NewsNose gear on Southwest 737-700 collapses on landingSouthwest Airlines has confirmed eight injuries among 150 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 345 that crash-landed at LaGuardia airport in New York on 22 July. The injured aboard the 13-year-old Boeing 737-700 with registration N763SW includes five passengers and three flight attendants, Southwest says. The statement by the airline forwards eyewitness reports indicating that the nose gear of the aircraft collapsed on landing upon Runway 4. Flight 345 arrived from Nashville, Tennessee, after a 1h51min flight through mild storms near New York air space.
LinkLinkDiscussionSukhoi: Superjet crash will not delay Cat IIIa approvalSukhoi does not expect the Superjet 100 test accident in Reykjavik to delay Category IIIa certification for the twinjet type. Prototype aircraft 95005 suffered serious damage in the 21 July accident after it made contact with the runway with its landing-gear retracted. The circumstances of the accident have yet to become clear. But Sukhoi says the aircraft had been conducting Cat IIIa certification exercises at the time. This level of certification allows an aircraft to conduct an automatic landing approach with a decision height below 100ft (30m) and a runway visual range of 200m (660ft).
LinkTalks Ramp Up On Aviation Emissions DealDiplomatic talks on a deal to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the global aviation industry have intensified recently as EU and US officials try to stave off the threat of a trade war, observers said. Peter Liese, a member of the European Parliament from the conservative German Christian-Democratic Union, led a delegation to meet Obama administration officials in Washington last week to discuss the issue. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations' civil aviation body, has until September to complete a resolution on a market-based plan that would curb rising greenhouse gas emissions from global airlines.
LinkHeathrow Airport Cuts Airline Tariff DemandsLondon's Heathrow airport has moved to appease airlines by offering to reduce an increase in landing fees it is seeking to charge between 2014 and 2019. As part of a proposed new pricing regime, Heathrow has submitted a plan to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) seeking approval to raise tariffs by 4.6 percent above inflation, as measured by the retail prices index (RPI), for the five years from April 2014. This is 1.3 percentage points lower than an offer Heathrow bosses made earlier this year, which led to a backlash from many of the carriers using the west London hub. The move reflects a similar move by Gatwick, Britain's second-busiest airport, to scale back its planned fee increases.
LinkIndia receives second C-17 India has taken delivery of its second Boeing C-17 Globemaster III strategic transport. The new aircraft will enter service immediately, says Boeing in a statement. New Delhi will receive three more C-17s this year, followed by a final five in 2014.
LinkA400M to get military certification, as delivery wait continues Airbus Military's A400M transport is poised to lift military certification approval from the programme's seven European launch nations, as the company's first production example awaits delayed service introduction with the French air force. France's DGA defence procurement on 20 July announced via Twitter that the A400M launch partners had agreed to approve the military certification milestone. Airbus Military earlier this year secured full civil certification for the type, which is powered by four Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engines.
LinkAvionics issues snag three Cessna jet programTextron has lowered its revenue outlook for subsidiary Cessna to account for new delays on several business jet development programs that will reduce expected deliveries this year. Textron chief executive Scott Donnelly blamed the delays on struggles by Garmin to certificate a common flight deck that is shared between the new M2, Longitude and X business jets. "The guys are very bullish that we think it has the things that it needs to have in it for the final [certification], and so it's a matter of just taking those now and getting them into the actual aircraft," says Donnelly, speaking to analysts on a third quarter earnings teleconference call on 17 July.
LinkTurkish exercises option to take five 777-300ERs Turkish Airlines is to convert a batch of five Boeing 777-300ER options into a firm order for the twinjet type. The Star Alliance airline states, in a stock exchange filing, that the aircraft covered by the exercised options will be delivered in 2016-17. Turkish Airlines finalised an order for 15 777-300ERs in December last year, which included options on five.
LinkDelta expected to post Q2 profit, analysts sayDelta Air Lines plans to report its quarterly results on Wednesday, and analysts are predicting a profit of 95 cents per share for the second quarter. During the quarter, passenger traffic stayed flat but the carrier trimmed capacity by 0.8%.
LinkBlog: American excels at customer service via TwitterHuffington Post blogger Alan W. Silberberg turned to Twitter when the first leg of his American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Chicago was delayed. As a result, American Airlines held the connecting flight for Silberberg and his three sons when they arrived in Chicago. "If I had not reached out through Twitter both on ground and in air, we would have arrived in Chicago with no plane to go to," he writes.
LinkSouthwest awaits end of Wright Amendment restrictionsSouthwest Airlines is looking forward to the end of the Wright Amendment restrictions in 2014, which limited the carrier's routes from Dallas. "We obviously know it's coming, and we are very excited about it. It is big news for Southwest Airlines," said Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz. "We'll add cities from Dallas. That's a certainty," he continued.
LinkAirbus to maintain A330 production at 10 per monthAirbus plans to keep production of its A330s at 10 planes per month through 2015 at least, the aircraft manufacturer said. Airbus delivered its 1,000th A330 last week to Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.
LinkTSA to expand PreCheck program to more travelersThe Transportation Security Administration is expanding its PreCheck program for expedited security screening. Beginning later this year, U.S. travelers will be able to pay $85 to enroll in the program. Before then, the program will be open only to members of frequent-flier programs. Airlines for America, the trade organization for the major U.S. carriers, said it supports the program expansion, which will allow more domestic travelers to benefit from expedited security screening procedures.
LinkJetBlue’s social media efforts continue to generate buzzA recent heat-wave promotion by JetBlue Airways that offered 90% off airfares when the temperature reached more than 90 degrees in New York City is one of the latest promotions by the airline to generate significant social media buzz.
LinkMore travelers purchasing onboard perks, study showsMore air travelers are buying ancillary services, according to a study by PhoCusWright. "Air traveler consumption of ancillary offerings has risen significantly and steadily -- faster than many airlines may have anticipated," analysts at PhoCusWright said. "As airlines continue to roll out these services across their fleets -- in particular, onboard entertainment and Wi-Fi -- the growth will only continue."
LinkICAO: Global air passenger traffic to grow through 2015The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forecasts steady growth in global air passenger traffic through 2015. The United Nations organization predicts world air traffic growth of 5.9% for 2014 and 6.3% for 2015.
LinkDelta to find its next chef through Food & Wine contest DELTA AIR LINES and Food & Wine have joined forces to create a cooking contest to identify the next chef on Delta’s culinary team. The contest, which will be called the Cabin Pressure Cook-Off, will be announced on Monday and will feature four chefs cited in Food & Wine’s annual best new chefs program. They will compete in three challenges that will be filmed in New York in late July and early August, and distributed this fall by Delta and Food & Wine on their Web sites and social media channels. Henry Harteveldt, an analyst for Hudson Crossing, a travel consulting company, said it was not a coincidence that Delta and Food & Wine were collaborating, since Food & Wine is published by American Express Publishing, a subsidiary of the credit card company.
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