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Nigerian authorities: Dana Air MD-83 suffered dual engine failure
A dual engine failure brought Dana Air Flight 992 down in a densely populated residential area, killing all 153 passengers and crew and another 10 people on the ground, according to Nigeria’s Accident Investigation Bureau (AIC). A preliminary report on the June 3 crash released by the AIC does not reach a conclusion as to why the MD-83’s two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engines each experienced “a total loss of power” during final approach. It noted an examination of maintenance records and fuel used by the flight showed the aircraft had enough fuel and it was not contaminated.
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Machinists Union Opposes Hawker Sale
A machinists union on Monday said it filed papers in US Bankruptcy Court challenging efforts by bankrupt jet maker Hawker Beechcraft to sell itself to a Chinese company, saying the move could cost jobs and threaten US national security.
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AerCap Says No Talks For Sale
Shares of AerCap Holdings fell sharply after the aircraft lessor said it was not in discussions with any party regarding a sale.
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Airbus Says Boeing Is Waging Price War
The chief executive of Airbus said US rival Boeing has slashed the prices of Boeing 737 MAX in a bid to grab market share from Airbus A320neo, a German newspaper reported.
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Kingfisher Airlines Says Flights Resume
India's debt-crippled Kingfisher Airlines' scheduled flights will operate normally with immediate effect, the company said in a statement.
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First flying A350 nears final assembly
Airbus's first flying A350-900 prototype is nearing final assembly after its forward fuselage arrived at the line in Toulouse. The 21m (69ft) section, which includes the cockpit, was transported by an A300-600ST freighter from the airframer's French plant at Saint Nazaire. Final assembly of the airframe, MSN1, will start "over the summer period", says Airbus, when the forward section is mated with the centre and aft fuselage.
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CMCs may yield 1.5% fuel burn cut in Leap engines
Lightweight, high-temperature ceramic matrix composites will play a key role in the long-term evolution of CFM's Leap-X turbofan engine, ultimately yielding as much as a 1.5% decrease in fuel burn when all planned upgrades are made to the engine hot section. Upon entry into service (EIS) with the Airbus A320neo in 2016, the CFM Leap-1A will use CMCs for the high pressure turbine (HPT) first stage shroud components, parts that would otherwise be made of nickel super alloy. The Leap-1B for the Boeing 737max and Leap-1C for the Comac C919 will also use CMCs for the shroud.
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Foreign carriers move fast to absorb Pluna's market gap
Latin American airlines are capitalising on the sudden grounding in late June of Montevideo-based Pluna, which transported a significant amount of connecting traffic between Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Brazil, by adding new routes. Most significantly, Brazil's Gol has not only announced a new route from Sao Paulo Guarulhos to Montevideo, but also significant improvements of its flights to Buenos Aires from Campinas, Curitiba and Florianopolis. Pluna has a significant market share in these markets, served as connecting flights via the Uruguayan capital.
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Gol resumes international expansion
Brazil's second largest airline Gol has announced the launch of a number of new regional international routes after a year of systematically reducing its international presence. It will start operating new flights from Sao Paulo's Guarulhos International airport to Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia), Asunción (Paraguay) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
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Air Astana plots Asian growth path

Encouraged by the rapid success of recently opened regional routes, Air Astana will continue to expand its network in Asia. Chief executive Peter Foster says: "We'll continue to expand in Asia a lot...there'll be more flights to Beijing, more flights to Delhi and we're probably looking at [flying to] Mumbai very soon." Air Astana will open a route to Hong Kong on 28 August and to Ho Chi Minh City in the middle of December. "The focus is very definitely on south Asia, east Asia and the region," Foster says.
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Europe’s network airlines forecast €1.5b EBIT loss in 2012
Europe’s network carriers are forecasting a €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) EBIT loss in 2012, as the bottom line fails to keep pace with traffic growth. Assn. of European Airlines (AEA) acting secretary general Athar Husain Khan said, “2012 was foreseen with a gloomy, uncertain economic outlook and our forecasts are proving to be accurate.” AEA said the European market “is clearly not able to absorb higher fares” and that its members have had “limited” benefit from falling fuel prices due to adverse euro/dollar exchange rates and hedging programs. However, the latest round of restructuring should begin to deliver results over the coming months.
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Industry welcomes ICAO CO2 standard
IATA said it expects ICAO to fully develop a standard for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by the end of 2013, a move that is being welcomed by airlines and industry but which so far does not seem to have prompted the European Commission (EC) to change track on its emissions trading scheme.
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EC review pushes back completion of UPS-TNT merger

United Parcel Service (UPS) said its proposed €5.16 billion ($6.3 billion) acquisition of TNT Express will undergo a Phase II review by the European Commission (EC), a process that will push back the closing of the deal to the 2012 fourth quarter.
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AMR plans to reject American Eagle contract, pilots union says

AMR plans to file a motion by the end of the month in Bankruptcy Court to reject a contract for American Eagle pilots, says the union representing the pilots. The Air Line Pilots Association represents 3,000 pilots at regional carrier American Eagle.
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Hawaiian Airlines will add nonstop flights to New Zealand

Hawaiian Airlines has announced that it will add three nonstop flights per week between between Honolulu and Auckland, starting in March. The move will make the airline the only U.S. carrier flying to the New Zealand city. It believes that New Zealand is an untapped market, noting that the number of visitors to Hawaii from New Zealand has dropped 30% since 1999 when more nonstop flights were offered from Auckland, this feature says.
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Air Force, private companies collaborate on new plane design
The U.S. Air Force, Boeing and Cranfield Aerospace are collaborating on a hybrid wing body design for aircraft that could be the future of air travel, this feature says. The team behind the X-48 project is working at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California to build prototypes. "At some point, you have to make a radical shift in the shape of a plane," said Norm Princen, Boeing's chief engineer on the project.
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Airbus and Boeing reject view that industry bubble is forming
Aircraft financiers are concerned that increased production of fuel-efficient jets at Airbus and Boeing is hurting the book value of older planes. They also worry that such production is leading to a glut of product in the industry. Airbus and Boeing reject this analysis, citing growing demand as the driver for their production increase.
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FAA proposes fine against Boeing over deadline for fuel-tank regulation
The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a fine of $13.5 million against Boeing after the aircraft manufacturer missed a deadline on drafting instructions for preventing explosions for fuel tanks, the agency says. Airlines for America has asked the FAA to extend the deadline for the fuel-tank retrofits. "Our members are working with the FAA to complete the approved modifications. The safety of airline passengers and employees is the highest priority for our members, and as such, we follow the rigorous standards set by the FAA, including only installing FAA-certified modifications on our aircraft," said Steve Lott.
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Pittsburgh airport is investing in growth
Despite a decade of decreasing passenger traffic, Pittsburgh International Airport is exhibiting several signs of growth and improvement. Most recently, the airport announced plans to develop 195 acres of airport property to include a hotel, jet hangars, office buildings, and research and development space. The airport also expects to break ground on a 40-acre development by the end of the year, and is in the midst of upgrading its runways, taxiways and a vehicle parking garage.
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Other News

Airbus parent EADS is looking to acquire its own in-house banking license to safeguard its liquidity during the European financial crisis. "Our parent company EADS is reviewing whether we should establish our own bank," new Airbus chief Fabrice Brégier told the German national daily newspaper Die Welt.

International Airlines Group (IAG) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) to “carefully consider” ordering the Chinese-produced C919 at the Farnborough Airshow. According to the MOU, COMAC will set up a joint working group with IAG to conduct cooperation in the fields of technology and operation requirements, regulations, financing and client and product services for the C919.

Chinese carriers reported a collective profit of CNY3.78 billion ($598 million) in the first half, down 70.5% from a net income of CNY12.83 billion year-over-year. The industry attributes the drop to high fuel prices and slowdown of domestic market demand growth.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK), Thailand’s gateway airport, will get a third runway, airport officials confirme. They declined to give a construction timeline, pointing out that approval must be received by several regulatory bodies including the Airports of Thailand and the National Economic and Social Development. The third runway is expected to be some 4,000 m. long, paved with 73-cm. thick bitumen, and could be open by 2018, according to the Bangkok Post, although officials did not confirm this report.

LAN Airlines said its first Boeing 787 has exited Boeing’s paint shop in Everett, Wash., completing its final assembly phase.

Icelandair has signed a contract with California-based Row 44 to equip its entire fleet of 16 Boeing 757s with Wi-Fi. The fleet installation is expected to begin in the 2012 fourth quarter and is scheduled for completion by fall 2013.

IMS Company has been selected by Lufthansa to supply its inflight entertainment system RAVE for at least 80 widebody production aircraft. The airline will equip a variety of aircraft, including Airbus A330s, A340s and Boeing 747s.

Complete Aviation Solutions has partnered with Interact to deliver inflight entertainment (IFE) solutions to airlines, from the selection of the correct IFE solution, to project management of IFE implementation and ongoing management of IFE systems.

Cebu Pacific Air will offer OnAir Internet service to passengers on its long-haul Airbus A330 fleet, slated to begin operations in the 2013 third quarter. The carrier also has the option of installing Wi-Fi on its A320 fleet for short-haul flights in the next phase.

Aviation Quote

Good flying never killed [an enemy] yet.

— attributed to Major Edward 'Mick' Mannock, RAF, ranking British Empire fighter ace of W.W. I. 61 victories.

On This Date

---In 1908... The USA’s first aviation legislation is passed: a municipal ordinance requiring an annual license and regulating aircraft within the city limits of Kissimmee, Florida.

---In 1917... Ground is broken for the first building of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Langley Field laboratory.

---In 1933…Lithuanian research aircraft Lituanica disappears mysteriously after a successful crossing of the Atlantic.

---In 1944…Napalm incendiary bombs are used for the first time in war, dropped by American P-38 fighters on a fuel depot in France.

---In 1953…Lieutenant Guy P. Bordelon scores his fifth aerial victory, becoming the United States Navy's only ace of the Korean War. He had scored all five victories since June 29, using an F4U-5N Corsair night fighter to shoot down North Korean light aircraft making night harassment raids.

---In 1962… Major Robert M. White (USAF), pilots the North American X-15 to a record altitude of 314,750 feet (59 miles, 96 km).

---In 1970…Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport commences passenger screening to help prevent hijackings; the first airport to do so.

---In 1975…an American Apollo capsule links up to a Russian Soyuz capsule in orbit, marking the first space collaboration between the two nations. It would also be the last Apollo mission, as well as the last manned mission for six years until the launch of the first Space Shuttle in 1981.

---In 1980… Cathay Pacific begins a Hong Kong-London service.

---In 1989…the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber makes its maiden flight.

---In 1996…TWA flight 800, a Boeing 747-100 (N93119) enroute to Paris, explodes and plummets into the Atlantic off the coast of Long Island shortly after takeoff from JFK Airport. The explosion is blamed on faulty wiring in the center fuel tank.

---In 2002… Midway Airlines suspends operations.

---In 2007… AeroRepública flight 7330, an Embraer ERJ-190 aircraft, overshot the runway at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Santa Marta, went down an embankment, and ended up with the front end of the aircraft in the ocean. There were no fatalities.

---In 2007…TAM flight 3054, an Airbus A320, crashes while landing at Sao Paolo, Brazil.

Daily Video

Editor's Choice

Humor

Late To Work

Tom was in his early 50's, retired and started a second career. However, he just couldn't seem to get to work on time. Every day, 5, 10, 15 minutes late. But he was a good worker, real sharp, so the Boss was in a quandary about how to deal with it. Finally, one day he called him into the office for a talk.

"Tom, I have to tell you, I like your work ethic, you do a bang-up job, but you're being late so often is quite bothersome."

"Yes, I know Boss, and I am working on it."

"Well good, you are a team player. That's what I like to hear. It's odd though, you're coming in late. I know you're retired from the Air Force. What did they say if you came in late there?"

"They said, "Good morning, General."

Trivia

1940’s Trivia

1. What aircraft in 1940 had the first pressurized cabin and flew above the turbulence that upset passengers' stomachs, could fly up to 20,000 feet and had a 12-foot wide cabin that held 33 passengers with berths for overnight travel?

2. The U.S. had mass production of aircraft at the beginning of WWII. Production of planes increased from 500 a year to what number a year by the war's close?

3. What was the first bomber with crew-cabin pressurization and remotely controlled power turrets?

4. What famous aircraft had laminar-flow wings to reduce drag giving improved aerodynamics and had the range to escort bombers across Germany?

5. Computers, using binary language were first used for high-speed calculations for the Manhattan project, for code breaking and for artillery purposes. Later revolutionized design, business and manufacturing systems. What was the organization responsible for this during WWII?

6. The most advanced airliner in the world in 1945 was fully pressurized, flying nonstop from New York to Paris. It was the first transatlantic airliner, flying up to 30,000 feet and opened up high-volume passenger service. What was this aircraft?

7. In 1946, what was the aircraft that greatly reduced traveling time with greater comfort for passengers and made air travel economically viable?

8. In 1947, what was the bomber with six piston engines, plus four jets and gave the U.S. intercontinental bombing capability?

9. What was the 1940 very sophisticated sight used on planes, which enabled bombardiers to make accurate, high-level bombings?

10. Who was the German that built and tested the first jet engine in the late 30s. Whittle designed one, but didn't get to test it on a plane until later. The German engineer's design flew, but not very well. It took another five years to perfect the engine by the end of the war. Germans deployed the first operational jet in 1944 (ME2-62). Who was this German jet engine designer?

Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK), Thailand’s gateway airport, will get a third runway, airport officials confirme. They declined to give a construction timeline, pointing out that approval must be received by several regulatory bodies including the Airports of Thailand and the National Economic and Social Development. The third runway is expected to be some 4,000 m. long, paved with 73-cm. thick bitumen, and could be open by 2018, according to the Bangkok Post, although officials did not confirm this report.