Boeing has begun high-speed evaluations of the 777X derivative in its transonic wind-tunnel test facility as part of a five-month test campaign which includes low-speed work that began in the U.K. earlier in December.
Spirit Airlines has tapped Acro Aircraft Seating to supply 30 shipsets of passenger seats, including five earmarked for in-service Airbus A319s that could help persuade the carrier to increase its commitment for on-order aircraft. In addition to outfitting the A319s, the order covers 25 of the carrier’s 117-aircraft A320-family backlog. The Aviation Week Intelligence Network Commercial Fleets database lists Spirit’s in-service fleet as 54 aircraft, including 29 A319s, 23 A320s, and two A321s. Its backlog consists of 37 A320s, 30 A321s, and 50 A320neos.
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Fukuoka - Tokyo Haneda, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats /Dep
Click here to view the pdf Top Carriers: Cheju - Seoul, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Top Carriers: Cheju - Seoul, January 15-21, 2014, Ranked By Scheduled Seats Daily Each Way Departures Share ASKs (000) Share Seats/Dept.
ALT FUELS: U.S. alternative fuel research will continue to have a bright future under the fiscal 2014 omnibus appropriations bill being considered this week in Congress. The giant bill, providing spending for the whole government through Sept. 30, includes language supporting the development of alternative fuels, according to aides for Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), a leading Democrat in the upper chamber and a key budget negotiator across Capitol Hill.
Airbus Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy says he is “closing in” on an order for 20 Airbus A380s from Doric Lease Corp. Doric inked a memorandum of understanding for the 20 aircraft at the Paris Air Show last June, to build on the 18 A380s it had acquired through sale and leaseback deals. “We are finalizing Doric and I am hopeful that we will have that finalized and announced sometime in the first quarter of 2014,” Leahy said, speaking at Airbus’s annual press conference in Toulouse Jan. 13.
Singapore’s Changi Airport is changing its procedures and equipment for making runway friction measurements following a runway incursion between an automobile and a landing aircraft on Apr. 4, 2013, according to a report by the country’s Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The tower ultimately ordered the inbound aircraft to abort the landing on Runway 20R when the aircraft was at approximately 300 ft. in altitude and 0.89 nm. from touchdown point. There were no injuries during the incident.
While Qantas has begun receiving Airbus A330-200s that are being transferred from its Jetstar subsidiary, the mainline operation is not due to take delivery of any new widebody aircraft from manufacturers for the next 2-3 years. Most of the Qantas group’s near-term widebody deliveries are allocated to Jetstar. Deliveries have begun on the low-cost subsidiary’s order for 14 Boeing 787-8s, and as these enter its fleet they will replace A330s, which will be sent to Qantas. These will in turn replace Qantas Boeing 767-300s.
A European Aviation Safety Agency draft rulemaking tackles a series of recommendations from accident investigators and working groups that call for beefed- up standards and maintenance practices for aircraft flight and data recorders (FDR). The key changes would mandate higher-capacity cockpit voice recorders (CVR) on large aircraft, ban “obsolete recording technologies,” such as magnetic tape, and improve post-crash location broadcasting capabilities.
BRUSSELS — The European Union (EU) and Brazil will launch a new round of negotiations on a comprehensive air transport agreement, aimed at opening market access for airlines and achieving a high level of regulatory convergence in areas such as security, environmental and consumer protection, and fair competition.
BRUSSELS — Aegean Airlines says it is confident it will be able to effectively compete with Ryanair owing to its acquisition of Olympic Air, which has allowed it to “hold the size needed for being competitive and grow more.” Aegean concluded the purchase of its smaller rival in October; the combination is Greece’s largest airline.
Airbus is looking at an increase in narrowbody production even before the transition from the current version of the Airbus A320 family to the A320neo, which is scheduled to be completed by 2018. “There is an upside potential [to the production rate] and we are studying it,” says Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier. He hints that a decision is due to take place within the next few months.
ALT FUELS: U.S. alternative fuel research will continue to have a bright future under the fiscal 2014 omnibus appropriations bill being considered this week in Congress. The giant bill, providing spending for the whole government through Sept. 30, includes language supporting the development of alternative fuels, according to aides for Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), a leading Democrat in the upper chamber and a key budget negotiator across Capitol Hill.
After several months of delays due to congressional budget squabbles, the FAA is finally beginning the approval process for Hawaiian Airlines’ new turboprop subsidiary carrier, Ohana. Hawaiian wanted to launch Ohana in the summer of 2013, but was unable to do so because the FAA said it did not have the resources to handle the proving flights and other regulatory steps required for the new carrier to begin operations. The agency blamed the congressionally mandated sequestration cuts for the delay.
Boeing says a Japan Airlines main lithium-ion battery system worked as designed when it began smoking during on-ground maintenance at Narita Airport on Jan. 13. “The 787 issue on ground at Narita appears to involve venting of a single battery cell during maintenance,” the airframer said in several Twitter messages on Jan. 14. “Improvements to 787 battery system appear to have worked as designed. We regret the impact to Japan Airlines and are working with them to return the airplane to service.”
India fears that U.S. aviation regulators may downgrade the country’s air safety rating, amid the brewing diplomatic dispute between the two countries over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York in December. An official of the ministry of civil aviation in New Delhi says the FAA could possibly downgrade India’s safety rating to category II from category I, after submission of a report about the second round of a safety audit of India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Transport Canada (TC) has ordered Dash 8 Classic operators to inspect engine nacelle firewalls for heat damage, and ensure that starter/generator terminal blocks have required insulation after in-service reports of arcing between uninsulated terminal blocks and firewalls. The airworthiness directive (AD), issued Jan. 10, gives operators of Dash 8-100s, -200s, and -300s 3,000 flight cycles or 18 months to perform the checks. Bombardier recommended the work in a September 2013 service bulletin.
Airbus continues to play down the idea of a re-engined Airbus A330, but admits that there is some pressure building on the airline side. “Customers are coming to us” to talk about the possibility, says Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier. Air Asia X founder Tony Fernandez has been the most vocal supporter of such a project, although the airline just placed an order for 25 of the current A330-300s.
Polish charter carrier Bingo Airways, which launched in 2012, has revealed plans to branch out into scheduled operations. Bingo Airways launched operations on May 18, 2012 and now operates a fleet of four 180-seat Airbus A320s from its three Polish bases at Warsaw, Katowice and Wroclaw. It serves Mediterranean destinations for a range of tour operators, including Polish firms ITAKA and Sun & Fun.
Airbus is quietly moving away from the current design of the A350-800 and is considering changes that would make the aircraft larger and likely more economical to operate. There is a “distinct possibility” that Airbus might make the smallest of the three A350 versions larger than currently planned, according to Chief Operating Officer-Customers John Leahy. The change would lead the aircraft to “sit right on top of the [Boeing] 787-9.”
Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau instituted more rigorous operational procedures for air traffic “officers” providing remote advisory services at five airports, following an incursion between a Noevir Aviation Eurocopter AS350 and a Japan Air Commuter Bombardier Q400 at the Yakushima Airport on Oct. 31, 2012, according to a new report by the Japan Transport Safety Board.
EASA has mandated inspections and a reduced life limit for Airbus A320-family trimmable horizontal stabilizer actuators after tests by the manufacturer and supplier United Technologies Aerospace Systems revealed unexpected wear.
