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Airbus to update Beluga to allow larger cargo
Airbus is updating its A300-600ST, nicknamed the "Beluga" for its humpbacked appearance. The spacious cargo planes can hold up to 36 cars. The new aircraft, which will enter service in 2020, is designed to hold even larger cargo such as two A350 wings.
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Airbus in it for the long-haul with A321
The future of the long-haul narrowbody market is now slightly clearer. Airbus has officially launched a 4,000nm (7,400km)-range version of the A321neo that can match or exceed the Boeing 757-200, including the niche role of flying from the US East Coast to secondary cities in western Europe. At the moment Boeing prefers to laugh at the Airbus forecast of up to 1,000 aircraft orders in this segment, but its rivals in Toulouse may enjoy the last guffaw. Airbus’s numbers were hardly plucked out of thin air: Boeing sold more than 1,000 757s with essentially the same seat count and range as the newly launched long-range A321neo. Of course, the 757 entered service 12 years ahead of the current version of the A321, and 19 years before the first 737-900. The cross-country routes once dominated by 757s are routinely flown by the latest versions of 737 and A321 derivatives today.
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Earnings preview: U.S. airlines to report healthy Q4
Analysts predict U.S. airlines will forecast healthy earnings for the fourth quarter of 2014, due in part to lower fuel costs. A drop in oil prices is also good news for passengers, who will be able to afford higher airfares because of greater spending power.
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Oil Price Fall Gives Lease Of Life To Old Planes
The slump in oil prices has given a new lease of life to passenger jets that until recently were destined for retiral, aircraft financiers said on Monday. Aircraft such as the four-engined Airbus A340 or earlier models of the Boeing 747 which have been sentenced to desert storage or to be dismantled, are winning a stay of execution because lower oil prices make them economic for some carriers. "We are seeing a big pick-up in demand for aircraft we thought we would scrap," Aengus Kelly, chief executive of AerCap, told the Airline Economics conference in Dublin. AerCap, the world's largest independent leasing company, has recently leased out older passenger aircraft and freighters such as Airbus A340s, Boeing 747s and 757s, rather than sending them to be dismantled, he said.
LinkAirlines
Investor Sees US Budget Airline Consolidation
One of the most influential investors in low-cost airlines, Bill Franke, has raised the prospect of consolidation among US budget carriers, echoing a shake-out among traditional network airlines. "If you want to see how the international aviation landscape is going to evolve, just look to the United States, where consolidation has left just four major legacy carriers to compete with the low-cost airlines that serve the rest of the market," said Franke, managing partner of Phoenix-based private equity firm Indigo Partners. "As an aside, don't we all wonder just how long it will take before the three to five lower-cost airlines in the States will consolidate?" he added in a speech at the Airline Economics conference in Dublin.
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No Evidence So Far Of Terrorism In AirAsia Crash
Indonesian investigators said on Monday they had found no evidence so far that terrorism played a part in the crash of AirAsia flight QZ8501 last month that killed all 162 people on board. Andreas Hananto told Reuters news agency that his team of 10 investigators at the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) had found "no threats" in the cockpit voice recordings to indicate foul play during the flight. When asked if there was any evidence from the recording that terrorism was involved, Hananto said: "No. Because if there were terrorism, there would have been a threat of some kind." "In that critical situation, the recording indicates that the pilot was busy with the handling of the plane."
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Onboard game show brings publicity, fun to Allegiant Air
When you run a small, low-cost carrier with a tiny marketing budget, you have to be creative to get publicity. That explains why Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has allowed a television crew to film a game show in the cabin of its planes during regularly scheduled flights. “We are always looking for ways to get lots of exposure,” said Brian Davis, Allegiant’s vice president of marketing.
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Ex-Korean Air Exec Denies 'Nut Rage' Charges
The daughter of the chairman of Korean Air on Monday denied conspiring with airline executives to force flight attendants to lie about her outburst over the way she was served nuts. Heather Cho Hyun-ah, a former executive of the airline and head of in-flight service before she resigned, appeared in court in Seoul on Monday after her arrest on December 30. Cho had demanded the crew chief be removed from the flight at John F Kennedy Airport in New York after another flight attendant served her nuts in a bag, not on a dish. The plane, already taxiing to the runway, had to return to its gate. The incident, widely referred to as 'nut rage', stirred public outrage and ridicule, leading Cho to resign from her posts at the airline and subsidiaries.
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Lufthansa, Cabin Crew Seek Mediation In Pension Dispute
Lufthansa and cabin crew have agreed to mediation in their dispute over retirement benefits, as the risk of further costly strikes looms over the German carrier. Lufthansa is squabbling with employees on multiple fronts as it tries to cut costs to compete with low-cost carriers including Ryanair and easyJet as well as with Gulf carriers such as Emirates. Its pilots staged 10 separate strikes over an early retirement scheme last year, costing the airline close to EUR€200 million (USD$232 million) in operating profit, and last week threatened to walk out again in the coming weeks if no agreement is reached.
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United Airlines Said to Prepare Order for 10 Boeing 777 Jets
United Airlines is preparing to place an order for 10 of Boeing Co. largest twin-engine jetliners to replace older aircraft plying its longest routes, said people familiar with its plans. The Boeing 777-300ERs would be the first of that variant bought by United, the world’s second-largest carrier, said three of the people, who aren’t authorized to speak publicly because talks are private. The deal would have a value of $3.3 billion based on list prices, though airlines commonly get discounts.
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United Airlines Adds 55 Flights on 8 Routes for Football Fans
United Airlines added more flights for football fans on top of regularly scheduled service to Phoenix from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark and San Francisco. The airline also added special new nonstop service, operating from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, from Boston and Seattle to Phoenix for the big game. Several of the flights will be operated with Boeing 767 aircraft to accommodate the extra demand. The additional flights, 55 in total, will be available for sale starting today for travel between Jan. 29 - Feb. 2. Football fans can visit united.com to book their tickets.
LinkAirports
Brazil could relax visa restrictions for U.S. travelers
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is expected to consider easing of visa restrictions against U.S. citizens, which would benefit American businesses. According to a 2012 study, removing travel visa restrictions on a country correlated with a 200% increase in travelers from that country.
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LAX to begin runway work in March
Los Angeles International Airport plans to begin work on runways in March that could cause intermittent delays for passengers. The project will allow LAX to meet a federal mandate that requires commercial airports to have buffer zones at the end of airport runways.
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U.K. could change how aircraft are prioritized for landing
Air traffic controllers in the U.K. could in the future prioritize flights per airlines' request rather than on a first-come, first-served basis. Planes carrying a high number of premium travelers or passengers with connecting flights could theoretically receive priority for takeoff or landing under the new system.
LinkGeneral Aviation
Australia to require replacement of primary cable system every 15 years
A final rule issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in Australia will require an aircraft's primary flight control cable system to be completely replaced and re-rigged every 15 years. It seems that virtually every aircraft in the country, with the exception for a few relatively new ones, will require the update when the rule takes effect in January 2018.
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Rebuilt Vultee BT-13 Valiant set to make first flight in 70 years
Jason Reid, a mechanic and restorer of vintage cars in California, purchased a Vultee BT-13 Valiant in pieces from the Commemorative Air Force. The BT-13 was used as a U.S. Army trainer during World War II and has not flown in some 70 years. Reid has been working weekends to restore the aircraft, and he hopes it will make its first flight in the next few months.
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Aviation Quote
Within all of us is a varying amount of space lint and star dust, the residue from our creation. Most are too busy to notice it, and it is stronger in some than others. It is strongest in those of us who fly and is responsible for an unconscious, subtle desire to slip into some wings and try for the elusive boundaries of our origin.
—K. O. Eckland
On This Date
---In 1913... Attempting to establish a new women’s altitude record, Bernetta Miller is covered with oil and temporarily blinded when her oil flow indicator smashes. She makes a safe emergency landing in New York.
---In 1932... Imperial Airways’ Handley Page H.P.42 Helena leaves Croydon, England, for Paris on the first leg of the company’s new mail service to Cape Town.
---In 1941…The Brazilian Air Force is created by the amalgamation of the Brazilian Army and Brazilian Navy air arms.
---In 1959…First flight of the Vickers Vanguard.
---In 1965…JPL proposes modified Apollo flight to fly around Mars and return.
---In 1966…The Short Belfast enters service with No. 53 Squadron RAF.
---In 1971…First flight of the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye.
---In 1971…The McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II enters operational service with the Luftwaffe.
---In 1974…First flight of the General Dynamics YF-16 72-01567.
--- In 1975... A Boeing 707, commandeered by three terrorists and flown by a crew of Air France volunteers, lands in Baghdad, Iraq. The terrorists forced the French airline to fly them out of Paris by taking ten travelers hostage yesterday, at Orly airport.
---In 1990… North American Airlines began operations.
---In 1990…US 64th manned space mission STS 32 (Columbia 10) returns from space.
---In 1992… An Air Inter Airbus A320 (Flight 148), crashes on landing at Strasbourg, killing eighty-seven of the 96 people on board.
---In 1997…Comet Hale-Bopp crosses Mars' orbit.
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Trivia
General Aircraft Knowledge
1. Cessna Aircraft has used the prefix Sky in naming eight models of its aircraft. Can you name them?
2. During a hard landing, the wings of an airplane tend to flex downward. At such a time, a G-meter in the airplane indicates:
(a) More than +1 G.
(b) Between 0 and +1 G.
(c) Between 0 and -1 G.
(d) More than -1 G.
3. What is the difference between a hazard and a risk.
4. What is the only airplane in which additional cruise speed results in decreased fuel consumption?
5. True or false; a batted baseball travels farther in humid air than in dry air.
