NAS Daily 12 JUN 19

airtrainer 12 Jun 19, 00:10

News

Commercial

US House panel to hold second Boeing 737 MAX hearing June 19
The US House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee will hold its second hearing on the status of the Boeing 737 MAX June 19, which will feature testimony from groups representing airlines, pilots and flight attendants.
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EASA publishes new rules on drone operations
European rules on drones should ensure drone operations across Europe are safe and secure, European citizens’ privacy are safety are respected and drones are able to circulate freely, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said June 11 as the new rules were published.
“Europe will be the first region in the world to have a comprehensive set of rules ensuring safe, secure and sustainable operations of drones both for commercial and leisure activities.
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Indonesia may open domestic market to foreign airlines
In a bid to increase competition in Indonesia’s domestic aviation market and drive airfares lower, President Joko Widodo is proposing opening the country’s domestic routes to foreign carriers.
One of the fastest-growing aviation markets in Southeast Asia, Indonesia’s domestic services are dominated by flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia and its Citilink, Sriwijaya Air and NAM Air subsidiaries; Lion Air and its Batik Air subsidiary; and AirAsia Indonesia.
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GE Aviation addresses GE9X issue after lengthy flight test phase
GE Aviation still anticipates completing GE9X certification testing this year after a lengthier-than-planned round of flight tests and recently discovered "anomaly" in an engine's high-pressure compressor.
GE Aviation completed a second round of certification flight testing for the 777X's engine in May, during which it completed 53 test flights and logged more than 300 flight hours.
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INSIGHT FROM BOMBARDIER: Climbing fast
The ACMI business is dominated by the regional segment and is growing fast in Europe
The practice of a sizeable airline subcontracting its regional flying to a partner airline is widely known in the United States. Such operations—a form of ACMI flying, where the operating carrier provides the aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (also known as wet leasing)—have, however, only recently begun to take hold in Europe, but they are growing rapidly.
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ANALYSIS: May 2019 Asia-Pacific deliveries report
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific took delivery of 52 of the 120 commercial airliners delivered in May 2019, while North American airlines took 27 new aircraft, and European airlines 24.
Asia-Pacific deliveries were up three aircraft from a month earlier, and sharply higher than 42 aircraft in May 2018, according to Cirium’s Fleets Analyzer.
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Airlines

Irish LCC Ryanair buys Maltese startup airline Malta Air
Irish LCC Ryanair is purchasing Maltese startup airline Malta Air, adding another brand to its portfolio as it continues with plans to transition to a holding company structure overseeing separate airline brands. Ryanair will move its Malta-based fleet of six Boeing 737 aircraft into Malta Air, with plans to also grow the fleet, the carrier said June 11.
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South African Airways appoints interim CEO
South African Airways (SAA) has appointed general manager for operations Zuks Ramasia as acting CEO following the resignation of Vuyani Jarana. Ramasia assumed her new role June 10.
The change comes as the state-owned airline says it is again facing financial problems. The carrier has been kept alive by several cash infusions from the government over recent years.
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China Southern expects shorter travel times at Daxing
The location and layout of Beijing’s new airport are expected to reduce travel times by 30-40 min., China Southern Airlines said.
The airline said it is on track to complete construction by the end of June for its operations at Beijing Daxing International Airport, which will supplement Beijing Capital International Airport. The new airport is scheduled to open Sept. 30.
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IATA AGM 2019: UIA may switch MAX order to Airbus narrowbodies
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA)—which had planned to take delivery of three Boeing 737 MAX 8s beginning in mid-April—is considering switching from Boeing to Airbus aircraft as a long-term fleet strategy step.
UIA may also have to adjust its 2020 delivery schedule as MAX deliveries have been postponed until the US manufacturer’s flight-control software upgrade is certified and the grounding is lifted.
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Aeroflot, Vietnam Airlines codeshare set to begin
Aeroflot and Vietnam Airlines are set to begin codesharing on routes in Russia and Vietnam, Aeroflot said June 11.
The agreement includes Aeroflot routes from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and domestic flights from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Ufa and Krasnodar; as well as Vietnam Airlines routes from Hanoi to Moscow and domestic flights from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, and from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang.
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JAL to operate new widebodies on domestic routes
Japan Airlines (JAL) is embarking on a new phase of fleet renewal this year as it prepares to introduce Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s on domestic routes. The carrier is set to take delivery of its first A350-900 this week, with an operational debut scheduled for Sept. 1. This will be the first widebody delivery for JAL in the current fiscal year, which began April 1.
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SAS and Flybe to end ‘white label’ services
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and UK regional carrier Flybe are ending their “white label” agreement, under which the UK airline provided short-haul services to SAS on a wet-lease basis.
Flybe has operated five ATR 72-600 turboprops on behalf of SAS, primarily out of Stockholm Arlanda on domestic Swedish and Finnish routes for the past four years, using local crews and engineering support.
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American, Delta and United push to finalise new Haneda flights
American Airlines has joined Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in pushing US regulators to finalise their tentative awards of 12 new flights to Tokyo Haneda.
American and United, in separate filings with the US Department of Transportation today, ask the regulator to dismiss objections by Hawaiian Airlines and finalise the allocation of the new frequencies.
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Jet Airways to face insolvency action
Two of Jet Airways' creditors have started court proceedings that could bankrupt the carrier potentially jeopardising the planned sale of the grounded carrier.
The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal has fixed a 13 June date to hear pleadings from truck dealer Shaman Wheels and water bottler Gaggar Enterprises to declare the airline insolvent.
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Airports

Second Xiamen airport approved
Construction of a second airport for Xiamen on the southeastern coast of China has been approved, but with no date for entry into service announced.
To be built in stages, the facility will have an initial designed capacity of 45 million passengers a year, the Xiamen City Development and Reform Commission said. By 2030 there will be two closely spaced parallel runways, each 3.8 km (12,500 ft.) long.
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Heathrow Airport sees 31st consecutive month of growth in May
In May alone Heathrow witnessed nearly seven million passengers pass through its doors, the 31st consecutive month of growth. But can this continue?
Over 6.7 million passengers have travelled through Heathrow in May 2019, the 31st month of consecutive record growth for the airport.
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Military

Sikorsky awarded $542m to build six ‘Marine One’ helicopters
Sikorsky was awarded a $542 million contract from the US Navy (USN) to build six production VH-92A Presidential Helicopters, an aircraft which will be known by the call sign “Marine One” when the president of the USA flies aboard.
The helicopters are part of low rate initial production lot 1. The total Presidential Helicopter programme of record calls for 23 aircraft to be managed and flown by the US Marine Corps (USMC).
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Wellington taps C-130J as preferred type for airlift upgrade
Wellington has selected the Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transport as the preferred candidate to replace its five C-130H aircraft.
It will seek pricing information on the aircraft via the US government’s Foreign Military Sales mechanism, says a defence ministry statement.
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