FAA published its “residential-through-the-fence” policy, following through on a congressional mandate and easing a ban on agreements that permit pilot access to airport runways and taxiways from adjacent homes. The new policy reverses a March 2011 interim policy that prohibited new through-the-fence access points.
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is awaiting court action on its petition that the association hopes will put an end to FAA’s recent efforts to charge for air traffic control services at AirVenture and other aviation events. EAA this month filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago to require FAA to refund more than $450,000 in payments that the agency is charging for air traffic control services it will provide during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., from July 29-Aug. 4.
Setting up a component repair facility halfway around the world is no small undertaking, but SR Technics is on track to open its new repair facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in December. The new shop will complement the company's existing repair network with locations in Switzerland, Spain and Abu Dhabi, as well as support the growth of its Integrated Component Services (ICS) business.
Swelling aircraft orderbooks are prompting questions about whether deliveries could inflate airline capacity too much in coming years. But Boeing maintains that a supply overload is unlikely to occur, and it has identified a set of metrics it says proves that market conditions justify the size of the current backlog.
Congressionally mandated budget cuts that prompted the FAA to put a hiring freeze in place created an additional challenge for the safety agency's inspector workforce, which was already hampered by an ineffective staffing model, a government audit found.
Eight years ago, Southeast Asian-based airlines had just 29 turboprop airliners in the 70-seat class. Since then the fleet has more than tripled to 106, with ongoing orders making the region one of the most important for the turboprop sector. More remarkably, this growth has happened, and is continuing, amid powerful expansion by budget airlines, the classic enemy of the turboprop operator.
The U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says the Honeywell emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) in all Boeing 787s should be turned off “until appropriate airworthiness actions can be completed.” The action comes as the AAIB continues to investigate a July 12 “fire event” onboard an Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 that was unoccupied and unpowered on Stand 592 at London Heathrow Airport.
A $328 million year-on-year decline in second quarter labor costs helped AMR Corp. more than triple its June quarter operating profits to $489 million. The airline, which filed for Chapter 11 in November 2011, says the quarter produced record consolidated passenger revenues of $5.6 billion and the most profitable June in its history, when reorganization costs and special items are excluded. Chief Executive Tom Horton applauded this “momentum” as the company prepares for its merger with US Airways sometime in the third quarter.
If mandatory federal spending cuts put in place this year carry over into fiscal year 2014, the FAA should not be expected to come through as unscathed as it did this year, a top Senate staffer warns. “Everybody expects we’re going to have another critical point in September” once Congress gets back to work after a summer break and the Oct. 1 start of fiscal 2014 looms, says Senate aviation subcommittee staff member Rich Swayze. As far as FAA’s budget is concerned he notes, “I’m not sure it’s going to be as easy as it was in June.”
The European Commission (EC) has postponed a decision on the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways after the carriers offered concessions to secure approval. Europe’s competition authority will decide on Aug. 6 whether to clear the merger or proceed with a more in-depth investigation.
Click here to view the pdf Fuel Watch: Global Jet Fuel Prices (midpoint) As of July 17, 2013, compared with previous week and previous year cts/gal prev. week prev.
SAS made a bold decision to renew its entire long-haul fleet. But whether the airline will actually survive and be able to fund the investments is beyond its control. That decision is made by the European Commission.
Auckland International Airport will soon release a revised master plan that should shed more light on its long-term plans for a new domestic terminal and the construction of a second runway. The airport has been reviewing the master plan during the first half of this year, and is likely to unveil the new version within the next few months, airport CEO Adrian Littlewood tells Aviation Week. The plan will be a 20-30 year view of infrastructure development, although more detailed pricing and timing of each project will be developed separately.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has reduced life limits on a batch of Rolls-Royce Trent 700 and RB211-535 turbine disks contaminated with steel “inclusions” during manufacturing by a supplier. The problem affects 20 intermediate and high pressure (HP) disks, 17 of which are installed on Trent 700s powering Airbus A330s.
An informal industry working group creating training and materials to help pilots improve flight deck monitoring skills is pushing to have its final product out by year-end, group members say.
Human factors principles are being applied unevenly in aviation maintenance due, in part, to uncertainties about the field. “Not everyone understands human factors,” says Simon Roberts, chairman of the European Human Factors Advisory Group and a 15-year veteran of the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority. “Some academics give the impression that you need to understand psychology and the science of the mind to get it, but I argue it is just people being people. Human factors is just what we do on a daily basis.”
International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) has firmed a letter of intent for 50 next generation Embraer E-Jets. The order, first unveiled in June at the Paris air show is for 25 E190-E2s and 25 E195-E2s. The contract also contains options for an additional 25 E190-E2s and 25 E195-E2s, for a total of 100 aircraft. The first delivery of an E-Jet E2 aircraft will be an E190-E2 in the first quarter 2018. The E195-E2 is scheduled to enter service in 2019, followed by the E175-E2 in 2020. The list price for ILFC’s firm order is $2.85 billion.
Whether it is the Airbus A380 or Boeing 787, program issues leading to delays and redesigns have some in the aerospace industry arguing that traditional systems engineering is broken. But Dassault Systemes attributes the problem to design tools that have failed to keep pace with program complexity.
London Heathrow Airport’s owner yesterday unveiled a radical plan to build up to two more runways to address the airport’s capacity issues. In its submissions to the U.K. Airports Commission, Heathrow Airport Ltd. is proposing three options for a third runway placed either to the north, northwest or southwest of the existing airport.
Click here to view the pdf Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, London Heathrow - San Francisco Nonstop Passengers Per Day Each Way, London Heathrow - San Francisco British Airways United Others 2008Q1 467 372
It was almost exactly 40 years ago that FedEx founder Fred Smith had the idea of flying a small fleet of Dassault Falcon 20s into Memphis, Tenn., from various cities in order to unload and redistribute packages and fly off again. While his idea has long become the dominant paradigm across the legacy airline world, new threats are putting it to the test.
The legislative proposal to harmonize and revise current EU rules on flight and duty limitations and rest requirements (FTL) for air crew has passed a first crucial vote, with members of an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) committee endorsing the draft proposal.
