The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reignited the debate over the inflight use of cell phones, and could relax the current ban on telephone calls after a meeting in December. “We have circulated a proposal to expand consumer access and choice for inflight mobile broadband. Modern technologies can deliver mobile services in the air safely and reliably, and the time is right to review our outdated and restrictive rules,” FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says in a statement.
AirAsia will continue to channel new aircraft deliveries to grow its overseas joint-venture affiliates in the fourth quarter, despite a mixed financial performance by these airlines.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of November 20, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
At least one of the three airlines with a major stake in Virgin Australia plans to accept an invitation to be represented on Virgin Australia’s board, making it likely that the other two will follow suit. Virgin Australia says it intends to work with the three overseas airlines—Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines (SIA)—with a view to them taking seats on the board.
Additive manufacturing has captured industry’s imagination, but even as the first parts appear inside jet engines, the technology’s possibilities are only just being realized. As researchers experiment with new materials and optimized designs made possible by 3-D printing, the potential scale of the revolution in manufacturing is becoming clearer.
AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate AirAsia X is continuing its expansion in Japan, with Nagoya to be the latest new destination in that market. The service to Chubu Centrair International Airport will begin March 17 and will be AirAsia X’s third Japanese route from its Kuala Lumpur International Airport base. The airline already offers flights to Tokyo and Osaka and in June AirAsia X’s CEO Azran Osman-Rani told Aviation Week that further expansion in Japan was likely, and that after Nagoya services will be launched to Fukuoka and Sapporo.
The FAA says conclusions reached in a years-in-the-making industry-government report on how flight deck automation is affecting flight path management both validates many existing agency initiatives and provides specific direction for additional areas of focus.
The FAA is proposing a policy that would require pilots and controllers with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more to be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) before obtaining a medical certificate. In a recent FAA Federal Air Surgeon’s Medical Bulletin, Federal Air Surgeon Fred Tilton says the agency is planning to soon release a policy that would require aviation medical examiners to calculate the BMI for airman and air traffic control specialist applicants.
Southwest Airlines yesterday started offering gate-to-gate access to its Wi-Fi service for small portable electronic devices (PEDs) operating in “airplane mode,” just three weeks after the FAA lifted restrictions on wireless usage below 10,000 ft. Southwest, which uses a satellite-based broadband service provided by Row 44, says it has vetted all new procedures through its Safety Risk Management process and will bar the use of laptops and devices larger than a tablet during taxi, takeoff and landing.
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Interjet could open a Sukhoi Superjet 100 pilot training center in Mexico rather than sending its pilots to Superjet International’s SSJ100 training facility in Venice. “We are considering very seriously bringing into Mexico a [SSJ100] full flight simulator,” Interjet Director General Jose Luis Garza said last week at the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) Airline Leaders Forum in Cancun.
New information from Airbus has prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to drastically reduce a proposed compliance window for replacing a faulty Airbus A320-family landing gear door component tied to at least one gear-up landing. The revised proposed airworthiness directive (PAD) would give A320-family operators as little as one year to swap certain main landing gear (MLG) door actuators. An original draft, issued in August, proposed a five-year window. In September, EASA issued a second version, cutting the interval to three years.
The prospect of the increasing control of Virgin Australia by its foreign airline partners has prompted a bitter war of words with its rival Qantas, and has also angered a bloc of Virgin Australia’s smaller independent shareholders.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers - Tel Aviv, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Top Carriers - Tel Aviv, Nov. 15-21, 2013, Ranked By Scheduled Outbound ASMs Departures Airport Share ASMs (mil) Airport Share Seats/Dept.
Thai Lion Air has cleared the last regulatory hurdle needed to start domestic operations, although it still needs further approvals to launch international flights. Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation has issued an air operator’s certificate to the carrier, which is a joint-venture low-cost carrier established by Indonesia’s Lion Air and an unnamed local investor. This was the second major regulatory approval required after the carrier gained its air operator’s license in October.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has finalized a deal to purchase a 24% stake in Jet Airways, marking the completion of the first cross border transaction in the Indian aviation sector since last year’s change to the country’s ownership laws. The confirmation of the nearly $330 million deal comes after all necessary regulatory approvals were obtained by both airlines from Indian authorities on Nov. 12. The two sides closed the transaction on Nov. 20.
An unexplained mix-up at a repair station caused a Canadian British Aerospace Jetstream 31 operator to return an aircraft to service with expired landing gear components, prompting Transport Canada (TC) to warn other operators to double-check their records. The issue, outlined in a TC safety alert, focuses on a 2006 airworthiness directive (AD) issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency and adopted by TC that established life limits for certain main and nose landing gear components.
Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways has begun the process of setting up a low-cost carrier (LCC) affiliate, and another Taiwanese carrier, China Airlines, is also planning to establish an LCC in this market. TransAsia appears to be closest to launching its operation, as it has recently received approval to proceed from Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration. China Airlines has only confirmed its intentions and has yet to provide specifics about its LCC plans, although it could reveal more by the end of the year.
As CFM prepared to update future operators of its new Leap engine at the Dubai air show, the first engine to run was being prepared for a series of grueling icing tests in Manitoba, Canada. The Leap-1A engine, which ran for the first time on Sept. 4 at General Electric's Peebles, Ohio test site, is set to undertake cold weather evaluation in the run up to follow-on certification.
Preliminary findings from the probe of a May 2013 incident has led the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) to call attention to a scenario that can lead to a near-stall when an aircraft on approach intercepts an instrument landing system (ILS) glide slope from above.
