NewsLion Air To Launch Malaysia-Based LCCIndonesia's Lion Air will set up a new low-cost airline based in Malaysia, it said on Tuesday, a challenge to dominant budget carrier AirAsia as Southeast Asia's growing middle class fuels demand for cheap flights.
LinkAirbus Countries Seek EU ETS SuspensionAerospace officials of the European countries where Airbus makes its planes will push for a suspension of the European Union's Emission Trading System (ETS) for airlines to avert retaliation from China, officials said on Tuesday
LinkAirbus Sees Demand For 1,000 Aircraft In GermanyAirbus sees demand from Germany for more than 1,000 new passenger aircraft and freighters over the next two decades, worth USD$148 billion, as German air travel is growing, the plane maker said on the opening day of the ILA Berlin Air Show on Tuesday.
LinkMAS Looking At Bombardier For FireflyMalaysia Airlines is considering Bombardier as a potential aircraft supplier for its Firefly subsidiary when it returns to operations next year, according to the country's Business Times.
LinkAirbus Sales Boss Rules Out Berlin Show OrdersAirbus said it is on track to sell at least 650 aircraft this year, although it does not expect to announce any orders at the ILA Berlin Air Show, the plane maker's sales chief said.
LinkAirbus expects to deliver 200 sharklet A320s in 2013 Airbus expects some 200 A320-family aircraft to be delivered next year with sharklet wing-tips. While this figure is less than half of recent annual delivery totals, the airframer says this is primarily because of supply limitations. "I wish I could ramp it up further," says chief operating officer for customers John Leahy. "It's more of a supply constraint than demand constraint at this point."
LinkBoeing 787s continue flying after ultrasound checks on GE enginesGeneral Electric (GE) has completed an analysis of ultrasound inspections on all four Boeing 787s powered by an engine that failed in ground taxi tests six weeks ago. The results of the ultrasounds have not been disclosed publicly, but all six GEnx-powered 787s delivered to three airlines are still operating, the manufacturer says. GE has forwarded the data from the ultrasound checks on the GEnx-1B fleet to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is still investigating the root cause of the incident in North Charleston, South Carolina. on 28 July.
LinkAirAsia plans A320 rolloversAirAsia will begin to roll over its early delivery Airbus A320s for new aircraft in a couple of years, says Zaman Ahmad, the airline's head of customer experience and technology, speaking at ILA to announce AirAsia will become the first operator of an A320 fitted with sharklet wing-tips. "Probably from 2014-2015 we will start rolling over the first A320s depending on [aircraft] utilisation," says Ahmad.
LinkPremium Aerotec develops corrugated wing spar for BoeingFollowing in the wake of German aviation pioneer Hugo Junkers, who first used corrugated aluminium to stiffen the fuselage skin of his aircraft, EADS aerostructure subsidiary Premium Aerotec has developed a composite wing spar for Boeing which has a sine wave-shaped vertical section to save weight.
LinkTSA concedes growth of airport screening lanes is unsustainableThe US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) acknowledged it is running out of space at airport checkpoints. Since its inception in 2002, TSA has deployed more than 6,500 pieces of screening technology equipment at US airports, including about 800 body-scanning machines. But TSA GM-passenger screening program Domenic Bianchini, speaking at the Airports Council International-North America/World Conference and Exhibition in Calgary, said the pace of growth of airport checkpoints must be curtailed.
LinkKenya Airways completes first phase of cutbacksKenya Airways (KQ) said 126 staff members have left the airline, completing the voluntary redundancy phase of its cost-cutting program after a court order was lifted blocking plans to cut jobs. The program was concluded despite a directive from Kenya’s prime minister Raila Odinga earlier this month urging the airline to suspend its cutback plans until union negotiations were over.
LinkQantas, Air France to end codeshare after Emirates tie-upQantas (QF) and Air France (AF) will end their codeshare agreement April 1, in a decision triggered by QF’s exclusive global partnership with Emirates (EK) announced last week . QF and AF have codeshared since December 2004 on flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The agreement covers 60 weekly frequencies, including 38 via Singapore and 22 via Hong Kong.
LinkFedEx Express and FAA will test NextGen messaging initiativeThe Federal Aviation Administration will test communications technology based on electronic messaging with FedEx Express. Up to 50 FedEx aircraft per day could participate in the trial, which will be held at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. The two-way electronic messaging is part of the NextGen initiative.
LinkUnited Continental passenger traffic rose in AugustPassenger traffic at United Continental Holdings increased 0.4% in August on a year-over-year basis. The carrier boosted capacity by 0.6%, and load factor rose slightly to 86.6% for August. United Continental had forecast a drop of up to 1.5% in passenger revenue per available seat mile for August.
LinkAmerican Airlines pilots union moves forward with strike-authorization planThe pilots' union at American Airlines is pushing ahead with a strike-authorization vote, while the company says a walkout would be illegal and the vote is just a symbolic tactic. The Allied Pilots Association is protesting American's impending cancellation of the pilots' labor agreement. On Monday, the union board approved sending out strike-authorization ballots, which will be counted Oct. 3, said spokesman Tom Hoban.
LinkAirplane seat belts are called the best defense against turbulenceAirlines take precautions when planes can encounter turbulence, including rerouting flights and more strictly enforcing use of seat belts. About a dozen people, passengers and crew, are injured each year due to turbulence on U.S. aircraft. "It's the last of the unanticipated threats," says Christopher Herbster, associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
LinkHouse committee urges TSA to increase use of risk-based securityThe Transportation Security Administration should increase its use of risk-based screening, says a report released Monday by the House Homeland Security Committee's Transportation Security subcommittee. The report also suggests that the TSA reduce its workforce to become more effective, conduct cost-benefit analyses for all major programs and purchases, and avoid setting unattainable technology requirements.
LinkAmerican Airlines will replace flight bags with iPadsAmerican Airlines has received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to replace flight bags with iPads. The carrier will be the first U.S. airline to make the move to the lightweight tablets. American Airlines estimates that the switch will save $1.2 million in annual fuel costs.
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