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Airbus terminates Skymark order for six A380s
Airbus has informed Japanese carrier Skymark Airlines that its order for six A380s has been terminated. The airframer says it has taken the action "in accordance with its contractual rights". Skymark had already disclosed that it was discussing with Airbus a possible cancellation of the 2011 order. But Airbus says that, "in light of [Skymark's] expressed intentions" in respect of the A380, it has "notified" the airline that the purchase order for the six aircraft "has been terminated". Airbus adds that it is "reserving all its rights and remedies".
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Recent unstable approaches that should have been go-arounds
According to current industry wisdom, which is now being reviewed for fine tuning, pilots should abandon “unstable” approaches and go around safely. Between 3.5% and 4% of all approaches are estimated to be unstable, yet pilots make a go-around decision in only a tiny fraction of those. What follows are some recent examples of unstable approaches from which a go-around decision ought to have been made but was not, and the results were bad.
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FSF reviews risks of go-around decision-making
Failing to abandon a risky approach when necessary can be disastrous, but many times in the past few years, go-arounds – formerly considered a simple manoeuvre – have themselves ended in disaster. The Go-around Safety Forum, held by the Flight Safety Foundation, Eurocontrol and the European Regional Airlines Association in Brussels this time last year heard that “one in 10 go-around reports record a potentially hazardous go-around outcome, including exceeded aircraft performance limits or fuel endurance”. Go-arounds occur between one and three times every 1,000 flights.
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MH17 suffered 'massive' decompression: Ukrainian authority
Ukrainian authorities have disclosed that the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER which crashed in the east of the country had suffered explosive depressurization. The National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine released the information via its official social media feed. It says that a specialist committee studying the cause of flight MH17’s destruction on 17 July has informed that it was subjected to “massive explosive decompression”. The Council has not specified any trigger – hostile act or otherwise – for the sudden depressurisation.
LinkAirlines
Airlines financial performance improves in Q2, analyst says
U.S. airlines reported profits for the second quarter, and analysts are taking note. "Never before in history has [United Airlines] and its peers been in such a favorable position," wrote Michael Derchin, an analyst for CRT Research. Some analysts have predicted other carriers will follow American Airlines in issuing quarterly dividends to return cash to shareholders.
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Airlines Push For Guidance On Airspace Safety
Global airlines will push to get "neutral information" on whether to use or avoid airspace over conflict zones at Tuesday's meeting of the ICAO and other airline bodies, a European-based airline insider said. The International Civil Aviation Organization, has invited the heads of the airline industry, airports and the world's air traffic control networks to the Montreal meeting to discuss what needs to be changed to ensure that airliners are flying in secure airspace after the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. The meeting is likely to hear calls for wider international powers to intervene when a country fails to monitor threats to its airspace. The MH17 crash occurred after Ukraine left open air corridors that lay within the range of the missile blamed for destroying the jet.
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Emirates To Avoid Iraqi Airspace As Violence Rises
Emirates said on Monday it will avoid Iraqi airspace, as the government in Baghdad struggles to contain Islamic insurgents who have captured vast areas of the country. After Malaysia Airlines MH17 was downed earlier this month in eastern Ukraine, airlines around the world have been rethinking flight routes to avoid airspace over countries facing conflicts. "Emirates is taking precautionary measures and is currently working on alternative routing plans for flights using Iraqi airspace," the Gulf airline said in a statement.
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IATA Seeks Meeting With Venezuela Over Trapped Money
IATA has called for a top-level meeting with the Venezuelan president to discuss ways to restore over USD$4 billion of airlines' money that is trapped in the country due to its currency controls. President Nicolas Maduro's government requires airlines to sell tickets in the local bolivar currency but has been slow to allow them to repatriate the earnings. The International Air Transport Association said that while Venezuela had permitted repatriation of USD$424 million shared among a few airlines, USD$4.1 billion of airline ticket sales remained trapped in the country.
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Ryanair lifts full-year outlook after strong first quarter
Irish carrier Ryanair has lifted its full-year outlook after posting first quarter net profits up strongly to €197 million ($265 million), though this in part reflects the later falling of the busy Easter holiday period this year. The net profit for the three months ending June 2014 compares with €78 million at the same stage last year. The improvement was based on average fares up 9% during the first quarter - a comparison helped as Easter fell in its financial fourth quarter in 2013/14 - and passenger numbers up 4%. Revenues grew 11% to just shy of €1.5 billion.
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Southwest CEO says Canada, Hawaii may be in airline's future
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told industry analysts that the delivery of Boeing 737-800 aircraft may prompt the low-cost carrier to expand into Canada, Hawaii, Alaska and parts of Central and South America.
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FAA Proposes USD$12 Mln Penalty Against Southwest
The US Federal Aviation Administration has proposed a USD$12 million civil penalty against Southwest Airlines for failing to comply with regulations related to repairs on Boeing 737s it operates. "The FAA views maintenance very seriously, and it will not hesitate to take action against companies that fail to follow regulations," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a statement.
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United to refine service at hubs, use larger aircraft
United Continental Holdings has unveiled a program to to boost operations and service, while cutting costs. The carrier plans to reshuffle flights at its three hubs and switch to larger planes for many flights. "Our team is focused on improving our operations and service and on continuing to improve year-over-year revenue performance and cost control," said CEO Jeff Smisek.
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Virgin America files for IPO
Virgin America plans to move ahead with an initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing today. The carrier plans to raise at least $115 million through the IPO. U.K. billionaire Richard Branson owns a 22% stake in Virgin America.
LinkAirports
Baltimore airport introduces loyalty program
BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport is offering visitors to the airport a chance to enroll in a loyalty program through a partnership with Thanks Again. "When our travelers pay for parking, buy a gift, or enjoy a meal at BWI Marshall, they will be able to earn additional miles or points with their favorite airline or hotel chain," said Paul J. Wiedefeld, CEO of the airport.
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Detroit airport to add more local concessions
People traveling to or through a region often get their first or only taste of the local culture at the airport. Detroit names like Gayle's Chocolates, Hockeytown Café and National Coney Island have been mainstays at Detroit Metropolitan Airport for years. Soon, they'll be joined by other Detroit favorites, ranging from Andiamo to the Eastern Market Dining Experience, a food court that will offer made-in-Detroit foods like corned beef from E.W. Grobbel Sons Inc., sausage from Corridor Sausage Co., coffee from the Coffee Beanery, and 18 craft beers and wines. The court also will include signage, an interactive feature to share the history of one of the country's oldest farmers markets, and a self-serve kiosk where travelers can buy items to take home. The local food movement is growing around the country, and airports have been trying to figure out how to connect to it, said Eastern Market President Dan Carmody.
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St. Louis airport handled fewer passengers in June
Passenger numbers are down slightly at Lambert Airport in St. Louis. The airport says statistics for June show 589,071 passengers boarded flights, down 0.5 percent from June 2013. Still, it was the busiest month so far this year at Lambert. The total number of departing and arriving passengers for June was 1,175,898, down 0.7 percent. For the first six months of the year, total passenger numbers are down 3.7 percent.
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Rocket Ignites Blaze Near Tripoli Airport
A rocket hit a fuel storage tank in a chaotic battle for Tripoli airport that has all but closed off international flights to Libya, leaving fire-fighters struggling to extinguish a giant conflagration. Two rival brigades of former rebels fighting for control of the airport have pounded each other's positions with Grad rockets, artillery fire and cannons for two weeks, turning the south of the capital into a battlefield. On Monday, a huge cloud of black smoke trailed across the skies of Tripoli a day after the rocket hit a fuel storage tank near the airport containing six million liters of fuel. Nearby residents were evacuated.
LinkMilitary
Final modernized P-3 Orion delivered to Brazil
Airbus Defence & Space has delivered the last of nine Lockheed P-3 Orion anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft it has upgraded for the Brazilian air force. The final enhanced example has been ferried from Airbus Defence & Space’s facility in Seville, Spain to the service's base in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil.
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Brazil signs for three SAR-roled C295s
Brazil has ordered three search and rescue-configured Airbus Defence & Space C295s for operation by the nation’s air force. Deliveries of the twin-turboprops will take place from the end of this year, the airframer says. The new SAR aircraft will join an existing fleet of 12 transport-configured C295s – known as C-105 Amazonas in Brazilian service – taking the service's total inventory of the type to 15.
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France takes delivery of third A400M
France has received the third Airbus A400M Atlas tactical transport from its 52-unit order – the fourth delivery for the program overall. Handed over on 25 July, MSN10 will be operated by the French air force from its Orléans air base.
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Russian navy boosts ASW capability with modernised Il-38N
Ilyushin has delivered the first upgraded Il-38N anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to the Russian navy following a modernisation effort that began in 2012. Handed over on 15 July, the turboprop-powered type is the first of five examples to receive the enhancements under a Rb3.5 billion ($100 million) contract.
LinkGeneral Aviation
TBM 900 makes Airventure debut
French airframer Daher-Socata’s latest iteration of its high-speed workhorse the TBM 900 is making its Oshkosh debut. Company executives captured the EAA Airventure spirit during their press conference, dubbing the show “the perfect backdrop to our significant product enhancements.” Chief executive Stephane Mayer said: “It feels like a homecoming.” The OEM unwrapped the upgraded turboprop in March this year and has delivered 26 of them already, out of a backlog of 48. It has also sold out of its current year production line.
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Cirrus tests first production-conforming Vision jet
Cirrus Aircraft is continuing to test the flight characteristics of the first production-conforming model of the single-engined SF-50 Vision jet, says Cirrus president and chief operating officer Pat Waddick. The first aircraft, known as C-0, achieved first flight last March and entered Part 23 certification testing shortly thereafter. It will be followed by the end of the year with first flights of the C-1 model dedicated to icing testing and the C-2 model, Waddick says. The latter will fly functional and reliability tests. Cirrus plans to deliver the first SF-50 jet to a customer at the end of 2015, Waddick says.
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Cessna adds diesel Skyhawk to GA fleet
With 100 low-lead avgas becoming increasingly scarce in Europe and Asia, Cessna has added a new variant of the ubiquitous 172 with a diesel engine. The Turbo Skyhawk JT-A joins the Cessna 182-derived Turbo Skylane JT-A as the company’s answer to the growing avgas problem. The Skylane JT-A, powered by the four-cylinder, Safran SR305-230E diesel, has been delayed by more than a year in certification testing, but the milestone is “really close”, says Joe Hepburn, Cessna’s senior vice-president of customer service.
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Aviation Quote
If an airplane is still in one piece, don't cheat on it. Ride the bastard down.
— Ernest K. Gann, advice from the 'old pelican,' 'The Black Watch,' 1989.
On This Date
---In 1909... Georges Legagneux makes the first airplane flight in Sweden in his Voisin biplane in Stockholm.
---In 1930…The first transatlantic passenger flight takes off from England for Canada. HM Airship R100, a rigid airship, made the 3,300 mile crossing in 78 hours, landing in a suburb of Montreal. Sadly, her sister ship, R101, would crash three months later, killing 48 people, making it the second worst airship crash in history.
---In 1950… a BEA Vickers Viscount makes the first turboprop-powered passenger flight on the route London(Northolt)-Paris(Le Bourget).
---In 1952... A USAF North American RB-45 completes the first non-stop transpacific flight by jet aircraft.
---In 1958... President Eisenhower signs the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating a new federal agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA’s stated goal is to enable the U.S. to lead the exploration of space for peaceful purposes to benefit humanity.
---In 1959... The first jetway in the U.S. is installed at the International Airport in San Francisco, California. Designed to protect passengers from the weather when they board or leave the jet plane, it is a powered telescopic or collapsible corridor that extends to the aircraft and connects the plane to the terminal. They are commonplace in all airports today.
---In 1959… Qantas introduces the Boeing 707 on its Sydney-San Francisco route, the first transpacific service flown by jet.
---In 1963…First flight of the Tupolev Tu-134.
---In 1966…Freddie Laker commences operations for Laker Airways out of Gatwick Airport.
---In 1967…While sailing off the coast of Vietnam, a malfunction in an F-4 Phantom II jet on the deck of the USS Forrestal causes a rocket to fire inadvertently. The rocket hits another aircraft on the deck (possibly one occupied by Lt. Cmdr. John McCain) without exploding, but does rupture the plane’s fuel tank. The subsequent fire that would eventually ravage the ship, killing 134 sailors and injuring 161 others.
---In 1971…The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 receives FAA Certification.
---In 1985…The eighth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger, and 19th shuttle flight overall, lifts off from Cape Canaveral for mission STS-51-F. Five minutes and 45 seconds into its ascent, main engine number one shuts down due to a malfunctioning high temperature sensor, forcing the crew to abort its originally planned orbit and coast to a lower orbit. Receiving more attention than the Spacelab 2 module on board was the “Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation,” a test financed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi to determine if carbonated soft drinks could be enjoyed in space using specially designed cans. The verdict: No.
---In 2002… Vanguard Airlines ceases operations. The next day it files for reorganization under Chapter 11 of US bankruptcy law.
---In 2003…The International Space Station’s 1,000th consecutive day of astronauts living on board.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Training The Blonde
An airline captain was breaking in a very pretty new blonde stewardess. The route they were flying had a stay-over in another city, so upon their arrival, the captain showed the stewardess the best place for airline personnel to eat, shop and stay overnight.
The next morning as the pilot was preparing the crew for the day's route, he noticed the new stewardess was missing. He knew which room she was in at the hotel and called her up wondering what happened to her. She answered the phone, sobbing, and said she couldn't get out of her room.
"You can't get out of your room?" the captain asked, "Why not?"
The stewardess replied, "There are only three doors in here, "she cried," one is the bathroom, one is the closet, and one has a sign on it that says 'Do Not Disturb'!"
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