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Germany doubles aviation tax, imposes minimum fare rule
Germany’s coalition government has agreed to double the country’s short-haul aviation tax and impose a minimum fare rule in 2020.
After marathon negotiations, the government, which consists of three parties, decided to double the current €7.38 ($8.17) tax per passenger departing from German airports, effective Jan. 1, 2020.
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COMAC: ARJ21 production reaches 30 aircraft per year
Production capacity for the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) ARJ21 has reached 30 aircraft per year with the commissioning of a second assembly line for the regional jet, the manufacturer said. The second line at COMAC’s Pudong, Shanghai base has completed its first ARJ21, COMAC deputy director of marketing and sales Yang Yang told reporters. Capacity can be increased to 50–60 aircraft a year, depending on demand, Yang added, speaking at Aviation Expo China
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ANALYSIS: All change at the regional aircraft manufacturers
Dennis Lau, an aviation analyst with Ascend by Cirium, considers recent developments in the regional aircraft market
There have been some significant developments in the regional aircraft sector in 2019, changing the competitive dynamic. After many years in the sector and being a pioneer of the regional jet, Bombardier is following its divestment of the CSeries by also offloading its regional jet and turboprop product lines.
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Trent 1000 blade fixes to take longer than predicted
Operators of Rolls-Royce-powered Boeing 787s are being warned that measures to fix the persistent blade problems of the Trent 1000 engine are likely to take longer than previously estimated.
Rolls-Royce’s decision to accelerate blade replacement for Package B and C engines – those yet to receive the final blade standard – has resulted in additional powerplant removals from 787 airframes.
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C919 timeline shifts to the right
Comac’s C919 could enter service with launch customer China Eastern Airlines later than expected, even as production for the aircraft commences by year’s end.
FlightGlobal understands that the Chinese airframer is looking at a timeline of about two to three years for the certification and delivery of the first aircraft.
LinkAirlines
France’s XL Airways declares insolvency, stops ticket sales
French airline XL Airways has declared insolvency, citing “great financial difficulties” and stopped selling tickets, in the latest casualty to hit the French airline industry.
XL Airways, which stopped selling tickets Sept. 19, said it would maintain flights over the weekend; however, some flights could be canceled from Sept. 23.
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Spanish LCC Volotea continues growth plan
Volotea—a Barcelona-based LCC specializing in point-to-point service between Europe’s secondary cities—is sticking to its plan for growth over the coming years, after a summer deemed satisfactory in load factor and regularity.
Passenger traffic is targeted to reach between 7.5-8 million passengers in 2019, up from 6.6 million in 2018—which was higher than expected.
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ANA, JAL to keep dual-hub strategy at Tokyo
While Japan’s major airlines are likely to shift more international flights from Tokyo Narita Airport to the city’s Haneda Airport, the two hubs will still fulfill different roles in the carriers’ strategies. All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) were granted half the 50 new daytime Haneda slots allocated by the Japanese government recently.
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Icelandair agrees initial 'fraction' of 737 Max compensation
Icelandair has reached an initial agreement with Boeing partially compensating the airline for earnings lost as a result of the 737 Max grounding.
The airline says the "interim" compensation agreement covers "a fraction" of the total losses incurred as a result of the grounding which began in March this year and has yet to be lifted.
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Norwegian engine failure prompts Virgin to delay A340 retirement
Virgin Atlantic has pushed back the retirement date for its Airbus A340-600 fleet after an engine failure suffered by a Norwegian Boeing 787-8 temporarily affected the availability of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 powerplants.
The UK operator was due to retire its A340 fleet at the end of October, but "we're keeping them for about two months longer", the carrier's executive vice-president of operations Philip Meher told FlightGlobal on 18 September.
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Second Swiss A220 suffers similar engine rotor failure
Investigators are probing another serious engine failure on a Swiss Airbus A220-300, less than two months after a previous similar incident involving a sister aircraft on the same route.
The aircraft (HB-JCA) had been operating Geneva-London Heathrow on 16 September when the failure occurred in the left-hand Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engine during climb.
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Thomas Cook needs extra £200m to aid recapitalisation
Leisure firm Thomas Cook Group is continuing discussions on a recapitalisation and restructuring including a £200 million ($250 million) standby fund on top of its previous capital injection.
Thomas Cook had already reached a provisional agreement covering the “key commercial terms” of a £900 million capital injection involving Chinese tourism group Fosun.
LinkAirports
Dubai Airports chief calls for rethink on airport planning
He may run the world’s busiest airport for international flights, but Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths does not believe constructing ever-larger hubs is the solution to the overcapacity problem faced by many cities.
Instead, he says, disruptive ground-transport technology – such as driverless cars with sleeping facilities or better public transport networks – could make better use of existing facilities by allowing passengers to travel more easily and comfortably to under-served airports further from their home.
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Houston airport closes due to flooding
Houston's George Bush Intercontinental airport closed on 19 September due to flooding as a result of tropical storm Imelda.
“No arriving flights into Houston today, only few departing flights. Flight operations are estimated to resume tomorrow afternoon per the FAA,” the airport said on Twitter at 17:00 local time. It advises passengers to check with their airline to learn the status of their flights.
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CEO of Schiphol Airport says ‘zero-emission aviation is mission possible’
Schiphol has taken significant steps towards making the aviation industry more environmentally friendly, but have acknowledged that the pace of progress towards sustainability needs to be increased.
“International aviation needs to embrace the ambition, in line with the Paris Agreement, of achieving net zero emissions by the middle of this century” said Dick Benschop, CEO of Royal Schiphol Group, as he delivered the annual Airneth lecture for aviation professionals and policymakers.
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Revised draft study released outlining San Diego Airport improvements
A revised environmental study has been released which details plans to build a more modern, efficient San Diego International Airport which has seen an increase of passenger numbers of 400 per cent since it opened in 1967.
The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has released a revised draft environmental study for the Airport Development Plan (ADP), which envisions the replacement of Terminal 1 with a modern, efficient facility and related improvements to ensure a better customer experience for decades to come.
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Heathrow to trial new technology to improve recycling rates at airports
In a UK first, Heathrow will trial new technology that could turn unrecyclable passenger waste into airport furniture, uniforms and alternative fuels.
Heathrow will kick-start a new trial turning unrecyclable plastic passenger waste – including food packaging and plastic film – into airport furniture, uniforms and even low-emission jet fuel by 2025.
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Concrete ready to be poured on Dublin's new north runway
Dublin Airport's new North Runway will become a step closer to reality in the next 10 days with the pouring of the first concrete paving on its 3.1 kilometre long site.
The start of construction of pavement quality concrete, which is the top layer of the new runway, is a key milestone for the €320 million North Runway project.
LinkMilitary
PICTURES: US Air National Guard gets first Lockheed Martin F-35s
The US Air National Guard received its first two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters at Vermont Air National Guard Base in Burlington on 19 September.
The National Guard typically receives new fighter types later than the active-duty US Air Force (USAF). In this case it is receiving F-35As relatively early compared to its history of aircraft acquisition.
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MBDA, Bharat team up for India missile production
MBDA and Bharat Dynamics (BDL) have entered a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the production of missiles in India.
The agreement involves the ASRAAM and Mistral missiles, and covers final assembly, integration and testing, says MBDA.
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PICTURES: Boeing MQ-25A unmanned tanker makes first flight
The Boeing MQ-25A unmanned aerial refuelling tanker completed its first flight from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois on 19 September.
The first example, named T1, flew for two hours autonomously through a set of predetermined waypoints under the supervision of Boeing test pilots sitting in a ground control station at MidAmerica where the programme is based, says Boeing. The aircraft took off and landed autonomously.
LinkAviation Quote
“I have seen the curvature of the earth. I have seen sights most people will never see. Flying at more than 70,000 feet is really beautiful and peaceful. I enjoy the quiet, hearing myself breathing, and the hum of the engine. I never take it for granted.”
— Lt. Col. Merryl TengesdaDaily Video
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