NAS Daily 22 FEB 19 - UPDATED • netAirspace

airtrainer 21 Feb 19, 22:53

News

Commercial

European Commission’s no-deal Brexit plan gets provisional approval
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) have reached provisional agreement on the European Commission’s proposal to ensure basic air services between the UK and the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The agreement, announced Feb. 20, endorses the contingency measures proposed in December 2018 by the commission to maintain basic aviation services if the UK leaves the EU March 29 without a withdrawal agreement.
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Zeitfracht to take over Lufthansa’s regional LGW subsidiary
Berlin-based logistics company Zeitfracht Group has acquired German regional airline LGW from the Lufthansa Group.
LGW, which operates under Lufthansa’s Eurowings brand, will continue to operate for the LCC through a long-term wet-lease agreement, according to a Feb. 20 joint statement. Terms of the deal, which takes effect April 1, were not disclosed.
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IATA: Accident rate up in 2018, but overall trend positive
IATA’s latest safety figures show commercial-airline accident rates increased in 2018, up from a record low in 2017, although long-term trends remain positive. In 2018, IATA recorded 1.35 accidents per million flights, up from 1.11 in 2017. However, the 2018 performance was better than the five-year average of 1.79 for 2013-2017. “Last year some 4.3 billion passengers flew safely on 46.1 million flights. 2018 was not the extraordinary year that 2017 was.
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PICTURES: Delta opens engine test cell in Atlanta
A newly opened jet engine test cell facility at Delta Air Lines' technical operations centre in Atlanta is part of the company’s aim of growing its MRO business revenue by $1 billion annually for the next five years.
Engineers at Delta TechOps will use both the new test cell facility and its new engine repair shop that serviced its first engine in September to maintain, repair, overhaul and test a new generation of engines for its airline and MRO customers worldwide. The new test cell also includes new measuring and monitoring equipment for safety checks, according to Delta.
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Spirit AeroSystems to do preliminary design of Aerion AS2’s fuselage
Spirit AeroSystems will perform preliminary design work for the forward, pressurised fuselage of Aerion’s in-development supersonic business jet, the AS2.
Spirit expects to immediately begin development efforts, it says on 21 February.
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MTU raising PW1100G engine output to 200 this year
MTU plans to increase output of Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofans from its Munich plant to around 200 engines over the full course of 2019, and to 250 in 2020.
The manufacturer assembles the PW1100G – an option on the Airbus A320neo family – in the German city and is responsible for around one-third of deliveries.
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Airlines

British Airways announce next centenary livery
BA have this morning announced that the 1959 BEA livery will be applied to A319 G-EUPJ as the next stage of their centenary celebrations. The aircraft will be painted at Shannon and is expected to be unveiled in early March:
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Qantas sees net profit fall 16% in fiscal 1H on international decline
Qantas reported falling profits in its international operation for the six months through Dec. 31, 2018, but the airline predicts competitive and cost pressure in the international market will ease this year. The international decline overshadowed slight gains in the domestic operation and the loyalty division. The Qantas Group’s net profit fell to A$498 million ($354 million) for the period, its fiscal first half, a 16.3% drop compared to the A$595 million net profit in the year-ago ...
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Air Canada leverages flexibility of rouge, Express fleets
Recently announced changes to Air Canada’s network reflect added flexibility the airline has in two recently revamped agreements that affect how the airline can deploy its rouge subsidiary and Air Canada Express-contracted fleets.
The changes upgrade both capacity and amenities on several routes—including transborder markets out of its Toronto and Montreal hubs—and introduce new service.
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Ryanair to open Toulouse base, add 50 French routes
Ryanair will open a new base at Toulouse as part of its winter 2019 schedule, stationing two Boeing 737-800s there and more than doubling the number of routes it operates from the southwestern French city.
The Irish LCC also plans to increase its Marseille and Bordeaux bases with an additional 737, bringing the total at each to three, and substantially expand its networks from both locations.
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Jazeera posts 2018 net profit gain as passenger numbers rise
Boosted by a sharp increase in passengers, Kuwaiti hybrid airline Jazeera Airways posted a 2018 net profit of KD8.7 million ($28.6 million), up 5.7% compared to a net income of KD8.2 million in 2017.
The airline carried 2 million passengers in 2018, a 42.8% increase year-over-year (YOY), and load factor was up 1.3 points to 75.2%.
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Airports

Heathrow reports record profit in 2018
London Heathrow Airport has posted a £267 million ($348.5 million) adjusted pre-tax profit for 2018, 23% up on the prior year, based on a 2.7% increase in passenger numbers and higher retail spending.
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye described 2018 as the airport’s “best ever year,” with record passenger volumes and lower costs.
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Bengaluru airport sees local IT industry as key to hub ambitions
Bengaluru's Kempegowda International airport has highlighted the role of the local IT industry in giving it "the right traffic potential and ideal geographical location" to become a major hub.
Chief executive Hari Marar says the airport "finds itself in a sweet spot as airlines are eager to expand their operations from Bengaluru because they can easily cover all key markets located within a four to six hour flying range". He notes: "Bengaluru – the Silicon Valley of India with the largest IT companies and a growing start-up ecosystem – has enormous business opportunities which requires Bengaluru to offer robust air connectivity to the world."
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New campaign by Canada’s Airports aim to reignite the wonder of Air travel
The Canadian Airports Council (CAC) has launched a new digital campaign called the 'Wonder Takes Flight' that it hopes will reignite frequent travellers' enthusiasm for travel.
The bilingual marketing campaign will be featured online and in-airports across the country and aim capture the awe and enthusiasm that most kids feels when they visit an airport for the first time.
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New F&B outlets will leave SLC passengers spoilt for choice
Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) has unveiled the selection of new F&B offerings coming its way in autumn 2020 as part of its ongoing multi-billion dollar revamp.
The Utah airport believes that passengers will be 'wowed' not only by the new-look airport, but by the wide array of F&B options, which will include everything from traditional American fare to Asian, Italian and Mexican offerings.
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Drone sighting at Dublin Airport forces suspension of operations
Services at Dublin Airport are now back up and running, but the drone caused approximately 30 minutes of disruption.
A confirmed drone sighting at Dublin Airport forced a 30-minute temporary suspension of operations this morning [21 February 2019]. Shortly after 12:00 PM, the airport confirmed services were back up and running.
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Runway refurb at DXB will see the southern runway closed for 45 days
While the runway at Dubai International Airport (DXB) is out of action for much needed refurbishment, traffic at Dubai World Central (DWC) is expected to increase by 700 per cent.
The closure, between 16 April to 30 May 2019, will reduce the hub airport’s capacity; making DWC an attractive alternative to absorb affected scheduled, charter, cargo and general aviation operations.
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Military

AERO INDIA: Boeing offers India futuristic Super Hornet factory
Boeing has promoted its industrial capabilities in India, as it eyes potential deals to sell the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to the nation's air force and navy.
Speaking at the Aero India show near Bengaluru on 21 February, company officials said it would build a “factory of the future” in India to produce the Super Hornet. New Delhi has two separate requirements for combat aircraft: 110 for the air force and 57 for the navy.
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AERO INDIA: DRDO reveals plans for C295 variants
India’s Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) plans to adapt the Airbus Defence & Space C295 tactical transport for special missions should a deal to obtain the type be finalized.
The company displayed two models of the C295 in its pavilion. The Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMMA) is aimed at the coast guard; the other is an airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) variant for the air force.
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MTU sees benefits from joint European future fighter
Engine maker MTU Aero Engines has not ruled out the possibility that the planned development of a future combat air system (FCAS) between France, Germany and Spain, in which it is involved, could ultimately be combined with the UK's parallel Tempest programme to deliver a new pan-European fighter.
MTU chief executive Reiner Winkler acknowledges that the industrial prospects, particularly around exports, for both the FCAS and Tempest could be undermined by competition between the two.
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Aviation Quote

The aggressive spirit, the offensive, is the chief thing everywhere in war, and the air is no exception.

- Baron Manfred von Richthofen