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WTO rules against Airbus, approves US tariffs on European imports
A World Trade Organisation (WTO) arbitrator has said the USA can levy $7.5 billion worth of annual tariffs on European goods as compensation for European subsidies received by Airbus.
A report published 2 October by a WTO-appointed arbitrator harshly criticises the EU's backing of Airbus and faults it for seeking to avoid consequences by drawing out the case over more than a decade.
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FAA orders airlines to inspect 737NG fleet for structural cracks
The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to inspect nearly all Boeing 737NGs flying in the US for structural cracks.
An FAA airworthiness directive (AD) published on 2 October responds to cracks found on hardware connecting the wing and fuselage of 737-800s.
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Cessna Citation Longitude enters service
Textron Aviation has delivered the first Cessna Citation Longitude business jets, with the shipments in early October signalling what the US airframer describes as “the start of a new dimension in business travel”.
The super-midsize, clean-sheet Longitude was launched in 2012 as Cessna’s flagship product and secured US Federal Aviation Administration type certification on 21 September.
LinkAirlines
Transavia pilots approve Air France expansion plan
Air France has received the go-ahead from Transavia pilots, who are members of the SNPL France ALPA union, for an expansion plan that is part of the wider Air France-KLM Group’s bid to expand and boost profitability.
The SNPL’s Transavia branch said Sept. 30 that all members had been asked Sept. 12 to vote on whether to approve Air France’s plans for low-cost Dutch subsidiary Transavia, which envisage the removal of a previous cap agreed with labor representatives that limited the unit’s fleet to 40 aircraft.
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UPS Flight Forward wins FAA approval for drone airline
UPS announced on Oct. 1 that its Flight Forward subsidiary has received the first FAA Part 135 Standard certification to use unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) for package deliveries nationwide, allowing it to operate a “drone airline.”
Since this spring, UPS and drone delivery-system developer Matternet have transported medical samples by drone at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, North Carolina, under the FAA’s Part 107 regulation for commercial drones weighing less than 55 lbs.
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Star Alliance members boost Slovenia services after Adria bankruptcy
Star Alliance partners Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plan to increase their presence in Ljubljana, Slovenia, after Adria Airways filed for bankruptcy Sept. 30. From its main hub in Frankfurt, Lufthansa will operate double daily services to Ljubljana starting Oct. 27. Daily Munich-Ljubljana services follow from Nov. 1. SWISS will launch 5X-weekly Zurich-Ljubljana services starting Oct. 16, operated by wet-lease partner Helvetic Airways.
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Malaysia Airlines, British Airways to partner
Malaysia Airlines Bhd. (MAB) is continuing a strategy of increasing international partnerships by reaching a codeshare deal with British Airways (BA).
The agreement will apply to flights from Oct. 9, allowing MAB to codeshare on BA flights from London Heathrow to several points in the UK and Europe. MAB has two flights per day to Heathrow from Kuala Lumpur. BA will be able to connect to some of MAB’s Asia-Pacific routes.
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Thai Airways reviews fleet strategy
Thai Airways’ plans to place major aircraft orders has been put on hold by the board, although the airline will still proceed with plans to lease three more widebodies in the short term.
The Thailand flag carrier had submitted a plan to order 38 aircraft to the board. However, at its most recent meeting the board asked the airline to revise the acquisition plan and resubmit it within six months.
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Lufthansa to use Neste sustainable aviation fuel in Frankfurt
Lufthansa plans to begin using Neste’s sustainable aviation fuel blended with fossil jet fuel on flights departing from Frankfurt International airport.
The Finnish maker of renewable fuels says on 2 October that it delivered the first batch of the fuel to Lufthansa earlier this year.
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Alitalia to offer Rome-San Francisco flights from June 2020
Alitalia will launch a direct connection from Rome to San Francisco for the 2020 summer season, joining direct competitor Air Italy in linking Italy to the City by the Bay.
The flights will operate three times a week between 1 June and 28 October from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, the airline announces on its website this week. The Italian flag carrier will operate its Boeing 777s in a three-class configuration. It will be the only non-stop flight between the two cities.
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EasyJet confident of hitting female recruitment target
UK budget carrier EasyJet is on course to hit its target to ensure that 20% of its new pilot intake is female by 2020.
Marc Parent, chief executive of simulator specialist CAE, says EasyJet “will achieve this goal next year”.
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Bamboo aims to launch Hanoi-Prague in early 2020
Vietnam carrier Bamboo Airways plans to launch Hanoi-Prague services in early 2020 with Boeing 787-9s.
The service will be operated thrice weekly, according to a statement from Bamboo parent FLC Holdings.
it did not give a specific date for the commencement of flights.
LinkAirports
Groupe ADP inks MOU with Bolivia to develop Viru Viru airport
Paris airports operator Groupe ADP has signed an MOU with the Bolivian government for exclusive negotiations on a 30-year contract to cover the operation and development of Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Groupe ADP—which operates airports including Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly—is set to oversee design, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of Viru Viru International Airport, including existing facilities and necessary extensions for the 30-year term of the contract, if final agreement is reached.
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Kuala Lumpur airport commences runway upgrade works
Kuala Lumpur International airport began runway upgrading works on 2 October, on track with the schedule.
Operator Malaysia Airports (MAHB) says runway 3 will undergo partial and night closures over a 9.5 month period until 15 July 2020. The works will mainly involve payment overlaying, which will address potential future issues such as airfield pavement roughness that was identified in a Boeing Bump Index analysis conducted in 2018.
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New robot on duty at Frankfurt airport
Passengers at Frankfurt Airport were recently introduced to a member of staff with a difference – YAPE the robot!
In a recent trial, self-driving guide robot YAPE moved through Frankfurt Airport, accompanying passengers to their gates and helping them to transport their small luggage.
LinkMilitary
World War II-era B-17 bomber crashes in Hartford, killing 5
A vintage World War II-era aircraft crashed at Bradley International airport Hartford, Connecticut on 2 October, killing five and injuring at least 14 others, local media report.
The aircraft, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, apparently had difficulties after take-off and was returning to the field for an emergency landing.
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ANALYSIS: Bell reveals 360 Invictus proposal for US Army contest
Facing competitors who are pushing the envelope in terms of complexity and novelty, Bell has revealed that it is taking a more conventional route to its proposal for the US Army’s Future Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) competition: a winged helicopter called the 360 Invictus.
Currently in the preliminary design phase, the 360 Invictus is scheduled to fly by the autumn of 2022, if the US Army gives Bell a green light and funding to build the first prototype, company executives told FlightGlobal on 30 September.
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Aviation Quote
Hours and hours passed, with nothing to do but keep the compass on its course and the plane on a level keel. This sounds easy enough, but its very simplicity becomes a danger when your head keeps nodding with weariness and utter boredom and your eyes everlastingly try to shut out the confusing rows of figures in front of you, which will insist on getting jumbled together. Tired of trying to sort them out, you relax for a second, then your head drops and you sit up with a jerk, Where are you? What are you doing here? Oh yes, of course, you are somewhere in the middle of the North Atlantic, with hungry waves below you like vultures impatiently waiting for the end.
- Amy Johnson
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Trivia
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
The Blackbird was constructed mainly of what material?
The temperature of the skin at Mach 3 was in excess of what temperature?
How many SR-71s were built? How many were lost in accidents?
The first flight of the SR-71 was on? What year did it become operational?
What engines did the SR-71 use? How much thrust did they produce?
At high Mach number cruise, what part of the engine produced the most thrust? (Inlet, compressor, exhaust, etc)
If the shockwave in the inlet was not properly adjusted, what was the term given to what would happen next?
What limited the SR-71’s speed (Altitude, barometric pressure, etc)? And what was that limit.
What was used to cool the leading edges and electrical components?
What color were the tires?
What feature was used on the skin panels to allow for contraction and expansion?
Before GPS was around, what type of navigation was best suited to the SR-71, and what was the name of the system?
What type of fuel did the SR-71 use?
What was used to start the J-58s?
What color temporarily flashed as the J-58 ignited?
What was the destination of the final SR-71 flight?
