Astana commences operations.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
Fork Lifting
One day a guy goes to a warehouse to apply for a job as a forklift operator.
Employer: Do you know how to operate a forklift?
Guy: Yes I do.
Employer: How long have you been using a forklift?
Guy: A year or so.
Employer: How many loads have you dropped?
Guy: None.
Employer: What??
Guy: We weren't allowed to drop loads.
Employer: Where did you work?
Guy: I worked for the air force.
Employer: What did you move?
Guy: Bombs.
Employer: Get to work! There's the forklift!
[/quote]TRIVIA
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Lucas wrote:I don't know any of them.
ANCFlyer wrote:I know 'em all . . . that oughta be a clue . . .
