British Airways — and its customers — are once again facing major baggage headaches thanks to a breakdown in the baggage system at London Heathrow Airport. Most BA long-haul passengers flying out of Heathrow’s Terminal 4 were not allowed to check in baggage on Wednesday because of what BA labeled a “major baggage system failure” in that terminal. The airline said airport operator BAA is “working to restore the entire system to its full capacity,” although some restrictions are expected to be in effect today.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will spend US$8.4 million to install a new system to detect foreign objects on the two runways at Singapore Changi Airport. The iFerret system will be installed by Stratech Systems Limited. iFerret is an intelligent based system that uses vision technology to detect and identify foreign objects on the runways and pinpoint their exact location 24 hours a day.
The SkyTeam alliance will build a co-location facility at London Heathrow as its members are preparing to move into Terminal 4. The facility will include a common check-in area, common-use self service kiosks and more baggage drop-off points. The investment into terminal upgrades and expansion totals US$194 million, according to SkyTeam.
BJets, Asia’s first fractional jet ownership company, made a stunning debut at the Singapore Air Show yesterday by placing the single biggest order in Asia for business jets
Airbus is selecting Hamilton Sundstrand to provide the electric power generating system for the A350 program. The EPGS comprises four 100kVA, 230-volt variable frequency generators and four generator control units. Hamilton Sundstrand estimates total program revenue at about $1 billion. The system will be designed in Rockford, Ill., and made at various Hamilton Sundstrand plants, including those in Rockford, Phoenix, Ariz., Puerto Rico and Singapore.
Embraer plans to wait until the second half of the next decade to introduce a next-generation regional jet despite proposals by two competitors to leapfrog it technologically by using Pratt & Whitney’s new Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine. Mauro Kern, the executive VP who heads the Brazilian company’s regional jet business, says Embraer will study new engine concepts advocated by Pratt’s competitors over the next two years and research other technologies such as alternative fuels and advanced materials before it makes a decision on a new RJ design.
Amtrak, which has skirted any significantly stepped-up security measures since Sept. 11, 2001, is now deploying mobile security units in the Northeast Corridor to randomly search passenger bags.
The Asia/Pacific region may be the land of economic opportunity, but its airlines are heading in the wrong direction when it comes to profitability, IATA’s director general warned Monday in Singapore.
AirAsia has selected Rockwell Collins to provide avionics suites and related maintenance support for its latest Airbus A320 and A330 orders. This deal will bring the total number of Rockwell-equipped AirAsia aircraft to 115.
IATA has signed on as the institutional partner for Solar Impulse’s attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered airplane. By the deal, signed Monday by IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani and Solar Impulse President Bertrand Piccard, IATA will provide technical assistance to smooth the airplane’s trip around the world. The first tests of the aircraft are scheduled early next year, and the round-the-world flight is expected in 2011.
Seattle-Tacoma Airport’s monopoly position in east Washington, a solid passenger market with high O&D traffic, good air carrier diversity, low debt levels and cost per enplanement and minimal debt needs through 2012 have caused debt watcher Fitch Ratings to give an A+ rating and stable outlook to $27.4 million in airport revenue and refunding bonds.
JetBlue says its Airbus A320 cabin redesign will reduce the aircraft’s weight by more than 1,000 pounds, compared with its existing A320 cabin. The first of the new cabins is installed on the airline’s latest A320 delivery and will also be included in the remainder of the 88 A320s JetBlue has on order. The new seats have a slimmer profile, helping reduce weight, overhead bin space has been increased by 10%, and a new sidewall design has increased cabin interior width slightly.
Airbus for the first time has flown an A320 with a fuel cell to drive on-board electronic equipment, marking another step in the company’s research effort to reduce aircraft fuel burn. The flight using a company-owned aircraft took place on Feb. 15. The fuel cell was used to power flight control and cabin systems. The hope is the use of fuel cells will reduce the need for fuel consumption when on the ground.
Cathay has awarded a MRO contract to Spirit AeroSystems covering the airline’s Trent 800 Thrust Reversers on its Boeing 777 fleet. Spirit is the manufacturer of the thrust reversers, will team with Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) on the contract.
A four-hour ground staff strike at Milan Malpensa and Linate airport caused the cancellation of 146 flights in total yesterday. Three unions — Cgil, Cisl and Uil — had called the strike to protest against the downsizing of Alitalia’s operations in Malpensa.
Airbus says its reduced transition training system will allow A320 family pilots to qualify to fly the A380 in just 13 working days. Reduced transition training — known as Cross Crew Qualification — has now been approved by EASA and FAA for pilots of all Airbus families. The latest approval, for transition from A320 to the A380, was completed Feb. 7. The transition from A330/A340 families to the A380 will take 12 working days.
The major aircraft manufacturers secured some significant orders at the Singapore Air Show this week, with Airbus adding to its A380 backlog and Boeing signing large deals with two Indonesian airlines.
