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American unveils new ‘soaring spirit’ livery

American Airlines has unveiled a new "soaring spirit" livery for its fleet, retiring the iconic eagle logo that has adorned its aircraft for more than four decades. The new branding includes a matte grey fuselage with a red and blue stylised "A" with the remnants of the eagle ahead of "American" written in large letters across the forward passenger windows and exit doors. The tail is a striped red, white and blue American flag. It drops the word "Airlines" from its aircraft with the livery. Virasb Vahidi, chief commercial officer at the Fort Worth-based carrier, says that the new livery reflects the airline's "welcoming spirit" with proud red, white and blue stripes on the tail, and an updated stylised eagle, in a statement.
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FAA airworthiness directive requires 787 battery system modification

US FAA has ordered a “modification of the battery system” of the Boeing 787, which the agency grounded Wednesday by an emergency directive. In a new airworthiness directive (AD), FAA said it has “evaluated all the relevant information and determined the unsafe condition [apparent on the Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways 787s] is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.” It cited the “potential for fire in the [787] electrical compartment.”
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JAL extends suspension of 787 operations to 25 January

Japan Airlines (JAL) has extended the grounding of its fleet of seven Boeing 787-8s, at least until 25 January. The carrier will be deploying older Boeing 767s and 777s on flights originally scheduled to be operated by 787s. It has also cancelled services on its Tokyo Narita-San Diego route. The Oneworld alliance member's arrangement indicates that it expects the grounding of the problematic 787 to last for at least another week.
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All Boeing 787 airlines suspend operations

All Boeing 787 operators have grounded their aircraft following FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive (AD); European regulatory authority EASA also adopted the AD. Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, LAN Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways and United Airlines all suspended 787 flights. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) had already grounded their 787s after an ANA aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing following a battery malfunction.
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Qantas confident that 787 issues will be resolved
Qantas Airways has expressed confidence in the Boeing 787 programme following recent high-profile incidents involving the aircraft type, even as the airline group further slashes its 787 order backlog by cancelling one aircraft. The Oneworld carrier now holds orders for 14 787-8s, which will be delivered to its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways from mid-2013. The latest cancellation follows Qantas' decision in August 2012 to cancel orders for 35 787-9s in a bid to reduce capital expenditure.
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Airbus dismisses 777X, stays bullish on A350-1000
Airbus has robustly defended the prospects for its A350-1000, insisting its relatively slow sales are due to delivery slot constraints while dismissing Boeing's 777X proposal. The airframer sold a net total of just three A350-1000s during 2012, although it secured its first deal for the type, with Cathay Pacific, since the aircraft was redesigned with higher-thrust engines. "The -1000 will be a fantastic aircraft," said Airbus chief Fabrice Brégier, as the airframer unveiled its order figures for 2012. "We were right to change the engine, right to [make the improvements]." He says the -1000 will give Airbus an "extremely powerful" long-range aircraft to complement the -900.
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French allies fly support missions into Mali

International support for France's Operation Serval activity against al-Qaeda and other militants inside Mali has grown to include the commitment of air transport and other support assets by several of its NATO allies. Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy and the UK are among the nations so far to have allocated around a combined dozen transport aircraft and helicopters to support the French intervention, with the USA also assessing what logistical assistance its military might lend. Types involved in the delivery of personnel, equipment and armoured vehicles to the Malian capital, Bamako, have included Boeing C-17s owned by Canada and the UK, Lockheed Martin C-130H/Js from the air forces of Belgium, Denmark and France, and C160 Transalls from France and Germany. Belgium has also agreed to allocate two AgustaWestland AW109s, to be made available for possible medical evacuation duties.
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Boeing Overtakes Airbus In Annual Sales Race
Boeing re-captured the crown as the world's largest maker of passenger jets last year, overtaking Airbus for the first time in a decade, only to face new problems on Thursday with the grounding of 787s over battery safety concerns. "I honestly wish all the best to my colleagues at Boeing to get this aircraft back into service, because an aircraft is designed to fly," Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier told a news conference on the EADS subsidiary's sales.
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India Air Says Bookings Closed On 787 Flights
India's state-owned carrier Air India has closed bookings on Boeing 787-operated flights "for the time being", the airline said on Thursday. "Air India today temporarily stopped operations of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on the directive of the country's Aviation Regulatory Authority, the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation)," the airline said in a statement.
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Ethiopian Grounds 787s For Inspection

Ethiopian Airlines said on Thursday it was grounding its four Boeing 787s for "precautionary inspection", even though its aircraft had not encountered the same malfunctions suffered by other airlines. Airlines in Europe, Japan, Qatar, India and the United States have grounded Boeing 787s while battery-related problems are investigated.
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New Berlin Airport Unlikely To Open Before 2015

Berlin's delay-hit new airport is not likely to open until 2015, the airport's technical chief was quoted as saying, more than three years later than original plans envisaged for what was meant as the capital's flagship project. Already 20 years in the planning when construction began in 2006, the opening date has been postponed a number of times from an original 2008 due to problems with the fire-safety system and other building issues. "I expect it more likely to be 2015," the airport's technical director Horst Amann, who took office last August, was quoted as saying on ZDF public television.
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Airlines Rearrange Flights After 787s Grounded
Airlines scrambled on Thursday to rearrange flights as Europe, Japan and India joined the United States in grounding Boeing 787 Dreamliners while battery-related problems are investigated. The lightweight, mainly carbon-composite plane has been plagued by recent mishaps - including an emergency landing of an All Nippon Airways domestic flight on Wednesday after warning lights indicated a battery problem - raising concerns over its use of lithium-ion batteries. The US Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday temporarily grounded Boeing's newest commercial airliner, saying carriers would have to demonstrate the batteries were safe before the planes could resume flying. It gave no details on when that might happen. Other regulators followed suit on Thursday.
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TSA seeks to significantly expand Pre-Check screening program
The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) wants to expand the Pre-Check expedited screening program to include a wider range of passengers. Members of Congress would be included. Speaking at an International Aviation Club luncheon in Washington DC, TSA administrator John Pistole touted the success of Pre-Check so far but said the program, now in effect at 35 airports, could be greatly expanded. “It helps us do our job” to segment out large numbers of “known” passengers who give information to TSA, enabling the agency to spend more time screening “unknown” travelers at airport checkpoints, he explained. “It allows us to be more precise and tailored in our approach,” he said.
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Other News

Airbus delivered a company record of 588 aircraft to 89 customers and exceeded its order target of 650 by winning 914 gross orders, the company announced Thursday. President and CEO Fabrice Bregier told journalists in Toulouse the manufacturer “delivered more orders than we planned and received more than we originally expected.” He added the European aircraft manufacturer has a 41% market share, 2% higher than the original target. The orders include 305 A320ceos, 478 A320neos, 82 A330/A340s, 40 A350 XWBs and nine A380s. Airbus’ backlog stands at 4,682 aircraft valued at over $638 billion at list prices, the company said.

Emirates and Qantas have secured conditional approval to begin selling tickets under a new partnership, although a final competition ruling is not expected until March. The interim clearance was granted Thursday by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), building on a preliminary ruling that already indicated the deal is likely to be approved for a five-year period, subject to conditions. The partners originally sought clearance for a 10-year period. “The ACCC is allowing Qantas and Emirates to start implementing their alliance because of the long lead time required to market and sell tickets before the commencement of long-haul services,” ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT) has ordered three ATR 42-600 turboprops as it begins a fleet renewal program. The first of the 48-seat aircraft will arrive in June. LIAT has also taken options on two 68-seat ATR-72-600s. If options are exercised, the value of the deal would be worth “over $100 million” at list prices, according to ATR, which said LIAT is also in discussions with leasing companies to take on additional -600 series aircraft. The Antigua-based carrier operates a 14-strong fleet of several variants of the Bombardier Dash 8. It reached a decision on a new type in July 2012 but did not reveal which manufacturer it would choose.

Aldus Aviation has been revealed as the previously “undisclosed” buyer for five Embraer E-175s and 15 E-190s. The Irish lessor’s contract—which is valued at $1.56 billion at list prices—includes purchase rights for an additional 15 E-Jet family aircraft. The firm orders were included in Embraer’s fourth-quarter backlog. “This deal with Aldus Aviation, who uniquely have an exclusively 100% Embraer fleet, confirms the value of the E-Jets … for leasing and financing companies,” Embraer president and CEO Paulo Cesar Silva said. “Aldus has … [placed] aircraft throughout Europe, Middle East, Australasia and Central and South America and this order will allow new market opportunities to be developed together.”

Transaero Airlines has continued to ground its three Tupolev Tu-214s even though they passed airline safety tests. The aircraft were grounded following a Dec. 29 crash in which a Red Wings Tu-204 overshot a runway at Moscow Vnukovo Airport, killing five people. After the crash, the airline’s comprehensive review of the aircraft did not detect any defects. However, it will not return the aircraft to operation until the crash investigation results are complete. Transaero spokesman Sergey Bykhal said the Tu-214s were replaced by Boeing 767s and 737-800s. Transaero, which took delivery of its first Tu-214 nearly six years ago, said the aircraft operates on domestic and international flights. Its fleet comprises 94 aircraft, including 24 Boeing 747s, 13 777s, 15 767s, 39 737s and three Tu-214s.

Airbus executives steered clear of criticizing the grounded Boeing 787. They also said they remained satisfied with the electric architecture of the new Airbus A350 XWB. Briefing journalists in Toulouse on year-end results, Airbus CEO and president Fabrice Bregier said it was too early to analyze FAA’s decision, announced late Wednesday, to ground US-registered 787s and issue an emergency airworthiness directive regarding the aircraft’s lithium ion batteries. The batteries are the focus of two investigations into incidents earlier in January; a fire that broke out on a parked Japan Airlines 787and a battery leak on an All Nippon Airways aircraft that was forced to do an emergency landing. “We like to say, in this industry, that both Boeing and Airbus give same priority to safety. This is paramount. There is a decision of FAA and this decision confirms that aviation is one of the safest transportation around the world,” Bregier said. He said the electric architecture of the A350 and its use of lithium batteries has been through the certification process and both FAA and European regulatory authority EASA were “very happy” with the architecture. He said Airbus saw no reason at this stage to change the A350’s architecture and the manufacturer had full confidence in its robustness.

Aviation Quote

Experience is a hard teacher. First comes the test, then the lesson.

Anonymous

On This Date

---In 1909... The first book to treat the work and accomplishments of the Wright brothers, Les Premiers Hommes-Oiseaux: Wilbur et Orville Wright, is written by François Peyrey (1873-1934) and published in France.

---In 1911... Eugene B. Ely makes the first landing by an aircraft on a ship when he flies his Curtiss pusher biplane from Selfridge Field near San Francisco to a specially prepared wooden deck on the stern of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania.

---In 1957…Three Boeing B-52 Stratofortress jets make the world's first round- the-world, non-stop flight by turbojet-powered aircraft. The flight is completed in 45 hours 19 minutes, with an average speed of 534 mph (859 km/h).

---In 1978…Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB.

---In 1981… Bell Helicopter delivers its 25,000th production helicopter.

---In 1986…24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission-Columbia 7-returns to Earth.

---In 1989…Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC).

---In 1991…Eastern Airlines Ceases operations.

---In 1992…The United States armed forces retire the last F-4 Phantom II from front-line service.

---In 2000…STARDUST, Deep Space Maneuver 1A (DSM-1), Successful.

---In 2005… The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, gets unveiled in an elaborate ceremony in France.

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Flight Deck

The Balair charter flight home had been a long one. The passengers had got a bit bored over the second half and cockpit visits were taking place.After a while the crew were getting tired of this, so when the steward asked for "just one more", the captain told him to show the passenger the cockpit himself and then they were going to descend.As they went through the plates, the crew heard something like, "So this is the captain on the left - the sexual adviser on the right and the flight engineer here behind. Now, these instruments in the middle are.." "excuse me, what did you say the man on the right was?" asked the passenger. "The sexual adviser." answered the steward "Now - these levers here are......" "I am sorry to interrupt again" said the pax but do mean to tell me that you carry a sexual adviser on your crews?" The steward looked blankly at him. "Well I presumed so!" he answered - "At least, every time he opens his mouth, the captain says 'When I need your F&%#*ng Advice, I'll ask you for it!

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