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NAS Daily 24 JAN 22

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airtrainer 23 Jan 22, 22:49Post
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News

Incidents/Accidents

FR4978: US accuses Belarusian officials of air piracy over forced landing
Federal prosecutors in New York have charged four Belarusian officials with piracy following the diversion of Ryanair flight 4978 in May 2021.  
“We are committed to holding accountable these central participants in a shocking conspiracy to commit aircraft piracy that not only violated international norms and U.S. criminal law, but also potentially endangered the lives of four U.S. citizens and scores of other innocent passengers on board,” attorney Damian Williams announced in a US Department of Justice press release.  
According to Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, a special investigation identified a conspiracy to fake a bomb scare and force the airplane to make an emergency landing. 
Link


Commercial

Airbus terminates contract to deliver 50 A321neo aircraft to Qatar Airways
Airbus is turning up the heat in the latest chapter in its dispute with Qatar Airways over grounded A350 jets.
Bloomberg reports that Airbus announced on January 20, 2022 that it had terminated a separate contract to deliver 50 A321neo aircraft that the airline needs. The single-aisle model jets are in popular demand, with the earliest availability for the aircraft only in 2023. 
This move is not only expected to widen the rift between Airbus and Qatar Airways, but will also put pressure on the airline as Qatar prepares to host the World Cup soccer event in November 2022.
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Airlines

First Airbus A320neo with Airspace Cabin delivered to Swiss
Swiss has taken delivery of its first Airbus A320neo featuring the new Airspace cabin configuration.
The new Airspace cabin features include: slimmer sidewall panels for extra personal space at shoulder level; better views through the windows with their redesigned bezels and completely integrated window shades; the largest overhead bins for 60% more bags; the latest full LED lighting technologies; LED-lit ‘entrance area’; and new lavatories with hygienic touchless features and antimicrobial surfaces.
Link

Air New Zealand reviews 2021: A year in the air at 35,000 ft
Before 2022 starts to fly by, Air New Zealand has been crunching the numbers from the past 12 months to reveal all that’s been carried, eaten and sipped onboard our flights.
Air New Zealand carried almost 8 million customers (7,919,929 to be exact) and operated 118,721 flights around Aotearoa and the world in 2021.
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says if the year has taught the airline anything, it was that Kiwis absolutely love to travel around Aotearoa.
Link

Airlines in Europe say they are flying near-empty planes as omicron derails travel. They say E.U. rules mean they can’t stop.
BRUSSELS — As the omicron variant derails travel plans around the world, airlines say strict European Union regulations are forcing them to fly near-empty flights — unnecessary and environmentally harmful flights that they argue they need to fly to save their long-term takeoff and landing slots at European airports.
Airlines must use a certain percentage of their designated slots at airports to hold on to them. But low demand during the pandemic has led airlines to fly near empty flights, often known as ghost flights, to meet the requirements. Lufthansa, a large German airline, has said it canceled 33,000 trips, or 10 percent of its winter flights, because of low demand but still anticipates needing to fly 18,000 “poorly booked” flights to secure its slots.
Link

Incoming Southwest CEO Says Assigned Seats May Be in Airline's Future
Southwest does not currently assign seats but instead gives passengers a boarding group and reserved boarding number when they check in.
Assigned seating may be in Southwest's future, the airline's incoming CEO said at a virtual town hall this week.
The airline, long known for its unique way of doing things, does not currently assign seats but instead gives passengers a boarding group and reserved boarding number when they check in. However, incoming CEO Robert Jordan, who was previously the airline's executive vice president and will officially take the reins in February, said it may be time for a change.
Link

China Southern completes Boeing 737 MAX test flight
China’s largest 737 MAX operator, China Southern Airlines, has completed a test flight of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, as sign that the country’s aviation regulator could be closer to certifying the jet to fly again, Reuters reported.  
According to Flightradar24.com data, China Southern Airlines’ (ZNH) Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered as B-1206, took off for what is understood to be a first test flight from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) on January 21, 2022. 
An aviation content creator in China called FATII Aviation has also spotted the carrier's 737 MAX taking off from Guangzhou Baiyun.
Link

Lufthansa to buy 40% stake in ITA Airways
Following lengthy discussions, Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) Group is going to acquire 40% stake in Italy’s newly-created flag carrier ITA Airways. 
The companies have agreed on certain key topics, including ITA’s finances, consolidation of purchases, and other details. 
The carriers also agreed on the role of Rome–Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), which would serve as a hub for flights to Africa and some routes to America. 
The news about the agreement were first reported by Italian newspaper Il Fogilio. According to the source, the acquisition is going to be officially announced next week, starting on January 24, 2022. 
Link

American Airlines posts yearly loss, focuses on profitability in 2022
American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) has reported a yearly loss of $2 billion citing the industry’s struggle to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Following a year of uncertainty, the airline is focused on returning to profitability in 2022.  
“Over the past year, we have experienced periods of high travel demand countered by periods of decreased demand due to new COVID-19 variants,” said American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker. 
During the fourth quarter of 2021, a lucrative period for carriers across the world, the airline lost $931 million. The negative financial result was largely attributed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which was first discovered in late November 2021.  
Link

Qantas seeks to terminate existing contract terms with long-haul cabin crew
Qantas Airways has announced that it would seek to terminate its existing contract terms with its long-haul cabin crew members in the wake of COVID-19. 
Arguing that the current terms are outdated, the carrier has applied to Australia’s Fair Work Commission to end the agreement so that the airline can more towards a more flexible model of working and simplify the cabin crew rostering process.  
Under the current terms of employment, long-haul cabin crew members are limited to working on specific aircraft models. International Qantas Airways crew are only permitted to work on either Airbus A330s or A380s or Boeing 787 aircraft. Currently, this means that 20% of 2,500 flight attendants can only operate on a single type of aircraft. Qantas would like to enable all long-haul crew to be trained to work across all three aircraft types. 
Link


Airports

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol records cargo increase in 2021
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s total cargo volume for 2021 increased by 15.7 per cent to 1.66 million tonnes compared to 2020.
Inbound cargo volumes increased by 15.2 per cent to 869,241 tonnes in 2021 compared to 2020, and outbound cargo volumes also increased by 16.1 per cent to 798,063 tonnes during the same period.
The top three destinations for cargo by tonnage were Shanghai, China, Chicago, USA, and Dubai, UAE.
Link

Queen Alia Airport renews ACI World ‘Airport Health Accreditation’
Airport International Group successfully renewed the Airports Council International (ACI) World Airport Health Accreditation of Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) until December 2022. The certificate recognises QAIA’s commitment to prioritising health and safety measures as per the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council Aviation Restart Task Force (CART) recommendations, the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and industry best practices.
Link

Incheon Airport announces plans to accommodate global museum
Incheon International Airport (ICN), South Korea’s largest airport, has released plans to host an international museum, with aims to be up and running as early as 2024.
According to the The Korea Herald , the Incheon International Airport Corp (IIAC), operators of Incheon Airport, is launching a feasibility project in February 2022, into how best to accommodate a satellite site for a recognised museum ‘brand’ on-site.
An official from IIAC, whilst speaking to The Korea Herald, mentioned that the company was looking at two options for hosting the attraction, either a small site presented in Terminal 2 or a grander, landmark complex at within the airport’s Terminal 1.
Link


Military/Space

Atlas Cheetah, South Africa’s forgotten fighter jet
Private military corporations, in their modern form, appeared fairly recently. They proliferated in the post-Cold War environment, taking advantage of the privatization and outsourcing of functions previously undertaken by governments across the globe. 
One of their specialisms is dissimilar air combat training, so-called ‘Red Air’. A concept familiar to anybody who has ever seen Top Gun (1986), it pits fighter pilots against adversaries using equipment and tactics similar to those employed in real combat. 
Currently, NATO buys most of its Red Air services from a handful of PMCs which operate old, heavily modified aircraft flown by ex-military pilots. Draken International is one of these companies. If possesses various kinds of jets, from light attack A-4s to ex-Soviet MiG-21s. 
Link

Russian Air Force receives two more Su-57s
Russian media reports that in the closing days of 2021 the Russian Air Force received two more Sukhoi Su-57 Felon fifth-generation fighter jets. 
These are the third and the forth serially-produced Su-57s. The first one crashed in 2019, before being delivered to the military. The second one was delivered in December 2020.  
The new deliveries mean that the Russian Su-57 fleet now consists of three aircraft, not counting the prototypes. 
The information about the new deliveries first appeared on January 20, 2021, in an announcement by the Russian Ministry of Defense. According to the deputy Minister of Defense Aleksey Krivoruchko, 77 new and modernized airplanes were delivered to the Russian Air Force, including two Su-57s. 
Link

US to transfer ex-Afghan helicopters to Ukraine
The United States will transfer five Russian-made Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, originally belonging to the Afghan military, to Ukraine.  
The helicopters will be transferred along with other defensive weapons, including anti-aircraft systems shipped from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  
The information was revealed in a new report by CNN, with the news network referring to several US State department and presidential administration officials close to the matter. 
The report also revealed that the helicopters are already undergoing maintenance in Ukraine. However, certain procedures will have to be completed before their final transfer to Ukrainian military. 
Link




Aviation Quote

Let’s light this fire one more time, Mike, and witness this great nation at its best.

- Christopher Ferguson, Atlantis STS-135 commander, to launch director Mike Leinbach right before the lift-off of the final Space Shuttle mission, 8 July 2011


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Trivia

General Trivia

1. What was the first production airplane to incorporate the remarkably successful and popular Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop engine?

2. What current manufacturer of popular automobiles was the first manufacturer of production turbojet engines?

3. Part 23 of the Federal Aviation Regulations specifies that it must be possible to safely land a certified airplane without using:
A. Ailerons
B. Elevator(s)
C. Pitch trim
D. Rudder(s)

4. The landing deck of an aircraft carrier is angled at 15 degrees left of the ship's centerline, so that the relative wind created by the ship always creates a right crosswind component for landing pilots. When the surface wind is southerly and equal to the ships speed, what must the ship's heading be so that the pilot can land without a crosswind?

5. The first aircraft to complete a transatlantic flight was one of three US Navy Curtiss NC flying boats, NC-4, that completed the journey on 27 MAY 1919. What was the primary method of navigation?

6. The most powerful piston engine ever built for an aircraft was manufactured by:
A. Lycoming
B. Packard
C. Pratt & Whitney
D. Wright


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