Global air cargo surged 11.7% in Feb. Global air cargo volume rose 11.7% in February on a year-over-year basis, according to a monthly report from the International Air Transport Association. "[While] a combination of factors made February the strongest month in a very long time for air freight, nobody expects growth to continue at this pace," said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of IATA. Link
MC-21 ushers active sidesticks into commercial aircraft cockpits Active sidestick controllers will be used on a large commercial aircraft for the first time with the Irkut MC-21 programme’s selection of a system in development for over two decades by a France-based subsidiary of UTC Aerospace Systems. The announcement on 20 April introduces a potential new breakthrough in cockpit situational awareness for commercial aircraft using a fly-by-wire actuation system and sidestick controllers. Link
5 innovations to watch for airline cabins Every year, the brightest minds in the airline industry assemble in Hamburg, Germany, for the Aircraft Interiors Expo. For the most part, it's a boring trade show full of talk about seat textiles and fuel economy. But it also includes exhibitors like Boeing and Airbus, which announce plans for cabin design that are bound to impact your travel in years to come. With that in mind, here are the best ideas we spotted from the show—and one really, really bad one. Link
Airlines
AirAsia X Agrees Australia Passenger Compensation Malaysian budget airline AirAsia X said it will compensate passengers inconvenienced by its decision to stop direct flights to the Australian city of Adelaide after authorities received a "significant number" of complaints. In a statement on its website, the Kuala Lumpur-listed carrier said it has now reimbursed customers forced to cancel, rebook on other airlines or make their own way to other Australian cities to catch its flights after it quit the South Australian state capital in January. Link
Delta maintains capacity discipline Delta Air Lines reported solid Q1 earnings growth last week, with EPS rising to $0.45: up from $0.33 in the year-earlier period. As good as the results were, they would have been even more impressive but for Delta's $1.1 billion in fuel hedging losses. Link
JetBlue debuts BlueBud mentoring for small businesses JetBlue Airways is introducing a business mentoring program called BlueBlud. "The first program will focus on small food companies in New York State that are creating unique and novel concepts," JetBlue writes on its blog. Applications will be accepted through April 27. Link
U.S. airlines are poised for strong Q1, analysts say Analysts predict 10 of the largest U.S. carriers will report record profits for the first quarter. Michael Linenberg, an analyst for Deutsche Bank, said his forecast of $2.8 billion "represents a record for the quarter and marks only the third profitable March quarter for the industry in a decade." Link
Airports
Ore. airport deploys goats to munch unwanted vegetation San Francisco International Airport did it. So did Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Now Portland International has decided to enlist animals to remove invasive plants on airport property. Link
United to temporarily relocate concourses amid renovations at S.C. airport United Airlines plans to temporarily move to Concourse B at Charleston International Airport this week in South Carolina. United's terminal at Concourse A will undergo $189 million in renovations. Link
Military
European tanker exercise points towards combined fleet Tanker aircraft from four nations are nearing the completion of a European Defence Agency-backed exercise intended to increase interoperability and co-operation. Being conducted from Eindhoven air base in the Netherlands from 13-24 April, the European Air Refuelling Training (EART) activity is also supporting combat aircraft participating in the multinational Frisian Flag manoeuvres, which are running simultaneously from Leeuwarden air base. Link
Poland selects H225M for tri-service helicopter deal Poland has selected the Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal for its tri-service rotorcraft acquisition, but has trimmed the overall requirement from 70 down to 50 units. Warsaw says the 11t-class helicopter will now perform “verification checks” in late May and June to ensure its suitability for the intended missions. Airbus Helicopters, which will locally assemble the rotorcraft, edged out offers from PZL Swidnik – which proposed the AgustaWestland AW149 – and Sikorsky and its local subsidiary PZL Mielec, which offered the S-70i Black Hawk and S-70B Seahawk. These "did not meet the formal requirements” of the tender, says the nation's defence ministry. Link
UAV
FAA Urged To Speed Use Of Drones In Disaster Response US companies including insurers and aerospace manufacturers have urged federal aviation regulators to speed up the use of drones in disaster response and relief operations in the United States. A report sponsored by the groups and released by the consulting firm 32 Advisors advocates drone use for purposes ranging from response planning and damage assessment to supply delivery and Wi-Fi and cellular phone relay services. Link
Aviation Quote
All right, good night.
— last known transmission, Malaysia Airlines flight 370, to Malaysian ATC. 01:19 local time 8 March 2014.
On This Date
--- In 1912... Englishman Denys Corbett Wilson flies across St. George’s Channel between England and Ireland.
---In 1958…First flight of the Boeing Vertol 107-II.
---In 1971... Britain and France give the go-ahead for four more Concordes, bringing the total to ten.
---In 1985... Pan Am sells its Pacific division to United Air Lines for $750 million; the deal includes all Pan Am’s Pacific routes as well as its complete fleet of long-range 747SPs, half its TriStars and one DC-10.
---In 1992… The YF-22 prototype is damaged beyond repair.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Trivia
3 View ID
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
