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Airbus Chief Says A380 To Match 777X
Airbus will keep evolving the design of its A380 superjumbo in response to Boeing's 777X, which has been bolstered by "unacceptable" Washington state subsidies, Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier said on Monday. Speaking on the eve of the Berlin Airshow, Bregier lashed out at the USD$8.7 billion in tax breaks as transatlantic tensions flared again over mutual charges of unfair aid. Boeing denies the tax breaks were unfair and said Airbus was receiving banned European support. Airbus said the 777x presented a challenge to its superjumbo. "We will face after 2020 the challenge of the Boeing 777X. It is clear that as the challenges evolve, the A380 will have to evolve as well," Bregier told reporters, without elaborating.
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Ryanair Sees Profit Climb After First Fall In Five Years
Ryanair reported its first fall in profits in five years on intense competition in European short-haul, but said higher average ticket prices this summer would help lift profits by up to 20 percent in the coming year. The Irish airline earned EUR€523 million (USD$717 million) after tax in the year ended March 31, a fall of 8 percent on the previous year. Ryanair's share price rose as it forecast its profit in the current year year could climb to EUR€620 million and the fall last year was slightly better than feared when the airline gave its second profit warning of the year in November. Rivals last year said Ryanair's first profit warnings in a decade were the result of it being forced to cut ticket prices after losing business to competitors seen as being more friendly to customers.
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Norwegian Air Cabin Crew Strike Called Off
Some 1,300 cabin crew at Norwegian Air, Europe's third-biggest budget airline, will not go on strike after a union and the company struck a deal, the parties said on Monday. In addition to pensions, the main contention was the airline's decision to move its Norwegian and Danish cabin crew members into separate subsidiaries, which unions said reduced their bargaining power. "It is clearly positive that the company has avoided a full-scale strike," said Kenneth Sivertsen, an analyst at Oslo-based brokerage Arctic Securities. "The strike was acting as a dampener on bookings."
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TAM To Offset Emissions From World Cup Flights
Brazil's largest airline, TAM, has bought 100,000 voluntary carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions from extra flights it will operate during the FIFA 2014 World Cup which starts next month, the company said on Monday. TAM, a subsidiary of Chile's LATAM Airlines, said the amount of credits will be more than enough to offset emissions from the expected 750 extra flights it will conduct in Brazil during the month-long competition. The company would not disclose the price paid for the credits, which were sold by Sao Paulo-based Sustainable Carbon, a low-carbon projects developer.
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Malaysia Airlines Shares Tumble, Adding To Pressure
Shares in Malaysia Airlines fell sharply for a second day to hit a record low on Monday, raising pressure on the state-run carrier to come up with a plan to restore investor confidence after flight MH370 and widening losses. MAS last week reported its worst quarterly loss in over two years, with investors also spooked after the Wall Street Journal quoted Prime Minister Najib Razak as saying the government could not rule out bankruptcy for the airline. An official at Najib's office said the comment was from an interview that took place in April, well before the airline's quarterly results were released last Thursday.
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United begins regional refleeting with E175 introduction
United Airlines has launched service on its new Embraer 175 aircraft, beginning a long-awaited programme to upgrade its regional fleet with the dual-class aircraft. “It’s a new era,” says Sandra Pineau-Boddison, the Chicago-based Star Alliance carrier's senior vice-president of Express, at an event at Chicago O’Hare International airport today. Two E175s entered service between Chicago and Washington National on 17 May, and between Chicago and Boston Logan today. United will add two to four aircraft per month for a total of 27 of the type by the end of 2014 and 70 by the end of 2015, says Pineau-Boddison. Mesa Airlines and SkyWest Airlines operate the aircraft.
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Amedeo to grow A380 portfolio and become type’s primary lesssor
Amedeo expects to establish itself as the primary leasing specialist for Airbus A380s and will look to expand its portfolio through the acquisition of second-hand aircraft as their initial lease terms expire. The London-based lessor has 20 A380s on order for delivery from late 2016 and is also involved in 12 aircraft in the Emirates fleet that were financed through the UK market between 2010 and 2013. “We’re either asset manager or have oversight of those 12 aircraft,” says Amedeo chief executive Mark Lapidus.
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Hawaiian Airlines celebrates decade of service to Sydney
Hawaiian Airlines celebrated a decade of service from Hawaii to Sydney on Sunday. The carrier is also the only U.S. carrier with service to Brisbane, Australia. Last year, Hawaiian flew 65,000 passengers from Hawaii to Brisbane.
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Delta IFE provides enhanced passenger experience
Delta's newest-generation Panasonic eX2 in-flight entertainment system -- offered on international long-haul widebody aircraft -- boasts hefty content, quick-responding screen touch controls and an impressive moving map, writes reviewer Jason Rabinowitz. Delta Air Lines' new system "is a great step forward for the economy class passenger, bringing IFE closer to the experience you might find with an iPad," he writes.
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Customer satisfaction soars to record highs
Airline customer satisfaction continues to soar, according to a report released last week by J.D. Power. Airport improvements and airplane cabin enhancements are appreciated by fliers, according to Richard Garlick, the company's global travel and hospitality practice lead, who noted the significant efforts the industry has made to enhance the overall travel experience.
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China Southern Air to buy 80 Airbus jets
Airbus is selling 30 A320 jets and 50 A320neo planes to China Southern Airlines in a deal worth $7.3 billion, jets which the airline said will help its drive for efficiency. The sale is the latest deal fueled by a surge in China's travel market. Boeing recently announced a sale to a discount airline while Airbus earlier this spring sold planes to China Eastern Airlines Corp.
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Former Northwest Airlines CEO passes away
Steven Rothmeier, the no-nonsense executive who remade Northwest Airlines in the 1980s only to lose control of the company to a debt-fueled buyout, died Thursday in a Florida nursing home. Rothmeier, 67, had suffered from Lewy body disease, a type of progressive dementia, and Parkinson’s disease, which he’d struggled with for several years, said his brother Michael. Jay Rothmeier, a brother and business partner, confirmed the death Friday. Rothmeier joined Northwest in 1973 after a stint at General Mills. He was a decorated infantry officer in Vietnam and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.
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Airbus looks to modify seating on A320
With talk spreading in the industry that Airbus is looking to add six to nine more seats to the A320, we asked ourselves whether such a configuration would be technically possible, why the airframer might want to do it, and whether up to nine seats could be added to the A320 without negatively impacting the passenger experience and inducing inflight rage. While Airbus has confirmed its interest in re-certifying the A320 to add seating capacity, it hasn’t publicly detailed its specific plan. Therefore, we sought insight from multiple industry sources that have deep knowledge of seating design, certification and installation. There is a consensus that a 189-seat A320 is indeed possible to achieve. Experts explained that Airbus might be committed to such an effort in order to get the passenger numbers on the A320 closer to the passenger capacity of the Boeing 737-800, which can seat up to 189 passengers in single-class configuration. The reasons are entirely competitive, they suggest. Low-cost carrier Vueling reportedly placed its large order for A320s and A320neos with a caveat that the aircraft carry 186 seats. The A320 is currently certified for a maximum seating capacity of 180 seats.
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FAA, NTSB review incident off Hawaii
Federal officials are investigating how two passenger jetliners got on potentially dangerous paths toward each other near Hawaii at an altitude of about 33,000 feet. On April 25, an eastbound United Airlines flight received an alert from its onboard Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System about a westbound US Airways flight, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement Friday. The planes were about 200 miles northeast of Kona. In that airspace, planes must be separated by 5 miles laterally or 1,000 feet vertically, according to the FAA.
LinkCorporate Aviation
Honda reveals first production HondaJet
Honda Aircraft revealed the first production HondaJet at the show. The aircraft is in final assembly with the first set of production GE Honda HF120 engines installed. The manufacturer is shortly to start ground testing and maiden flight is anticipated this summer. The aircraft features a new green and gold paint scheme – the last reveal of the available exterior colour options.
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Embraer Legacy 500 makes last appearance before certification
In a return visit to the EBACE static park, Embraer is taking out the Legacy 500 for perhaps the final time before achieving a scheduled certification milestone by mid-year. The mid-size business jet’s second appearance in Geneva comes near the end of a six-year development programme marked by challenges developing the Legacy 500’s pioneering fly-by-wire technology, and growing confidence by the company’s in the type’s successful introduction. It features the production cabin interior demonstrating the cabin space that the manufacturer says competes with super-midsize competitors. The Brazilian manufacturer has been travelling around the word with appearances intended to demonstrate the aircraft is finally ready for service – and likely to avoid the reliability glitches that plagued the introductions of the Phenom 100 and 300 jets several years ago.
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Gulfstream announces world's longest-range conventional business jet, the G650ER
Gulfstream today announced a new version of the G650 that will become the world’s longest-range, conventional business jet. The G650ER – scheduled to be certificated by the end of this year – will extend the range of the baseline version by 500nm (926km) to 7,500nm. It is the second major range increase announced by Gulfstream for the G650 series. The company launched the long-range, large-cabin jet with a 6,000nm range, then added 1,000nm to the specification sheet as the type achieved certification in 2012. The G650ER will be “the only business aircraft in the world capable of travelling 7,500nm”, says Scott Neal, Gulfstream’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing.
LinkMilitary
Iberia to convert more A330 tankers
Iberia has received a new contract from Airbus Defence & Space for the conversion of three A330s to the multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) configuration. Announced on the eve of the ILA Berlin show, the award extends a previous deal between the two organisations for a further three years, as each aircraft will require one year to convert to the air-to-air refuelling role. Iberia’s technical management teams have handled similar conversions for the Royal Saudi Air Force. The first aircraft from an initial trio of A330 MRTTs for Riyadh was handed over to its air force in February 2013, with deliveries now complete. A follow-on batch of three tankers has previously been described as due for delivery due late this year.
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Czech government signs Gripen lease extension
The governments of the Czech Republic and Sweden have signed a new agreement to extend the NATO nation’s lease deal for 14 Gripen C/Ds by a further 12 years. Prague signed an originally 10-year deal to operate 12 single-seat Gripen Cs and two D-model trainers in 2004, with the aircraft having entered use from the following year. The Czech government in mid-March approved a proposal to extend the bilateral arrangement. Finalised at Caslav air base on 16 May, “The contract means that the Czech Republic will continue to lease 14 Gripen aircraft until at least 2027,” says the Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency. “Training and upgrading of the aircraft are also included, as is all the necessary logistical and operational support needed to deploy the aircraft,” it adds.
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Aviation Quote
Aviation is fine as a sport. But as an instrument of war, it is worthless.
— General Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superiure de Guere, 1911.
On This Date
---In 1784... The first women to ascend in a tethered balloon are the Marchioness de Montalembert, the Contess de Montalenbert, the Contess de Podenas, and Mademoiselle de Ligarde. Their Montgolfier balloon lifts to the length of the restraining rope.
---In 1927... The first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic is made by Charles A. Lindbergh. In his Ryan monoplane Spirit of St. Louis, he covers 3,600 miles in 33 hours, 29 minutes and wins the Orteig Prize of $25,000.
---In 1929... Charles Lindbergh marries Anne, daughter of Dwight W. Morrow, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico and author of an influential report on American aviation.
---In 1932... The first solo flight by a woman pilot across the Atlantic is made by American Amelia Earhart. She flies from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland to Londonderry, Northern Ireland in a Lockheed Vega monoplane in 13 hours, 30 minutes.
---In 1933…Turkish Airlines is founded.
---In 1951…U.S. Air Force Captain James Jabara becomes the first fighter ace to score his five victories in a jet (an F-86 Sabre) against jets (Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s).
---In 1965…First flight of the deHavilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
---In 1971…Boeing announces that it haa canceled its Supersonic Transport (SST) project.
---In 1977…First flight of the Sukhoi T-10 (prototype of Sukhoi Su-27).
---In 1978…McDonnell Douglas delivers its 5,000th F-4 Phantom aircraft, twenty years after the first flight of the prototype.
---In 1978… Pioneer Venus 1, USA Venus Orbiter, launched. Pioneer Venus 1 (also known as Pioneer 12) arrived at Venus on December 4, 1978. It operated continuously from 1978 until October 8, 1992, when contact was lost with the spacecraft. It was expected to burn up in the Venusian atmosphere 6 days later. The orbiter was the first spacecraft to use radar in mapping the planet's surface. The electron field experiment detected radio bursts presumably caused by lightening. No magnetic field was detected. From 1978 to 1988 the amount of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere decreased by 10%. The reason for this decrease is unknown. Perhaps a large volcano erupted just before the orbiter arrived and the amount of sulfur dioxide slowly declined.
---In 2003…First flight of SpaceShipOne (first captive flight, unmanned).
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
The Dustoff Pilot
He was a ragged looking old man who shuffled into the bar that afternoon. Ragged, fat old geezer, walked like he had no feeling left in his peripheral neuropathy diabetic legs. His arthritic hands shook as he took the "Piano Player Wanted" sign from the window and gave it to the bartender.
I'd like to apply for the job, ' Ken said.
The bartender wasn't too sure about this doubtful looking old guy, but it had been awhile since he had a player and business was falling off.
'What do you do?' he asked.
I used to be a Dustoff helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army was the answer. Now real unsure, the bartender decided to give him a try...he really needed more business. 'The piano is over there...give it a go.'
The old man staggered his way over to the piano and several patrons snickered.
By the time he was into the third bar of music, every voice was silenced. What followed was a rhapsody of sound and music unlike anyone had ever heard in the bar before. When he finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the place.
The bartender brought the old Medevac pilot a beer and said that he sounded really really good. 'What do you call that?' he asked. 'It's call "Drop Your Panties, Baby, We're Gonna Rock Tonight,' said the old pilot as he took a long pull from the beer.
'I got another, and he began to play again. What followed was a knee slappin', hand-clappin' bit of ragtime that had the place jumping. People were coming in from the street to hear this guy play. After he finished, the Dustoff pilot acknowledged the applause and told the crowd that the song was called "Big Boobs Make My Rotors Dance.'
He then excused himself as he lurched off to the men's room. After thinking a bit, the bartender decided to hire the guy, no matter how bad he looked or what his songs were called.
When the guy came out of the men's room, the bartender went over to tell him he had the job, but noticed that the old fighter pilot's fly was undone and his member was hanging out.
He said, 'The job is yours, but first I got to ask, do you know your fly is open and your willy is hanging out?'
'Know it?' the pilot replied, 'Hell, I wrote it!'
Trivia
General Trivia
1. Why is it that VFR pilots flying in Class B airspace are required only to remain clear of clouds but when operating in Class C, D, or E airspace must remain specified distances from clouds?
2. GPS was to have been used exclusively by the U.S. military. What event caused President Ronald Reagan to make GPS available to private and commercial aviation?
3. Grumman Aircraft designed and manufactured three popular twin-engine amphibians for the civilian market, the G–21, the G–44, and the G–73. What were the names of these models?
4. Under what conditions was it suggested that a pilot in the United States fly triangular patterns with two-minute legs?
5. Why is there a copper penny welded to the front of many Pratt & Whitney radial engines?
6. What was the first aviation instrument that enabled pilots to fly on instruments?
7. Name the first aircraft manufacturer to employ the use of leading-edge slats and slots.
8. When we think of Japanese military aircraft from World War II, the name Mitsubishi usually comes quickly to mind. How many of the other eight Japanese aircraft manufacturers can you name?
3. Grumman Aircraft designed and manufactured three popular twin-engine amphibians for the civilian market, the G–21, the G–44, and the G–73. What were the names of these models?
4. Under what conditions was it suggested that a pilot in the United States fly triangular patterns with two-minute legs?
8. When we think of Japanese military aircraft from World War II, the name Mitsubishi usually comes quickly to mind. How many of the other eight Japanese aircraft manufacturers can you name?
