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NEWS

Boeing loses orders for 26 aircraft
Boeing suffered significant, although not unexpected, cancellations last week of 10 777s, 15 787s and one 737. While no customers were identified, it is understood that the 787s and 777s are those on order for UAE-based leasing company Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. In November 2007, DAE burst into the leasing market with the stated aim of "quickly becom[ing] a leader in the aircraft leasing business" with the signing of letters of intent for 200 Airbus and Boeing aircraft worth just over $27 billion.
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EC protests new DHS Visa Waiver fee
European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom on Friday criticized the decision by the US Dept. of Homeland Security to move forward with an interim rule that will assess a $14 biennial fee on travelers visiting the US from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program beginning Sept 8.
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Tiger posts $1.4 million profit in first fiscal quarter
Tiger Airways Holdings reported net income of S$1.9 million ($1.4 million) for its first fiscal quarter ended June 30, much improved over a loss of S$6 million for the year-ago period. It attributed the gain to strong passenger growth, unit revenue increases and continued strict cost control. Operating revenue rose 45% to S$145.1 million while operating expenses increased 35.9% to S$144.3 million, producing an operating profit of S$800,000, reversed from a S$6.1 million operating loss in the year-ago period.
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JAL sells most JAL Hotels shares, merges subsidiary sales companies
Japan Airlines, in the midst of a bankruptcy restructuring, announced it will sell its 79.6% stake in JAL Hotels and additionally will merge four sales subsidiaries into one unit.
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Desperate Mexicana starts slashing network
Mexicana has been forced immediately to withdraw several services on its network after the airline's dire financial situation worsened, IATA having suspended the carrier's billing and settlement channel. The Oneworld alliance carrier is cutting long-haul flights from Mexico City to Madrid and London Gatwick, as well as services to Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Bogota and Montreal.
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Aspire makes progress on improving air traffic management efficiency
Environmentally friendly air traffic management demonstration flights sound good in theory, but they need to be more than attempts to gain positive publicity. The Asia and Pacific Initiative to Reduce Emissions (Aspire) is one green ATM programme that appears to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Processes and technology highlighted in Aspire demonstration flights are increasingly being put into daily operation, and partners are striving to make every flight perfect in terms of reduced fuel use and emissions.
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Honda unveils conforming aircraft, plans November first flight

Honda Aircraft is preparing to begin test flights in November of the first conforming prototype for its seven-seat light jet. The North Carolina-based manufacturer says the first conforming flight test aircraft for its HondaJet program recently completed power-on tests. Honda says it is now focusing on the integration of avionics and other electrical systems. Senior manager of corporate affairs Stephen Keeney says work on integrating the engine will begin as soon as the first batch of GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines are received, expected early in the third quarter.
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Other News

Malev Hungarian Airlines CCO and Deputy CEOKarim Makhlouf resigned from the carrier last week. Makhlouf, who joined Hungary's state-owned national carrier in January 2009, said it had been a “great experience to restructure this airline until this stage.”Before joining Malev, he was CCO of SkyEurope and director of Network Management at Hapag-Lloyd Express. He also was member of the founding.

Following Air Berlin’s announcement last week that it intends to join oneworld, Austrian LCC Fly Niki President Niki Lauda said the airline has started talks with AA and AY to pursue codeshare agreements. Lauda said Niki is eyeing "big passenger potential in the worldwide market" as it carries passengers to eastern and southeastern Europe via its hub in Vienna. Niki is a strategic partner of Air Berlin, which holds a 49.9% stake in the Austrian carrier. The cooperation between AB and Niki marked the first European low-cost airline alliance. Niki operates a fleet of 17 aircraft comprised of A320 family aircraft and Embraer 190s, and is on track to grow its fleet to 22 aircraft next year.

Flybe concluded an agreement with Finnair to “cooperate on the delivery of regional services in the Scandinavian and Baltic Sea area.” Initially, the UK carrier will wet-lease three Q400s to Finnair, which will operate services from Helsinki to Tampere, Turku and Tallinn as of Oct. 31. The service provision is expected to grow “beyond” three aircraft in the summer of 2011, Flybe said, but the carrier declined to tell ATW how many aircraft or routes it could cover and if the cooperation could evolve into a codeshare or franchise agreement. Last year, Flybe agreed to a similar franchise deal to provide Olympic Air with four Q400s for a year. “The deal is part of Flybe's long-term goals to develop its brand and grow the business in continental Europe,” a spokesperson said, adding that the carrier’s order at the recent Farnborough Airshow for up to 140 E-175s including 35 firm aircraft was “made with the Finnair deal in mind.” Flybe Chairman and CEO Jim French said he is looking “forward to exploring deeper cooperation with Finnair to develop Nordic market entry strategies.” Finnair Senior VP-Resources Management Ville Iho said Flybe is “highly suitable as a cooperation partner in our South and Central Finland traffic...Expanding our co-operation base will give us flexibility to modify our feeder traffic network according to needs.”

ST Aerospace said it acquired the remaining 30% equity in ST Aerospace Training Academy it did not own, through its ST Aerospace Engineering subsidiary. The stake was acquired for S$4 million ($3 million) in cash from Aviation Training Academy (Singapore). The academy was launched in 2007 and in addition to providing conventional ab initio and commercial pilot license training, is developing a Multi-Crew Pilot License program.

Iridium Communications announced that it received "in excess of $1.8 billion of commitments from a syndicate of preeminent international banks" in connection with the credit facility that will be used to finance the construction of the company’s next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium Next. Thales Alenia Space is the prime contractor for the project, which consists of 81 low-earth orbiting communications satellites with first launch in early 2015. Iridium expects to sign the credit facility in September and close shortly thereafter. In May Iridium announced an agreement with JetBlue Airways' subsidiary LiveTV to develop an aviation antenna enabling global connectivity for airline passengers and flight crew. The antenna is "based on the Iridium OpenPort high-speed communications service" for the maritime sector. Commercial rollout is expected early in 2011. The solution provides up to 128 kbps and three voice channels.

ANA said it will resume service to Jakarta in January from Tokyo Narita with daily 767-300ER service and will launch new daily service to Manila from Narita in March, also with a 767-300ER. It additionally announced that it will suspend its daily A320 Nagoya Chubu-Shanghai Pudong route from October 31 "owing to adjustments" in its winter schedule.

Rusline, operating under the brand Air Volga, last month launched thrice-weekly CRJ200 service from Moscow Domodedovo to Voronezh.

Turkish Airlines confirmed launch dates for two new services from its hub at Istanbul Ataturk to the US: five-times weekly flights to Washington Dulles will commence Nov. 7 and four-times weekly service to Los Angeles will start March 3.

Avianova launched its fifth destination from its second home at St. Petersburg with flights to Yekaterinburg.

Transaero Airlines announced the launch of a weekly service between Moscow and Hong Kong using a 777 configured for business, premium economy and economy passengers.



AVIATION QUOTE

Witness this new-made world, another Heav'n
From Heaven Gate not farr, founded in view
On the clear Hyaline, the Glassie Sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with Starr's
Numerous, and every Starr perhaps a world
Of destined habitation.

— John Milton, 'Paradise Lost.' Book 7, 1674.



DAILY VIDEO

Thanks to Zak for the submission.





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Harley Rider, Little Girl and the Lion

A Harley rider is passing the zoo, when he sees a little girl Leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her
jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage
and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain, the lion jumps back letting go of the girl,
and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event.

The reporter says, "Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I saw a man do in my whole life."

The biker replies, "Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right."

The reporter says, "Well, I'm a journalist from The New York Times, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the front page... So, what do you do for a living and what political affiliation do you have?"

The biker replies, "I'm a U.S. Marine and a Republican." The following morning the biker buys The New York Times to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:

U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT AND STEALS HIS LUNCH!



TRIVIA

Tail ID

1.


2.


3.


4.


5.


6.


7.


8.


9.


10.


11.

1 Asiana
2 Air Pacific
3 Frontier
4
5 America West
6 JAL
7
8 Air New Zealand
9 QANTAS
10 Horizon
11 TACA

1. OZ Asiana
2. FJ Air Pacific
3. F9 Frontier
4. GB ABX Air
5. HP America West
6. JL Japan Airlines
7. MU China Eastern
8. NZ Air New Zealand
9. QF QANTAS
10. QX Horizon Air
11. TA TACA

ANSWERS:

1. OZ, Asiaian Airlines
2. FJ, Air Pacific
3. F9, Frontier Airlines
4. GB, ABX Air
5. HP, America West
6. JL, Japan Air Lines
7. MU, China Eastern Airlines
8. NZ, Air new Zealand
9. QF, QANTAS
10. QX, Horizon Air
11. TA, TACA Airlines Group