Aviation Daily, April 14, 2015

Available for the A380 and A350, the service—Airbus Real-Time Health Monitoring, or AIRTHM—goes beyond pushing fault information off an airplane. Through ACARS, Airbus engineers can query sophisticated onboard computers like Centralized Maintenance Systems and Aircraft Condition Monitoring Systems to obtain specific parameters related to a fault.

The aircraft is the third A320neo in the test fleet, and joins the first pair of test aircraft which are powered by the competing Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan. In all, eight A320neo-family aircraft will be involved in the certification effort, which will include one additional Leap-1A powered A320.

Makers of traditional business jets are also awaiting the competition, since the government could decide to partly replace its two 737 Boeing Business Jets and three old Bombardier Challenger 604s with their products while relying on Airbus KC-30 tankers for carrying large passenger loads.

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and United Airlines, along with several of their unions, circulated a report earlier this year showing the three Gulf carriers have received more than $42 billion in market-distorting government subsidies over the last decade, a charge the Gulf carriers vehemently deny (Aviation Daily, March 6).

AirAsia’s Indonesian and Philippine affiliates plan to list their shares through initial public offerings (IPOs), AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes confirmed via social media. He did not detail the target dates for the IPOs, saying they are dependent upon approval from the carriers’ respective boards. AirAsia Indonesia has previously planned an IPO, but the effort was shelved.

The airline received certification from Philippine regulators for EDTO up to 120 min. from diversion airfields. This will enable fuel savings and reduced flight time on some routes served by Cebu’s Airbus A330 fleet.

For the third-consecutive year, researchers at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University named Virgin America the top airline in the U.S., measured by several key operational statistics including on-time performance, customer complaints, denied boarding and mishandled bags. Hawaiian Airlines was second in the Airline Quality Rating (AQR) rankings, while Delta Air Lines finished third, JetBlue Airways finished fourth and Alaska Airlines finished fifth.

MOSCOW—The Russian government took another step to support national air carriers that face shrinking passenger demand and financial difficulties.

View the PDF