AirSpace

US holds wind farm radar tests

flyvertosset — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:42:18 GMT

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has conducted trials on technologies designed to solve the problem of wind farms’ impact on radar.

The tests were organised by the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy, and assessed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory.

Aveillant, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin took part in the trials, which were done for both civil aviation and security purposes.

Numerous test flights were conducted close to the the extensive Indian Mesa Wind Farm in Iraan, West Texas.

UK firm Aveillant’s radar successfully observed a wide range of flights without any degradation from the wind farm.

Gordon Oswald, chief technology officer at Aveillant, said: “We don't know exactly what was flown overhead but we're talking about the most sophisticated government in the world here, and they will be out to test us.

“But we can confirm that several different types of aircraft were detected above and around the wind farm, and that our radar easily distinguished between wind farms and different types of aircraft.”

Aveillant is not taking part in the UK Ministry of Defence trials taking place this summer.

Source: airportworld, Steven Thompson

Virgin Galactic Has Hired Its Pilots

flyvertosset — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:40:27 GMT

A retired Air Force Lt. Colonel and a former NASA space shuttle commander have been hired to fly space tourists in Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, the company has announced. Michael "Sooch" Masucci has 30 years of civilian and military operational and test flying, according to the company, has served as a U-2 pilot with the Air Force and has flown 70 different types, including gliders.

Frederick "CJ" Sturckow has 26 years of military flight experience, flew as commander of two Space Shuttle missions and has logged 1,200 hours in space. The men are currently training to operate commercial suborbital space flights, carrying passengers for $200,000 per ticket.

Virgin Galactic aims to be the world's first commercial spaceflight operator. The company says it has so far accepted "more than $70 million in deposits" from about 580 people. If all those people are able to fly with the company, they will succeed in more than doubling the amount of people ever to have flown in space.

Virgin Galactic passengers will be flown six at a time aboard SpaceShipTwo in which they will experience "out-of-the-seat, zero-gravity" with views of earth and space. The company plans to operate from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Source: AVweb, Glenn Pew

LAN Argentina Halts Operations Until Saturday

flyvertosset — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:39:04 GMT

LATAM Airlines said its Argentina unit was halting all of its flights in the country until Saturday after a state company unilaterally decided to stop providing services to the airline.

Intercargo provides Latin America's biggest carrier with ramps at Argentine airports, loads luggage and manages passenger buses to terminals, LATAM said in a statement late on Friday.

In a statement, published by Argentina's state news agency Telam, Intercargo said LATAM "doesn't want to pay more than what was agreed initially" and said it is owed a debt of nearly 40 million Argentine pesos (USD$7.6 million).

Intercargo says the tariffs in the current contract with LATAM should be raised to comply with new government rules.

A source in Argentina's airlines industry familiar with the conflict said Intercargo was demanding the equivalent of USD$18 million a year to resume the provision of services.

But a spokesman for LATAM's Argentina unit told local media that Intercargo was flouting two separate judicial decisions ordering it to get back to work.

LATAM is doing everything it can to resolve the issue, the Santiago-based company said.

Source: Reuters

Kuwait Air Signs 25 Plane Airbus Deal

flyvertosset — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:20:38 GMT

Kuwait Airways said it had signed an initial agreement with Airbus to buy 25 new aircraft and take an option on 10 more in the biggest overhaul of its fleet since the 1990 Iraqi invasion.

The order for the new planes includes 15 A320neo narrow-body jets and 10 of Airbus's new A350-900 XWB, chairman Sami al-Nisf told a news conference on Thursday.

"We signed a letter of acceptance with Airbus," he said, adding that this was the step before signing a memorandum of understanding with Airbus within the next couple of weeks.

He declined to give a value for the order. The airline expects Airbus to start delivering the aircraft in 2019.

A source said on Monday that Kuwait Airways would pay around KWD850 million dinars (USD$2.98 billion) for 25 new planes. Such an order would be worth USD$4.38 billion at list prices, but aircraft are often sold at a discount.

The airline judged Airbus's offer the most attractive based on price and technical specifications in a tender that included Boeing and Bombardier, the source said.

The airline wants to take out of service 11 jets from its fleet of 17, in which the planes' average age is 18 years.

The options are for five more A320neo and five more A350-900 XWB, Nisf said. He added that under the deal, which has government approval, the airline would also lease a further 22 Airbus jets.

The company is in talks with local and international banks for part of the financing.

Airbus is confident the A350 can make its maiden flight in the summer, it said earlier this week.

The Kuwait Airways order comes months after the Gulf Arab state was awarded USD$500 million by Iraqi Airways for damage caused when former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's forces seized aircraft and parts, ending a two-decade row over compensation.

Source: Reuters

US Government Blacklists Syrian Airline

flyvertosset — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:19:49 GMT

The US government on Thursday blacklisted four Syrian government ministers, an airline and a television station it said helped the Assad government in its two-year crackdown on opposition forces.

The move follows broad US sanctions on any aid to Syria since the beginning of the civil war between President Bashar al-Assad's government and opposition groups that has killed an estimated 80,000 people.

The US Treasury Department said the government-owned airline, Syrian Arab Airlines, helped Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards ship illegal cargo - including rockets, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition - to aid the Syrian government.

Source: Reuters

Virgin Atlantic Loss Widens

flyvertosset — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:18:45 GMT

Virgin Atlantic said tough economic conditions over the last year and lower demand for business travel caused by the London Olympics dragged it to a wider annual loss.

The airline, founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, on Thursday reported a loss of GBP£93 million (USD$141.6 million) for the year to the end of February, 16 percent worse than the GBP£80 million loss it reported a year earlier.

"Last year saw a double dip recession, a continued weak macro economy, and an Olympic Games which, although a fantastic event, severely dented demand for business travel," said chief executive Craig Kreeger, who joined Virgin earlier this year from American Airlines.

European carriers such as IAG's Iberia, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are cutting jobs and shelving growth plans as they grapple with high fuel prices, a weak economy and fierce competition from low-cost airlines and Middle East carriers.

Kreeger said he was confident the airline's financial performance would improve "considerably" in 2013/14 and that it would return to profit in the second quarter of 2015.

Late last year US carrier Delta Air Lines bought a 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic, creating a joint venture that the pair said would generate new revenue and leverage Virgin's strong luxury brand.

Branson retained his 51 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic and ownership of the brand of the airline he founded in 1984.

Revenue increased by 5 percent to GBP£2.87 billion as 5.5 million passengers flew with the airline, 188,000 higher than last year.

At a group level, Virgin Atlantic's pre-tax loss was GBP£69.9 million after a one-off positive GBP£35.4 million exceptional item and GBP£23.1 million in other income was taken into account, it said.

Virgin Atlantic, which launched its Little Red domestic service last month, has suffered in recent years from high fuel costs and increased competition as well as the global economic downturn. It last reported an annual profit for the 2010/11 fiscal year.

Rival IAG, owner of British Airways and Iberia, last week reported an operating loss of EUR€278 million (USD$364 million) in the first three months of 2013.

Source: Reuters

New European cargo airline launched

flyvertosset — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:17:43 GMT

Aerospace One S.A., Greece will offer wide-body freighters for charter or ACMI lease. The fleet, which is already in operation, will use 747-200s and new 747-400 jumbo jets. There are also plans for further expansion.

The airline will be launched at Air Cargo Europe 2013, Munich in June.

Founder Jaideep Mirchandani said Aerospace One S.A. will target charter businesses worldwide specializing in the freighter transport of heavy loads.

It will build cargo bridges between continents, initially Asia and South America via Europe, Mirchandani said.

Aerospace One S.A. will draw on the experience of other airlines and individuals within the Skyone Group.

“We aim to provide cargo bridges between continents,” Mirchandani said. “We will serve a particular niche in this market. Our companies have been operating successfully for nearly a decade in the field of transportation of heavy loads and ACMI lease. The accumulated experience coupled with the experienced team of professionals that surrounds the new company, forms the platform for further development of the group’s activities and will prepare the ground for the inclusion of additional cargo aircrafts in the fleet.”

Aerospace One S.A. made its maiden flight in April when a 747-200 flew from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Jakarta, Indonesia.

It will operate from a home base at Châteauroux, France.

Air charter specialist chartersphere has an exclusive affiliation with the airline. The UK-based company will handle all charter inquiries and contract arrangements for Aerospace One S.A.

Source: aircargoworld, Adina Solomon

Navy Carrier And Liquid Hydrogen Drone Milestones

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:23:30 GMT

The U.S. Navy this week announced it has -- for the first time -- successfully launched the X-47B combat-capable aerial vehicle from an aircraft carrier and, separately, set a new record for flight endurance with a fuel cell-powered UAV with the Ion Tiger.

The X-47B's testing Tuesday saw it launch from the deck of the USS George H.W. Bush during flight operations in the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast. The launch was followed by several low approaches and a flight mission to the naval base at Patuxent River, Md., that also demonstrated a ship-based to land-based transfer of control. Also this week the Navy reported that its Ion Tiger unmanned vehicle set a record for endurance, flying 48 hours and one minute on liquid hydrogen fuel.

The Ion Tiger is a surveillance drone that used a new cryogenic tank to hold fuel, which it converted to electric energy to drive an electric motor. Using a fuel cell-based energy source for the electric drone allows it to operate more efficiently, improving endurance while lowering its heat signature.

According to the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), fuel for the aircraft can be made from water on site rather than fuels that would otherwise need to be delivered. While the Ion Tiger set its own record, the British QinetiQ Zephyr holds the overall endurance record for drones, flying for 14 days at the U.S. Army's proving ground in Yuma, Ariz., back in 2010. The Zephyr is a high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle that uses solar power and rechargeable batteries to collect and power its electric motors.

Source: AVweb, Glenn Pew

Asia-Pacific traffic up for Q1 2013

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:19:13 GMT

ACI Asia-Pacific airports recorded 9.3% year-on-year growth in March and 15.4% at airports in the Middle East.

Passengers in Hong Kong

Passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2013 was “promising”, with a 6.4% year-on-year increase in Asia-Pacific and 12.6% in the Middle East, ACI Asia-Pacific said.

Beijing (PEK) was the busiest airport in the region with close to 20 million passengers in Q1 2013, 4.8% more than Q1 2012.

Dubai (DXB) was the busiest in terms of international passenger traffic, welcoming 16.5 million passengers, 15.6% more than same period last year.

Other airports in the region recording double-digit growth in Q1 include Kuala Lumpur (KUL, +11.0%), Seoul Incheon (ICN, +11.5%), Kunming (KMG, +21.7%), Hangzhou (HGH, +12.8%), Xiamen (XMN, +14.5%), Osaka Kansai (KIX, +19.0%) and Abu Dhabi (AUH, +15.9%).

In Q1 2013, air cargo traffic remains stagnant in Asia-Pacific, dropping slightly at 1.0%. Middle Eastern airports recorded a strong increase of 9.8%.

Despite the overall result, some airports in the region recorded double-digit growth in Q1 2013 including Dubai (DXB), handling 584,800 tonnes, 15.8% more than Q1 2012, Beijing (PEK, +10.6%), Abu Dhabi (AUH, +22.5%), Hangzhou (HGH, +15.8%) and Xiamen (XMN, +15.4%).

The airport in the region with the highest cargo throughput in Q1 2013 was Hong Kong (HKG), handling over 942,000 tonnes of cargo, 1.6% higher than the same period last year.

Source: airportworld, Steven Thompson

Southwest Signs To Be Launch Customer for 737 Max 7

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:17:01 GMT

Southwest Airlines has triggered the program launch of Boeing’s 737 Max 7 narrowbody by converting 30 options that it holds for the existing 737 Next Generation family into orders for the new model.

Source: AIN, Charles Alcock

Singapore Airlines Fights Back To Boost Growth

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:15:04 GMT

Singapore Airlines, caught between the rapid emergence of Gulf carriers and low cost Asian rivals, is attempting a big strategy overhaul to revive growth, pushing into the low-cost segment and expanding its regional network.

State-backed Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways are doing deals, while Gulf states race to become regional hubs linking the Asia-Pacific region and Europe.

SIA's promotional fares on its mainstay long-haul routes have helped it boost traffic, but yields are under pressure. Premium class travel, which makes up about 40 percent of revenue, has been hit by cutbacks in corporate budgets.

"They have competitors who have strong financial backing and are also forming alliances, so it's getting to be a much tougher space," said Kristy Fong, investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management, which holds about a 4 percent stake in SIA.

"So the question is whether they can really keep that premium, which is sliding. I don't think it's an easy one."

Under chief executive Goh Choon Phong, who took charge in January 2011, SIA is relying on a multi-brand strategy and stepping up its exposure to the budget airline segment.

With a market value of USD$11 billion Singapore, Asia's second biggest airline desperately needs growth. Profit slumped nearly 70 percent in the year to March 2012, while revenue edged up, highlighting the severe pressure on margins.

Emirates and Qatar are fiercely challenging the company, controlled by Singaporean state investor Temasek, for the title of top luxury carrier as they invest millions in upgrading lounges and enhancing services.

Singapore's best known brand also faces stiffer competition from Southeast Asian rivals such as Malaysia Airlines and Garuda Indonesia, which are introducing newer aircraft and adding more connections in an attempt to win back some of their nationals who have previously flown via SIA and Singapore.

On Thursday, SIA - also known by its code SQ - is expected to report a 22 percent rise in net profit to SGD$409.6 million (USD$330 million) for the year ending March, according to Reuters analyst forecasts.

The airline has been cutting costs and is terminating the fixed-term contracts of all 76 of its foreign pilots.

"SQ is giving its competition a very easy way to get experienced pilots," said one SIA pilot whose contract was cancelled this year, speaking on condition of anonymity because his contract was confidential.

Analysts are looking beyond quarterly numbers for strategic changes. JPMorgan said SIA had net cash of SGD$3.8 billion as of December and could potentially announce a special dividend.

Some of that cash will help pay for new aircraft including Airbus A350s and additional Boeing 777-300ERs, plus Boeing 737s for its regional carrier Silkair.

Fong said though SIA has been able to manage costs better than its competitors and had a strong balance sheet, it needed to come up with a clearer strategy.

Over the past year, SIA agreed to sell its 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic, started a new budget airline Scoot, expanded capacity at Silkair, and is potentially increasing its stake in affiliate Tiger Airways.

NEW ALLIANCES?

Still, SIA needs to do much more, some analysts said.

"What could they do better? Maybe, if they could find a way to get into China more aggressively?" said Andrew Orchard, Hong Kong-based analyst at brokerage CIMB. "Would they want to do a bilateral partnership with a Middle Eastern carrier, take out some capacity that way?"

Orchard said SIA should consider quitting Star Alliance and joining the rival SkyTeam network as it could potentially work more closely with Chinese airlines and other partners.

SIA is doubling its stake in Virgin Australia to 19.9 percent. This comes months after struggling Qantas struck a five-year alliance with Emirates, which includes switching the Qantas' hub to Dubai from Singapore for European flights.

SIA's moves to buy into Chinese and Indian carriers many years ago have not borne fruit. Goh has said the airline needs to increase exposure to these high-potential markets, but rivals have a head start.

Last month, Etihad agreed to buy a 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, India's largest carrier, while AirAsia has struck a deal with the Tata group to start a local airline.

AirAsia's cut-rate pricing on Southeast Asian routes and the emergence of new rivals such as the Lion Air group has hit SIA.

"Corporate travel in Asia has weakened but leisure travel is booming. That is helping to drive numbers but these are lower-spending travellers," said Fred Seow, vice president of marketing at Asiatravel, which operates several hotel and flight booking websites.

Source: Reuters

Qatar Air Wants To Be 777X Launch Customer

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:13:45 GMT

Qatar Airways' chief executive said the Middle-Eastern carrier wants to be a launch customer for Boeing's 777X mini-jumbo jet, and that the airline plans to open at least three new routes to the US in the next 12 to 18 months.

"We are very keen on the 777-8 and -9X aircraft and we are receiving presentations from Boeing in this regard," Akbar Al Baker, CEO of the Doha-based airline, said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

"We would definitely want to be the launch customer," he said. "We hope to be one of the launch customers."

But he said that since the aircraft has only been offered recently, "we need to go through the paces."

Boeing said on May 2 that it had begun offering the new jet, setting up a 'mini-jumbo' war with European rival Airbus and its competing plane.

Baker said he has no concern about folding wings or other novel design features of the proposed 777X. Boeing is considering folding wings to allow more aircraft to fit into constrained areas without airports undertaking expensive modifications, he said.

On Qatar Airways' interest in ordering additional Airbus A330s, he said a possible deal is under discussion, but not close to being signed.

"We have asked for a proposal from Airbus to offer us between 10 and 15 A330s over a period of around 24 months to mitigate the shortage of aircraft we have due to the delays in 787 deliveries and especially now with the grounding of those airplanes recently," he said.

Turning to the company's strategy, he said it planned to open new service to the US cities of Boston, Detroit and Atlanta, and possibly others, over the next 12 to 18 months.

Qatar Airways already flies to New York, Washington, DC, Houston, and Chicago and plans to add service to Philadelphia next year.

Source: Reuters

Boeing To Fix Batteries On All 787s By End-May

flyvertosset — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:12:44 GMT

Boeing will complete fixing the batteries on all 50 of its 787 Dreamliner jets by the end of this month, Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president for sales in Asia Pacific, told Reuters on Wednesday.

The planes had been grounded worldwide since January following incidents of overheating in the batteries providing auxiliary power. Boeing has since worked to develop new battery housings to prevent a repeat of the incidents.

Air India resumed flying its 787s on Wednesday.

Source: Reuters

Air Lituanica to begin operations from July 1

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:34:16 GMT

New Lithuanian regional airline Air Lituanica plans to begin operating its first routes to Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin from July 1.

The niche business carrier will begin flying from its Vilnius base for the first time once its first two leased Embraer E170 and E175 jets are delivered, its Chief Commercial Officer, Simonas Bartkus, said at Routes Europe in Budapest.

“Our first destinations are going to be Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin and also later going to operate to Munich, Prague and then Moscow. These six destinations should be good for a start,” he said.

Bartkus said the carrier planned to expand its fleet to five in the future but would stick to regional jets of a maximum of 185 seats.

He said the vision was not for Air Lituanica to become the new national carrier of Lithuania, but to be a regional airline connecting Vilnius with points in western Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and CIS with small jets on high frequency rotations and with a two-class product to attract corporate traffic.

Tickets will be offered with online bookings and on GDS and in the future the carrier may look at even smaller aircraft orders to serve thin business routes, especially to Scandinavia, Lithuania’s biggest trading partner.

“We are going to offer two classes, service level travel, which will be like economy with check in and luggage allowance, somewhere between economy and economy plus. Then there is premium class, which is more like first class and includes fast track,” he said.

Bartkus said the airline was keen to partner with airlines not represented in Lithuania’s market, such as Air France, airberlin, Czech Airlines and KLM, while Air Lituanica’s shareholders were likely to be open to the idea of investment from a bigger partner in the carrier.

Air Lituanica is owned by the Vilnius city government and private investors and Lithuanian companies.

Source: routesnews, Oliver Clark

Flyers' Group Seeks Limit On 787 Flights

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:32:39 GMT

Flyers' Rights, an advocacy group for airline passengers, said on Tuesday the FAA should restrict 787 flights to within two hours of an airport "until the safety of its lithium-ion batteries is proven." The restriction wouldn't affect flights over the continental U.S. or most flights to Europe, but trans-Pacific and transpolar routes would be off limits.

"Our proposed actions are both urgent and necessary," said Paul Hudson, president of the organization. "Adequate testing of the batteries haven't been done and the fire investigation is not finished." United Airlines, the only U.S. carrier flying 787s, plans to resume domestic flights with the airplane next Monday, and will start flying the Denver-Tokyo route on June 10.

With an FAA-approved fix for the battery problem in place, Boeing said last week it has increased its production rate for the 787 from five to seven airplanes per month. The company plans to be building 10 per month by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the NTSB is continuing its tests and research to try to determine a cause for the battery problems.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Flyers' Rights also asked him to create an ad hoc advisory committee of independent battery experts and open a public docket for comments on the battery fix.

Source: AVweb, Mary Grady

Boeing Delivers First 787 Since January

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:31:48 GMT

Boeing on Tuesday morning officially delivered the first 787 since aviation authorities around the globe grounded the model nearly four months ago. Dreamliner Line Number 83—an All Nippon Airways airplane—took off from Boeing’s Everett, Washington, production site for Tokyo.

Boeing 787 Line Number 83 left Everett, Washington, for Tokyo on Tuesday morning. (Photo: Boeing)

The milestone comes a day before Qatar Airways and Air India each plan to reinstate regular revenue service with their Dreamliners and roughly a week after Boeing rolled out of its Everett factory the first 787 built at the increased production rate of seven airplanes per month.

About half of the 100 airplanes to roll out of the Everett factory remain undelivered, as customers prepare crews and processes to resume service and Boeing mechanics work to install battery system modifications as mandated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Despite the grounding, Boeing never slowed production and continues to expect rates to reach 10 per month by year-end. The company expects this year’s delivery total to match the projections it established before the grounding.

Source: AIN, Gregory Polek

Air India To Resume 787 Flights From Wednesday

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:29:57 GMT

Air India will resume flying its Boeing 787 Dreamliners from Wednesday, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Tuesday, almost four months after the planes were grounded due to safety concerns.

Air India has six 787s and has 21 more on order. The planes have been grounded worldwide since January following incidents of overheating in the batteries providing auxiliary power. Boeing has since worked to develop new battery housings to prevent a repeat of the incidents.

Air India will start a 787 domestic flight on Wednesday and will start international flights on May 22, Singh told reporters, adding that all six of its Dreamliners would be ready for flight by the end of the month. Air India would also acquire eight more 787s by December, he added.

He also said Air India was expected to post a net loss of about INR40 billion rupees (USD$730 million) for the current fiscal year ending March 2014, compared with about INR52 billion rupees in the previous fiscal year.

Source: Reuters

Airbus 'More Confident' On A350 Flight Date

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:29:08 GMT

Airbus expressed growing optimism about the schedule for the keenly-awaited maiden flight of its A350, amid speculation that its first new jet in almost a decade could debut before next month's Paris air show.

Airbus A350 leaving the paint shop. Image: Airbus

Scooping headlines at the world's largest aerospace event would give a boost to the A350, which went through several changes in design but for the time being seems relatively immune from problems which have plagued Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

Airbus parent EADS described the A350 project as "challenging," but stuck to a summer target date for the first flight of Europe's response to the 787.

In the best-case scenario, that could mean a flight before the June 17-23 show at Le Bourget, according to industry experts, while other likely working dates extend into July.

"You will not hear me today giving any new comment on any date; we are preparing the aircraft, we are doing ground tests, we are continuing structural tests," Harald Wilhelm, the finance director of both Airbus and parent EADS, told reporters.

"The important thing is that it is a 'mature' first flight and this will happen in the summer I think. On this we are more and more confident."

The optimistic tone added extra polish to better than expected EADS first-quarter results, driven by higher production of the most profitable existing Airbus jets, analysts said,

Gains at Airbus, which recovered the industry's top spot in deliveries from Boeing in the first quarter, eclipsed a weak performance at the EADS helicopter division. But the group also had to contend with a large outflow of cash in the quarter.

Results from Europe's largest aerospace group confirmed a solid industry outlook after Boeing beat quarterly forecasts, marking a rare bright spot in the economy as plane makers ramp up output to meet strong demand from Asia and the Middle East.

Developed at an estimated cost of USD$15 billion, the 300-seat A350 emerged from the paint shop in Airbus livery on Monday, ready to start a final series of tests before the first flight.

It is the first European airliner built mainly from lightweight carbon-fibre, a process championed by Boeing that has struck a chord with airlines keen to cut fuel bills.

France's La Tribune newspaper reported the plane could fly in mid-June.

Even so, most experts consider it unlikely the jet will make the short trip to Le Bourget for the air show, since it must first accumulate essential flying hours.

RISKS AHEAD

The final say over the date of the A350's first flight lies with the company's test pilots, who will gradually narrow down a series of planning dates after each successive ground trial.

Analysts say that even if Airbus pulls off what would be a dramatic PR coup by getting the A350 aloft before Le Bourget, the 787 crisis reminds investors that several years of risk lie ahead until all three variants are established in service.

Airbus is also keen to avoid repeating Boeing's mistake of promising to fly the 787 in time for an air show during its development, only to have to backtrack at the last minute.

"They are doing all the right things, and it is okay to be quietly confident, but they can't relax until it has entered service and been in service for a little while," said Nick Cunningham, aerospace analyst at Agency Partners in London.

The base model A350-900 is due to enter service with Qatar Airways in mid-2014. A larger variant, the 350-seat A350-1000, is not due to enter service until 2017.

Most cash for such developments comes from record output of A320 and A330 jets, which helped push EADS first-quarter revenue up 9 percent to EUR€12.4 billion (USD$16.1 billion). Airbus also relies on government loans, a source of friction with Boeing.

EADS' operating profit before one-off items - a measure stripping out major project charges or currency swings - rose 56 percent to EUR€741 million, the group said in a statement.

"Reported" operating profit, which still excludes goodwill and some exceptional items, rose 79 percent to EUR€596 million.

EADS confirmed its forecasts for the year, including a EUR€3.5 billion operating profit before one-off items. It sees stable free cash flow despite a EUR€3.2 billion drain in the first quarter when it built up inventory for higher production.

A weaker picture emerged at Eurocopter where deliveries of the Super Puma have been hit by safety concerns after two emergency North Sea ditchings, reportedly blamed in part on corrosion. Sales and earnings posted double-digit declines.

"A recovery is expected later in 2013 as Eurocopter has now identified the root cause for the technical issues," EADS said.

Source: Reuters

Wizz Air bases seventh A320 at Bucharest

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:49:58 GMT

Wizz Air has expanded its fleet at Bucharest airport (OTP) with an extra A320 to fly 19 additional flights on existing routes.

The new aircraft is due to operate from July 4 and is the first of the low-cost carrier’s planes in Romania with fuel-saving sharklet wing extensions.

György Abrán, chief commercial officer at the airline, said the plane would carry 300,000 passengers for Wizz over its first year.

In Romania, Wizz Air will now have 12 of its A320s, with which it expects to fly 3.3 million passengers this year.

Source: routesnews, Piers Evans

Eindhoven Airport launches world first 'Facebook VIP' initiative

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:48:25 GMT

Eindhoven Airport has become the first airport in the world to integrate Facebook in the passenger journey.

Customer’s can sign up to Eindhoven’s Facebook VIP scheme when they ‘like’ the airport on the social networking website.

Every month the airport selects new VIPs. Currently, the airport selects two winners a month.

In its first 12 hours, the initiative attracted 80 VIPs – far more than the airport expected.

The advantages of the VIP programme are:

- Free parking at the entrance of the terminal

- Personal accompaniment

- Free breakfast, lunch or dinner

- Fast track security

Eli Lejeune, the airport’s marketing manager, said: “Through Facebook, people normally get money off or they are able to win tickets. But this VIP programme actually plugs into the actual customer journey.

“We couldn't find any other airport in the world that does this. Facebook is an important way for us to stay in touch with our guests.

“Normally these passengers are in touch with airlines or booking agencies, since the actual deal is between them.

“For us it is important to know more about these passengers, to optimise our product. Through Facebook this can be done in an interactive and an easy going way. That way we can build a relationship with them and stay in touch 365 days a year.”

Eindhoven Airport’s CEO, Joost Meijs, added: “Eindhoven Airport is working very hard on its online presence, with regularly the highest engagement rate on Facebook of all Dutch airports and the sixth position in the list of most popular chek-in spots in the Netherlands.

“With a rapidly growing number of Facebook fans the time was right for us to offer our fans something extra.”

Souce: airportworld, Steven Thompson

Wizz sees shift to east as vital to growth

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:45:52 GMT

As Europe’s economy sags, the low-cost carrier is heading east to sustain its further expansion.

Wizz Air CEO Joszef Varadi, speaking at the Routes Europe networking event in Budapest, has said an eastward expansion is vital to the airline.

"The business is designed for growth," he said.

"Last year in revenue terms we were growing at a rate of around 20% and we seeing 15-20% growth as something that can be sustained for the foreseeable future, for the next few years."

So, amid Europe’s "struggling" situation, Wizz is now looking to new destinations such as Kutaisi in Georgia, Baku in Azerbaijan and Dubai in the UAE to maintain its expansion.

"We consider that those markets can still deliver reasonable growth prospects for the business, which we need from a corporate perspective," he said.

From an LCC perspective, these markets are also underpenetrated, he added.

"If you want to go to a place like Baku in Azerbaijan, you really feel like you get ripped off."

But Wizz Air will not be altering its ultra low cost model to enter markets to the east, he added.

The carrier remains committed to sticking to a single model of plane, although it could extend its A320 fleet by also operating A321s.

While assessing to a joint venture approach for entering Turkey and Russia, Wizz will also stick to its established model in smaller markets such as Bosnia, he said.

In Ukraine – where an "old school" bilateral regulatory regime continues to block expansion – he sees encouraging signs of liberalisation.

"We have a genuine difficulty to get market access in a way we would have wished to. That situation has changed to some extent after the collapse of some of the domestic carriers."

Investment in airports, terminals and runways for the 2012 Euro championship is also helping open the market, he added.

"That capacity must be put to work and they need airlines to utilise that investment, so I think that at the moment that’s a primary driver of the changes we are experiencing."

Yet he expressed scepticism over the EU’s attempts to close an open skies agreement with Ukraine this year.

"It is very difficult to predict. In the longer run, they would need to converge in a way. But the timing is totally unpredictable."

Source: routesnews, Piers Evans

Netanyahu Takes Flak Over Bed On A Plane

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:44:11 GMT

Benjamin Netanyahu is changing his mid-air sleeping arrangements after a public flap over a USD$127,000 custom-built bedroom for the Israeli prime minister and his wife on a flight to London last month.

Israel's Channel 10 television reported the sum was tagged onto the USD$300,000 cost of chartering an El Al Boeing 767 that flew the couple and Netanyahu's entourage of aides and bodyguards to former British leader Margaret Thatcher's funeral.

News of the extra public expenditure, for a 5-1/2-hour flight, caused an outcry on Israel's social media and in its mainstream newspapers that coincided with protests over government plans to raise taxes as part of an austerity budget.

"Bibi is king, and in a monarchy, when the king and queen fly, price is no object," said political commentator Sima Kadmon, referring to the prime minister by his nickname.

"Where is the shame?" she wrote on the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's biggest newspaper.

Netanyahu's office did not dispute the reported figures. It said he had been unaware of the extra cost of installing the double bed and partition and wanted to arrive fresh for meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the funeral.

The prime minister, it said, was entitled to a good night's sleep on an overnight flight after a busy day. But it added, a sleeping cabin would no longer be installed on his flights to Europe.

The Netanyahu bedroom touched a particular nerve in Israel after news earlier this year that the prime minister's office had an annual budget of USD$2,700 to buy his favourite flavours from a Jerusalem ice cream shop.

A post on Netanyahu's Facebook page contained a link to a website inviting people to sign a petition demanding he pay for the bed out of his own pocket. Nearly 4,000 have signed since Channel 10 first broke the news on Friday.

Source: Reuters

ICAO Yet To Resolve Airline Emissions Issues, Surprised?

flyvertosset — Tue, 14 May 2013 04:43:12 GMT

Little progress has been made in an ICAO effort to craft an agreement to lower greenhouse gas emissions from international air travel, raising doubts that its civil aviation body can deliver a final resolution by a September target date, several government officials said on Monday.

Representatives to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said a high-level group of representatives from 17 countries chosen to expedite a global agreement continues to be bogged down by a few key issues.

The group had been tasked with developing a global plan to address aviation emissions using market-based measures in time for the body's triennial assembly in September.

But it has yet to resolve key questions such as whether states or airlines would be responsible to pay for their emissions; how to account for a country's aviation emissions and whether less-developed countries should have different goals than more wealthy states.

"We hoped that they would bring to the table some ability to find some compromise. What has transpired, however, in the three meetings of that group unfortunately we've had very little progress," said Kerryn Macaulay, Australia's representative to ICAO.

If ICAO makes enough progress toward a global agreement on emissions, it could ensure that the European Union would not need to apply its own emissions trading system to global airlines.

The advent in 2012 of an EU law requiring all aircraft using EU airports to pay for carbon emissions via the bloc's Emissions Trading Scheme stirred threats of a trade war. The United States, China, India and Russia all lobbied fiercely against it.

At the end of 2012, the EU agreed to "stop the clock" on its law requiring all airlines to pay for each tonne of emissions associated with flights into and out of its airports, provided that ICAO comes up with a solution by late this year.

INDUSTRY FAVORS OFFSETTING

ICAO has narrowed its options to three approaches: a mandatory offsetting scheme, mandatory offsetting that would raise revenue to fund joint measures to address climate change and a global emissions trading scheme similar to the European Union's carbon market.

Tony Tyler, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said a global carbon offsetting system was preferred by the industry out of three market-based solutions floated by the United Nations to tackle the sector's growing greenhouse gas emissions.

Under an offsetting system, either air carriers or countries would have to purchase credits to cover each tonne of carbon emitted over a set baseline.

"We are looking for simplicity and ease of administration as a key component of what we go forward with, so it's likely that the industry will come out in favour of a global offsetting scheme rather than emissions trading," Tyler told Reuters at an environmental workshop of aviation executives in Montreal.

Paul Steele, executive director of the Air Transport Action Group, said that there is a general consensus that a mandatory offsetting system could begin sometime after 2020.

Under this option, which is so far the most favoured by industry, the ICAO would have to set an emissions baseline, for example an average of the last three years prior to 2020.

Steele said it is not yet clear whether countries or airline operators would be responsible for purchasing offsets under that plan.

Auditor and consultancy PwC estimated in a report last year that offset demand from the aviation sector could grow to more than 100 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2020.

This would be a boost to the United Nations' struggling carbon offset market, the Clean Development Mechanism, because potential aviation demand would be more than 25 percent of carbon credits issued in 2012, according to PwC.

The EU has forecast that aviation emissions alone will rise from 640 million tonnes in 2005 to almost 1.1 billion by 2020, even with 2 percent annual growth in fuel efficiency.

Elina Bardram, who is responsible for carbon markets in the aviation and maritime sectors for the European Commission's climate division, said although there has been political "goodwill" to reach an agreement, ICAO's efforts have not been enough.

"I think it's good to know... that the process hasn't ended yet. We have four months to go before the ICAO assembly, and I believe, genuinely believe, that there is a meaningful outcome within reach still."

ICAO will next discuss the different proposals when the 36-member governing body, the ICAO council, convenes in June. The high-level group is not expected to re-convene then.

Source: Reuters

GAMA: GA Shipments Are Up!

flyvertosset — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:55:00 GMT

A relative surge in shipments of multi-engine turboprops led a positive first quarter for all GA shipments as billings improved by 31.7 percent over last year's number, GAMA announced Thursday. Improvements to piston aircraft and jet shipment numbers were modest, posting positive changes of 3.8 percent and 4.0 percent, respectively. Diamond's DA40 led all models in the piston single group with 27 sold.

Cirrus and Flight Design were close behind. And Beechcraft Corporation, which emerged from bankruptcy in February, managed deliveries of multiple models.

Cirrus shipped 26 SR22Ts, one behind Diamond DA40 models, and Flight Design delivered 25 CT aircraft. Cessna's top piston model, the Skyhawk SP, saw 16 shipments, matching its turboprop Grand Caravan 208B. Beechcraft Corporation delivered nine G36 Bonanzas, seven G58 Barons, and 34 King Airs (all variants).

Still, the positive news for pistons was dwarfed by turboprops. Turboprop singles were up 14.6 percent, and multi-engine turboprop shipments rose from 19 in the first three months of 2012 to 34 this year, for a positive change of nearly 79 percent.

Source: AVweb, Glenn Pew

LATAM Airlines Posts First Monthly Traffic Drop

flyvertosset — Mon, 13 May 2013 04:12:41 GMT

LATAM Airlines' passenger traffic fell 1.1 percent in April versus a year before, the first monthly drop since the creation of the merged carrier in June.

LATAM Airlines, Latin America's largest carrier, is the product of Chilean flagship airline LAN's takeover of Brazil's TAM last year.

In April, Brazilian domestic passenger traffic dropped 6.9 percent while non-Brazil domestic passenger traffic jumped 12.3 percent.

LATAM Airlines has domestic operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

International passenger traffic slid 0.6 percent in April.

Cargo traffic increased 10 percent.

"The increase in (cargo) traffic was boosted by an anticipated demand for certain seasonal products," LATAM Airlines said.

Source: Reuters