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Airbus to add 5 Belugas to fleet for aircraft parts
Airbus Group plans to build five new Beluga aircraft to transport parts for the A350. The aircraft are nicknamed because of their resemblance to a Beluga whale. Airbus has facilities across Europe and in the U.K.
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Column looks at the future of aircraft seating
A new style of airline seating that stacks 3D seats into the aircraft's vertical space could be the next big thing in cabin design, says Ben Orson, managing director of JPA Design. Among the new 3D concepts is Air Lair, whose seats nest atop each other like a honeycomb.
LinkAirlines
Air France-KLM To Allow Alitalia Stake To Be Diluted
Air France-KLM plans to allow its stake in Alitalia to be diluted after Etihad Airways secured European Union approval to acquire 49 percent of the loss-making Italian airline. The deal with Etihad is part of a EUR€1.76 billion (USD$2.2 billion) rescue plan for Alitalia, which doubled its net loss to EUR€569 million last year, providing it with funds to invest in more profitable long-haul routes and reduce its dependence on domestic and regional services.
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Alaska helps acclimate autistic children to flying
Alaska Airlines held a practice flight at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport for autistic children. Pilot Craig Huffman drove the aircraft around for 45 minutes to help acclimate the children to being aboard a plane.
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American ad campaign is "going for great"
American Airlines has debuted a new ad campaign with the theme "Going for great." The campaign is focused on Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, and will also run in Atlanta. The ads, aimed at business travelers and other high-value customers, tout improvements American has made to its service.
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Delta adds "Basic Economy" fare to more markets
Delta Air Lines has expanded its Basic Economy fare to additional markets, including Atlanta. Delta started testing the fare in Detroit in 2012. The carrier's website says, "If you're looking for a low fare, your travel plans aren't likely to change, and you don't mind where you sit, Basic Economy just may be your ticket."
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easyjet Full Year Profit Jumps 21.5 Percent
British low-cost airline easyJet reported a 21.5 percent rise in pretax profit to GBP£581 million (USD$909 million) for the year ended September 30. The airline said it would lift its ordinary dividend per share by 35.5 percent to 45.4 pence, in line with a proposal made earlier this year to reward shareholders with a higher proportion of profit. Some analysts had suggested the company, which announced a special dividend in 2013 and 2011, could do the same this year.
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EasyJet trials loyalty scheme in bid to boost retention
UK low-cost carrier EasyJet is trialing a new frequent flyer initiative as it bids to increase its proportion of repeat bookings, but its chief executive Carolyn McCall stresses it is not a traditional airline program. "We have launched a major trial of a frequency flyer loyalty scheme," she said during a full-year-results conference call today, emphasising that it is loyalty scheme rather than a frequent flyer programme. "We are not becoming a legacy carrier in anyway. Its not about giving them free flights and its very simple to run. “Unlike traditional airlines' difficult to use mileage schemes, our loyalty scheme gives passengers benefits they really value and is simpler to run," she says.
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Frontier to trim flights at DIA due to high costs
Frontier Airlines plans to trim flights at Denver International Airport because of the high cost of doing business in the Mile High City. Frontier CEO Dave Siegel said taxes have "doubled in the last two years and (Denver) airport landing fees are up 30 percent over the past three years. The cumulative effect of these increasing costs is that connecting traffic is no longer profitable for our airline."
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Lufthansa Signs IT Outsourcing Deal With IBM
Lufthansa has awarded IBM an outsourcing contract worth EUR€1 billion (USD$1.25 billion) that will see the US company take over the airline's information technology infrastructure services division and staff. The move is part of plans by Lufthansa to restructure and cut costs as it seeks to compete with fast-growing rivals in Europe and the Gulf.
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Malaysia Airlines Delays Q3 Results
Malaysia Airlines has delayed the release of its third-quarter results to November 28 to allow time to include more details. The state-run company was scheduled to report results for the July-September period on Tuesday, its last set of earnings before going private.
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Qantas’s retro 737 touches down in Sydney
Qantas’s 75th Boeing 737-800 has arrived in Sydney, sporting a unique retro livery. The design harks back to the airline’s colour scheme from the 1970s, including the winged kangaroo tail motif, which was replaced with the simplified Flying Kangaroo in 1984. “For 70 years this familiar kangaroo on the tail has represented not just our airline but also the best of Australia and a sense of home for those who have seen it at airports around the world,” says Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce.
LinkAirports
Brandenburg unlikely to open before 2017: report
Berlin’s long-delayed flagship airport is unlikely to open before 2017, indicates Christian Gorke, finance ministry of the regional government of Brandenburg. Gorke has told Der Tagesspiegel newspaper that an opening of the troubled gateway in 2017 was “not unrealistic from today’s point of view”. The state of Brandenburg is a shareholder of the airport in addition to the city of Berlin and Germany’s federal government. Airport operator Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg had planned to set a reliable opening date by the end of this year. Meantime, however, the management has said that it will only be able to set a time window for the opening. This is to be revealed after a supervisory board meeting on 12 December.
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United reveals plans for $120M remodel at Newark airport
United Airlines outlined plans to remodel its Terminal C at Newark Liberty Airport. The $120 million project, in partnership with OTG Management, will bring 55 new eateries to the terminal. The project will also install 6,000 iPads in the terminal that can be used to order food, as well as perform other tasks.
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Seattle airport to welcome Centurion Lounge in 2015
Seattle Airport will host an American Express Centurion Lounge with a smaller footprint than other airports in 2015. "While The Centurion Lounges have been tremendously popular with our Card Members, space on that scale is not always available," said Lisa Durocher, senior vice president of charge cards and benefits at American Express.
LinkMilitary
Brazilian air force confirms Gripen acquisition numbers
A leading Brazilian air force figure has confirmed that 108 Saab Gripen NG multi-role fighters will be acquired for the force. Following the announcement in October that a $5.8 billion contract had been signed for the first batch of 36 aircraft, an air force representative confirmed to the International Fighter conference in London on 18 November that the full requirement will be for 108 airframes. The Gripen will initially replace Dassault Mirage 2000C fighters that have already been retired, and eventually the Northrop F-5EM and Alenia/Embraer A-1M aircraft that are still in service.
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Nigerian air force eyes Scorpion combat surveillance aircraft
Nigeria's air force has expressed an interest in acquiring the Textron AirLand Scorpion strike and surveillance aircraft in order to counter the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the country. The service currently operates both dedicated strike and surveillance types – the Chengdu F-7Ni and ATR 42, respectively – but believes that a low-cost aircraft with a dual capability would enable quicker and more precise counter-insurgency operations. “In my country, we want and need this,” AVM RA Ojuawo, director of operations representing CAS, Nigerian air force headquarters, told the International Fighter conference in London on 18 November. “We want this equipment, but are they going to give it to us?”
LinkCorporate
Dassault preparing 8X for 17 December roll-out
Dassault is preparing to roll out the first Falcon 8X on 17 December at its Bordeaux-Merignac facility and says the ultra-long-range business jet remains on track for first flight in the first quarter of 2015. This aircraft will be dedicated to flight envelope expansion, while a second 8X – now under construction and scheduled to fly in the second quarter of 2015 – will focus on performance. A third fully conforming aircraft will help with cabin systems and preparation for entry into service. The 19-seat tri-jet was unveiled in May. It is a stretched and longer-legged version of the 7X – of which more than 250 versions have been built since its launch in 2007.
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Gulfstream hands over first G650ER
Gulfstream has delivered the first G650ER ultra-long-range business jet ahead of schedule. The handover to an undisclosed customer comes a month after the US Federal Aviation Administration certificated the extended-range version of its $64.5 million G650, which entered service two years ago – and six months after the Savannah, Georgia-based airframer unveiled the longest-legged production business jet in production. “It’s a good day when you can deliver on your promises ahead of schedule,” says Gulfstream president Larry Flynn.
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Aviation Quote
Every time I fly and am forced to remove my shoes, I'm grateful Richard Reid is not known as the Underwear Bomber.
— Douglas Manuel, aerospace executive regards airport security. Reported in USA Today, 13 March 2003.
On This Date
---In 1938... Construction begins on a new airport serving the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Built in nearby Virginia, this airport will become Ronald Reagan National Airport.
---In 1977… A TAP Air Portugal Boeing 727 overruns the runway at Funchal in the Madeira Islands and explodes, killing 131.
---In 1978…First flight of the Beriev A-50.
Daily Video
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Humor
ATC
Pilot : "Venezia tower Funair 421 established on final 22"
Tower : " Funair 421 clear to land wind calm seagulls on the runway"
Pilot : " Funair 421 clear to land ...ugh... you mean Italian girls ?"
Trivia
General Trivia
1. What does he mean when a sailplane (glider) pilot returns from a flight and reports having had a sled ride?
2. Runway numbers sometimes have a single-letter suffix. Runways 16R, 16L, and 16C, for example, represent right, left and center runways. What is the meaning of Runway 16T, for example?
3. Why is it important when making an emergency, off-airport landing on unimproved ground in a North American P–51 Mustang to land with the landing gear retracted?
4. When referring to the missions of some Consolidated B–24 Liberators during World War II, what were “Carpetbaggers” and “Joe holes”?
5. By what four names was the Curtiss P–40 known?
6. What was a “Denver go-valve?”
