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Airbus Wins Five Orders, Delivers 36 Planes In January
Airbus won five orders for the current version of the A330 in January, helping plug a potential gap in production as it works on an updated version due to enter service in 2017. The European plane maker said on Thursday the order for five A330-200s, worth USD$1.1 billion at list prices, came from a new customer that it did not identify. After delivering five A330s in January, Airbus now has a backlog of 193 of the wide-body aircraft including freighters.
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Large 747 order on the line for Boeing, source says
High in stratosphere where politics and aerospace overlap, a huge Emirates order could be brewing that would give Boeing's 747 a new lease on life. That remote possibility – that Boeing could sell 100 of its 747s – was enough to inspire a Wednesday post from long-time Washington state aerospace consultant Scott Hamilton.
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CFM starts Leap-1A flight tests
CFM International has begun flight tests of its new Leap-1A engine destined for the Airbus A320neo narrowbody, the GE Aviation-Snecma joint venture has confirmed. A modified Boeing 747-400 owned by GE is being used for trials of the 24,500-32,900lb-thrust turbofan, which are taking place at Victorville, California. It is the second of the Leap-series engines to take to the skies, following the maiden sortie of the -1C for the Comac C919 in October 2014.
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American Airlines, Korean Air reach "milestone" codeshare agreement
Korean Air and American Airlines have announced a codeshare agreement for flights connecting Dallas-Fort Worth and Seoul airports. "The new codeshare cooperation with Korean Air is an important milestone in growing our relationships with carriers around the globe to provide customers access to the destinations they value most," said Kurt Stache, an American senior vice president.
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Avianca signs MOU for 100 A320neos
Latin American airline group Avianca has signed a memorandum of understanding for 100 Airbus A320neos, choosing to remain with the A320 family despite efforts from Boeing to switch the airline to 737s. “After a thorough technical evaluation, we selected the A320neo family for its excellent fuel efficiency, reliability and comfort,” says Avianca chief executive Fabio Villegas. “These qualities are essential to further our growth and fleet modernisation strategy and improve our passenger experience.” The latest order is Avianca's second for the A320neo. It ordered 51 A320 family aircraft, including 33 A320neos, in 2012. Avianca holds orders for almost 200 Airbus aircraft, and has almost 130 in operation. Airbus does not state if Avianca has made an engine selection for the latest order, but Avianca had previously picked the CFM International Leap-1A for its first A320neo order.
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JetBlue to debut service from JFK to Grenada
JetBlue will launch twice-weekly service between New York's Kennedy Airport and Grenada on June 11, pending government approval. "Grenada has seen remarkable growth in tourism thanks to a fresh marketing approach, a new Sandals resort and a resilient tourism sector," said Alexandra Otway-Noel, JetBlue's minister of implementation. Delta and Caribbean Airlines also fly from New York to Grenada.
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Ryanair, Aer Lingus Win Challenge To State Aid Ruling
Ryanair and its Irish rival Aer Lingus won a court challenge on Thursday against a European Union regulatory ruling ordering them to repay state aid related to Ireland's air travel tax. The two carriers took their fight to the EU's General Court in Luxembourg after the European Commission in 2012 said they had benefited from illegal state aid by paying a lower levy for domestic flights between 2009 and 2011. The EU competition authority told Irish authorities to recover eight euros per passenger on short-haul flights from the airlines. Judges said the Commission's arguments were flawed.
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TransAsia ATR flight data suggests wrong engine shut down
Flight-data recorder information suggests the crew operating the crashed TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600 may have shut down the left-hand engine of the aircraft shortly after the right-hand engine flamed out. Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council has released engine plots from the recovered flight-data recorder that appear to show that, shortly after takeoff, a master warning indicated a flame-out of the right-hand powerplant. The aircraft was at an altitude of around 1,200ft at the time. The data indicates that the propeller of the right-hand engine feathered. But less than a minute after the warning, the data shows a fuel shut-off to the left-hand engine. There is no indication on the data plot that a flame-out warning was active for this engine.
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TransAsia Pilot Hailed A Hero For Pulling Plane Clear Of Buildings
Taipei's mayor hailed the pilot of the crashed TransAsia Airways plane a hero on Thursday for narrowly avoiding buildings and ditching the stalled aircraft in a river, likely averting a worse disaster. At least 31 people were killed when flight GE235 lurched between buildings, clipped a taxi and an overpass with one of its wings and crashed upside down into shallow water shortly after take-off from a Taipei airport on Wednesday. There were 15 known survivors and 12 more unaccounted for.
LinkAirports
Atlanta airport served 96.1 million passengers in 2014
Atlanta city officials say the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has again been named the world’s busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic. Mayor Kasim Reed said Wednesday that about 96.1 million travelers passed through the airport in 2014, an increase of more than 1.7 million from the year before. Reed says the city’s airport has been the world’s busiest for the past 17 years and contributes roughly $34 billion to the local economy.
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DIA breaks passenger record for 2014
Denver International Airport had its busiest year ever in 2014, moving more than 53 million passengers. The passenger count of 53.47 million edged DIA's previous record total of 53.16 million in 2012. The airport's 2014 tally included a record 2.21 million international passengers, up 12 percent from 2013 levels.
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The odyssey of bags at Philadelphia International Airport
The Transportation Security Administration offered a rare glimpse behind the scenes at how baggage is screened at Philadelphia International Airport.
LinkRegulatory
ICAO recommends 15min tracking interval for airliners
Less than a year after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, ICAO has recommended adopting a new aircraft tracking standard for airlines with automated position updates every 15min. The recommendation made on 3 February at the UN aviation body’s High Level Safety Conference in Montreal could become effective this fall using an “expedited” approval process, says Olumuyiwa Aliu, president of the ICAO Council. The standard is the first regulatory response at an international level to prevent airliners from vanishing completely and reducing the search area over water and remote areas.
LinkCorporate
NetJets Europe cleared to fly Phenom 300s from London City airport
NetJets Europe has clinched approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority to operate its Embraer Phenom 300 light-cabin business jet at London City airport, in the heart of the UK’s financial community. The Berkshire Hathaway-owned company is the largest private operator at the site, responsible for over 50% of all business aircraft traffic. In 2014 alone, NetJets says it flew from City to over 370 destinations worldwide, with Paris Le Bourget one of the most popular routes.
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Aviation Quote
This is all about fun. You can grab ahold of an airplane here, and literally take your life in both hands. One for the throttle and one for the stick, and you can control your own destiny, free of most rules and regulations. It may not be better than sex, but it's definitely better than the second time. Adrenaline is a narcotic; it may be a naturally induced narcotic, but it is a narcotic. And once you get it movin' around in there, it's a rush like none other, and when this puppy gets movin...
— Alan Preston, air race pilot
On This Date
---In 1916... The airline Deutsche Luft Reederei flies its first service, which is freight only, between Berlin and Weimar.
---In 1933…Pioneer Jim Mollison flies a de Havilland Puss Moth from the United Kingdom to Brazil, vwith a stop in Senegal, across the South Atlantic. He becomes the first person to fly solo across the North and South Atlantics.
---In 1946... A TWA Lockheed Constellation lands at Orly airport, Paris, from LaGuardia, New York, to complete the airline’s first scheduled international flight.
---In 1956... William Judd lands his Cessna 180 in Paris after a solo flight of 25 hours 15 minutes across the North Atlantic from the US.
---In 1958…British European Airways Flight 609 crashes on its third attempt to takeoff at Munich-Riem Airport in West Germany. The Airspeed AS-57 Ambassador (G-ALZU) was attempting to become airborne on a slush-covered runway, when it tore through a fence and hit a nearby house. There are 21 survivors among the 44 people on the aircraft.
---In 1959…The first successful test firing of the Titan ICBM takes place.
---In 1964…United Airlines puts the Boeing 727 into service, 5 days after delivery.
---In 1978…Senator Howard Cannon of Nevada introduces the airline Deregulation Act, which would be passed the next October.
---In 1982…Freddie Laker's Laker Airways flies for the last time.
---In 1996…Birgenair Flight 301, a Boeing 757-225 (TC-GEN) crashes into the Caribbean Sea, killing all 189 aboard. The crash is due to one of the aircraft’s 3 pitot tubes having been blocked, giving the aircraft erroneous airspeeds. Blame has been placed on the pilots because they proceeded to takeoff even after realizing the airspeed issues on departure.
---In 2009…FedEx closes its first hub for the first time in history when their Asian-Pacific center at Subic Bay International Airports ceases operations, which were then transferred to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in southern China.
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