News
ANA orders 11 more 787-9s
ANA Group has placed an order for 11 additional Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The new order brings ANA’s number of Dreamliners on order to 66, 13 of which have so far been delivered. All 11 of the new orders will be the 787-9 model and will be delivered between fiscal year 2018 and 2021, ANA said. This will give ANA a fleet of 36 -8s and 30 -9s.
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Senate Votes To Shield US Airlines From ETS
The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Saturday that would shield US airlines from paying for their carbon emissions on European flights, pressuring the European Union to back down from applying its emissions law to foreign carriers.
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Fake Italian Pilot Arrested After Flight
A man who posed as an airline pilot was arrested in Turin Airport using forged identity cards and wearing a pilot's uniform, Italian police said on Saturday.
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BAE/EADS To Ring-Fence US Firm To Save Deal
BAE Systems and EADS have told the Pentagon they will create a ring-fenced US firm with a board of US nationals to win approval for their proposed USD$45 billion merger, the Sunday Times newspaper said.
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Merkel, Hollande Pledge To Consult On EADS
France and Germany pledged to consult closely on plans by Airbus parent EADS and Britain's BAE Systems to forge a new aerospace giant, but announced no joint decisions on the USD$45 billion merger plan.
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Daimler Unhappy At EADS/BAE Valuation
Daimler, a major shareholder in EADS, is unhappy about the proposed valuation of a deal between the European aerospace company and BAE Systems, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.
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Washington National has room to grow
Unused runway capacity at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport could be used to add additional flights, finds the US government. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that there were only about 53 take-offs and landings per hour in April 2012 compared to a maximum capacity of 67 movements, in a report looking at the impact of eight new beyond-perimeter slot pairs at National on the Washington DC area airports that was released earlier this month. The shortfall is attributed to a decline in general aviation and unscheduled flights after the 11 September 2011 terrorist attacks, according to the report. There were on average 17 of these movements per day in 2011, which is down from about 210 prior to 2001.
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Final mission for Space Shuttle Endeavour ends in Los Angeles
Space Shuttle Endeavour has completed its final flight on its trek from Florida to Los Angeles where the shuttle will be placed on public display. The mission began on 18 September when Endeavour, aboard its modified Boeing 747 carrier, left Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first leg of its journey, landing at Ellington Field in Houston. This followed a low-level flyover of some of the city’s landmarks.
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Irkut launches Su-30SM test campaign
Russia's Sukhoi Su-30SM multirole fighter performed its maiden flight on 21 September, with Sukhoi test pilots Sergei Kostin and Pavel Malovechko at the controls. Described as "flawless", the 2h sortie originated from the aerodrome of the IAZ plant near Irkutsk; the main manufacturing site for the Irkut Corporation.
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NextGen progress touted, but obstacles remain
Current and former US FAA officials and members of Congress said the country has made progress toward transitioning to the satellite-based NextGen ATC system, but key challenges remain—including convincing airlines to make necessary investments.
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Air France moves forward with regional revamp
Air France (AF) is planning to create a new headquarters near Paris, which will act as the decision-making center for its revamped regional operations. As part of its restructuring and cost-cutting plan, AF is streamlining the activities of its three French regional operators—Brit Air (DB), Regional (YS) and Airlinair—and from next April it will unite the airlines under a common brand.
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Finnair selects IAE engine for A321s
Finnair (AY) has selected the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2533-A5 engine for its fleet of five new extended-range Airbus A321s. The aircraft will enter service from September 2013. AY selected the engine for its fuel efficiency performance, which should save about 300 tons of fuel per year per aircraft, according to Airbus test data. The engines also comply with ICAO and EU noise limitations, the airline said.
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Other News
Chinese carriers reported a collective net profit of CNY5.83 billion (920 million) in August, down 17% compared to a net income of CNY7 billion a year ago. Revenue rose 7% to CNY39 billion. Operating expense figures were not released. Passenger boardings jumped 11.3% to 30.7 million with an average load factor of 84.4%, down 0.5 points year-over-year. Cargo traffic volume increased 0.1% to 455,600 tonnes.
Aer Lingus (EI) and Air Canada (AC) have signed an interline agreement, with a codeshare due to follow early next year. The interline agreement allows for joint electronic ticketing and use of either airline’s check-in kiosks, plus baggage checking through to a final destination. Until now, the only direct Canada-Ireland flight has been an AC high-summer service between Toronto and Dublin. Passengers heading for Canada on EI services fly to Chicago, then connect with United Airlines flights to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. The new interline arrangement with AC will allow passengers on EI’s 23 daily flights from Ireland to London Heathrow to connect with AC’s transatlantic services to a range of Canadian destinations.
Yakutia Airline (R3) will take delivery of its first Bombardier Q400 in early November. The carrier did not disclose details but ATW understands the airline could order three of the type. R3 previously said it would lease three Q300s instead of the Q400s but changed its mind after the Q400 received type certificate approval to operate in Russia and the CIS in June.
Japan Airlines (JAL) will temporarily cut some of its daily services to China due to escalating political tension between the two countries over a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea. JAL’s Tokyo Narita (NRT)-Beijing and Osaka (Kansai)-Shanghai (PVG) service will reduce from twice to once daily. The carrier will cut NRT-PVG service from 3X- to 2X-daily, it said in a statement. The cuts will be effective Oct. 10-27.
United Airlines (UA) will close its Guam Contact Center, outsource local cargo functions and reduce the number of local airport operations employees as part of a company-wide initiative to achieve sustained profitability. The move will affect 48 employed at the contact center. The cargo center employs 42 people, according to Micronesian newspaper Marianas Variety. “Although we will be closing our contact center, the city ticket office will remain open and we are working to determine the right mix of full-time and part-time employees that will be needed to staff that facility,” a UA spokesperson said in an email to ATW. “Under the current collective bargaining agreement, employees affected by this decision may have displacement rights and other options, so it is difficult to determine at this time how many positions will be eliminated.”
Embraer opened two manufacturing centers in the Portuguese cities of Évora; Embraer Metálicas and Embraer Compósitos. The two centers will manufacture complex airframe structures and components in metallics and composites and are valued at €100 million ($129.8 million) and €77 million, respectively. Construction on the 37,100 sq. m. and 31,800 sq. m. facilities began in 2010. They are expected to reach full production capacity in the second quarter of 2013.
Brazil’s top five Brazilian carriers—TAM, GOL, Azul, Avianca and Trip—have joined to establish the Brazilian Assn. of Airlines (ABEAR) as the new industry institutional representative. The goal of the new organization is to ensure a sustainable and regular growth and development of the industry, in both passenger and cargo markets, advocating its causes at the governmental, business and consumer levels.
Ethiopian Airlines (ET) took delivery of its first Boeing 777 freighter, becoming the first 777F to be operated by an African carrier. The aircraft is being leased from GECAS.
Airbus has released its Smarter Skies concept, which looks at how aircraft will operate to accommodate the expected growth in air travel in 2050 and beyond. Smarter Skies examines advances in five major areas of operation that Airbus projects could be implemented to reduce waste (time, fuel and CO2) in the system. It envisages aircraft launched through assisted take-offs using renewably powered, propelled acceleration, allowing steeper climb-out to minimize noise and reach efficient cruise altitudes quicker. It would also facilitate the use of shorter runways.
Aviation Quote
A good fighter pilot, like a good boxer, should have a knockout punch . . . You will find one attack you prefer to all others. Work on it till you can do it to perfection . . . then use it whenever possible.
— Captain Reade Tilley, USAAF.
On This Date
---In 1852... French engineer, Henri Giffard, flies the 1st powered, manned airship. Powered by a steam engine and propeller, the airship flies at about 5-mph and covers 17 miles from Paris to Trappes, France. The craft marks the beginning of the practical airship.
---In 1929…Aviation pioneer Jimmy Doolittle completes the first flight to take off, fly and land using only instruments.
---In 1946…Cathay Pacific is founded.
---In 1949…First flight of the North American XT-28A Trojan.
---In 1956…The second incarnation of the Luftwaffe is founded in Germany.
---In 1956…The Tupolev Tu-104 enters service with Aeroflot.
---In 2001… 13 days after 9/11, US Airways decided to terminate all flights from MetroJet.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Harley Rider, Little Girl and the Lion
A Harley rider is passing the zoo, when he sees a little girl Leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage
and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event.
The reporter says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole life."
The biker replies, "Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right."
The reporter says, "Well, I'm a journalist from The New York Times, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page... So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?"
The biker replies, "I'm a U.S. Marine and a Republican." The following morning the biker buys The New York Times to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:
U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH!
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