Pilots of a Swiftair MD-83 that dragged its right wing over the runway threshold during an early morning landing in Kandahar, Afghanistan in January 2012 had flown an unstable visual approach leading up to the accident. None of the 91 passengers or five crew members on the flight from Dubai were injured, but the aircraft was significantly damaged, says the Spanish civil aviation accident investigation commission.
Bombardier CRJ200 operators are being urged to inspect emergency manual landing gear release systems to ensure they are operating correctly, following an in-service report of a latent failure potentially caused by unrelated maintenance.
A potential strike has prompted Finnair to cut its full-year guidance, and the airline now expects to report an operating loss in 2013 and revenue below 2012’s level. The Finnish Flight Attendants’ Association and the Finnish Aviation Union, which had already issued a strike warning earlier this month for Nov. 15-23, have called for an additional four days of industrial action Nov. 28-30, to protest measures to implement structural changes and cost reductions.
How pilots decide when and where to abandon a faulty approach or landing is the topic of intense research and study in the aviation community as accidents in that phase of flight continue to dominate all others. While new procedures and better training and monitoring are high on the list of near-term interventions, there is a growing consensus that a technology solution that removes much of the sometimes-murky decision process should be part of the long-term fix.
Flybe Group’s majority shareholder Rosedale Aviation Holdings has sold its entire 48.1% majority stake in the embattled regional airline to institutional buyers through Liberum Capital. Rosedale is the trust of the late Jack Walker, who was influential in Flybe’s early development and positioning as a British low-cost regional carrier.
Intertrade, which facilitated the establishment of the airliner surplus parts supplier business four decades ago, has added engine parts to its portfolio, completing its evolution from a one-product specialist to a full-service used-components supplier.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Costs, 12 Months Ended June 2013, Turboprops and Regional Jets (Sorted By Seats Per Departure) Cost Per Block Hour
British Airways (BA) is adding vibration monitors to the cooling fans and recirculation fans of its Boeing 777 fleet to detect bearing problems before the fans fail in flight. The action comes after a “series of smoke events” in the cockpit of a 777-200 (G-VIIK) over the North Atlantic at 38,000 ft. en route to London Heathrow Airport from Philadelphia International Airport on Dec. 2, 2012.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Doha, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Doha, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats /Dept.
Click here to view the pdf Aircraft Operating Statistics, 12 Months Ended June 2013, Turboprops and Regional Jets (Sorted By Seats Per Departure) Aircraft Stage Seats/ Aircraft Carrier In Fleet
Latam Airlines Group has made significant progress in its efforts to turn around its Brazilian domestic operation. TAM Airlines, the Brazilian part of the Latam Group, achieved a 19% improvement in unit revenue in the third quarter of 2013 and now appears to have the worst of its crisis behind it. The airline improved its load factor 3.6 percentage points over the same period last year and by more than 14 points compared to the third quarter of 2011. The Brazilian domestic operation makes up about one-third of Latam’s total capacity.
AMR Corp. and US Airways are just weeks from finalizing their proposed merger, following a settlement deal with the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) that calls for the divestiture of slots at Washington Reagan National Airport and New York LaGuardia Airport as well as gates at Boston Logan International, Chicago O’Hare International, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles International and Miami International airports. The deal comes three months after the DOJ filed a court motion to stop the merger based on claims it would stifle domestic competition.
The operator of Rome’s airport system has warned that its full-year results will depend on the continuing operation of Alitalia and the struggling airline’s compliance with terms of payment. Alitalia owes Gemina, parent company of Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), about €102 million ($137 million). ADR manages Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. “The extremely fragile and unstable situation faced by Alitalia, which accounts for 46% of air traffic at Rome Fiumicino Airport, is a matter of great concern,” notes Gemina.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Istanbul, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Istanbul, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats/Dept.
General Electric increased the urgency of recommended modifications to CF6-80C2 fuel manifolds after the problem addressed by previous retrofits was implicated in an engine fire on a CF6-80C2B1F-powered Boeing 747-400F earlier this year.
Lessors, stepping in to meet both growing demand and an anticipated gap created by declines in other funding sources, will be backing nearly half of all new aircraft deliveries in the next decade or so, lessor Avolon projects in a new report.
China Eastern Airlines has thwarted an attempt by China Southern Airlines to set up a base at Shanghai that may have intensified competition for international services to the country’s largest city. The successful lobbying by Shanghai-based China Eastern limits China Southern’s attempts at reducing dependence on domestic business.
Thai AirAsia is achieving healthy profit growth to match its rapid fleet expansion, which suggests why other airlines are rushing to set up operations in Thailand. The carrier achieved a profit of 297.3 million Baht ($9.4 million) in the third quarter, which was up nearly 60% versus the same period last year. The increase was even more notable for the nine months ending Sept. 30, with profits up 70% to 1.5 billion Baht. Capacity for the nine months was 22% higher, thanks to a net increase of six Airbus A320s.
Global Aviation Holdings and its two operating units World Airways and North American Airlines have filed for Chapter 11 protection to facilitate a fleet and staff reduction plan caused by the continued slump in airfreight demand and a recent change in U.S. military spending that affected 20% of World’s revenue. The cuts will include a 16% reduction in staff in the next 90 days.
Competitors of Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways have to dig deep into capacity statistics to find markets where the mighty Persian Gulf carriers are not succeeding. The good news is that there are some, but the bad news is that where it really counts, these airlines’ growth rates are still frightening to the rest of the world.
