You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : netAirspace Daily News

News

Alaska Airlines lowers fares for Seattle-Portland, Ore., travelers
Alaska Airlines lowered its prices on Seattle to Portland, Ore., flights for Monday and Tuesday in an efforts to help travelers affected by the Amtrak train derailment on Monday. Ticket prices were dropped from $214 to $99.
Link

Hawaiian Airlines to buy Island Air's operating certificate, other assets
Hawaiian Airlines is looking to buy Island Air's operating certificate, ground-service equipment, furniture and frequent-flier lists for $750,000. "If approved, the sale will allow 'Ohana by Hawaiian to assume oversight of operations. Those operations would include the hiring of pilots, flights attendants, and customer service and maintenance crews," said Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Alex Da Silva. "We believe that assuming the FAA certificate will greatly benefit our guests by improving the efficiency and reliability of 'Ohana by Hawaiian."
Link

LoungeBuddy app helps travelers find, enter elite airport lounges
LoungeBuddy is an app that lists airport lounges around the world and includes Yelp-style reviews from travelers. Airline partners grant users lounge access for fees ranging from $35 to $50.
Link

Orlando, Fla., airport served 44M travelers in 12 months
Florida's Orlando International Airport served 44 million passengers in the 12 months ending in October. "Indications are, that with record holiday travel predictions, the numbers will continue to rise," airport officials said. Airlines have added seats in and out of Orlando to accommodate the growth in demand.
Link

Delta ends 747 farewell tour with Minneapolis homecoming
Delta Air Lines concluded its farewell tour for the Boeing 747 at Minneapolis/St Paul International airport today, a fitting finale for the queen of the skies at the former home of Northwest Airlines. Flight DL9771 arrived from Atlanta at 12:50 local time, landing on runway 12R/30L after a low pass at 45ft over the Minneapolis/St Paul airport to mark the final arrival.
Link

Hard A321 landing led Germania to limit manual flights
Investigators have disclosed that Germania banned pilots' flying manual visual approaches under supervision, after an unstable descent by a relatively inexperienced first officer led an Airbus A321 to land hard at Fuerteventura. The first officer had logged 96h on type before conducting the ILS approach to runway 01 using manual control of the thrust and attitude.
Link

UK laser-strike laws toughen under new bill
UK legislators are publishing a new bill intended to simplify prosecution of people who threaten aircraft safety by directing laser beams at cockpits. The 'Laser Misuse' bill – which carries a five-year imprisonment term and unlimited fines – covers similar attacks on other vehicles. It also grants law enforcement authorities extra powers.
Link

Commerce Department sides with Boeing on CSeries tariff
The US Commerce Department announced on 20 December that Bombardier CS100s ordered by Delta Air Lines could face a 292.21% tariff if they cross into the USA in a partially or fully assembled state. The agency’s final tariff value dropped by roughly eight percentage points from a preliminary estimate released in September, but still counts as a massive victory for Boeing and a devastating blow to the commercial aircraft manufacturing industries of Quebec and Northern Ireland.
Link

Singapore's cabin shines, but will it sell more A380s?
The plight currently facing Airbus on its A380 program is neatly – although perhaps inadvertently – summed up by customer Singapore Airlines (SIA). Although the carrier loves the aircraft, and is investing $850 million in a complete interior revamp on the double-deckers, it is certain that it does not require additional examples beyond the 19 planned.
Link

Korea Aerospace to move forward with commercial MRO plans
Seoul has approved Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI) plans to establish a commercial MRO operation at Saechon. South Korea's ministry of land, infrastructure and transport says that KAI's business plan for the unit was approved on 18 December, after an evaluation committee found that the company had sufficient infrastructure such as facilities and equipment to set up the state-sponsored MRO business.
Link

NIKI: Number of bidders rise as Dec. 21 deadline approaches
The number of bidders for airberlin subsidiary NIKI, which filed for bankruptcy Dec. 13 and ceased operations immediately, is growing as the deadline to present binding offers ends at noon on Dec. 21.
Link

Attorneys General urge implementation of airline ticket fee rule
A coalition of 17 state attorneys general is asking the Trump administration to move forward on implementing a stalled rule that proponents say will make it much easier for travelers to understand the full cost of their airline tickets.
Link

Irish pilots’ union calls for written Ryanair agreement
The Irish pilots’ union that was instrumental in convincing Dublin-based Ryanair to change its long-standing policy and recognize such organizations, has called for the LCC to put its promises in writing, noting it could still strike if no agreement is reached. Last week, Ryanair gave in to pressure, taking the unprecedented step of scrapping its long-held policy of negotiating only with internal employee committees and agreeing to recognize pilots’ unions in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal as it scrambled to avoid strikes and disruption over the holiday period.
Link

Eurowings inks agreements with labor unions for expansion
Eurowings has signed agreements with the Verdi trade union and Vereinigung Cockpit pilot union that will enable the Lufthansa LCC subsidiary to grow rapidly, especially in Germany. The agreement will not only create new jobs for pilots and flight attendants, but also increase the number of Germany-based aircraft.
Link

Berlin Brandenburg Airport targets October 2020 opening
The Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) supervisory board has set October 2020 as the new opening date for the much-delayed airport project. Construction began in 2006 on Berlin’s new airport, which was originally scheduled to open in October 2011. The opening has been postponed six times because of planning and construction problems, especially concerning fire protection installations.
Link

Milan Malpensa becomes second ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ hub
UK LCC easyJet has selected Milan Malpensa as the second airport for its Worldwide by easyJet connecting platform, joining London Gatwick which was the first to launch the scheme. Worldwide by easyJet is a booking platform, powered by Icelandic travel technology company Dohop, which allows passengers to buy tickets and connect between easyJet and its partner airlines, doing away with traditional interlining agreements.
Link

First seats from Boeing partner LIFT enter service
LOT Polish Airlines has become the launch customer for aircraft seating newcomer LIFT by EnCore, with the company’s first product entering service on the Polish flag carrier’s Boeing 737 MAXs. LIFT by EnCore seemingly appeared from nowhere at the 2016 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) show, debuting as Boeing’s new seating partner with an economy seat designed specifically for line production of the 737NG/MAXs and NG retrofit. Boeing said this was the first time a seat had been designed and optimized for its aircraft.
Link

Airbus Helicopters powers up CityAirbus 'iron bird' rig
Airbus Helicopters has taken a step forward on the CityAirbus electric air-taxi concept with power-on of its "iron bird" ground-test rig. Located in Taufkirchen, to the south of Munich – adjacent to an Airbus group facility in Ottobrun, and 60 miles (100km) from the manufacturer's plant in Donauwörth – the rig will enable Airbus Helicopters to verify the vehicle's entire electric propulsion system.
Link

LCI takes first H175 helicopter for operation by CHC
Lessor LCI has taken delivery of its first Airbus Helicopters H175, which has been placed with customer CHC Scotia for operation in the North Sea. The 7.8t rotorcraft (G-EMEB) is to be based in Aberdeen and will service the offshore oil and gas industry.
Link

Lockheed meets 2017 F-35 delivery goal
Lockheed Martin hit the planned F-35 delivery total for the year, rolling out its 66th jet in 2017 earlier this week. The latest annual delivery total raises overall deliveries of production-series F-35s to 266, including non-US customers, Lockheed says in an 18 December release.
Link

J-Music to protect NATO tanker fleet
Elbit Systems has been awarded a $46 million contract to equip a future pooled NATO fleet of Airbus A330 tankers with its J-Music directional infrared countermeasures self-protection equipment. Announced by the Israeli company on 19 December, the contract will provide J-Music turrets for installation on the A330s to be assigned to the multinational multi-role tanker transport fleet. Elbit says its deal is for work to be performed over a four-year period.
Link

IAI targets avionics fit on L-39NG
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is in negotiations with Aero Vodochody over the potential supply of an avionics suite for the Czech Republic airframer's in-development L-39NG trainer. Benjamin Cohen, general manager of IAI's Lahav division, says the talks concern the possible provision of avionics for the new-generation L-39NG, as well as comparable systems to upgrade previous versions of the single-engined type. Cohen describes the equipment on offer as similar to that found in so-called "4.5th-generation" fighters.
Link

Embraer moves closer to KC-390 delivery with IOC declaration
Embraer on 20 December declared initial operational capability (IOC) for the KC-390 under the standards set by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The milestone means that the military transport and tanker has complied with the FAB's terms for IOC, which includes obtaining a provisional type certificate from Brazil’s civil aviation authority (ANAC).
Link

USAF details scope and schedule for B-52 re-engining
A new US Air Force document released last week outlines the details, timeline and likely competitors for a plan to acquire at least 608 new turbofan engines to replace the eight Pratt & Whitney TF33s on each of 76 Boeing B-52H bombers in the US Air Force fleet. The air force’s sustainment office for the 17,000lb-thrust TF33 decided last June that the 60-year-old powerplants are not sustainable beyond 2030, due to age, parts obsolescence and a diminishing supplier base, the document says.
Link

Aviation Quote

The powered flight took a total of about eight and a half minutes. It seemed to me it had gone by in a lash. We had gone from sitting still on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center to traveling at 17,500 miles an hour in that eight and a half minutes. It is still mind-boggling to me. I recall making some statement on the air-to-ground radio for the benefit of my fellow astronauts, who had also been in the program a long time, that it was well worth the wait.

- Bob Crippen, STS-1 astronaut, regards first flight of the Space Shuttle, 12 April 1981.

On This Day

Click Here

Daily Video

Editor's Choice

Trivia

General Trivia

True or false, During World War 2, a Douglas DC-4 was stripped of its four engines and converted into a cargo-carrying glider?

What is it about the Tupolev Tu-4 Bull, a Soviet bomber , that the Americans in particular found so interesting?

The eight throttle knobs used by the pilot of the Hughes H-4 Hercules are logically labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Why are the first seven knobs also labeled E, H, E, H, H, H, and E?

A non-cantilevered wing has at least one primary strut to provide support. Small or auxiliary struts are often used in conjunction with and to support the main wing struts. What are these called?

At 9,927 feet MSL, Leadville, Colorado is the most highly elevated airport in the Untied States. What is the temperature at Leadville when the density altitude there is the same as its elevation (assuming no humidity and an altimeter setting of 29.92 inches Hg?