NewsUK information regulator investigates British Airways’ cyberattack The UK government office responsible for internet security is looking into a major data breach at British Airways (BA) that resulted in the details of some 380,000 financial transactions by the company’s passengers being stolen. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) told ATW it is making preliminary enquiries into the breach, which occurred between 22:58 BST Aug. 21 and 21:45 BST Sept. 5. The breach affected passengers making transactions on the airline’s website and on the airline’s app.
LinkUS House passes bill to restrict TSA Pre-Check The US House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation to ensure only travelers who have undergone required background and security checks are able to use TSA’s Pre-Check screening lanes. The “Pre-Check is Pre-Check Act”—introduced by Rep. John Katko (R-New York) and passed by a voice vote Sept. 5—would guarantee only travelers who have enrolled in a designated trusted traveler program can use Pre-Check screening lanes at airports nationwide. The law would allow an exception for passengers younger than age 12 or older than 75 traveling on the same itinerary as a trusted traveler program member.
LinkLufthansa operations severely affected by A320neo engine vibration issue A newly emerging issue around increased engine vibrations is severely affecting utilization of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered Airbus A320neo in-service fleet and threatens to slow the manufacturer’s recovery from delivery delays, several industry sources told ATW’s sister publication Aviation Week.
LinkEasyJet CEO: Pressure on EU airlines unlikely to ease EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren does not see the pressure on European airlines easing up, as operational challenges continue to bite. “In Europe, I don’t have a great deal of hope that things will get better,” Lundgren said, speaking at the Aviation Festival in London, giving the example of ATC delays that will “not get better by themselves.”
LinkRyanair scraps plan to cut Dublin fleet after pilot vote Ryanair said it would not cut its Dublin-based fleet this winter after the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) voted to accept a collective agreement, bringing to a close weeks of tense negotiations and a series of strikes. The Irish LCC’s board has decided to restore six aircraft destined for transfer to Poland this winter to Dublin and has also withdrawn the notice it had given 300 Dublin-based pilots and cabin crew that their jobs were at risk, it said.
LinkClark: Emirates faces obstacles, evaluates capacity growth for 2019Emirates Airline has to deal with a “triple whammy” in the form of weakness of many emerging economies, a strong dollar and higher fuel prices as it is evaluating capacity growth for 2019, the airline’s president Tim Clark said.
LinkRegulator suspends Wataniya Airways’ AOCKuwait’s aviation regulator has suspended the air operator’s certificate (AOC) of carrier Wataniya Airways for three months. Comments by a Kuwaiti government minister suggest that the year-old airline’s operations and network could be taken over by state-owned national carrier Kuwait Airways.
LinkOpenSkies retires final Boeing after last 767 flight to NewarkThe Boeing 767 operated by IAG's Paris Orly-based brand OpenSkies has completed its final transatlantic service and been withdrawn from service. The retirement marked the end of the OpenSkies brand, from a public-facing perspective. The 767-300ER was the last remnant of the original Paris-based transatlantic Boeing 757/767 premium operation set up by British Airways in 2008. Withdrawal of the OpenSkies brand is part of the expansion of IAG's low-cost long-haul unit Level. The Orly operation is now run with two Level-branded Airbus A330-200s.
LinkAirAsia X evaluating A321neos and LRsAirAsia X is considering adding Airbus A321neos and A321LRs to its fleet for future route development and frequency increases. The carrier notes in a recent quarterly results presentation that the narrowbodies could offer variable cost savings of up to 16% and fixed cost savings of up to 5% compared with its A330 fleet.
LinkDubai Airports CEO predicts ‘complete reimagining’ of airport modelDubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths believes aviation growth will be constrained unless airports decentralize and take the pain out of passenger processes. “There’s got to be a complete reimagining of what airports really are,” Griffiths told delegates at the Aviation Festival in London. He said the old solution of building more airport capacity no longer works, because it is capital-intensive, space-restricted and controversial. “I think we are going to face a situation where the growth of aviation globally is going to be very challenged from the airport side. I am not convinced it is possible to match growth in the air with the growth of physical facilities on the ground,” he said.
LinkEmbraer E190 E2 begins European demonstration tourEmbraer’s E190 E2 regional jet has begun a demonstration tour of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The 15-nation trip will extend through September and follows similar tours of the US and Africa. The first stop on the European tour is in Warsaw, Poland. “With over 45 customers and over 350 aircraft in region, we are already seeing many of these customers interested in this world-beating aircraft,” Embraer Commercial Aviation’s VP-Europe, Russia, Central Asia & Leasing Martyn Holmes said.
LinkSingapore Airlines to deploy A350 on Adelaide routeSingapore Airlines (SIA) will introduce a high-density Airbus A350-900 for its medium-haul operations. The airline has announced that Australia’s Adelaide as the launch destination for the new medium-haul aircraft, beginning Dec. 17. Currently, SIA’s A350-900 are configured for three classes—42 in business, 24 in premium economy and 187 in economy. The medium-haul A350 will omit premium economy and will seat 303 in two classes: 40 in business and 263 in economy. The A350 will feature the new Stelia Aerospace business class seats, introduced in March on the Boeing 787-10 for regional markets as well.
LinkBoeing reveals first assembled 777X ahead of static testsBoeing has released its first images of a largely-assembled 777X and disclosed details about the structural testing its static test 777X will soon undergo. The company posted video of its static test 777X and its first flight-test 777X on social media on 5 September.
LinkDoes US Air Force need a Loyal Wingman?Think of contemporary military might, and in all likelihood a list would rank the USA as flying way clear of any rival power. And rightly so – our World Air Forces analysis for 2018 shows that Washington holds a 25% share of the global fleet: impressive, even before considering that this is just shy of double the combined arsenals of China and Russia. But the USA’s long era of assured air superiority is increasingly coming under threat, as a result of a proliferation of advanced air-defence systems and the emergence of stealthy fighters developed by Beijing and Moscow.
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