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STOP PRESS: A380 Production To End
Airbus is to close its A380 programme, stopping deliveries in 2021, ending an ambitious and expensive bid to challenge Boeing’s 50-year dominance in the high-capacity airliner market.
The decision follows a revised agreement with primary customer Emirates, which is to cut its order total from 162 to 123 aircraft – leaving just 14 to be handed over to the Dubai-based carrier.
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Strike shuts Belgian airspace, paralyzes public transport
Belgium has closed its airspace for 24 hours during a nationwide strike. The industrial action, which continues to Wednesday night, is also affecting police, hospitals, buses and trains.
All flights in and out of Belgium have been canceled until Wednesday night as public transport workers went on a 24-hour strike. All sectors, from public transport to rubbish collection, postal services, hospitals and commercial centers have been affected.
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FAA to require drones to display ID number on outside surface
Concerned that explosives concealed inside a drone could pose a danger to someone trying to identify an unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV), the FAA will require owners to display their registration number on an outside surface. The new rule takes effect Feb. 23. The change has been issued as an interim final rule to avoid delaying implementation while seeking public comment as required for rulemaking.
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The Netherlands calls for EU-wide aviation fuel tax
The Dutch government is advocating for a European Union (EU)-wide levy on aviation fuel to address rising carbon dioxide emissions from the commercial air transport sector. Dutch State Secretary for Finance Menno Snel raised the idea of taxing kerosene on an EU-wide basis at an Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) meeting on Feb. 12.
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EASA finishes first Irkut MC-21 certification flights
EASA test pilots have completed the first session of certification flights on Irkut’s MC-21-300 narrowbody, the aircraft manufacturer said Feb. 13. The European certificate will pave the way for foreign deliveries of the Russian aircraft. Russian certification of the aircraft has recently faced another delay. Irkut did not give the number of flights performed by the EASA pilot, but explained the aircraft’s performance was evaluated in various modes
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Avolon sees 2018 profits rise 30%, warns of more airline failures
Irish lessor Avolon reported a 30% increase in full-year profit for 2018 to $717 million while revenue increased 10% year-over-year (YOY) to $2.57 billion. Avolon delivered 33 new aircraft last year, executed 153 lease transactions and agreed to sell 130 aircraft.
The Dublin-based lessor said its owned, managed and committed fleet grew 7% in 2018 to 971 aircraft, and it has placed all the aircraft it has committed to buy for 2019 and 80% of orders through the end of 2020.
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Clean Sky 2 to test hybrid laminar-flow demonstrators
European researchers are preparing a series of ground and flight tests to asses the viability of using fuel-saving hybrid laminar-flow technology on future large aircraft.
Part of the EU-funded Clean Sky 2 research programme, the project largely be focused on the development and ground testing of two hybrid laminar-flow control (HLFC) demonstrators.
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Boeing and Safran name APU venture Initium
Boeing and Safran have named their newly formed APU joint venture Initium Aerospace.
The airframer's aftermarket division Boeing Global Services and Safran in June 2018 disclosed their partnership to provide customers with "more competitive" auxiliary power units. Regulatory approval for the joint venture was received in November.
Initial operations, focused on APU design, have since begun in San Diego, California.
LinkAirlines
Virgin Australia reports 1H profit gain on domestic strength
Virgin Australia reported its strongest half-year earnings in more than a decade, thanks to the airline’s restructuring program and surging domestic business.
The Virgin Australia Group posted a net profit of A$73.8 million ($52.5 million) for the six months through Dec. 31, 2018, its fiscal first half. That is up 1,577.3% from a A$4.4 million net profit for the same period a year earlier. The airline also reported an underlying pre-tax profit increase of 37.1% to A$112.3 million, its highest in 11 years.
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Air Astana 2018 net profit down 86% on higher costs
Air Astana posted a declared unaudited net profit of $5.3 million in 2018, down 86.4% from a net profit of $39.1 million in 2017, driven by higher jet fuel costs despite higher revenues.
The Kazakhstan flag carrier carried 4.3 million passengers and recorded a 3% year-over-year (YOY) passenger growth.
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Aeromexico posts 2018 net loss on fuel costs, inflation
Grupo Aeromexico reported a net loss for 2018 of MXP1.9 billion ($98.6 million), reversed from a MXP18 million net income a year earlier.
Headwinds faced by the Mexico City-based carrier in 2018 included a 35.6% year-over-year (YOY) increase in fuel costs and a 4.8% annual inflation rate.
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Canadian startup Jetlines to serve Quebec City
Aspiring Canadian startup Jetlines, advancing its new strategy of building a route network that seeks to avoid WestJet ULCC subsidiary Swoop, plans to include Quebec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB) in its network, the airline and airport announced Feb. 13.
“It’s a very promising market,” Jetlines CEO Javier Suarez told delegates at Aviation Week’s Routes Americas conference in Quebec City. “We’re going to give people in Quebec City the kind of capacity they want, and they deserve.”
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Norwegian to cease French Caribbean routes in optimization strategy
LCC Norwegian will withdraw from the Caribbean market in March after concluding that its flights to the region are not financially viable.
The airline provides seasonal services from New York JFK, Fort Lauderdale and Montreal to the French overseas territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique, as well as from Guadeloupe and Martinique to Cayenne in French Guyana.
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Italian rail operator to open talks with EasyJet and Delta over Alitalia
Italy’s state railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) plans to begin negotiations with EasyJet and and Delta Air Lines over their potential participation in the privatisation of Alitalia.
Ferrovie says that in light of the "confirmation of interest" from both airlines in the Italian flag carrier, its board has agreed to talks to discuss the main elements of a plan to rescue the SkyTeam Alliance carrier.
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VIDEO: Canada's Flair Airlines unveils new livery
Canadian ultra-low-cost startup Flair Airlines has unveiled a new brand and new aircraft livery, updates that come as the still-new discounter continues expanding its network.
The Kelowna-based carrier has released a video showing time-lapse painting a Boeing 737-800 with a design that includes a green-black-white fuselage and green engine cowlings. That aircraft will enter service in March, says Flair in a 13 February media release.
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Schiphol ground shunt damages KLM 747 and 787
Two KLM widebodies have been involved in a minor ground collision at Amsterdam Schiphol airport.
"During pushback two [aircraft] have accidentally made contact," Schiphol's operator states in a Twitter posting.
It specifies the relevant flight numbers as KL601 and KL623. FlightGlobal schedules data identifies the respective destinations as Los Angeles and Atlanta, and the originally-assigned aircraft as a Boeing 747-400 (PH-BFV) and 787-9 (PH-BHA).
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Private equity firm acquires ASL
Star Capital is to acquire ASL Aviation Holdings.
The European fund manager has signed an agreement with ASL's owners Compagnie Maritime Belge and 3P Air Freighters, which respectively own 51% and 49% of the Irish-headquartered airline group.
Disclosing the deal, ASL cites its "wide-ranging traffic rights and valuable slots at key airports across Europe, Asia and Africa". It operates flights both under its own brands and on behalf of "major international customers" in both passenger and cargo markets.
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Air Canada tail-strike pilot was conducting first 777 flight
Investigators probing an Air Canada Boeing 777-300ER tail-strike at Hong Kong have disclosed that the landing was the pilot’s first on the 777, outside of a simulator.
The first officer, the flying pilot, had obtained a type rating on the 777 five days earlier and was under the supervision of a training captain, with over 6,400h on type, during the flight from Toronto.
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Virgin Australia flags competition concerns on Tasman market
Virgin Australia has had talks with Australia’s competition regulator over its concerns on the level of competition on routes between Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking during the airline’s earnings call, chief executive John Borghetti confirmed that it has been in talks with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on the market, but could not go into specific details of those talks.
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Emirates to link Cambodia and Thailand with daily service from Dubai
New route between Cambodia and Thailand will meet growing passenger demand and facilitate seamless travel between Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
Emirates will link Phnom Penh, (PNH) and Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, (BKK) with a new daily service set to launch on the 1 June 2019. The service from Dubai to Phnom Penh, via Bangkok, will provide passengers travelling between the capital cities of Cambodia and Thailand with more flight options.
LinkAirports
Swissport to acquire the entire cargo handling contract at Heathrow
Swissport is to become the primary shareholder in Heathrow Cargo Handling Ltd. (HCH), increasing its stake to 100 per cent.
With the recent agreement to acquire the remaining 50 per cent stake from Air France in Heathrow Cargo Handling Ltd. (HCH), Swissport will fully own the cargo handling company at one of Europe’s busiest air cargo hubs. The HCH joint venture has been providing first class cargo handling services to the world’s leading airlines at Heathrow, one of Europe’s busiest air cargo hubs, since 1995.
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Finavia enhances customer experience at Helsinki Airport with opening of new Aukio extension
Helsinki Airport’s new extension, Aukio, opened on 8 February 2019. Aukio’s architecture, design and atmosphere are said to be a testament to Finnish skills, providing passengers with a refreshing moment of rest and relaxation before their flight.
“Aukio can rightfully be described as a display window for our country, as millions of international passengers get their first taste of Finland at the airport,” says Helsinki Airport’s Director Joni Sundelin from Finavia. “Our focus throughout development has been on ensuring that passengers are left with an exceptionally positive impression of Finnish design, smoothness, nature and peace.”
LinkMilitary
New Delhi sets stage for naval utility helicopter RFP
New Delhi has called for expressions of interest related to the planned procurement of 111 aircraft via its Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH) requirement, leading up to a request for proposals (RFP) due for release late in the third quarter.
The NUH will replace the Indian navy’s obsolete Hindustan Aeronautics Chetak helicopters, the defence ministry says. Previously, the RFP had been scheduled for release last year, but no details were given for the apparent delay.
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Moscow claims new A-100 superior to E-3 Sentry
Moscow has touted the capabilities of its new Beriev A-100 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft as being far superior to domestic and international rivals.
The Russian defence ministry made the claim in a recent release about the type’s launch of preliminary flight tests pending acceptance by the country’s military.
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Aviation Quote
He moves not through distance, but through the ranges of satisfaction that come from hauling himself up into the air with complete and utter control; from knowing himself and knowing his airplane so well that he can come somewhere close to touching, in his own special and solitary way, that thing that is called perfection.
- Richard Bach, A Gift of Wings
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What is an aerial train?
2. The most common configuration for a twin-engine business jet is for an engine to be mounted on each side of the rear fuselage. What was the first twin-engine turbine airplane to be so configured?
3. What is it called when a) ice becomes water vapor without becoming water in the process, and b) water vapor becomes ice without becoming water in the process?
4. True or false; Supersonic airplanes generate three sonic booms.
5. The world's first radio-equipped air traffic control tower began operation in 1930 and served
A. Cleveland, Ohio.
B. Indianapolis, Indiana.
C. Newark, New Jersey.
D. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
