Lufthansa has moved to essentially ground the airline for three days this week, after talks over the weekend failed to get it and pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) nearer to a resolution of a long standing conflict over the financing of the early retirement scheme. The company has cancelled 3,800 flights for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and only a total of 500 shorthaul and longhaul services are to be operated. VC announced a full three-day strike last Friday.
The captain of a First Air Boeing 737-200 did not abandon an instrument approach into Resolute Bay, Nunavut, in August 2011 despite concerns by the first officer and the aircraft’s landing guidance system showing it to be far right of course, an indication requiring a go-around per First Air’s standard operating procedures. The aircraft hit a hill about 1 nm. east of the airport, killing all four crew members and eight of the 11 passengers.
The FAA in 2011 had “strongly encouraged” Boeing to make changes to the 787 flight management computer system to provide autothrottle “wake up” capability in all modes.
Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) is strengthening its already broad MRO capabilities with General Electric engines and will add the GEnx-1B type to its portfolio, following Air France-KLM’s decision to power its future Boeing 787-9 fleet with GEnx engines. In December 2011, Air France-KLM placed a firm order for 25 787-9s with Boeing, with another 25 on option. The airline now has revealed it simultaneously signed an agreement with ILFC for a further 12 787-9s on lease.
Lufthansa is moving closer a highly disruptive pilots strike after their union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), declared that further talks with management have failed to bring the parties together. VC wants its members to go on strike for three full days next week (April 2-4).
Taxes and airport surcharges are costing Canadian airports an estimated five million passengers a year--and Canada itself C$2.4 billion ($2.2 billion) in economic value--because Canadians cross the U.S. border and fly on lower-priced airline tickets out of nearby U.S. airports, a Montreal-based think tank’s study concludes.
Airbus is extending and broadening its industrial footprint in China, and is being rewarded with an initial conditional order for 70 more aircraft from China Aviation Supplies Holding Company (CAS), the government’s central purchasing vehicle. The CAS order includes 43 A320-family aircraft and 27 A330s, fewer than some industry sources had indicated.
Following hard on the heels of questions on the availability of sufficiently trained crews for rapidly expanding Asian LCCs, an Indonesian Boeing 737-900ER recently landed hard enough to burst a tire, injure passengers and cause structural wrinkles in the airframe. Although the weather conditions were good the Lion Air aircraft bounced four times after initial touchdown at Surabaya, registering a maximum 3.8+G vertical deceleration on the last hit.
Boeing 747-8 operators are installing new engine electronic control (EEC) software as a precaution against possible in-flight deployment of the thrust reversers.
Okinawa-based carrier Japan Transocean Air (JTA) has selected Boeing 737-800s to replace its fleet of 737-400s. The carrier says it has reached a deal to order 12 of the -800s, and it has the option of converting them to 737 MAX orders at a later date. JTA operates 13 -400s on Japanese domestic routes. The carrier is part of the Japan Airlines Group, and is part-owned by JAL. JTA's 737-800s will be powered by CFM56-7 engines. Boeing says the aircraft will be fitted with the latest Performance Improvement Package, and will have the Sky interior.
Air Berlin and Etihad face serious opposition from some of their European rivals against the plan for closer integration and more control for the Gulf carrier. Senior industry sources tell Aviation Week that “airlines will definitely not accept” any new set-up that would be contrary to effective ownership and control mechanisms, and they’re confident Germany’s transport ministry will reject any solution to the growing Air Berlin crisis that is not on firm legal grounds.
All Nippon Airways has opted for Boeing’s 777-9X to replace most of the international component of its large 777 fleet. The carrier’s decision has been closely watched, as it has previously said that it would choose between the 777X and the Airbus A350. This was regarded as a key contract for Boeing to win, following rival Japanese carrier Japan Airlines’ decision last year to order Airbus A350s for its own 777 replacement needs.
