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ATR, AviAssist join forces to promote air safety in Africa
Turboprop manufacturer ATR will partner with the AviAssist Foundation to strengthen aviation safety awareness in Africa.
Nonprofit AviAssist collaborates with ICAO, safety support providers and other stakeholders to promote aviation safety on the continent through channels such as training courses, social media and a magazine.
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Irkut to build fifth MC-21 prototype to test Russian engines
Russia’s Irkut Corp. will manufacture an additional prototype of its new MC-21 narrowbody aircraft to test Perm Engine Co. PD-14 turbofans.
The PD-14-powered aircraft is expected to be assembled by the end of the year or early 2020, an Irkut representative said Feb. 26, without specifying when flight trials would begin.
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ANALYSIS: Supersonic projects speed towards Concorde's successor
Almost exactly 20 years after the Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde's final revenue flight from New York touched down in London in October 2003, a commercial jet will once again cross the Atlantic at speeds faster than sound. At least that is the ambition of Tom Vice, chief executive of Aerion, one of a trio of US-based start-ups hoping to return aviation to the supersonic age during the next decade.
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RETROSPECTIVE: Concorde as viewed from the flightdeck
Capt Ron "R E" Gillman described Concorde as a "magnificent achievement" in this assessment of its handling qualities first published in Flight in January 1976 to mark the aircraft's entry into service.
Although the narrow-section fuselage and slender delta wing form demanded by aerodynamic considerations result in Concorde resembling an elegant bird, they do present a few extra problems to the pilot.
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RETROSPECTIVE: How Flight reported Concorde's 1969 first flight
The world had to wait a long time for Concorde to fly. And when it did, Flight International celebrated with a three-page spread of pictures accompanied by bilingual verse from the poet Robert Gordon.
The Anglo-French supersonic airliner programme had been launched in 1962 and the first "Concord" – as it was originally called in English, rolled out in Toulouse in December 1967. Back at that global debut, the original first flight target was 28 February 1968.
LinkAirlines
Injuries reported after Laudamotion aborted takeoff
Eight passengers have been injured during evacuation after a Laudamotion Airbus A320-200 aborted takeoff from London Stansted Airport because of engine problems.
The CFM56-powered A320, registered OE-LOA (serial number 3147), was operating as flight OE327 from Stansted to Vienna when the incident happened at around 2000 local time on March 1.
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NTSB recovers crashed Atlas Air 767 cockpit voice recorder
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on March 1 that it has recovered the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from an Atlas Air Boeing 767-300 freighter six days after it crashed in Trinity Bay, Texas, killing three people on board.
In a posting on Twitter, the agency said it was transporting the CVR to its recorders laboratory in Washington DC, for examination. There was no mention of the aircraft’s flight data recorder.
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Qatar Airways set for Paris Air Show order
Qatar Airways plans to place an aircraft order at the Paris Air Show and, separately, is looking to further develop its aircraft leasing business.
“We will order more aircraft in Le Bourget,” Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said during a journalists roundtable at the Aviation Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
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DOT fines American, Delta for extensive tarmac delays
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) on Feb. 28 handed down fines of $1 million to American Airlines and $750,000 to Delta Air Lines for subjecting passengers to extended tarmac delays at airports across the US over the last several years.
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Ryanair to launch four UK, Ireland routes; new customer care improvements
Ryanair will launch two new routes from Ireland and two from the UK as part of its winter schedule, starting in October.
The Irish LCC said it would begin daily flights from Dublin to Milan Malpensa and a weekly service between Knock and the Spanish island of Tenerife. Ryanair’s winter 2019 schedule from Ireland will include a total of 119 routes.
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SAS Scandinavian Airlines CEO outlines A321LR services
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will begin testing smaller-scale, long-haul flights starting in summer 2020 with three Airbus A321LRs, SAS president & CEO Rickard Gustafson said during an analyst call Feb. 27.
Gustafson said the aircraft will offer a three-class cabin product, featuring business class, SAS Plus and SAS Go.
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Scottish carrier boosts UK domestic services, fleet
Scottish regional airline Loganair is continuing its recent expansion with a series of new services linking three Scottish destinations with London Southend Airport.
Southend is a small but growing airport some 40 miles east of central London.
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SalamAir to open second operations center in Salalah
Omani LCC SalamAir aims to open its second center of operations at Salalah Airport, in the southwest of the Arabian nation.
The airline, which began services in 2017, currently operates to 14 destinations in the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.
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Southwest seeks court action against its mechanics
Southwest Airlines has asked a US federal court to stop its mechanics writing up minor maintenance issues the airline believes is part of an illegal job action designed to wreak havoc on its operations. In a Feb. 28 filing before the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the Dallas-based carrier laid out its case that the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) is coordinating the campaign as part of ongoing and contentious contract talks that began in mid-2012.
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Turkish carrier SunExpress sees record revenue; prepares for MAX deliveries
SunExpress, a joint venture of Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, posted €1.3 billion ($1.49 billion) revenue for 2018, the highest in its history.
The Antalya, Turkey-based carrier transported 10 million passengers in 2018, up 10% over 2017. Load factor was flat at 84 %.
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Irish Court backs Ryanair on passenger compensation rule
A Dublin court has ruled in Ryanair’s favor over its refusal to pay compensation to Irish passengers whose flights were delayed or canceled as a result of internal strike action by airline staff. Swords District Court ruled that no compensation was due under European Union Regulation 261/2004 (EU261) to Ryanair customers affected by last summer’s strikes by airline staff because the industrial action was beyond the airline’s ...
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ANALYSIS: ATSG profits rise as 767F fleet balloons
Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) continues to acquire more Boeing 767s, riding a wave of demand for package shipments that pushed the company to a $69.3 million 2018 net profit, up nearly four times from 2017.
The Wilmington, Ohio-based air cargo company intends to operate another 10 767 Freighters this year, including several former American Airlines aircraft, it says.
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Aeromexico takes careful approach to long-haul growth
Aeromexico is taking a prudent approach towards adding new long-haul destinations, after it adds flights to Barcelona this June.
The SkyTeam carrier is focusing on adding frequencies on its international routes in the near term as it aims to keep systemwide capacity flat in 2019, Aeromexico chief revenue officer Anko van der Werff told FlightGlobal at the IATA Aviation Summit in Mexico City.
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PICTURES: Landor 747 named as next British Airways retrojet
British Airways has announced that its next retrojet will be a Boeing 747-400 adorned with the Landor design. The third iteration of the centenary heritage livery released by British Airways is taking to the skies at the end of March.
The Boeing 747-400, registration G-BNLY, is currently being painted in Landor colours, which decorated the British Airways fleet from 1984-1997.
LinkAirports
Improvements to surface access transport imperative for Stansted growth
Ken O’Toole, CEO, Stansted Airport has called on local businesses, community leaders and regional organisations to make their voices heard and press Government to upgrade rail links to the airport.
Addressing over 150 delegates at the annual Stansted Area Transport Forum, Mr O’Toole said better connectivity in and out of the airport will further boost the local economy, make new journeys viable for local residents, ease access for the 12,000 on-site workforce and help attract a greater number of airlines and new destinations.
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Initial design for terminal development at Pittsburgh Airport approved
The Airport Authority Board of Directors of Pittsburgh International Airport have approved a concept design for the terminal modernisation programme at the airport.
The concept design for the new terminal to be built adjacent to the current facility between Concourses C and D and scheduled to open in 2023, was unveiled to airport employees and the public.
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ACI-NA study finds $128 billion in unmet US airport infrastructure needs
A new study from the Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) documented $128 billion in unmet infrastructure needs and a debt burden totaling $91.6 billion from past projects at US and Canadian airports, reflecting what ACI-NA described in a statement as the “terminally challenged” state of North American airport infrastructure.
LinkMilitary
USAF suspends Boeing KC-46A tanker deliveries until FOD is fixed
After foreign object debris, including forgotten tools, were found inside an undisclosed number of Boeing KC-46A Pegasus aircraft delivered to the US Air Force, the service suspended acceptance of the air refueling tankers on 20 February.
The USAF says it will not take deliveries again until all production aircraft have been cleared of debris and Boeing has formulated a plan to resolve the issue. Discovery of foreign object debris (FOD) caused Boeing to ground its undelivered KC-46A tankers at its Washington state facilities for inspections, according to a memo obtained by The Seattle Times. The USAF and Boeing confirm the issue to FlightGlobal.
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ANALYSIS: MH-60R Romeo comes of age Down Under
When the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) became the second operator of the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky MH-60R "Romeo" helicopter in 2013, it represented a major step up in capability and training for its combat aircrews.
Acquired via the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism, Australia’s 24 Romeos replaced 16 obsolescent S-70B-2 "Bravo" Seahawks, and came backed up with a comprehensive training, logistics and support package from the US Navy (USN) and its industry partners.
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Dassault chief warns on creating 'Eurofighter 2.0' for FCAS work
Additional partners could still be brought into the ongoing effort to develop a European future fighter aircraft, but lead company Dassault has warned against overcomplicating the project.
France and Germany agreed to jointly develop a Future Combat Air System (FCAS) in 2018, comprising both manned and unmanned assets. Dassault and Airbus Defence & Space are the industrial champions.
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Singapore to order four F-35s, with options for eight
Singapore plans to place a firm order for four Lockheed Martin F-35s, with options for an additional eight aircraft.
“We have announced our plans to replace our F-16s, which will face obsolescence post 2030, with the F-35s,” said defence minister Ng Eng Hen in a parliamentary speech.
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AVALON: RAAF shows off militarised 737s
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has seen operational improvements with its two militarized Boeing 737 types, the E-7A Wedgetail and P-8A Poseidon.
“The E-7A is the most capable airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft in the world,” says RAAF Sqn Ldr Martin Davis, flight commander of 2 Sqn.
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Aviation Quote
"The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don't have a space program, it'll serve us right!"
- Larry Niven, quoted by Arthur Clarke in interview at space.com, 2001
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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
7. Which Space Shuttle was the only abort to orbit?
A. Challenger
B. Discovery
C. Columbia
