Link Simulation and Training UK will convert a Boeing 737 full flight simulator (FFS) to Airbus A320 type in mid-build a proof-of-concept demonstration that could enable future conversions.
Europe’s airline associations have spoken out against the Single European Sky (SES) Performance and Charging Scheme regulations for air navigation services (ANS) endorsed by the European Single Sky Committee (SSC).
Russia and Singapore have liberalized their bilateral agreement, removing restrictions on the number of carriers, flights and aircraft types. Russia’s carriers can now operate regular flights from any point in Russia to Singapore. Airlines from Singapore can operate flights to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok and five other yet-to-be-determined destinations.
When the European Commission (EC) agreed last year temporarily to suspend its emission trading scheme (ETS) carbon tax for flights to and from the European Union, the move was universally welcomed.
In the increasingly complex world of ancillary fees, optional extras and add-ons, airlines still have no standard on how they report their ancillary revenues. But in the US, at least, a number of regulations are being considered that would control how American carriers display their fees and fares.
When it comes to safety and aircraft, a good news story is bound to be very good indeed. And so for IATA, 2012 provided not just an exceptionally good story, but was a banner year. Member airlines had their safest year ever, with no hull-loss accidents on Western-built jets.
It wasn’t the New Year’s Eve 2012 memorythat the passengers and flight crew wanted. Spirit Airlines Flight 403 had just landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida. While taxiing to the gate the Airbus A320 clipped the tail of a US Airways A320 parked in a remote part of the runway. The collision caused a gash in the tail cone section of the US Airways aircraft. The Spirit aircraft suffered no damage, but the incident caused consternation at Spirit Airlines, which said it was not advised by air traffic control of the presence of the other aircraft.
What started as one of Boeing’s most difficult weeks—beginning with a fire and ending with a full-scale safety review of the 787’s design and production—rapidly turned into a public relations nightmare the following week when two airlines grounded their 787 fleets and images of a Dreamliner with emergency chutes deployed streamed over television and computer screens worldwide.
In its services market outlook, Boeing identifies a total market of almost $2.4 trillion over the next 20 years. The market for services is projected to grow by approximately 4% annually over the term of the outlook.
US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator John Pistole continued to defend the agency’s decision to stop screening for small knives at airport security checkpoints.
Last fall, IATA marched into the fray with a new distribution initiative that promises to “enable airlines to fill the capability gap between their direct and indirect channels.” While some have hailed the New Distribution Capability (NDC) as the vehicle that will help move the industry into the future, others see it as the catalyst for yet another political brawl.
Climate research; aircraft retrofitting to reduce fuel consumption; a fleet renewal and modernization program that encompasses new, fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft; a pioneering test of biofuels on routine, scheduled flights; as well as many ground-based and ATM programs that save money and protect the environment are all part of everyday operations for Lufthansa.
Like a cloud of carbon dioxide, the sense of relief across the industry was palpable if not visible as European Union Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard announced a long-awaited decision that many began to think might not come.
The year was 1990 when Ryanair (FR) switched from a full-service carrier to a low-fare model. The next year it made its first profit. Sixteen years later the airline began charging for checked baggage. Ancillary fees and a la carte options are now an important part of many airline revenue streams. They have prompted criticism from the public and lawmakers, but these types of fees are not unique to the industry.
