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ANA extends 787 flight cancellations to 27 Jan

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has cancelled a number of services through to 27 January as a result of the grounding of its fleet of Boeing 787-8s. The Star alliance carrier will cancel 123 domestic services and 18 international services between 23 and 27 January. Affected international routes include those from Tokyo Narita to Seattle, San Jose and Beijing. Including the latest cancellations, ANA has cancelled 292 domestic services and 43 international services since 16 January, affecting more than 47,000 passengers.
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Damaged ANA 787 battery sent for CT scans
The damaged lithium-ion battery from All Nippon Airways' Boeing 787-8 has been sent to Japan's space agency for checks. Investigators from the Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) are conducting CT scans on the battery at Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's facility, in an attempt to find out what caused the battery malfunction on 16 January. The checks started on the afternoon of 22 January, says a JTSB official.
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Ukraine's Largest Airline Grounds Most Flights

AeroSvit, Ukraine's largest airline, will seek protection from its creditors in court this week after grounding most of its flights and leaving hundreds of people stranded across the globe due to financial problems. AeroSvit, which operates 28 planes and serviced 2.8 million passengers in 2011, had debt of UAH4.27 billion hryvnias (USD$534 million) as of the end of last year, which was almost three times its assets. The Kiev-based company said the court procedure was part of a reorganization plan aimed "to restore its operating efficiency and increase revenue inflows". The hearings are due to start on January 23.
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Delta Q4 Profits Slump As Costs Rise

Delta Air Lines reported a lower fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday as fuel and compensation costs rose and superstorm Sandy hurt its airline and oil refinery operations. Special items also took a toll, including a charge of USD$122 million tied to the company's restructuring of its aircraft fleet and a loss of USD$106 million on debt extinguishment. Delta cited nearly USD$100 million in impact from Sandy, which barreled through the US Northeast in late October and led to thousands of flight cancellations as New York-area airports closed. The carrier said the storm also slowed output at its Pennsylvania oil refinery, which had a USD$63 million net loss in the quarter.
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UK's Flybe cuts 300 staff in bid to return to profits

UK regional carrier Flybe is to axe 300 staff as part of an effort to restore profitability to the company in 2013-14. The airline group has detailed the first stage of a two-stage turnaround plan, as it released an interim financial statement covering the third quarter to the end of December 2012. Flybe says it is taking "significant actions" across the company and setting operational profit targets "backed by a clear plan". This will include reducing the number of divisions in the company to two: Flybe UK and Flybe Outsourcing Solutions.
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British Airways in Talks with IndiGo Over Alliance

British Airways is in talks with India's biggest carrier, IndiGo, over a ticketing and baggage sharing agreement, a source with direct knowledge of the discussions said on Tuesday. Interline agreements allow customers from two airlines to buy connecting flights on one ticket. Such pacts are often precursors to code-share agreements, in which carriers sell tickets on each other's airline. Earlier on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported a potential alliance between British Airways and IndiGo, and said the two airlines also discussed a possible investment by IAG into IndiGo's parent.
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EU Carbon Law Hands Airlines A Windfall
Airlines could have already made up to EUR€1.36 billion (USD$1.82 billion) in windfall profits from an EU law that forces them to pay for carbon emissions, a study by a Dutch consultancy said on Tuesday. International anger at the law led the European Commission in November to freeze it for a year for intercontinental traffic to give a UN aviation body another chance to agree on an alternative global plan to curb airline emissions. The law will still be enforced for internal EU flights. Airlines and aircraft manufacturers have been at the forefront of opposition, saying the EU law is a financial burden in difficult economic times.
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Airbus CEO: A350 program remains challenging
The Airbus A350 XWB program—which is on-target for first flight by mid-year—remains a challenge. Entry into service is expected in the second half of 2014. Airbus currently holds 582 firm orders for the type. Airbus president and CEO Fabrice Brégier told ATW last week on the sidelines of the Airbus results press conference that he is “confident of what we have done so far. We bring more maturity for the A350.” The next-generation aircraft was originally slated for entry into service in mid-2013. In November 2011, Airbus pushed back entry into service of its A350-900 aircraft by six months to the “first half of 2014” due to the late availability of some key parts.
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Stelios sells shares to protest easyJet strategy

EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has sold 600,000 easyJet shares to warn management against further aircraft purchases. The easyJet founder, together with his brother and sister, now own less than 37% of the company, worth almost £1.3 billion ($2.06 billion). Conversely, in 2008 he bought shares to gain influence.
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European airlines: New flight time rules pose no safety threat
Three European airline associations have again issued a joint statement insisting that new Flight Time Limitations (FTL) will not erode safety. The three airline associations comprise the Association of European Airlines, the European Regions Airline Association and the International Air Carrier Association. The FTLs are proposed by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The latest statement was issued in response to a call by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Cockpit Association (ECA) for pilots and cabin crew across Europe to join a region-wide “Walkout for Safety” Tuesday.
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Cirrus introduces fifth-generation SR22
Cirrus has introduced its fifth-generation SR22 series of piston singles, which boast an increase in gross weight from 1,543kg (3,400lb) to 1,633kg and a rise in seating capacity from four to five people. The company hopes the improvements will boost the aircraft's appeal not only within its traditional owner-flyer market, but also in the thriving US air taxi community where the SR22 is being adopted in increasing numbers.
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USAF delays Afghan Light Air Support source selection
A US Air Force tender to purchase 20 light attack aircraft for the Afghan air force has been delayed. The service was expected to award a contract for the Light Air Support (LAS) program this January. It's still in source selection but we do anticipate making a decision and announcement in the next few months," the USAF says.
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Austria's first Hercules enters modernization program
The UK's Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has begun a maintenance and modernisation program on the Austrian air force's first Lockheed Martin C-130K tactical transport, under a deal announced in late 2011. Now undergoing work at the company's Cambridge airport site in eastern England, the Austrian aircraft is one of three to have been acquired from surplus UK Royal Air Force stocks in 2002.
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Deep Space Industries formed to exploit near-Earth asteroids
A newly-formed company, Deep Space Industries, has announced a plan to mine asteroids flying by the Earth. The company intends to send small, lightweight modified cubesats (small, standardized, modular satellites) on missions to mineral-rich asteroids as they pass near Earth's orbit, returning small samples to Earth orbit for exploitation. Asteroids are often rich in valuable commodities like platinum, gold and more exotic materials that sell at high prices. "The number of asteroids that are more energetically accessible than the moonis 1700. We can get to those asteroids easier than we can get to the moon," says Deep Space Industries.
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Other News

Southwest Airlines will offer passengers the option to pay $40 at airport gates to be among the first to board departing aircraft. The option will be available on the day of travel at the gate 45 minutes before a given flight is scheduled to depart, and will only be offered “if available” for that flight, the carrier said in a statement. Southwest did not elaborate on how “if available” will be determined. “Customers will hear an announcement in the gate area and will be able to purchase an available [early] boarding position via credit card from a customer service agent,” the airline said, adding that it “successfully tested this new boarding option in San Diego last month and received positive feedback.” The new option will be made available immediately, Southwest said.

Triumph Group has purchased the former Goodrich Corp. pump and engine control systems business from United Technologies Corp. (UTC). It expects the acquisition to add approximately $195 million in annual revenue. The West Hartford, Conn.-based Goodrich Pump & Engine Control Systems (GPECS) business will become Triumph Engine Control Systems and will function within Triumph’s Aerospace Systems Group. It is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings.

International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) has secured 242 aircraft lease transactions in 2012. These lease transactions include both extensions and new leases for aircraft from ILFC’s portfolio, which supports a network of approximately 200 airlines in more than 80 countries, according to a company statement.

United Airlines has broken ground on a 90,000 sq. ft. aircraft maintenance hangar at Newark International Airport. The airline is investing more than $25 million in the facility and expects to complete construction by year end. It is building the hangar in partnership with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "This state-of-the-art facility will be the workplace for more than 700 United aviation maintenance technicians," United VP-line maintenance Joe Ferreira said.

GKN Aerospace has delivered the first production aircraft set of winglets to Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast for the new Bombardier CSeries aircraft that will serve the 100- to 149-seat market segment.

KfW IPEX-Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBCE) closed financing on one new Airbus A380-800 aircraft for Emirates Airline under an Export Credit Agency (ECA)-supported facility fronted by COFACE. Closing and delivery of the aircraft took place end of December; the banks are joint arrangers of the 12-year loan covering the aircraft.

Copa Holdings has closed sale-leaseback transactions for four new Boeing 737-800 aircraft with MC Aviation Partners, the aircraft leasing and trading arm of Mitsubishi Corp. Deliveries, which are part of Copa’s current order with Boeing, are scheduled for March, April, August and October. The agreement provides for 90-month lease terms.

Aviation Quote

If it's red or dusty don't touch it.

Anonymous

On This Date

---In 1909... The first flight of the French Ble´riot XI, one of the most successful monoplanes designed and built before World War I, is made.

---In 1930…Clyde Tombaugh photographs Pluto.

---In 1941…Ground breaking for NACA (now NASA) Lewis Research Center

---In 1982…World Airways Flight 30, a DC-10 (reg N113WA) flying from Newark, New Jersey (EWR) to Boston Logan (BOS), crashes on landing. The aircraft landed late on the runway, and due to “poor to nil” braking action, the pilots decided to steer the plane off the runway to avoid the approach lights. This sent the aircraft and its 212 souls into the harbor, where it broke apart. A row of seats separated from the plane and two of the passengers were never found and presumed dead.

---In 1927… John (Richard) Boyd born in Erie Pennsylvania.

---In 1949…First flight of the Dassault Ouragan.

---In 1961…Final test flight of USAF Atlas D traveled 5,000 miles to target down Atlantic Missile Range, representing 35 successes, 8 partials, and 6 failures in 49 test launchings for D model.

---In 1970…Australia's 1st amateur radio satellite (Oscar 5) launched (Calif).

---In 1970…U.S. launches 2nd generation weather satellite, ITOS 1.

---In 1982…World Airways Flight 30, landed long at Boston, Massachusetts, two missing presumed dead.

---In 1983…Russian radioactive satellite falls into Indian Ocean.

---In 1986…Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center via Davis-Monthan AFB.

---In 2003…The final communication is made between Earth and Pioneer 10, a spacecraft intended to fly past Jupiter. It was launched in 1972, and its last trajectory would have the craft the first artificial object to leave the solar system.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Humor

Flying That Damned Airplane

A fighter pilot goes to a bar after a good days flying. Whilst there he meets a young, attractive and available lady. She is charmed by his tales of aerial combat, high speed flight, and death defying feats. The inevitable happens and they slip away to somewhere more comfortable for an evenings intimate entertainment.

Much later that night the pilot drives home to his long suffering wife. On the way he puts on his oxygen mask and draws the straps up as tight as they will go. When he gets home he removes the mask and bravely enters the house. Immediately he tells the wife exactly and honestly what he has been up to that evening.

She replies: "Do not lie to me, I can see you have been flying that damned airplane yet again".

Trivia

General Trivia

1. The phrase, “have numbers,” is used by pilots to advise ATC that they have the:
a. altimeter setting.
b. runway and approach in use.
c. current ATIS information.
d. runway in use, wind velocity and altimeter setting.

2. The typical price paid by the U.S. government for a new North American P–51D Mustang during World War II was:
a. $6,572.
b. $21,572.
c. $36,572.
d. $51,572.

3. Glenn Miller, famed American jazz musician, arranger, composer and band leader of the swing era, disappeared on December 15, 1944, during a flight from southern England to Paris where he was to entertain troops who had recently liberated the French capital. The airplane in which he disappeared was a:
a. Beech C–45 Expediter.
b. Noorduhn (Nordyne) UC–64 Norseman.
c. Westland Lysander Mk.1.
d. Stinson L–12 Reliant.

4. True or false; The first production airplane manufactured by North American Aviation was the T–6 Texan.

5. True or false; During an episode of Star Trek, Mr. Spock was seen using the iconic Dalton E6B computer to calculate precisely when the Enterprise would smash into a planet.