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NEWS

Qantas Resumes Flying After Tribunal Ruling
Australia's Qantas Airways returned to the air on Monday after grounding its entire global fleet over the weekend in a bold tactic to force the government to intervene in the nation's worst industrial dispute in a decade.
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Air France Cancels Flights, Says Strike Wilting
Air France cancelled around 15 percent of flights on Monday but claimed the upper hand in a dispute with striking cabin staff after two unions withdrew from the industrial action over staffing on certain routes.
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Mixed Traffic Signals In September - IATA
Passenger traffic rose strongly in September but cargo traffic fell back, according to figures released on Monday by the International Air Transport Association.
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Condor 757 In Emergency Landing After Bird Strike
A plane operated by German carrier Condor bound for the Egyptian resort town of Hurghada made an emergency landing in Hamburg on Monday after a bird strike damaged an engine.
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ANA's fiscal 1H profit rises 72%
All Nippon Airways (ANA) reported net income of ¥22.8 billion ($301 million) for the first half of its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, up 72.1% over a ¥13.2 billion net profit in the six months ended Sept. 30, 2010.
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Ecuador may partially privatize TAME
The Ecuadorian government is considering partially privatizing its national carrier TAME Linea Aerea del Ecuador (EQ) and is looking for a strategic partner to develop Eloy Alfaro International (MEC) in Manta, the country’s tourism minister Freddy Ehlers said in a recent interview.
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Boeing completes 747-8I certification flight testing
Boeing has completed certification flight testing on its 747-8 Intercontinental test fleet, setting the jumbo on a path to US Federal Aviation Administration approval later this quarter. After flying from Barbados to Houston Intercontinental Airport, test aircraft RC003 marked the completion of its systems functionality and reliability (F&R) flight testing, the final phase of its evaluations. RC003, painted in all-white colours for the test program, was tasked with both F&R and Extended Operations (ETOPS) evaluations. The airframer quietly announced in its 10Q US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on 27 October the first delivery of a VIP configured "green" 747-8I would slip to 2012, citing "a delay in flight testing and the time required to incorporate all flight test driven changes."
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Cathay Pacific takes delivery of its first Boeing 747-8F
Cathay Pacific took delivery of its first Boeing 747-8 Freighter aircraft on 31 October. "We took delivery of our first [Boeing] 747-8F on 31 October Seattle time and the aircraft is on its way to Hong Kong now," said a Cathay Pacific official.
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Precision starts first 757 Combi conversion for CAM
Oregon, US-based Precision Conversions has launched a 757 Combi conversion program with an order for up to four aircraft from lessor Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM). recision Conversions revealed its 757 Combi conversion programme in October 2010. At that time Precision Conversions said it believed certification for the programme would take roughly 12 months.
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Flybe considers text and ash-warning benefits from weather satcom
UK carrier plans to offer in-flight communication as bonus from weather data installation. UK regional operator Flybe is planning to offer in-flight mobile communications as a fringe benefit from a satellite communication (satcom) installation intended to provide live weather data to the aircraft. The satcom system also has the potential to provide volcanic ash warnings to the flightdeck through a separate initiative Flybe is conducting with ­the UK's Cambridge University.
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American makes progress with trans-Atlantic partnerships
American Airlines is making progress on its trans-Atlantic ventures with British Airways and Iberia that were approved last year, but it's not as fast as the carrier anticipated. However, executives from other airlines such as Delta Air Lines and United Continental have said their international partnerships have taken some time to come to fruition as well.
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Jets stranded at Bradley Airport likely due to weather and ATC issues
At least four jets were stuck on the tarmac for several hours Saturday, possibly due to a Northeast snowstorm and an air traffic control antenna being knocked out that affected planes' ability to make instrument approaches in low visibility. The Federal Aviation Administration said it would begin a "comprehensive review of Saturday's operations in the Northeast, including air traffic procedures, aircraft diversions, weather and equipment performance." A JetBlue spokeswoman confirmed flights were diverted to Hartford on Saturday as a result of a "confluence of events" including equipment failures at Newark and New York JFK that prevented planes from landing in low visibility.
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26 countries plan to file protest against EU trading scheme
The U.S. and 25 other countries plan to file a formal protest on Wednesday against the European Union's emissions trading scheme. The U.S. Congress recently passed a draft of a bill that would make it illegal for the U.S. to comply with the scheme. "This measure effectively means that the EU will have to ban all U.S. flights to or from the Union on the basis that they're not complying with EU law," said Gabriel Sanchez, adjunct professor of law at the International Aviation Law Institute in Chicago.
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TSA enrolls 280,000 travelers in PreCheck program
The Transportation Security Administration's pre-screening program now allows about 280,000 Americans to move more quickly through checkpoints at four U.S. airports. The program is open only to travelers who are U.S. citizens and frequent fliers on either Delta Air Lines or American Airlines. "If we can confirm a person's identity and learn more about them through information they voluntarily provide, we can expedite the physical screening for many people," said TSA spokeswoman Sari Koshetz.
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Holiday airfares up by 4% to 20% in 2011, analysts say
Fares for holiday travel across the U.S. are up 4% to 20% this year, according to analysts. Some airlines have cut capacity, and airlines also face higher fuel costs. "The cost of jet fuel is up more than 35% compared to a year ago," said Trebor Banstetter, spokesman for Delta Air Lines. "That has had a significant impact on fares as it has added an estimated $60 billion in additional costs to the industry."
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Other News

Russian authorities delay fleet-size minimum ruling:The Ministry of Economic Development of Russia did not approve the Russian Ministry of Transport’s amendment to increase the required minimum number of aircraft operated by an airline. The minimum fleet-size ruling is part of the Transport Ministry’s initiative to improve safety standards of Russian aircraft. If approved, the initiative would close down airlines with fewer than 10 aircraft from 2012.

Air Berlin Turkey, the new joint venture between Air Berlin (AB) and Turkish operator Pegasus Airlines (PC), will begin operating flights between Antalya and Stuttgart from Nov. 1. AB and PC will embark on a charter partnership and dedicate two Boeing 737-800s for these services. The aircraft will carry its own logo, featuring the word "Turkey" in cursive above the Air Berlin script.

Transaero Airlines (UN) said it “once again” reported the highest rates of growth among the top-five Russian carriers for September and for the first nine months of the year. The airline flew 24.87 billion RPKs in the first nine months, up 29.2% on the year-ago period, and passengers carried increased 29.5%year-over-year to 6.6 million. Cargo rose 30.2%. ItsRPKs for the month jumped year-over-year 33.6% to 3.39 billion and passengers carried recorded a 36.3% hike to 978,891.

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) said it will begin converting the first of three privately owned Boeing 747-8I aircraft in 2012 as part of its VIP cabin quick-change kit for Airbus and Boeing narrowbody aircraft. Director-aircraft interior Michael Grigoleit said in Hamburg that LHT can build a VIP cabin on a narrowbody aircraft (A320/737) in four to six months. A 450-sq. m. 747-8I cabin can take up to 20 months to convert, he said. LHT also has a contract to convert one A380 into a private jet, featuring a 600 sq. m. luxury cabin. LHT expects to configure the first 787 into a private jet in 2015. “The worldwide market creates about 20 A320/737 and five large VIP aircraft annually,” Grigoleit said. “We expect to have a 25% share of that business.” A VIP cabin for a 737 runs about €30 million ($41 million); a 747 VIP cabin is about a three-digit million euro volume. The biggest market for VIP aircraft is the Middle East.

Spirit AeroSystems said it shipped the Airbus A350's first production composite center fuselage panels from its Kinston, N.C., plant to Saint-Nazaire, France, where final upper shell assembly is planned.

VivaAerobus launched 2X-weekly Chicago Midway-Monterrey service. It will later be increased to 3X weekly during the high seasons.

Hahn Air (HR) and JetBlue (B6) have signed an interline e-ticketing (IET) agreement. B6 is HR's 250th partner airline to sign an IET.

Vladivostok Air launched 2X-weekly Vladivostok-Hong Kong-Singapore Changi Airbus A320 service.

Cargolux began operating a Boeing 747-8F on its 5X-weekly freighter service to Budapest Airport.



AVIATION QUOTE

How do you expect to get us to the Moon if you people can't even hook us up with a ground station?

— Gus Grissom, during the plugs out test of the Apollo 1 spacecraft, 27 January 1967.



ON THIS DATE

November 1st

---In 1923…Finnair is founded at Helsinki airport.

---In 1944... The International Civil Aviation Conference opens in Chicago.

---In 1977…The Tupolev Tu-144 enters service with Aeroflot.

---In 1980… British Airways terminates Concorde services to Bahrain and Singapore.

---In 1982…Manx Airlines founded.

---In 1984…British Airways and some other international airlines begin relief flights carrying food and supplies to Ethiopia. British Airways and some other international airlines begin relief flights carrying food and supplies to Ethiopia.

---In 1984…American Eagle Airlines began operations.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE


Image © 2011, Nosedive



HUMOR

Fokkers

During a reunion of WWI airmen, decorated fighter ace Ole Olsen of Denmark was introduced as a speaker by the MC. During his presentation, Ole was asked by a member of the audience about his most trying moment in battle. "Well," he began, his Nordic accent hanging heavily, "One day, flying over the North Sea, I look behind me, and there's all these Fokkers quickly closing in."

At this point, the obviously distressed MC rushed to the microphone and hastily explained: "Ladies and gentlemen, the Fokker was a warplane used by the German forces."

"Ya," continued Ole, "that' true, but THESE Fokkers were flying Messerschmidts!"



TRIVIA

Tail ID

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edit - I'd like to nominate #3 as the second worst tail livery ever.

I just saw the rendition of SQ's new LCC. That has to be the worst tail ever.

1. Air India
3. Darkwing Duck Air Lines
4. Cebu Pacific
5. Gulf Air
8. 1-2-Go? Orient Thai?
11. Sri Lanken

1. Air India
2. Air Asia
3. Druk Air?
4. Lion air?
5. Gulf Air
6.
7.
8. Orient Thai/One Two Go?
9.
10.
11. Sri Lankan

I'm with the Hodge, except for

3. Nok Air
4. Cebu Pacific
9 Bangkok Air