News
American Air To Unite With US Airways - Wrap Up
AMR and US Airways unveiled an USD$11 billion merger deal after months of negotiations, creating the world's biggest airline with 6,700 flights a day. Now comes the hard part. Before they can welcome their first passenger onboard they have to get regulators to sign off on a deal and then integrate a web of intricate systems - a process that has complicated other marriages in the airline industry. "So far it's just been pushing paper," said aviation analyst Robert Mann. "The next 18 to 24 months is the hard work of implementation."
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Senator Urges Careful Look At Airline Merger
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller said he was concerned that a proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways could hurt consumers by reducing competition and boosting fares. "We will review the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways very closely. Industry consolidation has created stronger and more financially viable airlines, which are necessary for our country's long-term economic growth," Rockefeller said in a statement.
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Airbus to ditch lithium-ion batteries on A350
Airbus is opting to switch back to nickel-cadmium batteries for its A350 as a risk-reduction strategy, but insists the change will not affect entry into service dates. It will continue to equip its flight-test aircraft with lithium-ion batteries in order to preserve the schedule for maiden flight and initial envelope testing. Flight-envelope tests are independent of the source of electrical power and Airbus is still aiming to have the first flight-test aircraft, MSN1, airborne in mid-year. But Airbus will pursue a certification programme with nickel-cadmium batteries for production aircraft, the first of which are due to be delivered in the second half of 2014.
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Northrop Grumman awarded B-2 defensive systems modernization contract
Northrop Grumman has been awarded the second phase of a multi-year contract to modernize the B-2 stealth bomber defensive management system (DMS). Called Technology Development (TD) Phase 2, it is expected to run for about three years. "TD Phase 2 is the cornerstone of a rapid acquisition initiative that Northrop Grumman and the government developed to reduce B-2 DMS modernization costs and accelerate the availability of the latest technologies for the aircraft," says Lauren Stevens, Northrop's director for the B-2 DMS modernization integrated product team. "Instead of relying on new hardware and software development, our initiative takes advantage of mature, proven technologies. It minimizes nonrecurring costs, and reduces the time and technology risks associated with fielding new capabilities."
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Boeing Denies Misconduct After Union Complaint
Boeing denied misconduct by its managers after a union representing engineers and technical workers accused the plane maker's security staff of intimidating some members over contract votes. "The union has not shared the specifics of these allegations with us. But throughout negotiations, Boeing has been respectful of the process. We don't believe our managers have engaged in any misconduct," Boeing spokesman Doug Alder said. Boeing, which is currently beset by battery problems on its 787 jets, is locked in a contract dispute with the union that represents its 23,000 engineers.
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German Airport Security Strike Hits Flights
A strike by security guards over pay has disrupted travel for thousands of passengers passing through two of Germany's busiest airports, the airports and service workers trade union Verdi said on Thursday. Around 400 workers walked out of Dusseldorf airport in western Germany, according to Verdi. That resulted in 183 flights being postponed, the airport said. At the northern airport of Hamburg 103 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 17,000 passengers.
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Iberia To Cancel 415 Flights During Strike
Iberia will cancel 40 percent of its scheduled flights when workers go on strike between February 18 and February 22 to protest against job cuts, the company said on Thursday. The loss-making airline said that 415 of the 1,060 flights scheduled over the five days would be grounded, though 90 percent of long-distance flights will take off. Domestic flights will be most affected, with almost half cancelled. Unions are also planning strikes from March 4 to March 8 and from March 18 to March 22.
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Flydubai seeks new aircraft deal
Arabian low-cost carrier (LCC) Flydubai is in talks with Airbus and Boeing over a major order for single-aisle aircraft. The carrier is believed to be looking for up to 50 aircraft, either A320 or 737 family aircraft. The news came from Flydubai’s chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum as he was delivering the carrier’s 2012 results in Dubai Wednesday. Revenue for Flydubai was AED 2,778 million ($756 million), while net profit reached AED 151.9 million. This is the first time the airline—which began operations in 2009 and is wholly owned by the government of Dubai—has released any financial figures and none were available from 2011 for comparative purposes.
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ICAO adopts new noise standard
ICAO has adopted a new noise standard with more stringent requirements for future commercial aircraft. The Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection agreed to lower the current standard by seven Effective Perceived Noise Decibels, compared to the current Chapter 4 Standard, which became effective in 2006. The new stringent noise standard will apply to new-design aircraft entering service from 2017 and for lower weight aircraft entering service from 2020. The new standard will be presented for final review and approval by the ICAO Council later this year and will come into force Dec. 31, 2017.
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Other News
Ukraine’s aviation authorities have grounded the operations of local charter carrier South Airlines after a crash Wednesday involving an AN-24 at Donetsk airport left at least five dead. First reports said the aircraft overshot the runway, while later reports said the accident happened when the pilots were trying to land in fog. The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Odessa. South Airlines` AN-24 was produced in 1973. According to Aleksander Vilkul, vice prime-minister, responsible for the crash investigation, no technical failures were reported. There were 52 people onboard the charter flight, including eight crew and 44 passengers who were soccer fans traveling to a championship league match.
Airworthiness certificates for three Sukhoi Superjet 100s (SSJ100s) operated by Aeroflot have been renewed, Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. (SCAC) said in a statement. The aircraft, which were grounded temporarily due to technical reasons, will be back in service by the end of the week. Russia’s aviation authorities had grounded four SSJ100s; the last aircraft is supposed to renew airworthiness certificate in a few days. SCAC reported on three main deficiencies that had been discovered during SSJ100 operations—erroneous leakage detection system engagement, a slat extension fault and landing gear-up fault. The manufacturer said it has implemented solutions for all three deficiencies.
Rolls-Royce Holdings reported an underlying post-tax profit of £1.1 billion ($1.7 billion) for 2012, up 24% on the previous year’s figure of £896 million, on underlying revenues of £12.2 billion, a rise of 8%. The company comprises four main divisions—civil and defense aerospace, marine and energy, of which civil aerospace is the largest. Civil aerospace reported underlying revenues of £6.4 billion, up from £5.5 billion for the year-ago period. The division delivered 668 powerplants, up from 554 for the preceding year.
EasyJet is to trial CTT System’s Zonal Drying on four of its Airbus A320s in a bid to cut aircraft weight and improve fuel consumption. The Zonal Drying system removes moisture from the air between the cabin and the aircraft's outer skin, preventing water build-up on insulation blankets and condensation. The number of Zonal Drying units varies by aircraft type, but each unit weighs less than 30 kg. and consists of a fan, a heater and a rotor. EasyJet will trial the equipment for a 12-month period and, if successful, will roll the system out across its entire fleet. Zonal Drying has the capacity to reduce weight-increasing moisture by up to 250 kg. per flight. EasyJet is hoping this will help cut its £1.2 billion ($1.87 billion) annual fuel bill. “Fuel is a key focus for easyJet and this is one of a number of initiatives we are implementing in order to be as environmentally responsible as possible. There is the potential to save 4.5 million kg. of fuel per year by using this Zonal Dryer technology and we’re confident that we’ll see significant and positive results on completion of the trial,” EasyJet flight operations manager Captain Chris Foster said.
Spirit Airlines will launch daily Las Vegas service from Baltimore and Philadelphia April 25, daily Houston-Los Angeles service April 25 and seasonal daily Minneapolis-Denver service April 25-Nov. 6.
Ethiopian Airlines will launch 3X-weekly Addis Ababa-Ndola, Zambia service March 31.
Air China will launch 3X-weekly Chengdu-Frankfurt Airbus A330-200 service May 19.
Scandinavian Airlines will launch 5X-weekly Newcastle-Copenhagen Bombardier CRJ200 service Feb. 4. Flights will be performed by Cimber under a wet-lease agreement.
Emirates will launch daily Dubai-Tokyo Haneda Boeing 777-300LR service June 3.
Aviation Quote
Pilots believe in clean living. They never drink whiskey from a dirty glass.
Anonymous
On This Date
---In 1910... King Edward VII grants the title “Royal” to the Aero Club of the United Kingdom.
---In 1926... The Ford Motor Co. becomes the first U.S. private air carrier to operate a contract airmail (CAM) route. Ford begins operations with CAM-6 between Detroit and Chicago and CAM-7 between Detroit and Cleveland.
---In 1938…Six US Army Air Corps B-17 Flying Fortresses begin a goodwill tour of Latin America, traveling 12,000 miles to Lima, Buenos Aires, Santiago and back.
---In 1946…First flight of the Douglas DC-6.
---In 1961... Members of a US skating team are among 73 killed when Belgian airliner Sabena Boeing 707 crashes during its landing approach near Brussels, Belgium.
---In 1965... Mrs. Guy Maher arrives from Culver City, California to Medford, New Jersey in a Hughes 300 to complete the USA’s first transcontinental helicopter flight by a woman.
---In 1973…U.S.S.R. launches Prognoz 3 to study sun (589/200,300 km).
---In 1985…STS 51-E vehicle moves to launch pad.
---In 1994…First flight of the Eurocopter EC 135.
---In 2010…Spanish airline Hola Airlines ceases operations.
---In 2011…United Airlines temporarily grounds all 96 of its Boeing 757 aircraft to check on a recent software upgrade that had not been performed to spec.
Daily Video
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Humor
What just happened here?
A military cargo plane, flying over a populated area, suddenly loses power and starts to nose down. The pilot tries to pull up, but with all their cargo, the plane is too heavy. So he yells to the soldiers in back to throw things out to make the plane lighter. They throw out a pistol. "Throw out more!" shouts the pilot. So they throw out a rifle. "More!" he cries again. They heave out a missile, and the pilot regains control.
He pulls out of the dive and lands safely at an airport. They get into a jeep and drive off. Pretty soon they meet a boy on the side of the road who's crying. They ask him why he's crying and he says "A pistol hit me on the head!"
They drive more and meet another boy who's crying even harder. Again they ask why and the boy says, "A rifle hit me on the head!"
They apologize and keep driving. They meet a boy on the sidewalk who's laughing hysterically. They ask him, "Kid, what's so funny?" The boy replies, "I sneezed and a house blew up!"
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