miamiair/forum/images/avatars/gallery/first/user54/1.pngoffline(netAirspace FAA) 03 Aug 11, 09:04
NEWS
Boeing completes 787 ETOPS trials Boeing has completed the extended operations (ETOPS) test points portion of its 300h certification systems functionality and reliability (F&R) testing for the Boeing 787 program. "Now that our planned ETOPS testing is in the books, the team will spend the next few weeks finishing function & reliability (F&R) demonstrations that lead up to initial type certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines," said Boeing vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth. Link
AMR president hopes to see merger with British Airways' parent AMR Corp. President Thomas W. Horton said he would like to see his company merge with British Airways' owner, International Airlines Group. American Airlines and British Airways already coordinate flight schedules and share revenue through an alliance. Despite legal hurdles, Horton said a formal merger is the next logical step. "This alliance agreement with BA and IAG is effectively a synthetic merger," he said. "Over time -- I think in my working lifetime -- foreign ownership rules in the U.S. will become more flexible. This alliance could form the basis of a cross-border merger between our airlines." Link
United aims to control Houston airport's Terminal B United Airlines is interested in gaining control over the operations of Terminal B at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. The carrier would pay $686 million to expand and renovate the terminal, and the city would put $288 million into the project. The Houston Airport System has been collecting a $3 fee per passenger since late 2009. Link
Air Canada and flight attendants come to tentative agreement Air Canada said it has struck a tentative collective agreement with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents its flight attendants. The deal is subject to ratification by union members and approval by the carrier's board of directors. The agreement "maintains industry-leading compensation and benefits for Air Canada's flight attendants while ensuring the long-term sustainability of the airline," said Susan Welscheid, senior vice president of customer service at Air Canada. Link
Analysts predict Q2 profit for Southwest Airlines Analysts predict that Southwest Airlines will report earnings of 21 cents per share for the second quarter. The prediction represents a 29% drop from earnings in the second quarter of last year. The carrier is slated to report earnings on Thursday. Link
Efforts to solve FAA partial shutdown weaken as House adjourns On Monday night, the House adjourned without resolving a Federal Aviation Administration funding impasse. The only possible resolution to ending the FAA shutdown is if the Senate approves the House bill, but that scenario appears highly unlikely. "FAA funding is looking very grim right now," a Senate Democratic staffer said. The federal government will lose an estimated $1.2 billion in airline passenger tax revenue while Congress is in recess. Link
Bombardier will make in-flight connectivity standard on CSeries Bombardier says passengers have come to expect in-flight connectivity, and the Canadian manufacturer is making it a baseline on its new CSeries jetliner. "We believe everyone will want to be connected when they come on the aircraft. It's not going to be something that people will want to have as an option. It's pretty basic now that people want to be connected in real time," said Robert Dewar, vice president of the CSeries program at Bombardier. Link
TSA to test behavior-detection screening at Logan airport Logan International Airport in Boston will become the first in the country to test a new layer of behavior-detection security screening. Officers from the Transportation Security Administration will ask all passengers moving through the Terminal A checkpoint a couple of questions and then look for any suspicious behavior. "We're not looking for the answers necessarily; we're instead gauging the reaction, the response, to the question," said George Naccara, federal security director for the TSA at Logan. Link
Alitalia narrows half-year loss to €94 million Alitalia Group reported a net loss of €94 million ($134.9 million) in the 2011 first half, a 43% improvement from the €164 million deficit incurred in the year-ago period. It incurred a €5 million net loss in the second quarter. Half-year operating loss was €69 million compared to a €129 million operating loss in the year-ago period, yet EBIT was positive in the second quarter at €17 million. Link
Atlas Air Worldwide's first-half profit dips 48% but ACMI revenue rises 28% Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings reported a net profit of $34.4 million for the 2011 first half, down 48.2% from $66.4 million in net income posted in the first six months of 2010. Link
Atlas Air to receive first 747-8F in October Atlas Air expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 747-8F in October, followed by two more in November. The airline's parent company Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (AAWW) provided the delivery timeline today, based on a revised scheduled from Boeing that is being reviewed by AAWW. Link
IAF ups pressure for V-22 buy The Israeli air force (IAF) will increase the pressure on the country's ministry of defence to fund the purchase of Bell-Boeing V-22 tilt rotors, following a positive evaluation of the aircraft. Link
Other News
Flybe, Finnair receive approval to acquire Finnish Commuter Airlines: The proposed acquisition of Finnish Commuter Airlines by Flybe Nordic, a new joint venture between Flybe Group and Finnair, received the necessary competition clearances from relevant authorities in Finland, Flybe said in a statement. It expects to complete the transaction "within the next two to three weeks."
The Serbian government launched a tender Monday to find investors to create a new airline to replace loss-making Jat Airways. A previous tender for the sale of a 51% stake in Jat, priced at €51 million ($73 million), failed in 2008. The government is looking mainly for airlines and/or financial backers with airline holdings to invest in the new Serbian carrier. A possible merger between Jat and Turkish Airlines, discussed last year, didn't come to fruition. To cut losses, Jat sold its Belgrade headquarters building last year. The carrier operates a fleet of 10 Boeing 737-300s and four ATR-72s.
Frontier Airlines and the Assn. of Flight Attendants representing 1,000 of the carrier's cabin crew reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Frontier said that concessions agreed to by AFA will save it $16 million in labor costs over a four-year period.
Hamilton Sundstrand was selected by Japan Airlines to provide a total supply chain maintenance solution for its systems on JAL's fleet of 35 Boeing 787 aircraft on order. The maintenance support agreement, valued at approximately $350 million, is for 10 years with an option to extend for an additional 10 years.
Turkish Technic signed an APS3200 APU repair services contract with SKY Airlines. Beginning this month, repair work will occur at Turkish Airlines' facilities in Istanbul.
Armac Systems signed an MRO inventory capability enhancement agreement with SR Technics worth €2 million ($2.89 million) over two years.
AVIATION QUOTE
Just remember, if you crash because of weather, your funeral will be held on a sunny day.
— Layton A. Bennett
ON THIS DATE
August 3rd
---In 1861... John La Mountain becomes the first balloonist to use boats for aerial operations in a military conflict. Using the Union tug Fanny, he ascends from its deck to a height of 2,000 ft. to conduct aerial reconnaissance of Confederate forces during America’s Civil War.
---In 1904... In a dirigible named California Arrow, Thomas Scott Baldwin carries out the first circular flight by an airship in America. Powered by a converted motorcycle engine, it is built and dispatched by Glenn Curtiss.
---In 1921... Lieutenant John A. Macready of the U.S. Army Air Corps finds a new use for airplanes when he sprays a patch of ground infested with caterpillars. This practice becomes known as crop dusting.
---In 1955... President Eisenhower signs the Civilian Airport Modernization Bill. The legislation establishes a long-term program of federal government aid toward the construction of airports in the United States.
---In 1975…The worst accident ever involving a Boeing 707 occurs in Morocco as a chartered Alia Royal Jordanian flight crashes on approach to Agadir-Inezgane Airport (AGA), killing all 188 on board. The plane, registration JY-AEE (formerly N797PA, Pan Am’s “Clipper Northwind”) had apparently strayed from its prescribed course as it began its descent, leading to its right wing and no. 4 engine hitting a ridge at approximately 2,500 feet.
---In 1981…in what would become a historical milestone in 20th century labor relations, roughly 13,000 of the 17,500 members of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) walk out from their jobs in America’s airport control towers in an attempt to cripple the nation’s transportation system and force the Federal government to accede to their contract demands. President Ronald Reagan would respond with a hardline stance, declaring their illegal strike a “peril to national safety” and ordering them back to work within 48 hours or face termination from their jobs. All but 1,300 controllers take a bet that the president is bluffing–and they lose–when on August 5th, Reagan fires the 11,345 controllers who continued to strike and permanently bans them from federal service. By replacing the fired controllers with non-union controllers, supervisors, and military controllers, as well as cutting in half the number of flights during peak periods, the FAA’s strike contingency plan would turn out to be a success. Public support for the fired controllers is low, as they had already been paid well above most Americans prior to the strike, and their contract demands would have earned them significantly more money while requiring they do less work. The union would be decertified a few months later.
---In 1994…Terrorists set off a bomb at Madras Airport (MAA), killing 32 people.
---In 1994…King Hussein of Jordan, a licensed pilot, flies his Lockheed L-1011 over Jerusalem, marking the first Jordanian overflight of Israeli airspace.
---In 2000…First flight of the Boeing 737-900.
---In 2007…First flight of the Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeye.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
The TRUE Meaning of Aviation Terms! In alphabetical order.
AA : "Alcoholics Anonymous" (or "American Airlines" if you prefer)
ASC : "Attractive and Sexy Captain" (Actually "Automatic Systems Controller")
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
