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NEWS

Meteorologists say flight-disrupting ash clouds to disappear
Airlines are expected to be able to return to normal services soon as meteorologists expect the ash clouds from the Icelandic volcano to disappear. "There were very few eruptions by the volcano over the last six to 12 hours so the volcano is in a reasonably calm state at the moment," said Brian Flynn, head of network operations for Eurocontrol, which controls air traffic in the region. Several airports in Germany closed this morning because of the ash cloud.
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Air France black boxes suggest crash was caused by pilot error
The data recorders from the Air France jet that crashed nearly two years ago into the Atlantic Ocean indicate that the pilots had become distracted with issues related to airspeed indicators, according to sources. The pilots failed to adjust the engine thrust and deal with other vital systems.
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ANA to get first 787 in August or September
Boeing aims to deliver the first 787 Dreamliner to All Nippon Airways (ANA) in August or September, following a test aircraft's maiden flight in Japan in July as part of a simulation of revenue operations.
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Spirit Air reduces scope of IPO to 15.6 million shares
Spirit Airlines reduced its planed initial public offering of 20 million shares of stock to 15.6 million shares, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing today. Analysts had termed the IPO a risky maneuver. "Most airlines would never even think about doing equity right now, with fuel at a three-year high and the outlook somewhat uncertain" for the economy, said Michael Derchin, an analyst for CRT Capital Group.
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Storms force American Airlines to cancel Dallas flights
Thunderstorms caused American Airlines to cancel more than 100 flights in and out of its main hub, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, according to airline spokeswoman Andrea Huguely. Scheduling backups caused some of the cancellations in Dallas. "The system gets backed up when you have bad weather," Huguely said. "It creates a domino effect, it makes it difficult to catch up." It was unclear whether other airlines had also canceled flights to and from Dallas.
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Boeing execs continue to consider options for 737 successor
Jim Albaugh, commercial airplanes chief at Boeing, said the company has briefed airlines on its plans and they don't immediately need an answer on its successor for the 737. "If you're holding your breath for the Paris Air Show, I'm not going to say we're not going to make an announcement, but I'd be very surprised if we did," Albaugh said, referring to the industry event in June. Boeing executives said they are considering designing a new single-aisle plane, but are also interested in making changes to the existing 737 design.
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Airlines refresh fleets as air travel demand rises
Airlines know that their appearance, including the look of the exterior of their aircraft, is important. Some airlines delayed cosmetic work on the planes during the economic downturn, but they are now striving to catch up. Aircraft maintenance providers have noted a rebound in demand for painting services, some of which is also fueled by merger activity.
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TSA report: Airport-scanner radiation is within acceptable levels
The Transportation Security Administration said new tests of radiation levels emitted from airport full-body scanners were within acceptable levels. "The latest reports confirm previous testing and show that every backscatter unit currently used for passenger screening in U.S. airports is operating well within applicable national safety standards," TSA spokesman Nicholas Kimball said.
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Ash cloud prompts alert among jet fuel traders
The Icelandic volcano that erupted Saturday and produced an ash cloud prompted concerns about a repeat of last year's air travel disruptions. The situation has also caused jet fuel traders to be on alert. Prices of jet fuel futures dropped this week as officials issued warnings about flight cancellations.
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Singapore Airlines to launch low-fare airline
Sending a major signal to the airline industry that the competitive landscape of long-haul travel is changing, Singapore Airlines announced Wednesday it will set up a new no-frills, low-fare carrier operating twin-aisle aircraft on medium- and long-haul routes.
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Discussion

Malaysia Airlines incurs $75.7 million first-quarter loss
Malaysia Airlines blamed the steep increase in fuel prices and the strengthening of the Malaysian Ringgit for a pre-tax loss of MYR238.25 million ($75.7 million) for the first quarter ended March 31, reversed from a pre-tax profit of MYR320.25 million in the year-ago period.
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ICAO forum focuses on runway safety; ACI unveils APEX program
Runway incursions/excursions and other runway-related events account for the largest category of aviation accidents, playing a role in a third of all accidents, according to ICAO, which this week is holding a Global Runway Safety Symposium at its Montreal headquarters.
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Merpati MA60s banned from operating to certain airports
Indonesia's transport ministry has ordered Merpati Nusantara Airlines to stop operating Xian MA60s to three airports in the wake of a safety audit carried out following a fatal accident.
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Stevens Crash: NTSB faults FAA medical, equipage rules
The US National Transportation Safety Board wants safety regulators to revise medical guidance for certifying pilots after a stroke, and to issue new rules for carriage of flight data and cockpit recorders.
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Other News

All Nippon Airways and First Eastern Investment, a Hong Kong-based private equity firm, Joint venture partners, named their new LCC Peach Aviation. ANA said the name symbolizes longevity, energy and happiness—as peaches do in Japan.

Houston Airport System and United Continental Holdings said that construction on the first phase of a $1 billion redevelopment project at Houston Intercontinental will start by the end of 2011. Phase one, slated to cost $161 million, involves building a Terminal B south concourse for domestic regional jet operations. In addition, UCH said it extended its lease on IAH's Terminal C to 2027.

Rockwell Collins said its AHS-4000 Attitude and Reference Heading System is now certified for use onboard Bombardier CRJ1000s. It also announced its FMS-4200 Flight Management System is certified and will be standard on CRJ700/CRJ900/CRJ1000 aircraft.

Teledyne Controls has begun to integrate its Wireless Groundlink End-to-End Network Solutions System onboard all Pegasus Airlines aircraft. Pegasus said that with this system, data will be downloaded in 15 minutes, enabling flight information to be shared with company headquarters after every flight.

Quovadis was selected by Tibet Airlines to begin implementing Required Navigation Performance procedures this summer, using an Airbus A319. Tibet will fly RNP-AR (authorization required) procedures to and from Lhasa, Ali, Bangda, Shigatse and Linzhi. The carrier has acquired three A319s and plans to add 20 additional aircraft to its fleet over the next five years.

Lufthansa Systems inked a contract with Emirates to supply its Lido/AMDB data for the airport moving map application in the carrier's Airbus A380 cockpits. The agreement also covers implementation of its Lido/AMM solution to equip the carrier’s remaining fleet with an airport moving map application.

Wizz Air will launch thrice-weekly Vilnius-Dortmund service Aug. 2.

AirBaltic will increase service from Riga to Warsaw (thrice-daily) and Gdansk (six-times-weekly), and will launch twice-weekly RIX-Bari service in July.

American Eagle will launch daily Dallas/Fort Worth-Mazatlan service June 9.

Avianca will launch four-times-weekly Bogota-Orlando service July 12 using an A319.



AVIATION QUOTE

Man is not as good as a black box for certain specific things. however he is more flexible and reliable. He is easily maintained and can be manufactured by relatively unskilled labour.

— Wing Commander H. P. Ruffell Smith, RAF, 1949.



ON THIS DATE

May 26th

• In 1923... Lieutenant H. G. Crocker lands at Gordon, Ontario, to complete a non-stop transcontinental south/north flight from Houston, Texas, of 11 hours, 55 minutes.

• In 1942... The Northrop XP-61 Black Widow night fighter prototype flies for the first time.

• In 1970... The prototype Tupolev Tu-144 supersonic airliner reaches a speed of 1,335mph, becoming the first commercial transport in the world to exceed Mach 2.

• In 1972... Cessna Aircraft Corporation announces completion of the company’s 100,000th aircraft, becoming the first company in the world to achieve such a production figure.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE


Photo ©Nosedive, 2011



HUMOR

Fellow Republican

A USMC sniper was real good at his job, and he had a method. He would yell out some insult at the enemy and when someone stood up to reply, BANG - one less insurgent!

After every mission the company commander would ask "How many insurgents have you shot today?"

However, on this particular day when asked about the number killed, he reported "Five killed and I let one go, sir."

"Let one go?" roared the company commander. "What do you mean, you let one go?"

"Well, sir, I yelled out 'Osama is a Homo!' Then this big insurgent stood up and yelled 'Hillary is a Bitch!' I just couldn't shoot a fellow Republican!"



TRIVIA

Tail ID

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.

1. American
2. Alitalia
3. Gulf Air
4. Iberia
5. Kingfisher
6. Egyptair
7. Olympic
8. PIA
9. United
10. United (or Continental Hybrid)

I'm with the Hodge on this one.

Editor's choice answer:
Delta :-D Thanks for the recognition, Miami!

ANSWERS:
1. AA, American Airlines
2. AZ, Alitalia Airlines
3. GF, Gulf Air
4. IB, Iberia Lineas Aereas de España
5. IT, Kingfisher Airlines
6. MS, Egypt Air
7. OA, Olympic Airlines
8. PK, Pakistan International Airlines
9. UA, United Airlines
10. UA, United Airlines