NAS Daily 29 APR 19

airtrainer 28 Apr 19, 21:45

News

Commercial

US pilots test Boeing’s new computer-based Max training
Boeing is sharing a proposed computer-based pilot training session with US pilot unions as part of its work to return the 737 Max to service, several sources familiar with Max’s re-certification efforts say.
The computer-based training session reviews the 737 Max’s speed trim system and the manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS), which has been identified as among factors contributing to two 737 Max crashes.
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PICTURE: RAAF receives first Falcon 7X for VIP transport
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has taken delivery of the first of three Dassault Falcon 7X business jets from a June 2017 order.
The long-range aircraft, registration A56-001 (MSN283) was handed over on 16 April, Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer shows, and will be used in a governmental and VIP transport role.
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Bombardier downgrades 2019 financial outlook
Bombardier attributes a $250 million fall in forecast full-year revenue from its commercial aviation business to a pair of divestments which are scheduled to close earlier than anticipated.
In its preliminary first-quarter results, released on 26 April, the Canadian airframer lowered turnover guidance for the commercial aviation unit to around $1.15 billion.
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OPINION: 737 Max airmanship needs as much scrutiny as MCAS
There is an uncomfortable aspect of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max accident that complicates an investigation whose narrative has been dictated by debate over the controversial Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System.
While Boeing has faced a public avalanche of scorn and scepticism – perhaps deservedly – the accident sequence does not easily divide into convenient ‘before’ and ‘after’ timelines, separated by a well-defined point, some 1min 21s into the flight, when MCAS wrote its trace onto the flight-data recorder like a harbinger of catastrophe.
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Airlines

American 1Q net profit down 23%; MAX grounding to cost $350 million
American Airlines reported a 2019 first-quarter net profit of $237 million, down 23%. Strong passenger demand drove a 1.8% year-over-year increase 1Q total revenue, to a first-quarter record $10.6 billion. The Boeing 737 MAX grounding is projected to cost Dallas/Fort Worth-based American about $350 million in full-year income, assuming its current plan to have the aircraft back in revenue service by Aug. 19 holds, the carrier reported.
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ANA’s profit down 23%; sees record revenue, steady passenger growth
Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) recorded a JPY110.7 billion ($998.3 million) profit for FY2018/2019, down 23% from JPY1.97 trillion in FY2017/2018. However, the Star Alliance member saw its highest revenue ever, crossing the JPY2 trillion mark to JPY2.06 trillion, a year-over-year (YOY) increase of 4.4%. ANA’s operating income also continued to grow for the fourth consecutive year to JPY165 billion, up 0.3% YOY.
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Alaska Airlines reports flat net income in 1Q on storm disruptions
Winter storm-related disruptions and a drop in close-in bookings held Alaska Air Group’s net income flat at $4 million in the 2019 first quarter, the same as the year-ago period.
February storms in the Pacific Northwest forced the Seattle-based carrier—parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air—to cancel 1,100 flights, and reduced 1Q revenue by $15 million, CCO Andrew Harrison said during an April 25 earnings call.
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Spirit Airlines posts $56.1 million 1Q profit, lowers 2Q guidance
Florida-based LCC Spirit Airlines reported a 2019 first-quarter net income of $56.1 million, reversed from a net loss of $44.9 million in the year-ago quarter.
First-quarter operating expenses were up 3.4% to $768 million. Revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% year-over-year (YOY) to $855.8 million, because of an increase in flight volume, passenger yields and load factor.
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US parent of UK’s Eastern Airways faces bankruptcy
UK regional carrier Eastern Airways declined to comment on its future in light of the financial problems facing its parent company, US-based Bristow Group.
The Houston-headquartered helicopter operator is attempting to stave off bankruptcy, having revealed in its preliminary third-quarter FY2019 results Feb. 11 “material weakness” in internal controls over financial reporting.
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Air Italy increases focus on Milan Malpensa base
Air Italy plans to increase emphasis on its Milan Malpensa hub by altering its domestic timetable to provide more connections there.
Announcing its winter 2019/20 schedules, the carrier said it plans to station aircraft from its narrowbody Boeing 737 fleet in domestic outstations overnight to allow for early morning flights into Malpensa. This will provide optimum timings both for travel to the northern Italian economic center as well as for connections for onward travel.
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United introduces modernized aircraft livery
United Airlines has unveiled a new, modernized aircraft livery that it said will bring a refreshed look to its fleet.
According to the Chicago-based carrier, the next iteration of United’s livery prominently features the color most connected to the airline’s core—blue.
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CAAC to OK Shanghai-London flights for Air China, China Eastern
Air China and China Eastern Airlines are likely to add flights between Shanghai and London following a notice of intended decisions in their favor by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
The carriers were among five that applied to add a daily service to the route. The others, whose applications have been rejected, were China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines and China Eastern subsidiary Shanghai Airlines.
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Jazeera Airways swings to profit in 1Q on solid customer base
Kuwait-based hybrid carrier Jazeera Airways reported a 2019 first-quarter net profit of KD1.5 million ($4.9 million), reversed from a net loss of KD0.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
The airline cited a growing, solid network and expanding customer base for the results. Turnover was up by 48.4 % to KD21.3 million from KD14.3 million year-over-year (YOY).
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SAS cancels 673 flights as pilots go on strike
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was forced to cancel 673 flights on April 26 as 1,409 SAS pilots went on strike after an agreement could not be reached on predictable working hours and market-based salaries. More than 72,000 passengers were affected.
According to SAS, 70% of domestic, European and long-haul flights were canceled.
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American A321neo deliveries slide on Airbus delays
American Airlines faces another fleet-related setback to its growth plans this year, as delays at Airbus push delivery of five A321neos into 2020.
The postponed arrivals follow the grounding of the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier's 24 Boeing 737 Max 8s in March that is expected to last into August, and temporary removal of 14 737-800s due to interior retrofit issues during the first quarter.
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PICTURES: Air Mauritius debuts A330neo cabin in London
Air Mauritius is to revamp its existing Airbus A340s in line with its new A330neos, the second of which it took delivery of on 25 April.
Delivery of its second A330neo comes a week after Air Mauritius received its first of the type.
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Airports

Russia’s Rostov-on-Don airport reports 28% regional traffic growth
Regional traffic from Russia’s Platov airport in Rostov-on-Don has doubled within the last two years.
The airport said it served 166,700 passengers to domestic regional destinations, excluding Moscow airports, in 1Q 2019, up 28% in 1Q 2018 and twice more than were served at the old city airport in 1Q 2017. The airport cited network development for the growth. The number of local routes also doubled.
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Groupe ADP raises 2019 Paris traffic forecast after 1Q results
Groupe ADP increased its 2019 traffic forecast for the Paris airports it operates as overall group traffic edged up 0.4% in the first quarter to 58 million passengers, held back by a decrease in domestic traffic at the Turkish airports run by TAV Airports. As a result of “very good” first-quarter activity at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports, the group adjusted its Paris traffic forecast for the full year to an increase of 2.5%-3%, up from a previous forecast ...
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Military

F-35 full mission capability rate only 27% due to parts shortages
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II’s performance is far lower than desired by the US Department of Defense (DoD), largely due to spare parts shortages, as well as difficulty managing and moving parts around the world.
Only 27% of F-35 fighters worldwide were full mission capable between May and November 2018, according to a study conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
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ANALYSIS: Super Hornets find place in stealth fighter generation
It might be the era of fifth-generation stealth fighters, but Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is selling just fine. In March 2019, the company secured a three-year contract from the US Navy (USN) for 78 F/A-18E/F Block III Super Hornets, with a total contract value of about $4 billion. That follows a $1.8 billion order by the service in 2018 for 24 examples. The Block III is the most modern variant of the fighter.
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Poland orders four AW101 helicopters for navy
Poland has signed for four Leonardo Helicopters AW101s to be operated by its navy for anti-submarine warfare and combat search and rescue missions.
Valued at €380 million ($423 million), the contract for the UK assembled helicopters includes a training and logistics package. Deliveries will run until 2022, says Leonardo.
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Aviation Quote

I know how to never have another 'Challenger.' I know how to never have another leak, and never to screw up another mirror, and that is to stop and build some shopping centers in the desert.

- J. R. Thompson, NASA deputy administrator.