NAS Daily 12 JUL 19

airtrainer 11 Jul 19, 22:28

News

Commercial

ICAO urged to modernize pilot training standards
The top Republicans overseeing aviation issues in the US House wrote to FAA acting administrator Dan Elwell, asking him to urge those participating in ICAO pilot licensing review meetings this week in Montreal on behalf of the US to “advocate to place particular emphasis” on bringing airline training requirements into line with recent advances in automated cockpit technology.
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Boeing's Q2 deliveries slow, new orders scarce
Boeing's aircraft orders tumbled to just 13 in the second quarter of 2019, while deliveries slipped to 90 aircraft due to the grounding of the 737 Max.
Airbus's orders also slipped year-on-year in the second quarter, though not nearly to the same degree.
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PICTURE: Gulfstream G650ER claims record for polar circumnavigation
A Gulfstream G650ER, owned by Qatar Executive, has smashed the record for the fastest circumnavigation of the earth via the North and South Poles.
The ultra-long-range business jet (A7-CGD) took-off from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida at 09:32 local time on 9 July on a mission to mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and the 500th anniversary of the first global circumnavigation.
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Virgin Orbit drop test is prelude to first spaceflight
Virgin Orbit is but a step away from a live launch to orbit, having completed a successful drop-test from its 747-400 carrier vehicle.
The 10 July sortie saw chief test pilot Kelly Latimer and Todd Ericson – both retired US Air Force flyers – take the modified aircraft, aptly named “Cosmic Girl”, from Mojave Air and Space Port to a drop zone 35,000ft over the Pacific Ocean.
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ANALYSIS: Boeing faces pricing pressure as Airbus encroaches
Market values for several top-selling Boeing commercial aircraft continue to face downward pressure amid a convergence of factors that include record-low aircraft lease rates, cheap fuel and fresh competition from Airbus.
Airbus faces some of the same pricing headwinds and is likewise offering significant discounts on some aircraft types, say market analysts.
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Airlines

Delta posts 2Q net income increase on record revenue
Strong revenue gains helped Delta Air Lines post a second-quarter adjusted net income of $1.5 billion, a 24% increase from $1.2 billion in the year-ago period. Delta is confident that its revenue growth will continue to outpace the global economy as it refines its products and services beyond basic airline tickets and cashes in on customers’ willingness to pay for value.
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Air China orders 20 more A350s for long-haul routes
Air China has ordered 20 Airbus A350s, adding to 10 in service and providing potential replacements for carrier’s oldest long-haul aircraft.
Deliveries will run from 2020 to 2022. All are earmarked as A350-900s, but the last five to be delivered can be switched to the -1000 version, the airline said.
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ANA unveils new cabin design for 777-300ER
Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) will introduce an entirely new cabin product for 12 of its Boeing 777-300ERs, after five years of research and design.
Designed by Britain’s Acumen and Japan architect Kengo Kuma, the key features are the new first-class seats, known as THE Suite and new business-class product, known as THE Room.
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European carriers renew call to speed up airspace modernization
Airlines for Europe (A4E) has renewed calls to speed up airspace modernization as structural air traffic control (ATC) issues—including capacity issues and staff shortages—have contributed to a 114% increase in airline delay minutes in the first half of 2019 compared with 2017.
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Canadian North, First Air finalize plans to merge, begin integration
Calgary-based Canadian North and Ottawa-based First Air have finalized their plan to merge, paving the way for the combined carrier to integrate operations as part of a strategy to serve 24 Arctic communities.
The combined entity, which will operate under the Canadian North brand, expects the integration to take 18-24 months.
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Airlines: Airbus A380 checks will not cause disruptions
Airbus A380 operators affected by a new inspection requirement are not anticipating any disruptions resulting from the checks, nor have early results turned up any new issues.
The checks, which EASA will soon mandate, are for hairline cracks in outer rear wing spars. Airbus is recommending that the 25 oldest operating A380s undergo the inspections within 15 years of the aircraft’s “initial wing box assembly,” the manufacturer said.
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Norwegian increases Max grounding impact estimate
Norwegian expects the continuing grounding of the 737 Max will impact its 2019 results by some NKr700 million ($81 million), a sharp increase on previous estimates.
It is still unclear when the jet will be allowed to fly again, although Norwegian said today its estimate was based on an expected return to service in October.
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Singapore chosen as Vistara's first international destination
Indian carrier Vistara has chosen Singapore as the first international destination it will serve, linking Delhi and Mumbai to the city state.
From 6 August, Vistara will operate daily Delhi-Singapore service with its Boeing 737-800s. Daily flights between Mumbai and Singapore will follow suit a day later.
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Airports

Russia’s Gagarin airport to start operations in August
Russia’s Gagarin International Airport will begin operations Aug. 20 to serve Saratov, Russian aviation authorities said.
Validation tests will run July 28 through Aug. 8, while a test flight is scheduled for Aug. 18.
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Munich Airport 1H passenger numbers up 5% as international travel grows
Munich Airport saw a record number of passengers in the first six months of 2019 as international travel demand steadily increased. First-half passenger numbers grew 5% year-over-year (YOY) to 22.7 million.
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Gatwick Airport suspends flights for 2 hours on ATC issue
Incoming and outgoing flights at London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) were suspended for about two hours July 10 because of an unspecified air traffic control (ATC) systems issue in the airport tower.
The airport, 30 mi. south of London, suspended flights at just after 5 p.m. local time, announcing via Twitter that it was working with tower services provider Air Navigation Solutions (ANS) to “rectify the issue” as soon as possible. It announced at 7:10 p.m. that flights had resumed.
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Egypt’s new airport, Capital International, begins one month trial
The new airport has been built with the purpose of serving the new capital, and significantly relieving pressure on Cairo International Airport.
Capital International Airport has opened for a one-month trial to test vital facilities and operating systems ahead of its full operation.
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Military

Boeing B-52 bombers to get new Raytheon AESA radars
The US Air Force (USAF) plans to upgrade the radar on its fleet of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers to new active electronically scanned array (AESA) systems, which will be developed by Raytheon.
Boeing says it selected Raytheon to design, develop, produce and sustain the radars, which will be based on the company’s APG-79/APG-82 radar family used on the USAF’s F-15E fleet.
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Boeing Defense catching up with helicopter and tanker deliveries
After struggling with manufacturing and parts design problems last year, issues which delayed dozens of deliveries, Boeing Defense, Space & Security matched its 2018 delivery totals in the first six months of the year, with 96 military aircraft received by customers.
Many of the company’s deliveries in the first two quarters of 2019 were new and remanufactured examples of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter.
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Aviation Quote

Too late. No time, no.

- Captain Christian Marty, Air France 4590 Concorde, last recorded words. ATC had just warned, "Concorde zero ... 4590, You have flames. You have flames behind you." 25 July 2000.