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Airbus delivers 49 aircraft in February; records 10 cancellations
Airbus delivered 49 aircraft in February, but reported no new orders during the month. The Toulouse-based manufacturer reported 10 aircraft cancellations—six A321neos and four A330-800s—but did not identify the customers. At the two-month point in 2017, Airbus’ net order status for the year is negative eight aircraft. Airbus’ February deliveries went to 23 airlines and eight lessors. The largest number of deliveries went to UK low-cost carrier (LCC) easyJet, which received five A320ceos.
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India's DGCA identifies new gearbox issue on PW1100G
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has identified the first known incident involving the gearbox of the PW1100G geared turbofan engine on the Airbus A320neo. A “main gearbox failure” caused one of 42 premature engine removals so far of PW1100G-powered A320neos, according to the DGCA. The failure was “detected as a metal chip warning”.
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Engine shortage, airframe tweaks prompt CSeries delivery pause
Bombardier has halted deliveries of the CSeries aircraft for two months to refine the production system and upgrade the aircraft configuration while the supply of Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engines remains a bottleneck, chief executive Alain Bellemare tells Flightglobal. The last CSeries aircraft delivered – a CS300 – was delivered to Air Baltic on 31 December. A month ago, Bombardier officials said the delivery of the sixth CS100 – and eighth CSeries overall – to Swiss would occur “shortly”, but the aircraft remains parked outside the final assembly line in Mirabel, Canada.
LinkAirlines
American and United happy to compete with 'clever' Norwegian
American Airlines and United Airlines are happy to compete with Norwegian’s expansion to the USA, which their chief executives say is simply using a "clever" business strategy - and not subsidies - to lower costs. “[Norwegian’s] not being subsidised doing what they do,” says Oscar Munoz, chief executive of United, on the sidelines of the US Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit in Washington DC today. “That’s something we have to accept and work through… I appreciate that – I don’t like it necessarily as a competitor – but that we can compete with.”
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American’s Parker: Gulf carriers threaten US hub-and-spoke system
In another indication that there is a renewed push against the expansion of the major Gulf carriers in the US, American Airlines chairman and CEO Doug Parker said he was “highly confident” that the new Trump administration would address the issue. Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit in Washington March 2, Parker said the major Middle East airlines had received $15 billion in government subsidies. He also described Emirates Airline’s announcement in January that it would launch Dubai-Athens-New York Newark service in March as “a shot across the bow.”
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Alaska Airlines loyalty program members get complimentary wine tastings
Members of Alaska Airlines' loyalty program can enjoy free wine tastings at 500 locations in Oregon, Washington and California.
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British Airways faces week-long cabin crew strike
British Airways (BA) cabin crew have embarked on their latest and longest bout of strike action in pursuit of improved pay. Members of the Unite union who form part of the airline’s London Heathrow-based mixed fleet, which operates both short- and long-haul services, began a week-long strike March 3.
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Flybe acquires Dash 8 Q400s from NAC
Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has completed the sale of 10 Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s to UK-based regional carrier Flybe. Flybe, the largest regional operator in Europe, has a fleet of around 60 Q400s, together with 11 Embraer E175 and nine E170 regional jets, as well as four ATR 72-600 turboprops operated on behalf of SAS Scandinavian Airlines.
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Hawaiian Airlines connects Honolulu, West Maui
Hawaiian Airlines announced the launch of new service to Kapalua Airport in West Maui. The carrier will offer two daily flights from Honolulu and once daily service from Kahului. The new routes will be operated by Empire Airlines, a passenger and cargo carrier based in Hayden, Idaho.
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Lufthansa Group appoints new Munich hub CEO
Lufthansa Group has appointed Wilken Bormann as CEO of the Munich hub from March 1, succeeding Thomas Winkelmann who became airberlin CEO and chairman Feb. 1. Bormann is responsible for the commercial management, station management, ground infrastructure and processes, as well as for the further development of the southern Lufthansa hub, behind Frankfurt, Germany’s second largest airport. He is also responsible for the operational planning and control of all flights to and from Munich.
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Malaysia Airlines A380 charter to target 6% of pilgrimage traffic
Malaysia Airlines has outlined additional details on a charter business concept to operate its six Airbus A380s in a dedicated subsidiary to target religious pilgrimage traffic. The Group is working toward finalizing plans for the formation of a new airline, utilizing the A380s to serve the Haj and Umrah market.
LinkAirports
China’s HNA Group to buy 82.5% stake in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport
Haikou, China-based HNA Group, the parent of Hainan Airlines, is expected to purchase an 82.5% stake in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport in western Germany as the company steps up its international expansion. The airport’s federal state owners Rhineland Palatinate, which owns the 82.5% stake, said both sides are ready to sign the deal. The transaction amount has not been disclosed, but the deal is reportedly worth about €15 million ($15.8 million).
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Military
Pilot error caused Shoreham disaster, AAIB concludes
A poorly planned and badly executed manoeuvre flown by a display pilot led to the deaths of 11 bystanders and motorists during the Shoreham air show on 22 August 2015, investigators have concluded. Releasing its final report into the mishap on 3 March, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) concluded that the pilot of a vintage Hawker Hunter crashed after commencing a “bent loop” manoeuvre with insufficient speed and engine thrust to complete it within the height available.
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Northrop changes JSTARS leadership after grounding aircraft
Northrop Grumman changed leadership at its JSTARS sustainment facility after the US Air Force grounded almost a quarter of the E-8C fleet for inspection. Last September, the USAF initiated an investigation for safety of flight issues on four of the 17 JSTARS delivered from depot maintenance at Northrop’s sustainment facility in Lake Charles, Georgia. Northrop has since assigned new executive leadership and implemented operational improvements at Lake Charles, according to a Northrop spokesman.
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France selects H160 for light helicopter replacement program
France has selected the Airbus Helicopters H160 as the basis for its tri-service light rotorcraft replacement programme, a major coup for the developmental medium twin. Speaking during a visit to the manufacturer’s Marignane facility in the south of the country, French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that deliveries under the hélicoptère interarmées léger (HIL) effort would start in around 2024.
LinkRegulatory
DOT announces tentative Mexico City slots
Alaska Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines are in line for new slots at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, according for the Department of Transportation. These slot allocations will expand service to several US cities. "This is a great win for our customers. Greater access will allow us to offer a better schedule, award-winning service and lower fares in this market as we grow," JetBlue said.
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White House suspends public comment on proposed regulations
The White House on Thursday suspended the comment period for proposed regulations dealing with how airline fees are marketed to travelers. Nicholas E. Calio, president and CEO of Airlines for America, applauded the decision, noting, "Today's action is a common sense measure reinforcing that the airline industry is capable of making the decisions that best serve our customers, our employees and the communities we serve."
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European Parliament votes to impose visa requirements on US citizens
The European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, has urged the European Commission (EC)—the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union (EU)—to impose visa requirements on US citizens visiting the EU. The March 2 vote by the parliament was the latest episode in a long-running dispute; the US extends its visa waiver scheme to most of the EU’s nations, but excludes Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania. EU legislators want the entire bloc to be treated equally.
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Aviation Quote
The cockpit was my office. It was a place where I experienced many emotions and learned many lessons. It was a place of work, but also a keeper of dreams. It was a place of deadly serious encounters, yet there I discovered much about life. I learned about joy and sorrow, pride and humility, fear and overcoming fear. I saw much from that office that most people would never see. At times it terrified me, yet I could always feel at home there. It was my place, at that time in space, and the jet was mine for those moments. Though it was a place where I could quickly die, the cockpit was a place where I truly lived.
- Brian Shul, Sled Driver; Flying The World's Fastest Jet, 1992.
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was the longest-duration passenger flight ever made by an airline using an airplane powered by reciprocating engines?
A. 23 hours 19 minutes
B. 20 hours 19 minutes
C. 17 hours 19 minutes
D. 14 hours 19 minutes
2. Which of the following was the only operational Century-series fighter not deployed over Vietnam?
A. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
B. Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
C. Convair F-106 Delta Dart
D. McDonnell F-110 Spectre
3. Multiengine pilots know that it can take substantial rudder-pedal force to arrest the yaw created by a failed engine when operating at minimum-controllable airspeed (VMC). The maximum force allowed by aircraft certification regulation Part 23.149 is
A. 75 pounds.
B. 100 pounds.
C. 150 pounds.
D. 200 pounds.
4. True or false; For instrument-rated pilots: A pilot is cleared to “cruise at 9,000 feet,” for example. This means that the pilot is cleared to execute the instrument approach at his destination airport.
5. True or false; The Beech King Air was the first civilian turboprop airplane produced in the United States.
6. True or false; American pilots know that when two airplanes are on converging courses, the airplane on the other’s right has right-of-way. In England (and a few other countries), however, the airplane on the other’s left has right-of-way.
