NewsInvestigators probe fatal German police helicopter crash German accident investigators are probing a fatal collision between two helicopters operated by the Bundespolizei federal police during a 21 March training exercise in Berlin. One pilot was killed during the accident, which involved a Eurocopter EC155 Dauphin and an AS332 Super Puma, outside the Olympic stadium in the nation's capital. A further six police officers were hospitalized. A spokesman for the Berlin police department says the incident occurred as both helicopters came into land. One had already touched down at about 10:30 local time, when the second collided with the stationary aircraft, it says.
LinkDelta sees no need for new widebody orderDelta Air Lines has no need to begin long-term widebody fleet replacement "any time soon", says its president Ed Bastian. Speaking to journalists at a press conference in London, he described reports that the airline is studying a purchase of further Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s as "interesting", but said he did not see such an order as "necessary in the near future". He says Delta's policy of "updating and modernising" its aircraft means it has the youngest widebody fleet among the major US carriers, with an average age of 12 years, and as such it has no "additional needs".
LinkDelta is looking to buy $6B worth of jets, sources sayDelta Air Lines is discussing purchasing jets from Airbus and Boeing in a deal that could be worth up to $6 billion, sources say. Delta is considering a purchase of either the Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 for narrow-body jets, and either the Airbus A330 or Boeing 777 for wide-body jets.
LinkAlitalia faces four-hour strike over Carpatair outsourcing Alitalia will face a four-hour strike by its pilots and cabin attendants on 22 March in protest at the airline's refusal to permanently halt the outsourcing of operations to Romanian carrier Carpatair. Although the SkyTeam carrier's relationship with the Romanian company is temporarily suspended following a 2 February landing accident at Rome Fiumicino involving a Carpatair ATR 72-500 operating on behalf of Alitalia, the ANPAC, AVIA and ANPAV trade unions want Alitalia to go further. A joint statement from the unions says their members are worried about job security. It says: "Because of this, and due to other outsourcing activities, in place or planned, pilots and flight attendants have no guarantees about their future employment."
LinkFedEx reduces outlook for 2013FedEx trimmed its profit outlook for the full year of 2013 after a lower-than-expected quarterly profit. FedEx operates a fleet of 666 planes as the largest cargo airline in the world, and plans to retire some of its older aircraft and realign its global network to lower costs and increase earnings.
LinkBoeing plans 787 test flights this weekAccording to sources familiar with the matter, Boeing is planning two battery test flights for the end of this week, which could bring the company closer to its target of returning the 787 fleet to service in weeks versus months. As Boeing works to fix the 787 battery issue, the company is sending out surveys to frequent fliers and others about perceptions of the 787. "What we have to do is make sure everyone involved that touches this airplane, in any way, really understands" the benefits of the 787, said Randy Tinseth, Boeing vice president of marketing.
LinkAirAsia, Lion Bosses Spar Over Plane OrdersAirAsia boss Tony Fernandes questioned his rival's growth plans after Lion Air agreed a USD$24 billion Airbus order, while pledging to preserve his own ties with the European jet maker. As competition intensifies between Southeast Asia's largest budget carriers, Lion Air co-founder Rusdi Kirana shot back by targeting sharp growth in AirAsia's domestic Malaysian market. In a realignment of industry loyalties, Indonesia's Lion Air loosened exclusive ties with Boeing this week to place a 234-plane order with Airbus, which is also sole supplier to AirAsia.
LinkEl Al Q4 Losses Widen As Conflict Hits RevenueEl Al Israel Airlines reported a wider loss in the fourth quarter, hurt by a military conflict that depressed revenue. El Al, Israel's flag carrier, posted a quarterly loss of USD$26.5 million, compared with a loss of USD$7.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Revenue slipped 4 percent to USD$463.9 million as passenger revenue dipped 4.7 percent and cargo revenue declined 7 percent. In November, Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought an eight-day war. El Al had said it lost an estimated USD$15 million - USD$17 million in revenue due to cancellations and a drop in bookings as a result of the fighting.
LinkAir France-KLM CEO To Step Down Early - ReportAir France-KLM chief executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta plans to quit nine months before the scheduled end of his mandate, La Tribune reported on Thursday. Spinetta's resignation would pave the way for Alexandre de Juniac, head of the group's Air France unit, to take the reins at the parent company, the paper said, citing unnamed sources. An Air France spokeswoman declined to comment. Spinetta, the architect of the 2003 Air France-KLM merger who led the group until 2009, was brought back to lead the Franco-Dutch airline in late 2011 in a move designed to speed up restructuring.
LinkLufthansa Cargo Keen On Turkish Air Tie-upLufthansa's cargo unit is keen for a tie-up with Turkish Airlines, its chief executive said on Thursday, a move that would expand the German airline's presence in growth markets such as Turkey and the Middle East. Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline in terms of sales, and Turkish Airlines, the world's fastest growing airline, already have code share agreements and jointly operate charter carrier SunExpress. The two airlines held talks on strengthening ties late last year, but they have so far not announced any deals, and Lufthansa said last week it was not working on any specific projects.
LinkSenate passes on airport tower spending-bill voteThe Senate passed on considering legislation introduced by Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., that would prevent closures of air-traffic control towers due to sequestration budget cuts, despite bipartisan support for the amendment. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to close as many as 189 contract towers, as well as 48 towers staffed by the FAA.
LinkAmerican's Boeing 777-300 makes maiden flightAmerican Airlines debuted its Boeing 777-300 last week in a flight from New York to London. "This aircraft is going to play an important role as we expand our international network significantly over the next five years," said Virasb Vahidi, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for American Airlines. "And it would be an aircraft we'd primarily deploy into markets that have first class demand like London and Sao Paulo."
LinkSikorsky hands over five S-70i helicopters to Colombia Sikorsky has formally handed over five new S-70i Black Hawk multi-mission helicopters to the Colombian army, the company says. The aircraft were accepted during an 11 February ceremony in Tolemaida, Colombia, which was attended by Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and defence minister Juan Carlos Pinzon. Sikorsky says that the five aircraft were built in Mielec, Poland, and were then custom-equipped in the USA to meet Colombian requirements.
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