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Commercial

Airbus A350 Receives FAA Type Certification
Airbus said on Wednesday the US Federal Aviation Administration had given Type Certification for its newest airliner, the A350. Airbus had already received European certification in September for the A350, clearing the main regulatory hurdle before the jet can fly passengers.
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Airlines

Air Berlin Reports 35 Percent Q3 Profit Fall
Air Berlin said a fresh round of restructuring should improve profits by EUR€400 million (USD$498 million) by 2016 as the carrier reported a 35 percent fall in third-quarter profit. Germany's second largest airline reported third-quarter earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) of EUR€74.9 million, down from EUR€115.6 million a year ago and after EUR€15 million of restructuring costs -- in what it termed a "difficult" environment. In a bid to return to profit, Air Berlin, 29-percent owned by Etihad, is shaking up its route network, closing some crew bases and streamlining its fleet.
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Alaska Airlines to operate nonstop San Diego-Kona, Hawaii, flights
Alaska Airlines will begin thrice-weekly service between San Diego and the Kona Airport on the Big Island of Hawaii on March 5. Alaska will operate the new nonstop route between Kona and San Diego on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
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EU To Approve Etihad's Alitalia Stake Purchase
Etihad is set to win EU antitrust approval for its purchase of 49 percent of Alitalia after agreeing to minor concessions, two people familiar with the matter said. Etihad's stake purchase is part of a EUR€1.76 billion (USD$2.19 billion) rescue plan for loss-making Alitalia. The tie-up will provide funds for Alitalia to invest in more profitable long-haul routes and make it less dependent on domestic and regional services, where it faces fierce competition from low-cost airlines and high-speed trains.
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American offers joint pilots contract proposal
American Airlines provided a proposal to its pilots. American Airlines President Scott Kirby wrote in a letter to the union that the proposal "gives American pilots the highest pay rates among our large, network peers, and does so well before anyone could have contemplated." American's goal next year is to reach combined contracts that would bring together US Airways and American employees in the same work groups.
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American, pilots union come to terms over regional jets
American Airlines Group Inc. won’t try to add seats to the largest jets flown by its regional carriers, saying it’s more important for new management to build trust with pilots than to increase revenue. The move means American will stick with planes carrying no more than 76 people, instead of increasing to the 81 seats the airline preferred, American President Scott Kirby said today in a letter to pilots. Planes with more seats must be flown by American’s mainline pilots, not its commuter partners.
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Emirates Profit Up Despite External Threats
The impact of the Ebola outbreak, regional conflict and an uncertain global economic outlook will remain a drag on the airline industry, Emirates said after reporting higher first-half net profit. The world's fourth-largest carrier of international passengers posted a profit of AED1.9 billion dirhams (USD$517.3 million) for the six months ending September 30, up from AED1.7 billion a year earlier. Profit for the wider group, which includes airline services arm Dnata, rose 1.1 percent to AED2.2 billion dirhams. Emirates' airline revenue grew 11 percent to AED44.2 billion dirhams, while group revenue rose 12.3 percent to AED47.5 billion. Emirates' Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum warned that the airline had to face several global threats to the aviation industry that were outside its control.
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Flybe Swings To Loss On One-Off Costs
British airline Flybe swung to a pretax loss in the first half, hurt by one-off costs and a charge related to its exit from its Finnish joint venture. The carrier posted a pretax loss of GBP£15.3 million (USD$24 million) in the six months ended September 30, compared with a profit of GBP£13.8 million a year earlier. Flybe was hurt by an increased flight delay claims provision, external costs related to surplus capacity and revaluation of US dollar aircraft loans. The company booked an impairment charge related to the sale of its 60 percent stake in loss-making Flybe Finland to partner Finnair.
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Hawaiian Airlines marks 85 years of service
On Tuesday, Hawaiian Airlines marked 85 years of flying in Hawaii. The first passenger service between the islands took off in 1929, flying from Honolulu to Hilo. Today, the carrier provides around 160 daily interisland flights, as well as international service and flights to the U.S. mainland.
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Southwest Airlines to use new gates at DIA
The Denver City Council approved a lease for Southwest Airlines that allows the carrier to operate out of five new gates in Concourse C. "Denver has been a focus market for us for quite some time. We just see a ton of opportunity here," said Michelle Agnew, a spokeswoman for the carrier. Southwest currently handles 27% of flight traffic at DIA.
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Southwest Airlines plans to add capacity next year
Southwest Airlines announced plans to increase capacity by 6% next year as it focuses on adding flights from Dallas Love Field. Southwest also will boost service to Washington's Reagan National Airport and increase flights to international destinations.
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United to deploy Embraer 175 jets at Chicago O'Hare
United Airlines intends to supersize its rides at O'Hare and create multiple rush hours during the day — moves it says will benefit passengers and make the airline more money at the same time. The transition to flying fewer but larger aircraft out of Chicago's biggest airport, a strategy called upgauging, has already begun. Meanwhile, changing United's flight schedule to group departures during the day, called rebanking, will begin in earnest with March flights. "We think it's good for everybody involved," said Brian Znotins, United vice president of network. "Rebanking and upgauging really go hand in hand."
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Airports

Calif. airport considers returning to old name
The name of Bob Hope Airport reflects its Hollywood roots, but travelers may not realize the airport is in Burbank, Calif. The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority is considering returning the airport to its former name of Hollywood Burbank Airport. The airport adopted the Bob Hope name in 2003 when the legendary actor passed away.
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Minn. airport resumes normal operations after winter storm
A wallop of winter weather continues to make travel difficult on some Minnesota highways and byways, but air traffic seems to be running more smoothly at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. About 20 departures and arrivals out of about 800 have been canceled Tuesday morning, compared to about 150 at this time Monday. Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan says two of three runways that are usually operational are open Tuesday.
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Washington airports operator plans $1bn investment in National
The operator of Ronald Reagan Washington National airport has reached an agreement with airlines to invest about $1 billion in the airport over the next decade. The capital program includes a new regional concourse connected to the north pier, connecting the three terminal B/C piers inside security by relocating security heckpoints to level three from level two, a new car park and planning for renovations of terminal A, says Margaret McKeough, chief operating officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), at a board meeting today. The program is part of the new 10-year use and lease agreement that the operator has reached with airlines and will enter into force on 1 January 2015.
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Military

Australia formally requests extra C-17s
Australia has formally requested “up to four” more Boeing C-17A Globemaster III airlifters from the US government, a notification by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) posted on 12 November shows. The notification states that up to four C-17s and associated equipment, parts and logistical support have been requested for an estimated $1.6 billion. The extra equipment includes 19 Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 engines, four AN/AAQ-24V Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures (LAIRCM) sets, and various other electronic warfare, communications and navigation systems. It also includes unspecified spares and repair parts, supply and test equipment, training and training equipment, technical documentation, logistics, and technical support services.
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Space

SpaceShipTwo survivor unaware tail feathers unlocked
The surviving pilot of the SpaceShipTwo crash on 31 October has told investigators that he was unaware the co-pilot had unlocked a system that rotates the tail feathers of the vehicle moments before an in-flight break-up, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says. NTSB investigators have focused on video and telemetry showing that co-pilot Mike Alsbury prematurely unlocked the tail feather rotation system as SpaceShipTwo accelerated through Mach 1. The test card on Alsbury’s knee stated that the tail feathers should not be unlocked until SpaceShipTwo’s speed had reached at least Mach 1.4. Alsbury was killed by the in-flight break-up of SpaceShipTwo at 55,000ft.
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General Aviation

Mooney adds composite, diesel-powered aircraft to portfolio
Mooney International is back in the aircraft development business, unveiling two new diesel and jet fuel-powered models at Airshow China in Zhuhai. Focused on the slowly-emerging Chinese training and privately-owned aviation market, the composite-skinned Mooney 10T and 10J models move the recently restarted Mooney production line away from avgas-driven engines and solely metallic structures. The new models also provide steppingstones into Mooney’s larger M20 types – the Acclaim Type S and Ovation3, the company says. “The M20J helped change general aviation by making flying practical to more people across the US. Now, the M10J promises to do the same for the world,” says Jerry Chen, a former aeronautics professor who is now chief executive of Mooney International.
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Aviation Quote
Short of committing murder, negative publicity sells more seats than positive publicity.
— Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO, speaking to Marketing Magazine, 2 August 2013

On This Date

In 1907... The 1st piloted helicopter rises vertically in free flight in France. Built by Paul Cornu, it’s powered by a 24-hp Antoinette engine driving two motors.

---In 1981…Ben Abruzzo and crew make the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean by balloon, in the Double Eagle V.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Trivia

C-130 Hercules Trivia

1. In what year was the first C-130 flight?
1954
1961
1957
1962

2. Which version of the C-130 is purpose built for landing on ice?
HC-130
SC-130
LC-130
C-130i

3. Which of the following nations uses the C-130 as an aerial tanker for its fighters?
Philippines
Norway
New Zealand
Spain

4. The standard C-130J has how many propeller blades per engine?
6
3
4
8

5. A C-130B model has external fuel tanks located where?
Between the engines
At the wing tips
Outboard of the outboard engines
The C-130B has no external fuel tanks

6. Which of the following is a designation of a Royal Canadian Air Force C-130?
CC-130H
RC-130
C-130C
C.3

7. C-130s have been used in many roles, but which of the following is just a concept?
Float plane
Fire bomber
Drone launch and control
Satellite capsule recovery

8. Which is not a common C-130 nickname?
Herky Bird
Spectre
Provider
Trash Hauler

9. Which aircraft has the most similar capabilities to the transport version of a C-130?
B747
C-160 Transall
C-131
An-2

10. The C-130 has flown many famous missions. In which of the following did the C-130 play the central role?
Operation El Dorado Canyon
Operation Beer Run
Operation Arc Light
Entebbe hostage rescue