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EU, UK issue more no-deal Brexit guidance for air transport
Both the European Union (EU) and the UK have announced measures designed to smooth air transport connections in the event of the UK departing the bloc in six weeks’ time (Brexit) without a deal.
A distinct difference in attitude toward this situation was evident in the two camps’ Feb. 15 announcements; the EU talked of “severe disruption” to air connectivity in the event of no deal being agreed, while the UK, giving an update on security measures for air passengers and cargo traveling to and from the EU, emphasized that the status quo on security would largely be maintained.
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AerCap posts 5.6% full-year net profit dip on lower revenue
Irish-headquartered lessor AerCap has posted a $1.02 billion net profit for the 2018 financial year, 5.6% down on its $1.08 billion prior-year net profit.
Revenue for the year was 5% down at $4.8 billion. Basic lease revenue was down just 1%, but maintenance rents fell 25% and other income narrowed by 35%, causing the 5% overall decline.
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FAA gives Vietnam a category 1 safety rating
The FAA has assigned Vietnam a category 1 safety rating, opening the way for Vietnamese carriers to begin service to the US. Gaining an FAA rating has been a long-term goal of Vietnamese regulators and airlines. Countries must be in category 1 under the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program for their airlines to begin new service to the US or codeshare with US carriers.
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EASA warns over exploding passenger doors
Europe's regulator has warned over the hazard of passenger doors on parked business jets exploding open following a string of serious incidents, including one in which the aircraft's captain was killed.
In a safety information bulletin (SIB) issued on 12 February, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) identifies "an excessive differential pressure between the inside and the outside of the aircraft", as the root cause of the problem.
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Airbus credits A380 with assisting success of A350
Airbus is crediting the A380 with providing the design and production experience necessary to ensure the success of the A350.
Chief executive Tom Enders, speaking in Toulouse as the airframer confirmed it would stop producing the double-deck jet, said the company had been “pretty close” to axing the A380 a year ago.
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AEI gains STC for 737-800 freighter conversion
Miami-based Aeronautical Engineers Inc (AEI) has received supplemental type certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration for its Boeing 737-800 freighter conversion.
The company completed its prototype conversion in December on a 737-800 (MSN 29121), but experienced a delay in gaining approval for the STC due to the partial government shutdown.
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Airlines

UK regional flybmi suspends operations
UK regional carrier flybmi, formerly known as bmi Regional, announced on Feb. 16 that it has suspended operations and is filing for administration.
In a statement, British Midland Regional Limited, which operated as flybmi, said the grounding was driven by a combination of recent fuel spikes, emissions costs and uncertainty caused by the UK’s imminent departure from the European Union (Brexit).
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Air Canada posts 4Q loss on currency exchange
Air Canada posted a net loss of C$231 million ($174.3 million) in the fourth quarter, as foreign-exchange losses cost the carrier C$262 million more than in the year-earlier period, when it posted a net profit of C$8 million. The bottom-line result masked improving fundamentals, the airline’s top executive said.
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LOT aims to create Budapest hub
LOT Polish Airlines will base an Embraer E195 at Budapest Airport in Hungary and add two new routes, serving Brussels in Belgium and Bucharest in Romania, as it seeks to build a connecting hub at the airport.
With the two route additions, LOT will serve seven destinations from Budapest, including Chicago, Kraków, London City, New York JFK and Warsaw.
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Gulf Air opens vacation routes to Malaga, Salalah
Bahraini flag carrier Gulf Air’s first two new routes since it announced plans to become a “boutique carrier” indicate a tweaking of the airline’s route network.
The airline plans to open two seasonal services—to Malaga in southern Spain and Salalah, the second city of Oman.
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Ryanair’s product improvements include annual premium bundle
Irish LCC Ryanair will offer a new annual product, which includes allocated seats, fast-track and priority boarding, as part of a series of improvements to be rolled out this year.
On Feb. 14, the airline launched Ryanair Choice, priced at €199 ($225) per passenger per year for allocated seats, fast-track and priority boarding across all Ryanair flight bookings.
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Finnair 2018 net profit down 11%; to slow expansion after record year
Finnair foresees its expansion slowing in 2019, but continues to aim for sustainable profit growth, the company’s CEO said Feb. 15.
The Finnish flag carrier predicts the economies of several of its main markets will grow weakly, if at all, in 2019 and is keeping a close watch on one of its major rivals, LCC Norwegian, in its Nordic and European markets.
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Turkmenistan Airlines working on safety improvements
Central Asian carrier Turkmenistan Airlines has brought in Lufthansa Consulting to advise on safety improvements, after EASA suspended the airline’s safety authorization.
Turkmenistan Airlines previously had EASA third-country operator (TCO) authorization, allowing it to serve destinations in the European Union (EU), but this permission was withdrawn by EASA on Feb. 4, forcing the carrier to halt European flights with its own fleet.
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Jet Airways’ restructuring plan could see banks take majority share
India’s Jet Airways is seeking approval of a restructuring plan that will see a consortium of creditor banks become the airline’s majority owner. Jet’s board said it has approved a “bank-led provisional resolution plan.” This restructuring strategy will address a “funding gap” of nearly 85 billion rupees ($1.2 billion), the airline said.
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Malaysia Airlines launches pilgrimage arm Amal
Malaysia Airlines Group (MAG) officially launched a pilgrimage airline, Amal, on Feb. 13, after seeing a large market for Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage flight services in Southeast Asia. The airline also hopes to increase its market share for such flights in Malaysia from 50% to 60%, as well as neighboring Thailand and Indonesia to 30% and 10%, respectively. “The Indonesia Umrah market is 10 times bigger than Malaysia but with limited capacity, it is an underserved market.
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China Airlines, pilots reach deal to end week-long strike
The seven-day strike by Taiwan’s China Airlines’ (CAL) pilots ended Feb. 14, as the airline met most demands by pilots, represented by the Taoyuan Pilots Union, on better fatigue management on long-haul flights and better benefits.
The strike began Feb. 8, affecting around 20,000 passengers, with more than 136 flights canceled. The strike cost the carrier an estimated $16 million in revenue. Passengers may apply for compensation, which is capped at $250.
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Ryanair seeks to take on BMI Regional crews
Ryanair has swooped to encourage flight personnel from collapsed BMI Regional to join the budget carrier.
The airline had already started offering rescue fares to stranded passengers on certain European routes within a couple of hours of BMI Regional’s cessation of services on 16 February.
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Flybe bids to reassure as mix-up follows Flybmi collapse
UK regional operator Flybe has stressed that it is continuing to operate as normal, following confusion over the collapse of BMI Regional.
BMI Regional had recently adopted a new brand, operating under the name ‘Flybmi’, and the similarity to Flybe appears to have led to misunderstanding on social media.
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PICTURES: SCAT 737 burned after cockpit-oxygen refill explosion
Sudden ignition during the replenishment of cockpit oxygen led to the blaze which severely damaged a SCAT Boeing 737-300 at Aktau.
Kazakhstan’s accident investigation authority states that an explosion occurred about 8min after the jet parked at Aktau airport’s stand 202 having arrived from Astana on 16 June 2015.
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PICTURES: First A350 for JAL comes together
Final assembly of the first Airbus A350-900 for Japan Airlines has commenced at Airbus’s facility in Toulouse.
The manufacturer released images showing the JAL-liveried vertical stabiliser being moved into position, and later fitted to the aircraft’s fuselage.
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Airports

Airfield renovation project completed in Montego Bay
CEMEX today announced that it led an international team of specialists in charge of renovating 35,000sqm of taxiways at Sangster International Sangster Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
It notes that it created its own concrete plant on the island for the job and brought supplies from Mexico that weren’t available locally together with a next-generation paver to lay 22,500m3 of concrete.
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Military

US Army helicopters to get 5,000 encrypted communication systems
The US Army awarded Raytheon a contract worth $406 million to provide ARC-231A communication systems for a variety of helicopters.
As part of the contract, Raytheon will deliver 5,000 systems over the next five years, as well as support services and software upgrades to the US Army, the company says. The radio-based systems are to be installed on several different types of helicopters, including Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks, Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota utility helicopters and Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.
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Leonardo to add second AWHero to flight tests over next months
Leonardo has opened a dedicated facility in Pisa for the development and production of its AWHero rotary-winged unmanned air vehicle (UAV), as the manufacturer accelerates work on the programme.
The Italian aerospace group says it completed a first 10min flight in December 2018 with a pre-production variant of the remotely piloted helicopter in Nettuno, near Rome, and that a second pre-production AWHero will start flight tests in the "next few months".
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Saab nears decision on US facility for T-X work
Saab will pick the location of a US facility to host its production activities in support of the Boeing-led T-X jet trainer programme by mid-year, according to the Swedish company's chief executive.
"In the first half of this year we will decide on where we will allocate our production in the USA," Buskhe said during an annual results presentation on 15 February.
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Gripen E enters serial production as Saab targets sales
Saab is continuing to make good progress with its Gripen E programme, with chief executive Hakan Buskhe revealing that it launched serial production of the fighter early this year.
Speaking during an annual results presentation on 15 February, Buskhe said the programme advance was made "in the first week of January". Saab is under contract to produce 60 examples of the new-generation type for the Swedish air force, and 36 E/F-model examples in partnership with Embraer for Brazil.
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Spain joins Franco-German FCAS fighter programme
Spain has joined the existing Franco-German effort to develop a future combat air system (FCAS), which is scheduled to enter service by 2040.
During a NATO meeting in Brussels on 14 February, Spain's minister of defence, Margarita Robles, signed a letter of intent with her respective French and German counterparts, Florence Parly and Ursula von der Leyen, covering the country's integration into the programme.
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Aviation Quote

You can always depend on twin engine aircraft. When the first engine quits the second will surely fly you to the scene of an accident.

- Anonymous

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Trivia

Space Shuttle

1.
What United States president signed an order that officially began the space shuttle project?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Richard M. Nixon
C. Jimmy Carter

2. What year was the first space shuttle mission launched?
A. 1977
B. 1979
C. 1981

3. What shuttle was used to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993?
A. Challenger
B. Discovery
C. Endeavour

4. How many successful U.S. shuttle missions had taken place before Challenger disintegrated into a ball of fire in 1986?
A. 9
B. 24
C. 99

5. What was the first shuttle to be launched following the Challenger disaster?
A. Atlantis
B. Discovery
C. Endeavour

6. What was the first shuttle to dock with Russia's Mir space station?
A. Atlantis
B. Columbia
C. Enterprise