NEWS
Berlin Brandenburg Airport opening delayed until 2013
The opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) has been delayed again, this time to March 17, 2013, to allow more time to complete fire safety systems, the supervisory board announced. BER was originally scheduled to open in June, a date that was then postponed to August because of technical issues concerning fire protection installations.
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Chinese carriers see 46% profit drop in April
Chinese carriers earned a collective profit of CNY1.84 billion ($290.5 million) in April, down 46%, from a net income of CNY3.4 billion in the year-ago month. Chinese domestic airlines also reported a net loss of CNY540 million in February and CNY180 million in March due to high fuel prices and the slowdown of market demand.
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CAE acquires Oxford; expands training portfolio
Simulation and training specialist CAE has acquired Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA) in a C$314 million ($309 million) deal that will add seven training centers and 40 full-flight simulators (FFS) to CAE’s worldwide base of facilities. The acquisition will take CAE’s civil training locations to 42 with a total of 211 FFSs. It also expands the number of CAE-operated flight schools from eight to 12, taking annual cadet capacity up to 1,500.
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Air Berlin narrows 1Q loss to €102.9 million
Oneworld member Air Berlin (AB), Germany’s second largest carrier, reported a first-quarter net loss of €102.9 million ($132.4 million), narrowed from a loss of €120.6 million in the year-ago quarter. “We made a good start, better than expected,” AB CEO Hartmut Mehdorn told journalists during a telephone conference. He said AB will “concentrate on our Shape & Size cost-reduction program. “I think we made some good steps and we are optimistic for 2012.”
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Five Hurt In Emergency Landing In Munich
Five people were injured when a small regional airliner made an emergency landing in Munich after smoke was reported in the cockpit and cabin, and skidded off the runway, according to the airport and police.
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Crashed Agni Air Dornier 228 recorders recovered
Search teams have recovered the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder of the Agni Air Dornier 228-200 turboprop that crashed in northwest Nepal on 14 May. They will be passed to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, which is setting up a committee to lead the investigation on the crash, says a police spokesman from Nepal. It is not clear whether the recorders will be sent overseas for analysis. The aircraft, registration number 9N-AIG, was operating on the Pokhara-Jomson route when the incident happened.
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Sukhoi Superjet cockpit voice recorder to remain in Indonesia
The cockpit voice recorder of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 that crashed last week in a mountain south of Jakarta will remain in Indonesia for analysis, as will the flight data recorder if it is found. Russian experts will be on hand, however, to assist Indonesian investigators, particularly with any conversations in the Russian language that may be found on the voice recorder, Indonesia's transport ministry said in a statement.
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Three rockets launch six satellites
Three rockets launched on the same day from three separate facilities have successfully put six satellites into orbit. The first, a Soyuz U launched from Russia's Plesetsk military spaceport, lofted a reconnaissance satellite into low earth orbit (LEO) for the Russian military. The satellite is reportedly a Yantar-4K2M (Kobalt M) optical reconnaissance satellite. Shortly after, a Japanese H-IIA launched from Tanegashima Space Center, carrying four satellites to orbit. One satellite, GCOM W1, alternately called Shizuku (dew), will study global water circulation and climate change for Japanese space agency JAXA. The second major payload is the Kompsat 3 Earth observation satellite, launched for Korea. Two smaller satellites, SDS-4 demonstration satellite and Horyu-2 student satellite, were also aboard.
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American Airlines can change nonunion agreements, judge rules
A judge has ruled that AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, can alter agreements with nonunion employees during bankruptcy. "While the changes required are difficult, all employee groups are being called on to share fairly and equitably in reaching American Airline's cost reduction targets on our path to be more competitive and successful in the future," said Missy Cousino, a spokeswoman for American Airlines.
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Delta plans to cut trans-Atlantic routes after Labor Day
Delta Air Lines plans to trim capacity by 5% on trans-Atlantic routes after Labor Day. Ed Bastian, president of the second-largest airline in the U.S., says the carrier will cut capacity for the full year by up to 4%.
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US Airways-American merger could face seniority issues
A potential merger between US Airways and AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines, could present challenges in integrating seniority for the carriers. Previous mergers for both carriers have left some groups unsatisfied, but some groups see the possible merger as a second chance. "We have a chance for a fresh start here," Roger Graham, a spokesman for flight attendants of TWA, which merged with American Airlines in 2001.
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Southwest Airlines reaches tentative deal with dispatchers
Southwest Airlines and the union representing its dispatchers have reached a tentative agreement for a five-year labor contract. The Transport Workers Union will present the contract for a vote by dispatchers after it has been reviewed by the union's board of directors. The two sides had been in mediation since last year.
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EU could earmark some proceeds from ETS for climate funding
The European Union could give some proceeds from its emissions-trading scheme to poor countries for climate funding. "Financial ministers have started this discussion by saying it could go into this [climate funding], but through national budgets," said Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard.
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Column: Airlines would benefit from biofuels
Columnist Ben Caldecott, the head of policy at Climate Change Capital, says the aviation industry should continue to pursue renewable jet fuels to reduce carbon emissions. "Airlines would benefit from a genuine and cost-effective emission reduction strategy, which might even attract environmentally conscious flyers," writes Caldecott.
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FAA will seek toughest penalties for shining lasers on aircraft
Individuals who point lasers at jetliners could soon face harsher penalties, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "Shining a laser at an airplane is not a laughing matter," LaHood said. "It’s dangerous for both pilots and passengers, and we will not tolerate it." The maximum penalty for pointing a laser at a jetliner is $11,000 per incident. So far, the FAA has sought penalties against at least 28 people since June 2011.
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Other News
Merpati chief replaced; pilots threaten strike: Indonesia's State-Owned Enterprises Ministry has replaced Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MZ) president director Jhony Sardjono Tjitrokusumo, citing his inability to improve the company’s performance, according to the Jakarta Post newspaper. In addition, the newspaper reports a number of senior employees of the ailing state-owned airline have also resigned.
Air Pacific (FJ) has announced it will rebrand as part of its restructuring efforts, returning to the name Fiji Airways, under which it operated from 1958-1970. The transition to a new livery and brand is expected to be complete by the end of 2013. FJ MD and CEO David Pflieger said that “returning to Fiji Airways will better reflect our role as Fiji’s national carrier, and also assist Fiji by growing tourism … we fly in over 60% of all visitors who come to Fiji.”
Russia and Kazakhstan will amend their bilateral agreement, Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia Valery Okulov said at the Wings of Russia award ceremony. He did not disclose the details but said the bilateral agreements between Russia and some CIS republics are archaic and tough, regulating all possible details of flights between the countries. Currently, only one carrier from each side—Russian Transaero Airlines (UN) and Kazakhstan-based Air Astana (KC)—is allowed to fly on the high-demand routes of Moscow-Almaty (ALA) and Moscow-Astana (TSE).
LAN Airlines said its first Boeing 787 entered final body join Tuesday at Boeing’s final assembly factory in Everett, Washington state. LAN, which will take delivery of its first aircraft this year, will be the first Latin American carrier to operate the 787 (ATW Daily News, March. It will be powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. According to LAN, the next steps include painting, installing the cabin’s interior and final testing before delivery toward the end of 2012.
WestJet today announced the launch of new, non-stop seasonal service between Vancouver and Whitehorse. The airline's inaugural flight from Vancouver departs at 6:40 p.m. PDT. The inaugural flight from Whitehorse will depart on Friday, May 18 at 8:30 a.m. PDT.
Pilots' union leaders at United Continental Holdings, parent of the world's biggest carrier United Airlines, called on Thursday for its members to hold a strike vote after failing to agree on a contract after two years of talks with management. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents pilots who flew for what were United and Continental Airlines before the two merged in 2010, did not set a date for a vote. There is no guarantee a strike vote will go ahead, but the step taken by the ALPA meeting in Washington raises the stakes in negotiations over a contract with management for 12,000 pilots. Those talks have stalled under federal mediation.
Transat A.T. Inc., one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada's holiday travel leader, along with its business unit Air Transat, Canada's leading holiday travel airline, this week proudly unveiled the first Air Transat Airbus A330 to feature a new, fully redesigned cabin interior. Travellers in both Club and Economy classes will enjoy comfort innovations and improvements, notably roomier, ergonomically designed leather seats with state-of-the-art touchscreen-based personal entertainment systems. The aircraft will seat 333 in Economy and 12 in Club class, for a total of 345 passengers. The lavatories have also been entirely redesigned, as have cabin layout features overall, with the aim of better fulfilling travellers' needs. Passenger comfort will be further enhanced thanks to the brand-new mood lighting system, which employs sophisticated technology to vary cabin lighting levels and colours, smoothing the transitions between the various phases of a flight.
Frontier Airlines today launched new nonstop service between its Denver, Colo. (DEN) hub and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID), bringing its high value, customer friendly service to its second destination served in Iowa. The service, which operates four times weekly, provides the eastern Iowa region with much needed low-cost service to Denver and many significant western cities.
Frontier Airlines’ year-round, nonstop service between Denver International Airport (DEN) and Bismarck Airport (BIS) in North Dakota takes off today, bringing with it low fares and customer-friendly service. The new service will operate five days each week.
Air Canada re-launches today daily non-stop seasonal flights between St. John's and London Heathrow, U. K. offering convenient connecting flights throughout Europe with its Star Alliance partner carriers. Air Canada will operate the only daily non-stop flights between Newfoundland and Labrador and London Heathrow until September 30, 2012.
British Airways is launching another new high rolling route from Gatwick with the start of flights to Las Vegas from October 29 2012. The three-times-a-week service will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777 offering a premium Club World cabin with fully flat beds. The new Gatwick route offers more choice and frequency from London airports. Together with the Heathrow service British Airways will operate 10 flights a week to Las Vegas.
JetBlue Airways springs into summer today with inaugural seasonal service from Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS) to Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK). The largest airline in Boston will fly islanders in comfort with daily jet service to its 45th nonstop destination out of Logan through September 4.
AVIATION QUOTE
I enjoyed my service flying very much. That is where I learned the discipline of flying In order to have the freedom of flight you must have the discipline. Discipline prevents crashes.
— Captain John Cook, British Airways Concorde Training Captain.
ON THIS DATE
---In 1907... Wilbur Wright sails for Europe to discuss the sale of his Flyer III in London, Paris, Moscow and Berlin.
--- In 1910... International talks open in Paris to draw up a legal basis for flight between countries.
---In 1949... The city’s first helicopter, built on Pier 41 by the Hudson River, opens in New York City.
---In 1951…First flight of the Vickers Valiant.
---In 1953... American Jacqueline Cochran becomes the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound while flying a Canadian-built North American F-86 Sabre. On the same day, she sets the world speed record for women at 652 mph (1,049 km/h).
---In 1966... The first round-the-world solo flight by a woman is made by British pilot Sheila Scott. She flies 29,000 miles (46,670 km) in stages in her Piper Copmmanche Myth Too.
---In 1967…NASA announces crew members for the Apollo 7 space mission (first manned Apollo flight): Walter M. Schirra, Jr., Donn F. Eisele, and R. Walter Cunningham.
---In 1969… Apollo 10, USA Lunar Manned Orbiter, (May 18-26, 1969) launched. Crew: Thomas Stafford, Eugene A. Cernan, John W. Young. Manned lunar fly-around and Earth return. Stafford and Cernan tested the Lunar Module, separating it from the Command and Service Module and descended to within 50,000 feet of the lunar surface. The astronauts acquired a large number of excellent 70-mm photographs.
---In 1970…National Airlines ends a 108-day strike by offering ground crews a 33% pay increase.
---In 1979…First flight of the Piper PA-42 Cheyenne.
---In 1982…American Airlines' 1 millionth passenger is flown.
---In 1983... American Airlines carries its 500 millionth passenger.
---In 2006…The world's biggest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, lands at Heathrow Airport for the first time, making its UK debut.
DAILY VIDEO
EDITOR’S CHOICE
HUMOR
One Of These Days
One day at a busy airport, the passengers on a commercial airline are seated, waiting for the cockpit crew to show up so they can get under way.
The pilot and co-pilot finally appear in the rear of the plane and begin walking up to the cockpit through the center aisle. Both appear to be blind.
The pilot is using a white cane, bumping into passengers right and left as he stumbles down the aisle, and the co-pilot is using a guide dog. Both have their eyes covered with huge sunglasses. At first the passengers do not react, thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke.
However, after a few minutes, the engines start revving and the airplane starts moving down the the runway. The passengers look at each other with some uneasiness, whispering among themselves and looking desperately to the flight attendants for reassurance.
Then the airplane starts accelerating rapidly, and people begin to panic. Some passengers are praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the runway, the voices are becoming more and more hysterical. Finally, when the airplane has less than 20 feet of runway left, there is a sudden change in the pitch of the shouts as everyone screams at once, and at the very last moment the airplane lifts off and is airborne.
Up in the cockpit, the co-pilot breathes a sigh of relief, and turns to the pilot: "You know, one of these days the passengers are going to get used to us flying this thing, not scream and then we'll be screwed!"
TRIVIA
Google Airports
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Click Click D'oh wrote:
9. Tucson IAP
HT-ETNW wrote:Was a quite a surprise when the first aircraft passed overhead (landing on Rwy 21) while sitting in the BurgerKing rest' at the corner or Valencia Rd and Tucson Blvd back in spring 2001.
