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IATA: Public and employee confidence in MAX is critical
Public and employee confidence in the Boeing 737 MAX is critical to the aircraft’s successful return to service, IATA SVP-safety and flight operations Gilberto López Meyer said at IATA’s annual global media day in Geneva. “Airline accidents are extremely rare and certainly two accidents involving the same aircraft type within a few months of each other are even more [of a] extraordinary outcome,” López Meyer said of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines ...
LinkAirlines
Jetstar makes flight changes ahead of pilot strike this weekend
Jetstar has announced flight changes and cancelations in preparation for limited strikes by most of its pilots this weekend.
Pilots represented by the Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) will hold four-hour strikes on both Dec. 14 and 15. Pilots will also refuse to work beyond their scheduled hours from Dec. 14-20.
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Qantas grounds four 737 freighters on potential parts defect
Qantas has removed four of its Boeing 737 freighters from service because of a potential defect on parts fitted during their conversion from passenger aircraft. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), which performed the conversions in 2006, has alerted Qantas and other airlines about the defects. About 45 aircraft worldwide are believed to be affected.
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Bamboo Airways receives first Boeing 787-9
Vietnam startup Bamboo Airways has received its first Boeing 787-9 at the US manufacturer’s South Carolina delivery center Dec. 9.
The aircraft the Hanoi-based carrier’s first of 30 787s ordered from Boeing as it prepares for medium- to long-haul operations.
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EasyJet pushes ahead with French expansion in 2020
In 2020, easyJet will base two more aircraft in France and open up seven new routes—four from Bordeaux, two from Toulouse and one from Nice—as the UK LCC continues expansion plans in the French market.
The increases will leave easyJet with a fleet of 41 Airbus aircraft, 1,700 employees in France and more than 300 routes operating to and from France, the airline said.
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Air France orders more A350s to replace A380 fleet
Air France-KLM Group is ordering another 10 Airbus A350-900s, which will be used to replace the company’s Airbus A380 fleet.
The aircraft are set to be operated by Air France, which is phasing out its A380s by the end of 2022. Air France-KLM says the decision is in line with its fleet simplification strategy.
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Ryanair passengers ‘will not know if 737 Max is due to operate flight’
Ryanair’s aircraft allocation procedures mean passengers will not be told during the booking process whether or not their flights are due to be operated by Boeing 737 Max jets, according to group chief executive Michael O’Leary.
He suggests, however, that the Irish carrier’s customers are unlikely to view this as a problem because “confidence in this aircraft will restore very rapidly”.
LinkAirports
Gatwick Airport launches cross border arrival management system
Following a successful Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) trial run by NATS and partners across Europe, Gatwick Airport has launched an innovative cross border arrival management system, known as XMAN.
The new system has demonstrated multiple benefits – including reductions in fuel usage and CO2 emissions – but, most notably, reduces the holding times for aircraft arriving into the airport.
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Charlotte Douglas International Airport breaks ground on expansion project
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) has broken ground on its $600 million terminal lobby expansion.
The redevelopment is a result of the airport’s Destination CLT project – a $2.5 to $3.1 billion capital investment programme that will work to help the airport meet the forecasted passenger growth through to 2035.
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Birmingham Airport launches fully electric bus fleet
Becoming the first airport in the UK to implement the new ultra-low emission buses, Birmingham Airport has officially launched its new fully electric bus fleet. The new fleet will replace the diesel vehicles currently in servicing the airport and will operate as a free passenger service via all landside car park routes.
Following an investment of £1.8 million by the airport, with an additional grant of £1.4 million provided by the Department for Transport under its Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme, the fleet consists of six 7900e single deck electric buses, providing an 80 per cent lower energy consumption than their diesel counterparts.
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Dubai Airports to remove all single-use plastics by early 2020
Following the original pledge by Dubai Airports in June 2019, the self-imposed deadline for Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) to ban all single-use plastics is drawing near.
In a bid to manage the two airports’ environmental impact, Dubai Airports has been working in close partnership with over 250 of its concession and hospitality partners in order to completely rid the airports of single-use plastics by early 2020.
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Heineken and KLM open Europe's largest airport lounge at Schiphol
Two famous Dutch brands, Heineken and KLM, have partnered to bring a new bar experience to passengers using the airline's stylish new ‘Non-Schengen Crown Lounge’ at Amsterdam Schiphol.
Located between concourses E and F, and set over two floors, the new 6,800sqm addition to the airport's facilities is also believed to be largest airline lounge in Europe.
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Aviation Quote
Aviation is not so much a profession as it is a disease.
- Anonymous
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Trivia
General Trivia
1. What was the largest, heaviest and most powerful American Production fighter of WW2?
2. Five American Aircraft Carriers have been converted into floating museums. What are their names and where are they located?
3. Which of the following is not true?
A) The 172 was Cessna's first production airplane to be equipped with a tricycle landing gear.
B) The Hawker Siddeley Trident was the first production airplane with an autoland system.
C) On early models of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, the tail gunner could bail out of the aircraft by jettisoning the entire turret.
D) The pilot of the An-2 Colt, can use an on-board compressorto vary the air pressure in the oleo struts to suit the type of surface on which he/she intends to land.
4. Why does moving the center of gravity forward make an airplane more stable in the pitch and yaw axis?
5. During W2, Germany launched V-1 buzz bombs from northern France towards London. These pilotless aircraft incorporated an autopilot to keep the airplane pointed in the target's direction. Without a navigation system, how did the bomb "know" when they were over the target?
