NewsLion Air confirms plan to place CS300 order in months Indonesian low-cost carrier Lion Air aims to finalise an order for the Bombardier CSeries by end-2013, and expects to meet the airframer next month to work out the details. The carrier is keen on the CS300, the largest variant in the CSeries family. Lion Air's chief executive Rusdi Kirana tells Flightglobal that the number of CS300s it will order will be in the double-digit range, and deliveries could occur as early as 2016. "The aircraft is suited for our operations," Lion Air's chief executive Rusdi Kirana tells Flightglobal on the sidelines of the 38th ICAO general assembly in Montreal. "It looks good, and we like what we saw."
LinkTwo Pilots Fell Asleep On Long Haul Flight - ReportTwo pilots on a British airliner on a long haul flight fell asleep in the cockpit, leaving the packed jet flying unsupervised on autopilot, Britain's Sun newspaper reported on Thursday. One of the pilots on board the Airbus A330 flight to Britain - the name of the airline was not disclosed - eventually woke up and roused his colleague, but neither knew how long they had been asleep, the paper said. The flight took off on August 13 and the pilot and co-pilot took turns to have 20-minute rests but, after flying for more than an hour, they both fell asleep.
LinkLOT Gives Boeing Three Months To Settle Over 787sPolish national airline LOT has given Boeing until the end of the year to settle on compensation over faults with its 787 Dreamliners or face court action, the company's chairman was reported as telling a newspaper on Thursday. Daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna quoted Sebastian Mikosz as saying that if the two sides do not settle on compensation, LOT will go to court.
LinkEmirates Says Work Needed On Potential 777X OrderEmirates is closing in on a widely anticipated deal to order Boeing's 777X but still has "a lot of work to do" in negotiations on the price, the airline's president was quoted on Thursday as saying. "We spent the summer working through the technical side of the airplane and from what I can see it looks very good," Tim Clark said in an interview. "We will now look at the pricing and commercial aspects. So far so good, but there's still a lot of work to do," he said.
LinkItaly Seeking Deal With Banks For AlitaliaItaly is working on a temporary financial agreement with banks to keep Alitalia afloat and put it in a stronger position to seek partners, daily Il Sole 24 Ore quoted Industry Minister Flavio Zanonato as saying. Since being taken private by a consortium of Italian investors in early 2009, Alitalia has accumulated net losses of more than EUR€840 million (USD$1.1 billion), debt of about EUR€1 billion and is fast running out of cash. Alitalia's board is meeting on Thursday when recently appointed chief executive Gabriele Del Torchio is expected to seek approval for a EUR€200 million capital increase plus the same amount in fresh borrowing to keep the company from collapsing, sources close to the matter have said.
LinkComac aims to deliver first ARJ21 by end-2014 Comac is targeting to get its ARJ21 regional jet certified next year, and thereafter, deliver the aircraft to launch customer Chengdu Airlines by the end of 2014. The Chinese airframer says that the jet’s certification process has been moving forward as planned, and that a series of major tests were completed this year. These include high risk and critical modules such as the minimum unstick speed tests, stall tests and high crosswind flight tests. At the Aviation Expo in Beijing, the airframer also disclosed that after many challenges, the programme has finally completed tests for the emergency release of the aircraft’s landing gear. This is a segment that has “haunted the project” for the last three years because of the technical problems encountered.
LinkAsiana’s first A380 enters final assembly
Airbus has commenced assembly of Asiana Airlines’ first A380 aircraft, with delivery planned for the second quarter of 2014. The South Korean carrier will be the 12th operator of the high capacity type, says Airbus. Asiana ordered six A380s in January 2011, and plans to operate the type on key routes to the USA.
LinkAir China to merge Ameco with in-house MRO division Air China is planning to amalgamate its maintenance arm with the group’s MRO joint venture with Lufthansa, Ameco Beijing, during the first half of 2014. The Chinese flag carrier has been planning to merge Air China Technics and Ameco for a number of years, but uncertainty about the effects on the German partner’s standing in the business has been an obstacle. Now, Ameco says that the merger will be completed during the first half in 2014. What will happen to Lufthansa’s 40% shareholding in the business and whether the Ameco name will be retained are still unclear, however.
LinkC919 moves into 'critical stage' of engineering development: Comac With the recent announcement that its C919 narrowbody’s first flight has been pushed back by a year to 2015, Comac however has yet to say when it will deliver the first aircraft for commercial use. Speaking to reporters at the Aviation Expo in Beijing, vice-president Luo Ronghuai disclosed that the final assembly of the first test aircraft will take place in 2015, with first flight to follow shortly after. He was, however, reluctant to pinpoint when exactly Comac plans to deliver the first C919 to launch customer ICBC Leasing, and would only say that most manufacturers are able to do so two years after first flight. Besides the C919, Comac is also working towards certification of its ARJ21 regional jet, an aircraft that took first flight in 2008, but is still undergoing flight test and certification.
LinkFAA has improved runway procedures and signageSerious near-collisions on U.S. runways have declined more than 50% so far in the fiscal year ending next Monday, according to preliminary numbers assembled by aviation-industry and government officials. The latest data, which could be revised somewhat before it is officially released months from now, highlights the Federal Aviation Administration's progress combating so-called runway incursions in which aircraft enter or cross the wrong airstrip while taxiing. Dramatic improvements over the years in U.S. passenger-airline crash rates, now down to one fatality in more than 10 million flights, have made ground accidents the biggest type of hazard for commercial aviation.
LinkUS Backs Market Scheme For Aviation EmissionsThe United States supports a proposed market-based system to curb carbon emissions from the global aviation sector starting in 2020, but warned that concerns over measures to lower emissions in the interim threaten to undercut the broadly-supported goal, a US official said. Negotiators from over 190 countries gathered at the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization's triennial assembly in Montreal went over details of a proposal to curb reduce greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry as agreed by ICAO's 36-member governing council earlier this month. Many countries have expressed support for a global market-based measure to reduce airline emissions, the details of which would be decided in 2016 for a proposed 2020 launch.
LinkBoeing, Norwegian Air hold meeting about 787 Norwegian Air Shuttle will meet U.S. plane maker Boeing executives in Oslo on Wednesday to discuss the repeated technical problems with its two Dreamliners. "We expect them to take criticism seriously, take their share of responsibility and come to the table with specific and constructive suggestions," Norwegian Air spokesman Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen said.
LinkIndia will not agree to EU scheme for emissions taxIndia said the country will oppose a European Union plan to tax foreign airlines on emissions while flying through EU airspace. "We are not agreeing to the truncated scheme EU has proposed," said an aviation ministry official from India. "The airline industry hardly makes profits. If this is added it will kill their prospects further."
LinkEU report concludes AA-US Airways merger would not harm competitionThe European Union issued a report this week on its approval of the American Airlines-US Airways merger. The 71-page report concluded the merger would not harm competition. EU regulators accepted a surrender of a takeoff slot from AA-US Airways at London Heathrow airport to allow another carrier to begin service on the London-Philadelphia route.
LinkARC is expected to release recommendation to expand in-flight PED useA federal aviation rulemaking committee, which is comprised of representatives from industry and government, is expected to release a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration this week that would allow air travelers to use personal electronic devices below 10,000 feet. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., has been a staunch advocate of the easing of these restrictions. "Knowing you all are interested in Senator McCaskill's ongoing work to loosen restrictions on iPads and Kindles (etc.) during takeoff and landing -- wanted to make sure you saw that recommendations from the FAA's advisory committee is due out in the coming days," her office said in a statement.
LinkU.S., Australian and Canadian officials asked to consider easing liquid restrictionsAccording to a document filed with the United Nations, Australian, Canadian and U.S. officials should consider using machines to better detect hazardous liquids. The move would gradually ease restrictions on liquids, aerosols and gels. The countries propose a first phase to start on Jan. 31, 2014, with latter phases eliminating the need for 3.4-ounce containers or sealed 1-liter bags.
LinkOptional services are pro-consumer, execs sayAt a symposium sponsored by Airlines for America, airline executives said ancillary optional services will continue to grow. Scott Wilson, United’s vice president of merchandising and eCommerce commented that those extra dollars you pay “aren’t fees, but products and services that have a value.” Peter Ingram, executive vice president and chief commercial officer for Hawaiian Airlines added, “I’d argue that it’s pro-consumer because you pay for what you want.”
LinkStudy: Optional services revenue is a necessity for airlinesIn a report by IdeaWorks, author Jay Sorenson wrote, "Once largely limited to low-fare airlines, ancillary revenue has now become a financial necessity for airlines all over the globe."
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