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Airbus A350 receives EASA approval for extended operations
Airbus has won permission for its twin-engined A350 to fly more than six hours on one engine in the event of a breakdown, a key approval that allows its new long-haul jet to fly almost any passenger route. The European Aviation Safety Agency granted the Airbus jet Extended Operations, known as ETOPS, of "beyond 180 minutes", but will allow pilots to fly the A350 for up to 370 minutes if one engine shuts down, Airbus said. ETOPS rules determine the maximum flying time on one engine that jets can stray from the nearest airport at any point during their journey -- so they can make it back safely in the event the other engine fails. That ceiling determines the routes that modern twin-engined jets can take over deserted areas and oceans and is therefore seen as crucial to the sales pitches for such aircraft. The maximum A350 diversion time of six hours and 10 minutes confirms an earlier Reuters.
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The A380 concepts that didn't make it off the drawing board
Giant bathrooms. Futuristic design. Those are just some of the details of the Airbus 380 first-class cabins that made it to mockup stage, but no further. The first-class space that Airbus debuted in 2007 took its cues from some of the features that were considered, such as private suites with sliding doors, but other twists either took longer to become part of the first-class landscape or never made it there at all.
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Air freight volume continued to rise in Aug.
Global air freight volumes rose 5.8% in August, as compared to the same month last year, according to Airports Council International. Global air passenger traffic also grew 5.3% in August on a year-over-year basis.
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Travel agents sell more airline tickets
The dollar value of airline tickets sold by U.S. travel agents was up 4.8% for the first nine months of 2014, while the number of transactions was up just 2.7%, indicating that fares are increasing faster than ticket sales. Sales totaled $70.6 billion on 114 million transactions, according to ARC figures.
LinkAirlines
American CEO: Demand strong for transatlantic flights
Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, said demand for transatlantic flights continues to show strength. "What you really don't like to see is demand shrinking, and that's not the case," Parker said. "Capacity has been added, and demand hasn't grown at the same rate, but those are issues we can manage over time."
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Germanwings Pilots To Strike On Thursday
Pilots at Lufthansa's low-cost unit Germanwings are to go on strike on Thursday as a dispute over an early retirement scheme drags on. The strike, the seventh at Lufthansa this year, will last for 12 hours from 12:00 until 23:59 local time on Thursday, affecting flights across Germany, the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said in a statement. VC, representing about 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, wants the airline to maintain a scheme that allows pilots to retire early at the age of 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay before pension payments start.
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First Qatar A350 carries out maiden flight
Qatar Airways’ first Airbus A350-900 has taken off from Toulouse, marking the maiden flight of a serial production A350 airframe. The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered aircraft, MSN6, departed at around 14:20. Airbus is aiming to deliver the jet before the end of this year. Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker has indicated that the aircraft could be handed over within the first two weeks of December.
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Qatar narrows A350-900 delivery window
Qatar Airways is preparing to take delivery of the first Airbus A350-900 from 8-10 December, says chief executive Akbar Al Baker. The statement by Al Baker, on the sidelines of a Gulfstream event on 14 October, narrows the timeline significantly from previous statements, which ranged from end of the year to the month of December.
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Southwest debut into international skies required planning
Southwest Airlines launched its first international service in 2013, and it proved a complex undertaking. "It was a massive project, one of the biggest in my 22 years here," said Mike Van De Ven, chief operating officer for the carrier. Southwest pilots and flight attendants received additional training, and the carrier upgraded its reservations system to handle international destinations.
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Turkish Air Investigates Arabic Engine Inscriptions
Turkish Airlines is investigating after Arabic inscriptions found on several of its aircraft engines sparked panic among staff who feared a security breach by Islamist militants - only to find the inscriptions were of a prayer for abundance. The incident has raised security fears at Istanbul's Ataturk airport as no security camera footage was available to find those responsible for the mysterious blessings, airport news website Airporthaber reported.
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Vistara unveils livery on first A320
The first of Vistara’s Airbus A320s has been unveiled in the airline’s distinctive livery. The aircraft landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport on 15 October to a water canon salute. “Each step in this journey brings us closer to the realization of Vistara, an airline that will redefine the air travel. We are also thankful to the [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] for their cooperation and support,” says Vistara chairman Prasad Menon.
LinkMilitary
Germany's first A400M conducts maiden flight
The German air force’s first Airbus Defence & Space A400M Atlas tactical transport completed its maiden flight on 14 October, ahead of its expected delivery in November. Aircraft MSN18 took off from the company’s facility in Seville, Spain at 14:30 local time, carrying out a 4h 58min flight before returning to the facility.
LinkRegulatory
US Health Official Allowed Ebola Patient On Plane
A second Texas nurse who has contracted Ebola told a US health official she had a slight fever but was allowed to board a plane from Ohio to Texas, intensifying concerns about the US response to the virus. The nurse, Amber Vinson, 29, flew from Cleveland to Dallas on Monday, the day before she was diagnosed with Ebola, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Vinson told the CDC her temperature was 99.5 Fahrenheit (37.5 Celsius). Since that was below the CDC's temperature threshold of 100.4F (38C), "she was not told not to fly," Reuters news agency quoted a source as saying.
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Aviation Quote
Without doubt, Concorde died yesterday at the age of 31. All that will remain is the myth of a beautiful white bird.
— Le Figaro editorial, the day after AF 4590 crashed at takeoff from Charles de Gaulle aerodrome, 26 July 2000.
On This Date
--- In 1908... Samuel Cody becomes the 1st man to fly in Britain. Flying the British Army Aeroplane N° 1, Cody flies for 1,391 feet before crashing.
---In 1909... German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin forms the world’s 1st commercial airline.
--- In 1910... The 1st airship crossing of the English Channel is made by the French-built dirgible Cle´ment-Bayard II. The 244-mile route is completed in 6 hours.
--- In 1917... Final testing is made for the US Army-designed air-to-air radio communication system with a wireless set.
---In 1952…First flight of the Sud Aviation Vautour.
---In 1955…A Boeing 367-80 (a 707 prototype) crosses the United States in just 3 hours 58 minutes.
---In 1964… The People's Republic of China detonates its first nuclear weapon.
---In 2013…Lao Airlines Flight 301, an ATR-72, crashes shortly before landing at Pakse International Airport under adverse weather conditions, killing all 44 passengers and 5 crew on board.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
An American In France
An American man is having his coffee, croissants, bread, butter and jam at the breakfast table when a Frenchman sits down next to him.
The American ignores the Frenchman who, nevertheless, starts a conversation. "You American folk eat the whole bread?" asks the Frenchman with a large piece of chewing gum in his mouth.
"Of course!"
The Frenchman blows a bubble with his chewing gum, then remarks, "We don't. In France, we only eat what's inside. We collect the crusts in containers, recycle them, then transform them into croutons, and sell them to the United States."
The Frenchman has a smirk on is face. All the while, the American listens in silence.
"Do ya eat jelly with the bread?" asks the Frenchman.
"Of course!"
The Frenchman cracks his gum between his teeth and chuckles, "We don't. In France, we eat fresh fruit for breakfast and put all peel, seeds and leftovers in containers, recycle them, then transform them into jam, and sell it to the U.S."
"And, what do you Frenchmen do with condoms once you've used them?" asks the American.
"We throw them away, of course," replies the Frenchman, with a dumbfounded look.
The American explains, "WE don't. In the U.S., we put them in a container, recycle them, then melt them down into chewing gum and sell it to France.
Trivia
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