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Boeing completes first 787 test flight
A Boeing 787 on Saturday, completed the first flight test to study the in-flight performance of the lithium-ion batteries that have kept the fleet grounded for nearly one month. The test aircraft ZA005 landed after a nearly 2h21min flight that spanned nearly 1,480km (794nm) and ranged from the southwest corner of Washington state to over the Puget Sound. Boeing's original flight plan proposed only a 2h flight, but it was extended late in the sortie.
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Boeing 787 test flight collects battery data for investigations
Boeing has flown a test 787 aircraft, the first time a Dreamliner has taken to the air since the type was grounded by FAA because of concern about the safety of its lithium ion batteries. ZA005, Boeing’s fifth 787 flight test airplane, departed from Boeing Field midday Feb. 9 with a crew of 13 onboard – all Boeing pilots and flight test personnel. The flight lasted 2 hours and 19 minutes. FAA granted permission for the flight last week.
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Airbus restores large American order to firm backlog
Airbus has logged an order for 130 A321neo twinjets from American Airlines, reinstating the carrier to its books after deliberately removing a similar firm deal in 2011. American's entry into Chapter 11 creditor protection prompted Airbus to demote a 130-aircraft firm order, signed in July 2011, to the status of a commitment. The agreement was part of a 260-jet order for Airbus of which half was allocated to the A321neo.
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Emirates Sees New 777 Within Nine Months
Emirates expects a revamped version of Boeing's 777 airliner to be available to customers in six to nine months, the carrier's president said, adding technical issues affecting Boeing 787s will not affect progress. "The engagement on 777X continues. I believe it will be launched and we'll see that in six to nine months," Tim Clark told reporters in Dubai on Sunday. Emirates, Boeing's biggest customer, has said it will need to replace its older 777s from 2017, which is prompting the push for a new version.
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US Airways, AMR Near USD$11 Billion Merger
US Airways and AMR are nearing an USD$11 billion merger that would create the world's largest airline and could announce a deal within a week, after resolving key differences on valuation and management structure, people familiar with the matter said. Under terms of a deal that are still being finalized, US Airways chief executive Doug Parker would become CEO, while AMR's Tom Horton would serve as non-executive chairman of the board until spring of 2014, when the combined company holds its first annual meeting, the sources said. The deal would come more than 14 months after the parent of American Airlines filed for bankruptcy in November 2011, and would mark the last combination of legacy US carriers, following the Delta-Northwest and United-Continental mergers.
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Boeing To Fix 787, But May Be Months - IAG Boss
The chief executive of International Airlines Group said he was confident that Boeing would overcome problems with its 787 Dreamliner, but added that they could take months to resolve. Uncertainty about the future of Boeing's new lightweight, carbon-composite aircraft is growing after a series of battery-related incidents prompted authorities worldwide to ground the jets and forced deliveries to be delayed. "I am confident that Boeing will come up with a technical solution to the problems that they have identified," IAG chief Willie Walsh told an audience at an economic forum at Dublin's Trinity College university.
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Alaska Airlines proposes Hawaii flights from Everett, Wash.
Alaska Airlines has filed an application with the Federal Aviation Administration proposing flights to Hawaii and other destinations from Paine Field north of Seattle. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) said the application was necessary for the carrier to begin service from the regional airport in Everett, Wash., which is about 43 miles north of Alaska's hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and 66 miles south of Bellingham International Airport near the Canadian border, which also handles some of Alaska's Hawaii flights.
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Dubai Opens A380 Terminal
Dubai International Airport has opened the first-ever concourse designated for use by A380 aircraft. The concourse, airport officials say, is the first "purpose-built" facility for the big plane. Called Concourse A, the terminal has 20 gates and is designed to accommodate the passenger mix as much as the aircraft itself. The 528,000-square-meter facility is part of a $7.8 billion upgrade of Dubai International, which its operators says will become the world's busiest airport by 2015.
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Other News
Finnair reported a 2012 full-year net profit of €11.8 million ($15.9 million), reversing an €87.5 million loss in the prior year. Finnair said the performance demonstrated the success of its restructuring efforts. Speaking to reporters and analysts, Finnair president and CEO Mika Vehvilainen described the results as “quite satisfactory” and a “solid business performance,” noting this is Finnair’s first full-year profit since 2007. Vehvilainen will leave the airline Feb. 28 to take a new position as CEO of Finnish cargo and load handling specialist Cargotec. Revenue rose 8.5% to €2.4 billion and the airline delivered an operating profit of €44.9 million, reversing a €60.9 million operating loss from 2011. Traffic rose 9.5% to 23.6 billion RPKs on a 3.5% increase in capacity to 30.4 billion ASKs, producing a load factor of 77.6%, up 4.3 percentage points.

American Eagle pilots have filed a formal objection to the capacity purchase agreement between American Airlines and Republic Airways. The pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Under the proposed agreement, Republic would operate 53 Embraer E-175 aircraft under the American Eagle brand with service to start in June 2013 and increase through 2015. The agreement would extend through 2027. According to ALPA, the proposed agreement would “severely divert the flying of large regional jets to a competitor and would needlessly undermine the value of American Eagle, threatening the livelihood of Eagle’s pilots and other employees at the airline.”

Singapore Airlines parent SIA Group said its net profit rose 6% year-over-year to S$143 million ($115.4 million) for its fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. It attributed the increase to the sale of aircraft, spares and spare engines, and higher net interest income—partially offset by a $20 million provision by SIA Cargo related to air cargo price-fixing. Group revenue fell 0.4% year-over-year to S$3.86 billion, largely due to lower cargo revenue and poorer loads, it said. Group operating profit fell 36.5% year-over-year to S$87 million. SIA Engineering saw a 10% rise in operating profit to S$31 million, while regional affiliate SilkAir recorded a 6.3% increase to S$34 million and SIA Cargo recorded an operating loss of S$29 million, improved from its S$40 million loss in the year-ago period.

The European Union (EU) has committed nearly €4 million ($5.4 million) to help optimize resources at European airports. It will also improve the efficiency and flexibility of the region’s airspace. The funds—which will come from the Trans-European Networks-Transport (TEN-T) Program—will support and accelerate Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) and Airspace Management (ASM). The project was selected for funding under the 2011 TEN-T Annual Call. It has two aims, the first of which is to support the Eurocontrol project for implementation of A-CDM processes at 11 selected European airports. Eurocontrol will also look beyond this first batch of airports and establish targets for deploying A-CDM at a number of other airports by 2014. The second activity will optimize airspace use by accelerating collaborative civil-military ASM solutions through the deployment by Eurocontrol of a new ASM coordination tool. This is being targeted at the rate of four EU countries per year. A specific objective concerns the procurement of related software and hardware in the Netherlands and Romania to facilitate the flexible use of airspace.

Storm disrupts northeast travel in North America: A winter storm in the northeast region of North America canceled over 3,500 flights Friday. According to flight tracker service FlightStats, by 12:00 p.m. ET Friday afternoon New York LaGuardia canceled approximately 722 flights, counting both arrivals and departures, followed by Newark (715), Boston Logan (592) New York JFK (572), Pearson International (401), Chicago O’Hare (260), and Philadelphia (217). “A major winter storm, with blizzard conditions, is forecast to impact the Northeast Friday night into early Saturday, as a developing nor'easter moves up the Atlantic coast,” the US National Weather Service said in a statement on its website. “Total snowfall accumulations of 1-2 feet are possible, with locally higher amounts. In addition, gusty winds will create blizzard conditions, especially along the coast, making travel extremely hazardous, if not impossible.”

Honeywell won a contract valued at $2.8 billion from Embraer to supply its Primus Epic avionics system for the second generation of E-Jet aircraft. The re-engined, upgraded aircraft family program is expected to launch later this year with entry into service in 2018. The Honeywell Primus Epic 2 integrated avionics system includes synthetic vision and advanced flight management to increase situational awareness and allow for more fuel-efficient, direct approaches at airports. The five 8x10 inch displays on the current generation of E-Jets will be replaced by four 13x10 inch large landscape displays and Honeywell’s Next Generation Flight Management System will provide enhanced flight planning, navigation and aircraft performance capabilities.

TP Aerospace Leasing will support one leased Air Niugini Boeing 737NG with its wheels and brakes cycle flat rate program including maintenance, pool access and logistics services.

Baltic Ground Services launched operations at the Lamezia Terme airport and has signed an agreement with AirBerlin to provide ground handling services to its Airbus A320s at the airport.

Volga-Dnepr Technics has opened a new 8,500 sq. m. maintenance hangar at Leipzig/Halle Airport, with capacity for one large freighter or four narrowbody aircraft. It will handle work for Volga-Dnepr and third-party clients, including Kalitta Air. Volga-Dnepr is planning to add wheels and brake facilities and a composite and structural repair shop. By the end of 2013, the company will offer Boeing 747 C checks, adding 737s and А320s in 2014.

Damco will move its headquarters from Copenhagen to The Hague in February.

Hawker Pacific Aerospace will offer landing gear overhaul and repair of the Embraer E-Jet family at its facility in Sun Valley, Calif. The capability will also be established at the Hamburg Lufthansa Technik landing gear workshop “over the next few years.”

JorAMCo said it has completed a C2 check on one Eastern Sky Jet Boeing 737-300, its first collaboration with the carrier.

Aviation Quote

A smooth touchdown in a simulator is as exciting as kissing your sister.

Anonymous

On This Date

---In 1909... An important pioneer in developing aviation in New Zealand, Vivian C. Walsh pilots a Howard-Wright biplane on what is generally considered the first flight in New Zealand by a powered airplane.

---In 1913…The Chilean Air Force is founded.

---In 1914... Distance record for balloons over land is set by H. Berliner, who flies 1,890 miles (c. 3,040 km) from Bitterfeldt, Germany to Kirgischano, Russia.

---In 1935…The first flight in the United States with a car slung underneath the fuselage takes place.

---In 1939…The XP-38, later to become the P-38 Lightning, flies from California to New York in 7 hours, 2 minutes.

---In 1946... The United States and United Kingdom sign an agreement in Bermuda setting out the principles by which air rates and frequencies of international services should be set. The Bermuda Agreement becomes a standard upon which air agreements would be based in the future.

---In 1959... A US meteorological balloon achieves a record height of 146,000 ft. carrying a special package of detectors sending information by radio signal to the ground.

---In 1960…CIA signs the contract which ordered a full twelve OXCART aircraft. (Q)

---In 1970…Japan becomes 4th nation to put a satellite, Osumi, in orbit.

---In 1974…Titan-Centaur Test launch fails.

---In 1978…Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314, a 737-200 (C-FPWC) crashes at Cranbrook Airport in British Columbia, after an aborted landing in which the reverse thrusters did not retract properly. The aircraft was trying to avoid a snowplow on the runway, which was faulted to ATC. There were 7 survivors and 42 fatalities on the aircraft.

---In 1984…10th space shuttle mission (41-B)-Challenger 4-returns to Earth.

---In 1986…United completes its purchase of Pan Am’s Pacific division for $715 million and begins service to an additional 11 cities for a total of 13 cities in 10 Pacific Rim countries.

---In 1987…Following its privatization, British Airways shares begin trading on the London Stock Exchange.

---In 1994…Space shuttle STS-60 (Discovery 18), lands.

---In 1995…Space shuttle STS-63 (Discovery 19), lands.

---In 1997…Space Shuttle STS-82(Discovery) is launched on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
---In 2000…JetBlue Airways (B6) starts operations from JFK.

---In 2002…First flight of the Airbus A340-500.

---In 2006…Steve Fossett broke the record for absolute longest distance flight without landing by taking off from Kennedy Space Center on 8 February, heading around the world eastbound, and then upon returning to Florida airspace, continued across the Atlantic for a second time to land in Bournemouth, England after a 76 hour 43 minute flight covering 42,469.46 km.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Humor

Medevac Crew

After dying in a helicopter crash, three air ambulance crew members find themselves at an orientation to enter heaven. Each one was asked, "When you are in your casket, what would you like to hear your friends and family saying about you?" Sean says, "I would like to hear them say I was a great medic and a great family man." Karl says, "I would like to hear them say I was a wonderful husband and an excellent pilot who made a difference."
The copilot says, "I would like to hear them say, 'Look! He's moving!'"

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