NewsCommercial
Boeing preparing 737 Max to avoid teething pains
Trouble-free introductions of a new aircraft type are rare. The industry’s borrowing of the term “teething pains” from child development suggests some level of early operating distress is viewed as inevitable. And indeed, despite more than a century of accumulated experience by a mature and sophisticated industry, all new aircraft types still go through it. Several years ago, when Airbus and Boeing decided to placate voracious demand for single-aisle aircraft by re-engining rather than replacing their existing types, some hope prevailed that finally the spell could be broken, or at least mitigated. After all, the A320neo and 737 Max families relied upon well-known and trusted airframes and systems, leaving the engines as the primary area for concern about teething issues.
LinkAirlines
Amendment will enable Air Canada more freedom to move maintenance work
Air Canada has won a political battle against the Manitoba government and will now be able to carry out maintenance operations outside of Winnipeg, Montreal and Mississauga. Bill C-10 amended the Air Canada Public Participation Act, opening the door to freer movement of maintenance jobs for the carrier.
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AirAsia pushes to rename KLIA2
Malaysian low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia is backing a campaign to rename the second terminal at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from KLIA2 to Low Cost Carrier Terminal 2 (LCCT2 or LCC2), to emphasize its role as AirAsia’s main hub. KLIA operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) opposes the move.
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EasyJet urges prioritisation of UK access to EU market
UK budget carrier EasyJet is to concentrate on talks with European governments to ensure that its operations are not interrupted by the UK’s decision to break away from the European Union. The airline says its initial aim is to “accelerate” discussions with governments and regulators to make sure that the UK remains within the single European aviation market.
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Egypt reportedly sends MS804 damaged recorders to Paris
Egyptian investigators are reportedly sending the damaged flight data and cockpit voice recorders of the crashed EgyptAir Airbus A320 to French air accident investigation agency BEA, after failing to extract information from them, according to multiple media sources. EgyptAir flight MS804 was en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Cairo May 19 with 66 people on board when it lost radar contact and crashed into the Mediterranean.
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Eurowings Europe launches operations
Lufthansa Group low-cost (LCC) subsidiary Eurowings Europe has launched its first flight from Vienna to Alicante June 23. The company received its air operator’s certificate (AOC) in Austria recently. Its first Airbus A320 is based in Vienna and the fleet should grow to up to three aircraft by October.
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JAL, Alaska Airlines to codeshare
Japan Airlines (JAL) and Alaska Airlines are to sign codeshare and frequent flier agreements for flights across Japan and the US Pacific Northwest. The new codeshare will take effect from the end of June, pending government approval, and will offer unified reservations and ticketing, integrated baggage handling, and cross-carrier mileage awards on both JAL and Alaska flights.
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Deadline looms for Meridiana-Qatar Airways deal
A June 26 deadline is rapidly approaching to conclude negotiations that would allow Qatar Airways to take a major stake in Italian carrier Meridiana. The Gulf carrier has proposed taking a 49% shareholding in the Sardinia-based airline, which has been loss-making since 2008 and kept afloat by financial infusions from its ultimate owner, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.
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Southwest aims to bolster brand identity
Southwest Airlines is focusing on the carrier's overall brand identity, bucking the industry trend of increasing passenger segmentation based on spending habits. "We have lots and lots of evidence that our approach -- no bag fees, no change fees, transparency -- is a winner," Southwest's Bob Jordan said.
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Southwest manages aircraft orders to reduce costs
Southwest Airlines is slowing planned incorporation of new aircraft between 2018 and 2022 in an effort to reduce costs in the near-term. The carrier is planning to postpone the delivery of 67 Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 aircraft by as much as six years, but is going to move six 737-800 orders from 2018 to 2017 to help replace its oldest 737s.
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Spirit Airlines' ramp workers ratify tentative agreement
Florida-based Spirit Airlines and its ramp service team members located at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport have ratified a tentative agreement, completing negotiation of their first collective bargaining agreement. According to Spirit, the team members had ratified an interim agreement in June 2015, covering wages, job security, union security and benefits.
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United, flight attendants reach agreement on terms of labor contract
United Airlines and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) have reached agreement on the terms of a labor contract that would bring all 25,000 United flight attendants under a single contract. Since the 2010 merger of United and Continental Airlines, original United flight attendants and former Continental flight attendants have operated under separate contracts, an operational impediment that increases the likelihood of flight delays and cancellations.
LinkAirports
EU Exit Could Reduce UK Passenger Numbers 3-5 Pct
The number of air passengers in the UK could drop by 3-5 percent by 2020 with an expected downturn in the economy and fall in sterling following Britain's EU exit vote, IATA said. "In other words, the outcome of yesterday's referendum could reduce air passenger growth by 1.0-1.5 percentage points each year over the near term," the industry group said in an analysis. Air freight will be affected by lower international trade in the longer term, it said.
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Military
Can Airbus bear weight of A400M Atlas?
By all rights, the Airbus Defence & Space A400M should be a soar-away success story in both the domestic and export markets – but at the moment the programme is looking dangerously vulnerable. Given its promised capabilities and the absence of any direct competitor – it slots neatly between the out-of-production Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130J – the Atlas stood a very real chance of becoming Europe’s Hercules, if you pardon the mixed mythology.
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Sikorsky completes heavy payload test on King Stallion
Sikorsky flew its CH-53K King Stallion 100ft above the ground with a 12,250kg (27,000lb) payload, meeting a key requirement for the US Marine Corps helicopter, the company announced on 23 June. In May, Marine Corps officials expressed an interest in expanding the aircraft’s payload capacity to about 13,600kg, though early analysis indicated the helicopter would not meet that threshold, Flightglobal previously reported.
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Aviation Quote
How many more years I shall be able to work on the problem I do not know; I hope, as long as I live. There can be no thought of finishing, for 'aiming at the stars' both literally and figuratively, is a problem to occupy generations, so that no matter how much progress one makes, there is always the thrill of just beginning.
— Robert H. Goddard, in a 1932 letter to H. G. Wells.
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Trivia
GENERAL TRIVIA
1. What is the primary reason to avoid operating an engine with excessive oil temperature (other engine parameters being normal?
2. Tropical depressions. Tropical storms and hurricanes are defined by their sustained wind speeds. A depression has a maximum of _____knots, a tropical storm has a maximum of _____knots and a hurricane has a minimum of _____knots.
3. Why are some pilots in the habit of applying full power at the instant of touchdown while attempting a full-stop landing?
4. Air Traffic controllers often use the expression “souls on board” when asking the number of people aboard an aircraft in distress. How did this expression originate?
5. What are the two weather conditions most likely to produce extreme turbulence?
6. What was the first airliner (not a seaplane) to have both hydraulically boosted controls and a flight engineer’s station?
7. Why do balloon pilots customarily carry champagne and cheese on their flights?
8. Which of the following aircraft has not been operated successfully from an aircraft carrier?
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady
North American F-86 Sabre
North American P-51 Mustang
9. A pilot planning a flight to Honolulu wants to minimize the length of the oceanic leg. He should take off from:
Alaska
California
Oregon
Washington
10. Most pilots have observed lightning strike a mountain top, so it would not be surprising to see lightning strike at or near the summit of Mount Everest? True or False.
11. The L in the LTIO-540 Lycoming engine indicates that it is the left engine on a twin with counter-rotating engines. True or False.
12. An airport with a precision or non-precision approach may be designated as an alternate airport if the forecast for the alternate at the estimated time of arrival is “600 and 2” or “800 and 2” respectively. True or False.
8. Which of the following aircraft has not been operated successfully from an aircraft carrier?
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady
North American F-86 Sabre
North American P-51 Mustang
