NewsBA to operate 787 to Austin Oneworld alliance carrier British Airways is to deploy Boeing 787 twinjets on a new transatlantic service to the city of Austin, in Texas, next year. The airline will begin operating the flights from London Heathrow in March 2014. BA will initially fly the route five times per week and increase the frequency to a daily service later in the year.
LinkDiscussionIsrael, USA perform Sparrow target missile testThe "ballistic missiles" that Russian early warning radars detected over the Mediterranean sea on the morning of 3 September have been confirmed as two Sparrow target missiles launched from an Israeli air force Boeing F-15 during a joint Israeli/US test, performed as part of the development of the Arrow 3 ballistic missile interceptor. Israeli sources claim the Arrow 3 will have characteristics that will precede any other interceptor operational today. The system will use a new missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries, which will intercept incoming ballistic missiles using a kinetic kill method, instead of the proximity warhead detonation technique fielded with Israel's current Arrow 2 batteries.
LinkBoeing, Airbus Face New Threat: Low Jet SalesWith US military spending in decline, Boeing and Airbus investors have been counting on record commercial aircraft sales to keep profits rising. Now some industry experts are voicing concern that airliner sales are at risk as economic conditions shift and smaller airlines that placed big orders take on larger rivals. High fuel prices have spurred massive orders for new fuel-efficient planes. An era of low interest rates and export credits have made the new jets unusually affordable. Airbus and Boeing have nearly 10,000 orders - about seven years of production - the biggest backlog ever, and are building jets at historically high rates.
LinkTwo Firefighters Injured In Atlanta Airport FireAn escalator caught fire in a concourse at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Tuesday, injuring two firefighters and forcing passengers to be rerouted to other areas. The fire at the world's busiest airport started at about 5:30 am local time on an escalator in Concourse T, said Janet Ward, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta Fire Department.
LinkAirbus Struggles To Loosen Boeing's Grip On JapanAirbus appears to have been pushed back in efforts to break Boeing's grip on Japan's two largest airlines, which need to buy billions of dollars worth of aircraft in the next decade. In Japan, where buying American jets once helped take the sting out of trade deficit tensions, Boeing dominates with around an 80 percent market share. Japan Airlines has yet to buy an Airbus aircraft even though the political prodding to purchase Boeing jets partially built in Japan has lessened. This year, Airbus spotted a possible breach in Boeing's Japanese fortress.
LinkNorwegian Air Plans Expansion In US MarketBudget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle plans to set up bases in New York and Fort Lauderdale next year and will significantly increase services between the Nordics and the US as it receives more Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Norwegian, the first budget airline in recent years to offer transatlantic services, will fly to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Orlando in addition to its routes to Fort Lauderdale and New York, chief executive Bjoern Kjos told a news conference on Tuesday. Norwegian placed Europe's biggest aircraft order last year, 222 planes from Boeing and Airbus. It has been one of Europe's most successful carriers, taking market share from SAS and also moving outside its traditional Nordic market with bases in London and Spain.
LinkAlitalia Hires Bankers To Tackle Cash CrisisStruggling Italian airline Alitalia has hired boutique investment bank Leonardo to help tackle a liquidity crisis that may see it running out of cash before year's end. The move is aimed at finding ways to raise more than EUR€400 million (USD$527 million) to keep the loss-making carrier afloat, a source familiar with the situation said. Alitalia has struggled to make a profit throughout its life and has been bailed out repeatedly by the Italian state. It agreed salary cuts with unions in June and its chief executive and board members reduced their pay by 20 percent ahead of the drawing up of a new strategic plan.
LinkCourt: No-fly list does not prohibit international flightsA U.S. District Court in Oregon has ruled that travelers on the federal no-fly list still have a right to fly internationally. The case, which was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, was filed by 13 plaintiffs in 2010.
LinkDelta, Virgin nominated for passenger experience awardThe Airline Passenger Experience Association is hosting a gathering this month for innovations in the airline industry. Delta Air Lines' Sky Deck, an outdoor lounge at two U.S. airports, has been nominated for an award, along with Virgin America's Red 2.2, an upgrade to its in-flight entertainment system.
LinkRecaro focuses on seat design for business class Recaro Aircraft Seating is developing a business-class version of its slim seats for aircraft, as well as a lightweight long-haul economy seat. "Alongside first class, big carriers pay the most attention to business-class seating, as that is where the airlines make the most money," said analyst Gary Weissel.
LinkPanetta: Congress can't be "resigned to failure" on sequester Congress owes it to the American people to end sequestration, writes Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense. Sequestration is "weakening the United States’ ability to respond effectively to a major crisis in the world beyond the war zone in Afghanistan," he writes. "Neither Congress nor the nation can afford to become resigned to failure," he continues.
LinkSyrian strike price tag could growA limited strike against Syria could cost the U.S. less than $100 million, but if conflict intensifies or follow up is needed, the cost could rise swiftly. A deeper intervention in Syria could involve $500 million annually to train Syrian rebels, $1 billion a month to hold a no-fly zone in place and other costs, according to Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
LinkDoD scrutinizes foreign buys of U.S. firmsThe Pentagon is taking longer to review proposed acquisitions of U.S. companies by foreign buyers than it has in the past, but the scrutiny comes mainly because the deals are far more complex, says a Defense Department official, not because the Pentagon is trying to quash foreign interest. "You have foreign capital that wants to come in, which we want, which we encourage. The question is how do we allow that foreign capital to come in while protecting national security," said Brett Lambert, Pentagon representative on an interagency committee that reviews foreign acquisitions.
LinkSyrian action may raise sequester questionsA U.S. strike on Syria could call into question the ability of the U.S. military to perform with the continued pressure of sequestration cuts. "We cannot keep asking the military to perform mission after mission with sequestration and military cuts hanging over their heads," said Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee. The possibility of a strike on Syria, said Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute consultants' group, "has to raise questions about whether sequestration should continue."
LinkTurbomeca buys Rolls-Royce helicopter stake for $386MRolls-Royce has sold its 50 percent stake in the joint venture that makes engines for Apache and Merlin helicopters to Safran's Turbomeca for 293 million euros ($386 million). France's Turbomeca will now assume full responsibility for managing the design, production and support of the RTM322 engine, which powers the Boeing Apache, AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin and NH90 helicopters. Rolls, the world's second-largest maker of aeroplane engines behind U.S. group General Electric, on Monday said the RRTM Adour engine programme, which powers the BAE Systems made Hawk and Anglo-French Jaguar jets, would be unaffected by the sale, as are the other helicopter engine programmes in the Rolls-Royce portfolio.
LinkDrones as school crossing guards?A Chicago politician is suggesting that the city use drones to guard children walking to school. After making the proposal, Alderman George Cardenas said that "there is no doubt [drone] technology is migrating from military use." The suggestion was met with criticism from at least one local school council member.
LinkSimulator software puts user in the cockpit of a 777Precision Manuals Development Group is launching flight simulator software that puts the user in the cockpit of a Boeing 777, down to tiny details such as fingerprints on the displays. "A pilot can sit down in his or her seat, and learn where everything from the window shades to the cup holder to the autopilot disconnect" is with the software, says PMDG CEO Robert Randazzo.
LinkEarly Mars may have had abundant phosphatePhosphate, a key chemical needed for a planet to support life, was once abundant on Mars -- even more so than on Earth, scientists say. Analysis from Mars rovers and from Martian meteorites shows the Red Planet has had a strong supply of phosphate, fueling speculation about whether the planet ever supported life.
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